Just wanted to see if anyone on here has any members that have 1st hand experience with this unit. Specifics found here: Honda Acura 03+ USB Android iPod Bluetooth AUX adapter
I'm a new owner of a 2008 TSX 6MT NHBP/Ebony interior. I'm looking for a solution to play audio from my Android phone and/or USB stick & keep the steering wheel/console control functionality. Picking up the phone to skip tracks, etc is a pain & less safe than I'd like to be.
Will pandora, Google Music, and other streaming music services work on an Android phone when plugged in with the USB, or is the Bluetooth adapter needed for that?
If I buy the BT adapter, how well does it work for doing hands-free calls? Should I stick with the factory BT? It's a pain to try to place a call on the phone using the phone's contacts & try to get it to pick up via the factory hands-free. Incoming calls work GREAT. Outgoing is a pain. Any thoughts/tricks? I've had the car for 2 weeks and absolutely love it. (Long time Honda/Acura guy. I have a 00 EM1 & 01 DC2).
Also, just general impressions on the unit are welcome. After the bit of research I've done, it seems to be a great candidate. Possibly, the quirks of the factory hands free may be something I just need to live with.
I'm a new owner of a 2008 TSX 6MT NHBP/Ebony interior. I'm looking for a solution to play audio from my Android phone and/or USB stick & keep the steering wheel/console control functionality. Picking up the phone to skip tracks, etc is a pain & less safe than I'd like to be.
Will pandora, Google Music, and other streaming music services work on an Android phone when plugged in with the USB, or is the Bluetooth adapter needed for that?
If I buy the BT adapter, how well does it work for doing hands-free calls? Should I stick with the factory BT? It's a pain to try to place a call on the phone using the phone's contacts & try to get it to pick up via the factory hands-free. Incoming calls work GREAT. Outgoing is a pain. Any thoughts/tricks? I've had the car for 2 weeks and absolutely love it. (Long time Honda/Acura guy. I have a 00 EM1 & 01 DC2).
Also, just general impressions on the unit are welcome. After the bit of research I've done, it seems to be a great candidate. Possibly, the quirks of the factory hands free may be something I just need to live with.
10th Gear
Hey C Rock,
I purchased and installed the GROM unit for my 04 TL base. So far so good. I purchased the package with bluetooth and USB charging so I'm not sure how pandora and the others work with the USB. In terms of using your phone, you have the choice in your android phone to use either the GROM or Acura hands free feature. I rather the Acura so I turned off hands free in GROM. Other than that it works great. It automatically connects when I turn on the car and the quality is excellent.
Let us know if you need any more info.
-Scott
I purchased and installed the GROM unit for my 04 TL base. So far so good. I purchased the package with bluetooth and USB charging so I'm not sure how pandora and the others work with the USB. In terms of using your phone, you have the choice in your android phone to use either the GROM or Acura hands free feature. I rather the Acura so I turned off hands free in GROM. Other than that it works great. It automatically connects when I turn on the car and the quality is excellent.
Let us know if you need any more info.
-Scott
2nd Gear
Quote:
I purchased and installed the GROM unit for my 04 TL base. So far so good. I purchased the package with bluetooth and USB charging so I'm not sure how pandora and the others work with the USB. In terms of using your phone, you have the choice in your android phone to use either the GROM or Acura hands free feature. I rather the Acura so I turned off hands free in GROM. Other than that it works great. It automatically connects when I turn on the car and the quality is excellent.
Let us know if you need any more info.
-Scott
I'm looking to get this same thing. What exactly did you get? I have a 06 tl baseOriginally Posted by cscotty
Hey C Rock,I purchased and installed the GROM unit for my 04 TL base. So far so good. I purchased the package with bluetooth and USB charging so I'm not sure how pandora and the others work with the USB. In terms of using your phone, you have the choice in your android phone to use either the GROM or Acura hands free feature. I rather the Acura so I turned off hands free in GROM. Other than that it works great. It automatically connects when I turn on the car and the quality is excellent.
Let us know if you need any more info.
-Scott
Old thread or not, reviving for some key updates.
