2007 Acura TL Navigation Retrofit (redux)

[lithiumus]

Can you post some more shots of the completed installation in the daytime vs. night? I'd like to see how it all lines up when done, gaps, color of black compared to the HVAC black, etc.

I know what you mean. From the above shots (using a camera flash) it looks like a very big difference between the HVAC and the TL parts. Here are a few pics from my 2004 install (I'll post newer pics soon) in the daylight and it looks like a much closer match...

I'd say it's somewhere in between. You can see that even in the daylight the knobs on the HVAC still look quite black while all the buttons on the TL look dark gray. The deck lines up pretty much the same as before since I used the riveted brackets and radio unit shell from the 2004 install. The only difference is the knob trim rings that I kept this time and the lowering of the control switches so now there is a gap between the deck and the bottom switches. I'm planning to put the Sub Display there that will show the GPS time and various radio functions.

The TL Sub Display was too large to fit so I obtained a TSX one which is a lot narrower and should fit perfectly. I just need to create a nice OEM looking trim...

 

[HIJACKER]

I think it looks great so far - one hell of a project, that's for sure! Once you figure out how to do the trim around the edge and something on the very bottom edge to flush out the seem - it should look great!!

Thanks for the quick response and pics - definately shows much more!

 

[ntgr8td]

Old thread revived. Absolutely amazing project my friend. Very talented. There are so many amazing
People on this message board I feel very privileged to be a part of it. Thanks for sharing you stereo
Challenge and would love to see some updates. Again great great job.

Bill

 

[shawn110975]

yea I did the same thing,, I am going to redo the Navi control cuz I cut it wrong,, Lithiumus did a better job,,, the wiring harness was a beast to do,, working on the HFL and Mic, and Voice Guidance now

 

[lithiumus]

Old thread revived. Absolutely amazing project my friend. Very talented. There are so many amazing
People on this message board I feel very privileged to be a part of it. Thanks for sharing you stereo
Challenge and would love to see some updates. Again great great job.

Bill

Thanks for the Kudos Bill! I think back in Oct 2004 when I first dreamt up this project, people just thought I was crazy. The hard part initially was just not knowing if any of it was going to work at all since nobody, not even the 3G TL guys had attempted to do a retrofit at that time.

I invested in the hardware not knowing if I anything was going to work...

In the end, 2 installs later, everything is working... now I just need to invest in a good shop that won't rape me to complete the trip and finish. I was considering doing it myself but I just don't have the time these days with 2 kids...

I guess my most recent update (though I don't have pictures, but did show some people at NSXPO 2009) is the custom JDM buttons I created. They have all the icons that the TL has for the Voice Command (talk buttons) and the Hands Free Link (Telephone buttons). They also illuminate like the OEM buttons do. They basically look like OEM buttons. Car is in storage but I'll try to get a photo...

This is the TL steering wheel switch internals modified so that the NSX JDM buttons will activate them...

Here are the JDM buttons hooked up to the custom TL switch which connects via the OEM connector back to the Nav unit. Of course the buttons here were the OEM button faces before I customized them. Man, that was almost 4 years ago!!

This is what it looked like in the car when I first completed this...

 

[nsxter]

How did you get the button faces customized? I am needing to customize a button face

 

[lithiumus]

How did you get the button faces customized? I am needing to customize a button face

Unfortunately, its incredibly labor intensive and a lot of trial and error was involved and the process is still not 100% perfect... The OEM JDM NSX buttons were brutal because the original plastic was transparent. Then they spray a coat of off-white / slightly green tinted paint then they put a coat of black either with the logo masked or they remove the paint by laser.

If the design is simple and can be masked, you can have a graphics shop create vinyl custom cut stickers and you can mask the black paint.

If the design is too complicated or small to be vinyl cut, you will need use laser etching.

But either way you must first remove all the paint off of the original buttons, put on the correct number of coats / layers of paint and know the exact intensity / power of the laser so that you don't burn the paint, or end up not cutting enough paint, or worse, cutting into the plastic. Your goal is to just cut the black paint while preserving the white paint so that the button illuminates properly.

If I can perfect the process, I may offer the service but it won't be cheap due to the amount of labor that is involved plus most places with a laser etching tool won't do small jobs for cheap.

Here is a sample of my custom Fog Light logo replacing the "Cruse" button... yes, all my internal lighting is NOT red, I converted it to the OEM white/green to match the TL Radio illumination.

 

[nsxter]

I have been trying the masking technique, but always seem to get paint "bleed" under mask. Removing the paint was no big deal.

 

[lithiumus]

I have been trying the masking technique, but always seem to get paint "bleed" under mask. Removing the paint was no big deal.

Did you sand it off or use chemicals? Masking is not perfect esp. if it's vinyl. If you can get them to cut metallic material it will mask better than vinyl. You have to do a lot of light coats if you are using vinyl to reduce / prevent bleed, esp. for the first few layers. If you hit it with a thick coat, its guaranteed to bleed.

 

[nsxter]

Sanded it off. If I remember, it was 2000 grit.

 

[shawn110975]

The TL Voice buttons wow the freaking extreme,,, I love it,, You dont mind if I copy everything your doing right??LOL,, you have got skill I can say that,, where did you put the mic? I remember you saying in the dome light? I think,,, and the Voice Guidance speaker where did you put that? Great job I reference this thread often!! Keep it up!!

 

[tbromley]

Do you intend to trim this new system out? How are you going to infill the gaps? Have you got a finished concept in mind. Will you put a face plate in and how will you resolve the bottom of the stack where the old console is just cut off? I'm sure you have a drawing or plan....

