ipodguy

I just had the Neo Ion Aux 21145 (exactly the same product as the USA Spec pa11 hon2) installed in my 2005 TL. The steeringwheel and dash track controls do not work with the iPod. I called mp3yourcar.com (from whom I bought it), and they sent a second unit. I had it installed, and it has the same problem. Furthermore, the AUX input does not work unless the iPod input is first initialized, so you have to have an iPod to attach to the iPod input before you can use the AUX. That's pretty bogus. The iPod also does not pause when switching to another mode. It does pause when the ignition is turned off.

I will say that the sound is great, and both my NAV and XM appear to be working. But there are a lot of features claimed for this unit that do not work as advertised. I'll keep the unit because I want the great sound without messing up the NAV. But I think Neo Ion and/or USA Spec owe us something yet.

I would be interested in knowing if others with an '05 TL are having similar problems.

datmrman

What makes you say that the Neo Ion Aux 21145 is the same as the USA Spec PA11-HON2? From what I've read, they have similar features but nothing that states they are from the same manufacturer.

gauravp123

yeah I don't believe they are the same

ipodguy

Yes, the two units are identical. If you peel back the Neo Ion stick-on label, you will see underneath the USA-Spec PA11-HON2 information printed on the case. Rumor had it that, though they were in the USA-Spec case, they actually had different boards and chips. However, when I asked the question directly to mp3yourcar.com's customer service, they acknowledged that the two units were identical.

The manual that comes with the Neo Ion unit is rather perfunctory. You can, however, get a more detailed manual for the USA-Spec PA11-HON2 on-line at <http://www.discountcarstereo.com/pdf/pa11-hon2.pdf>.

ipodguy

I should also note that, when I complained to the customer service representative at mp3yourcar.com that the USA-Spec PA11-HON2 cost $80 less ($119 vs. $199), he quite nicely credited me the difference (less $10 shipping that one would have to pay to the places supplying the USA-Spec unit). His claim is that the extra money bought better customer service and tech support, and in this, he is correct. The guys at mp3yourcar.com were all very good, responsive, and helpful -- although at times it was difficult to get through on the phone. They quickly and willingly cross-mailed a second unit to allow me to see if the problem was in the first. Now, however, it simply appears that the product does not behave as advertised, at least in some '05 TLs. It will be interesting to see how good they are in trying to find a solution and doing something about it.

Interestingly, if you read the USA-Spec manual, at the very last page, it has the following rather intriguing statement regarding automobile compatibility: "Some Acura application has been removed until further test results are confirmed. Please check the product paper page or this application for updates." It doesn't say which "application has been removed," and I'm not exactly sure what the second sentence means, but this document was dated only a couple of months ago (February 8, 2006), so it is indeed possible that the Acura facility was short-changed and nothing has yet been done.