Factory HU w/ RF system

Pretty sure there's an amp under one of the seats.

 

The amp is under the driver's seat. (I found it there when I took the seat out to install my underglow).

 

just thought i'd let u know, i've heard that aftermarket HU's don't work w/ the RF system... u have to like completely rewire everything... anyone care to comment on this?

 

The PAC SWI is only for the steering wheel controls. It won't retain the amplifier. The Metra wire harness (the only easily accessable one on the market) will NOT retain the amplifier.

What you will need is the AXXESS MITO-10. I think Autotoys.com selld them for $150. Cost on them is $90. I have to special order them.

 

Not unless he a genius electrician and knows how to bypass it. Which no one else has been able to do. The amp requires a certain signal which the "amp turn-on wire" from an aftermarket radio can't do.

The only other thing that I can think of him doing is installing a PAC TR-4 or TR-7, which are seperate remote turn-on units. I havn't heard of anyone having any success with them though.

Call the installer and ask him specifically what he was going to use because you have some concerns.

 

oh and here is the link: http://www.autotoys.com/x/product.php?productid=6405

 

serious, our audio guru =)

 

I try. I just hate seeing people get screwed. I got screwed so many times. Thats why I went into business myself. I bought a $5000 system from a shop. After doing the install myself and went back to the shop. The owner instantly offered me a job. I took the job and one day when he wasn't around I picked up one of his "top secret" books. Come to find out, the subs that I paid him $175 each for, only cost him $40. I was PISSED. 2 months later I had my own shop (B&C Auto Sound) up and running.

 

ya i know exactly what u mean... i've never really gotten into audio... but like 3 years ago my parents bought me a HU for my car for xmas cuz i wanted one =)... and they also paid i think $100 just to get it installed... a year later i got a new car from my grandparents... and i decided to try it myself... it took me like 30 mins... and i've NEVER done anything like it before... i was like... wtf... $100 for this? lol

 

It controlls everything. The amplifier runs the door speakers and sub. Thats why if it is not wired in conjunction or bypassed, you will get no sound. I would say buy a nice 5 channel amp and run all new 16 gauge wire to the door speakers and 12 gauge to the sub. Then sell the stock amp on Ebay. .

You can buy a pick up a nice 5 ch amp for well under $200.

 

Thats what you need to keep you stock amp with any aftermarket radio. My sales rep with Metra said that they plan on making one but don't expect it any time soon.

 

wait i'm confused... why exactly now is it that the subs/amp/... hell the whole stock audio system lol.. won't work with an aftermarket HU?

 

Its only the Rockford Fosgay systems. The others are fine. With the RF system all audio is ran through the amp under the seat. When you install a aftermarket radio you have to have a wire harness that provides a digital amp turn on signal to turn the stock RF amp on. If you don't have this, you will get no sound. You could easily bypass it for the door speakers but the sub is a no go.

 

is there a possibility to keep the stock HU installed hide it behind the... w/e it's called the plastic or w/e and install the aftermarket HU whilst keeping both the OEM HU and the aftermarket HU... would that keep the amp/speaker/sub functioning?

if you dont know what i'm talking about... i'll go on about it a bit more... basically for the 96-98 Honda Civics (i have a 96) there was a problem with installing an aftermarket headunit... for some reason Honduh -_- decided to put the keyless entry into the headunit (aren't they geniuses?) which meant if u installed an aftermarket HU u'd lose the function of ur keyless entry, and also your dome light would stop functioning (i guess the wiring went through there) but ne way... somebody came up with a method to keeping the old HU and hide it in the back and installing the new HU having both at the same time and both wired up... thus keeping function in both the keyless entry AND the dome light... here's a link on how to install an aftermarket HU w/ the old one (page 6 i think)

http://installdr.com/InstallDocs/Honda/PDF/466013.pdf

ne way on top of this method, it was later on discovered that you can rig an aftermarket HU (w/o having the old one) so that the done light will still work (not the keyless entry because thats inside the stock HU itself)... maybe this method or the method w/ keeping the old HU can be used to keep full function of the amp?... here's how to do it for rigging the dome light on the aftermarket HU on a civic...