Thanks for putting this up - I bet it was a wiring nightmare.

 

[lithiumus]

Do you intend to trim this new system out? How are you going to infill the gaps? Have you got a finished concept in mind. Will you put a face plate in and how will you resolve the bottom of the stack where the old console is just cut off? I'm sure you have a drawing or plan....

Thanks for putting this up - I bet it was a wiring nightmare.

Wiring was definitely a nightmare esp. because I wanted to build the harness OEM style and wrap it all up nice. Because of all the additional wires this time around, the harness is a lot more dense than the first 2004 system that I did so I can't get the deck as deep as i'd like. I'm removing the SRS ECU this summer which should give me lots of room down there. I need the deck to be as flush / deep as possible.

I did trim the lower gap area. The above photos are older than the photos in the beginning of the thread...

My intention is to bond that button piece to the bottom console trim as shown above. The challenge is getting the angle right so I'll need to use something that allows me to stick it on and adjust it and then harden.

I'm hoping I've lowered the buttons enough to give me enough gap to install the upper display piece which shows the GPS time and various other info that the Audio system sends.

I still have the upper portion of the OEM console and the idea I have in mind is to trim it intact such that it will fit snugly above the deck (trimming out the HVAC as normal) as well as around it. I or someone I hire will need to create the upper display trim and attach it to the top portion of the buttons and fit snugly between the button trim and the bottom of the radio. Once the trim pieces are ready, I plan to repaint them.

That is what I envision and plan to do it this summer if I can find a reputable shop that won't charge me too much. The problem is that I can do all of this myself but I just don't have the time or patience to finish it...

 

[lithiumus]

The TL Voice buttons wow the freaking extreme,,, I love it,, You dont mind if I copy everything your doing right??LOL,, you have got skill I can say that,, where did you put the mic? I remember you saying in the dome light? I think,,, and the Voice Guidance speaker where did you put that? Great job I reference this thread often!! Keep it up!!

Thanks for the Kudos. Of course I mind! :wink: Just give me a shout out once in a while... maybe help me get some misc hard to find parts / connectors... :biggrin:

I'm putting the MIC in the dome light. I'm drilling small holes to allow the audio to come through. For the guidance speaker, I was going to cut the back of the NAV pod and mount it facing the windshield but then decided NOT to make any cuts to the OEM Nav Pod. Instead, I think I'm just going to use the factory rear center speaker for placement.

Thanks for the kudos!

 

[A.S. Motorsport]

Very impressive diy work. Keep it up!
You should be able to eventually mold every thing in there nicely to give it more of the OEM look.

Maybe designing a plastic or aluminium plate with the correct cut outs (cnc,flowjet etc) might make it look better then match it up with the rest of the console.

 

[aridon99]

Wiring was definitely a nightmare esp. because I wanted to build the harness OEM style and wrap it all up nice. ...

When there is a problem, there is an opportunity Ever thought about making a few extra harnesses since you've already done the hard work of figuring it out anyway? I would pay a pretty penny for that. :tongue:

This project just flat out rocks.

-John

 

[LJSB]

I salute you. This is some job to tackle and you appear to be sorting it out in a really fine manner. A step above in so many ways. Nice.

 

[ryan1926]

when there is a problem, there is an opportunity ever thought about making a few extra harnesses since you've already done the hard work of figuring it out anyway? I would pay a pretty penny for that. :tongue:

This project just flat out rocks.

-john

+1!!!!!

 

[lithiumus]

I salute you. This is some job to tackle and you appear to be sorting it out in a really fine manner. A step above in so many ways. Nice.

Thanks big guy! It was a shame I wasn't able to show you at NSXPO. Rob and Chris did the judging for my car so you may have missed seeing it in person!

 

[lithiumus]

When there is a problem, there is an opportunity Ever thought about making a few extra harnesses since you've already done the hard work of figuring it out anyway? I would pay a pretty penny for that. :tongue:

This project just flat out rocks.

-John

+1!!!!!

Hmmmmm.... PM me... I have the means to pump harnesses out but they are highly labor intensive (and just a PITA) but if it's worth my while, I could custom build some based on specified lengths (i.e. if you decided to install the DVD unit in the trunk, etc... Hmmmm....

 

[shawn110975]

Not to step on your toes, but if you got Mcdonalds/ there is always a Burger King across the way,, I to can make this harness, its is Labor intensive but since the first one I could make the same harness for the trunk or Glovebox, if Lithimus's price is to high!! LOL the teacher becomes the master LOL

 

[lithiumus]

Not to step on your toes, but if you got Mcdonalds/ there is always a Burger King across the way,, I to can make this harness, its is Labor intensive but since the first one I could make the same harness for the trunk or Glovebox, if Lithimus's price is to high!! LOL the teacher becomes the master LOL

Ya, stepping on my toes would be posting a response like that on my thread feel free to do that on your own thread. And yes, I HAVE become the Master... My harness "IF" I made them, would be built from scratch (brand new connectors, pins and wires). NOT used harnesses cut from vehicles. You get what you pay for.

In all honesty, you can have all the orders. I'm not that interested in making these. The money is never enough for the amount of work that is involved and I really don't have any time on my hands as it is.

 

[shawn110975]

Was just messing with ya, I used every picture you posted as reference, I will say you are the master, and I am a humble Student! would never step on your toes, and to make the harness from scratch, I wouldnt wanna do it again in less I had to, and probably only for my own car ya know, LOL
Sorry Lithiumus!

 

[Hksdrager7]

any updates on this?

 

[Nefarious]

any updates on this?

X2 curios as well