I got this same GROM unit for my Canadian 04 TL back Nov 2019. YES THE NAVI models up here DO HAVE THE XM SOCKET on the back of the radio, and somewhat thankful I dont lose XM feature like non Can. TLs as they didnt have XM up here back then. It was merely a 'one hardware for multiple countries' solution, and the only diff is the button has CD/DVD instead of XM written on it. The GROM fools the NAV unit into thinking its an XM signal.
Taking the dash apart to that extent was a multi day horror show, if ike me you prefer not to wreck fragile poppet and clip holders. Room behind the radio unit is so dang slim the XM plug of the GROM NEARLY doesnt allow it to fit back behind the fascia, but also got the impression only the drivedrs side panels needed to be removed if you have someone with slim hands who can reach the plug (IE NO CONSOLE REMOVAL OR TRIM RISKING) I saw an old Youtube mentioning those silver slim trim strips that run down the curve of the dash bsck to your elbow position down centre console are near $200 USD back whenever that vid was made; prob impossible to get in 2020 anyway, and supposedly easy to wreck.
I nearly sent it back while under warranty period.
Original FWs for it were pretty flaky, and eventually they eliminated the older iPod versions that used to work in the first months of purchase. Now it only supports the newer ish iPad, and dropped support to the Galaxy Tab eventually too. Not sure why each FW wound up making older models incompatible....
By flaky I mean that REGARDLESS what audio device I attached to the USB (or even any at all), the GROM had a horrible habit of freezing the entire Nav audio and map ability of the the unit. Buttons non functional. Couldnt select FM to get out of the freeze, or if in FM at the time, no other buttons worked and couldnt trigger the GROM startup. Having GROM installed for easy access IS NOT just a good idea its essential, as unplugging the XM cable at the GROM and restarting the car was the only way to regain the NAV unit. Other than pulling the battery cable of course. Never happened before the GROM, stopped when I took GROM off for several weeks.
I never knew about the Mechanics 3 Key diagnostic menu prompt back then, would be curious to know if the series of error messages I found were related to the GROM.
Lately have been facing the NAV endless reboot from start screen prob, ITS NOT the disc or reader in the trunk, I get the recycling even without a disk in the unit. I started fixing this by a battery cable pull, but that soon stopped working. The only way I got the NAV back on yesterday's trip was inc. the GROM XM harness pull WITH the battery pull. No other forum suggestions worked before that, either slim coincidence or the GROM is part of the prob.
I wouldnt doubt the GROM faking the XM signal and causing these freezes fairly frequently in the last year have something to do with the NAV getting touchy lately.
I got this same GROM unit for my Canadian 04 TL back Nov 2019. YES THE NAVI models up here DO HAVE THE XM SOCKET on the back of the radio, and somewhat thankful I dont lose XM feature like non Can. TLs as they didnt have XM up here back then. It was merely a 'one hardware for multiple countries' solution, and the only diff is the button has CD/DVD instead of XM written on it. The GROM fools the NAV unit into thinking its an XM signal.
Taking the dash apart to that extent was a multi day horror show, if ike me you prefer not to wreck fragile poppet and clip holders. Room behind the radio unit is so dang slim the XM plug of the GROM NEARLY doesnt allow it to fit back behind the fascia, but also got the impression only the drivedrs side panels needed to be removed if you have someone with slim hands who can reach the plug (IE NO CONSOLE REMOVAL OR TRIM RISKING) I saw an old Youtube mentioning those silver slim trim strips that run down the curve of the dash bsck to your elbow position down centre console are near $200 USD back whenever that vid was made; prob impossible to get in 2020 anyway, and supposedly easy to wreck.
I nearly sent it back while under warranty period.
Original FWs for it were pretty flaky, and eventually they eliminated the older iPod versions that used to work in the first months of purchase. Now it only supports the newer ish iPad, and dropped support to the Galaxy Tab eventually too. Not sure why each FW wound up making older models incompatible....
By flaky I mean that REGARDLESS what audio device I attached to the USB (or even any at all), the GROM had a horrible habit of freezing the entire Nav audio and map ability of the the unit. Buttons non functional. Couldnt select FM to get out of the freeze, or if in FM at the time, no other buttons worked and couldnt trigger the GROM startup. Having GROM installed for easy access IS NOT just a good idea its essential, as unplugging the XM cable at the GROM and restarting the car was the only way to regain the NAV unit. Other than pulling the battery cable of course. Never happened before the GROM, stopped when I took GROM off for several weeks.
I never knew about the Mechanics 3 Key diagnostic menu prompt back then, would be curious to know if the series of error messages I found were related to the GROM.
Lately have been facing the NAV endless reboot from start screen prob, ITS NOT the disc or reader in the trunk, I get the recycling even without a disk in the unit. I started fixing this by a battery cable pull, but that soon stopped working. The only way I got the NAV back on yesterday's trip was inc. the GROM XM harness pull WITH the battery pull. No other forum suggestions worked before that, either slim coincidence or the GROM is part of the prob.
I wouldnt doubt the GROM faking the XM signal and causing these freezes fairly frequently in the last year have something to do with the NAV getting touchy lately.
PS: I was never a BT or FM modulator fan... can easily hear the drop in quality of audio, or degraded stereo separation... So as for audio quality it was Hot+Good... as in at least CD quality (if the 6 CDk player still worked that is...) . Hard wired direct linking will do that for you...
update all these years later
I got the HON1U3 for my Canadian 04 TL, since I was GOING TO TRY to get the six cds of prev. owner out of the 6-DVD player unit, may as well get AUX audio in after taking the bloody cabin virtually apart to get behind the head unit.
Didnt get the discs out, tiny springs everywhere and a huge skill needed seems, found out if you screw around with the NAV or dont finish the job the same day, you drive around with nothing. No enviro or audio or NAV nothing. Central console FOR ME when I had gotten only part way done was zero function
Clock bug everyone has came, got used to years of off clock display.
But audio was delicious
The GROM is buggy as heal, needs unplugging every now and then as it freezes center column (prob internal buffer full?), so made it where I can do thatwithout groping around behind the tiny space of radio.
Clock 'fixed itself' early Feb 2022... or fixed and broke others.
IT KILLED DVD AND CASSETTE PLAY buttons when GROM box is not plugged in. (uses SAT port to play digital music to head unit)
It kills all NAV and screen access IF MY GROM is plugged in.
Nothing works.
I use the DVD button to trigger my Grom US3 via the SAT/AUX (actually the DVD button on Canadian TLs)
So it wont do the GROM and im pzzed.
i see nothing from GROM about our 'older GROM units' getting an update.
I hope to find other GROM unit users and know if their 04 TL experience is the same
I was willing to ignore the stupid off time HONDA CAUSED problem to have my GROM working pure digital music, more than having accurate time. BOTH WOULDVE BEEN NICE but given no choice, you now know my preference...
I got the HON1U3 for my Canadian 04 TL, since I was GOING TO TRY to get the six cds of prev. owner out of the 6-DVD player unit, may as well get AUX audio in after taking the bloody cabin virtually apart to get behind the head unit.
Didnt get the discs out, tiny springs everywhere and a huge skill needed seems, found out if you screw around with the NAV or dont finish the job the same day, you drive around with nothing. No enviro or audio or NAV nothing. Central console FOR ME when I had gotten only part way done was zero function
Clock bug everyone has came, got used to years of off clock display.
But audio was delicious
The GROM is buggy as heal, needs unplugging every now and then as it freezes center column (prob internal buffer full?), so made it where I can do thatwithout groping around behind the tiny space of radio.
Clock 'fixed itself' early Feb 2022... or fixed and broke others.
IT KILLED DVD AND CASSETTE PLAY buttons when GROM box is not plugged in. (uses SAT port to play digital music to head unit)
It kills all NAV and screen access IF MY GROM is plugged in.
Nothing works.
I use the DVD button to trigger my Grom US3 via the SAT/AUX (actually the DVD button on Canadian TLs)
So it wont do the GROM and im pzzed.
i see nothing from GROM about our 'older GROM units' getting an update.
I hope to find other GROM unit users and know if their 04 TL experience is the same
I was willing to ignore the stupid off time HONDA CAUSED problem to have my GROM working pure digital music, more than having accurate time. BOTH WOULDVE BEEN NICE but given no choice, you now know my preference...