The following is a description of how I was able to install my new iPod into my 2001 Honda Civic EX.
Edit 2003-07-20 13:07 – added the pictures
1) Acquire the necessary parts and do your homework…
- First, you’ll need the HON-AUX input converter, available from Logjam Electronics – I bought mine for ~$50 + S&H. This plugs into the CD-Changer port which is located on the back of the your stock head unit, and talks the unit into thinking that a set of RCA inputs is really a CD changer. (If you’re clever, you’ll see how this can be used to tie in a satellite radio unit like XM or Sirius as well!)
- Second, the HON-AUX converter provides female stereo RCA jacks, so you’ll need either a cable or adapter which converts 2 male RCA jacks to a 1/8″ stereo jack. I ended up with a $20 Monster Cable (because Best Buy was out of cheaper ones), but you can find one at your local RadioShack for under $10 – try part numbers 42-2551 ($6.99) or 42-2483 ($7.99).
- Third, a power supply for your iPod. I’ve got one of the new 10GB ones with the Dock connector on the bottom, so I went with the Belkin unit, which you can get at an Apple retail store, or buy it online from Apple for $39.99
- Fourth (optional), something to put your iPod on/in. I found a cell-phone holder at RadioShack for $21.99 which seems to work fine.
- Fifth, tools. I used a couple metric sockets (8 and 10 mm), a flathead screwdriver, and a cordless drill.
- Sixth, your stereo security code. In the packet of material that came with your owners manual, there should be a small card/sticker which contains your radio’s serial number and the security code for it (a 5-digit number). You’ll need this or your radio won’t work when you’re done!
2) Opening the center console and removing the stereo.
For this section, I relied on a couple illustrations from this page at carstereohelp.com. Print it up and take it out to your car with you!
a) Before doing any electrical work on your car, always disconnect the power. Pop open the hood and disconnect the negative battery terminal. The bolt on mine was tough to get a normal wrench at, but a 10mm socket wrench worked fine.
b) Remove the lower center panel (where the cigarette lighter plug is located at). It’s easiest to pry gently at the bottom left and right sides first – then the panel comes off fairly easily. Disconnect the power plug to the cigarette lighter (it pulls off).
Blue arrows indicate the points where the securing clips are located at. The two on the right side are mirrored in the left. Click the pic for a bigger view.
c) Following the diagrams you printed up, there are two bolts holding in the radio / air conditioner control assembly which are located under the top edge of the open panel. I just reclined the seat and laid upside-down with my head under the steering wheel to get good access. The bolts are both 8mm heads. Yellow arrows on the picture above show the approximate location of the bolts behind the panel.
d) Remove the upper panel. Be careful prying, as you can damage the dash! Just so you’re not surprised, this isn’t just the faceplate you’re removing – it’s the entire unit, which includes the climate control knobs/buttons, the head unit, and the CD storage box.
Blue arrows indicate approximate locations of securing clips. I did dent the console a little bit when I was prying on the bottom (bottom-left arrow).
e) The HON-AUX converter plugs into a connector on the rear of the head unit on the right side (just next to the main wiring harness). Based on the diagrams included with the converter, if you’ve got the factory cassette deck installed as well, I assume you daisy-chain and connect to the cassette deck instead.
f) Route the RCA jacks on the converter to a good location for you. I drilled a hole in the inside top of the little pocket in the bottom center panel and fed them through there. You might be able to just fish them around the side of the panel on the passenger side as an alternate routing. (Eventually, I ended up switching to this as well.)
The hole.
g) Reinstall the upper center panel, the bolts holding it in place, the cigarette lighter connector, and the lower center panel.
h) Reconnect the negative battery terminal, turn the car on. When you turn on the radio, it will request the security code, which you can enter using the radio station preset buttons.
3) Connecting the iPod
a) If you just plug the iPod into the input jacks directly, you’ll probably hear terrible static instead of your music. Apparently, the power source of the car and the iPod’s battery compete. So, the car charger isn’t only smart, it’s necessary. The Belkin adapter I’m using also provides line-out capability, so I plug into it instead of the iPod’s headphone jack.
b) To get your head unit to the new input, push the “CD / Tape” button until “CD-C” (CD-Changer) is displayed as the mode. Push again to cycle back to the in-dash CD player
c) I didn’t want to leave the iPod on my passenger seat to slide around, so I got a mount for it. The one I described above can be mounted into the tray below the parking brake handle. Putting it in the front left corner keeps it from interfering with the parking brake, and puts it right at your fingertips if your arm’s on the armrest.
Click for a larger view.
Update 2004-06-29 – I posted some followups to comments in another blog entry. Read that article too before posting a question. Thanks!
Update 2007-02-22 – I’ve redone how I have my iPod installed in the car, and gone to an even more integrated approach.
For Christmas, I got the harman/kardon drive+play system for the iPod. This is, in my mind, the best way to integrate an iPod into the stock head unit. The system consists of a “brain”, which is hidden from view, a small LCD display which can be mounted on the dash, console, etc., and a controller which mimics the iPod interface. On the LCD display, you’ve got full access to the “Music” section of your iPod’s menu – playlists, sorting by artist, genre, etc. The controller has the same 5 buttons you’ve got on the iPod’s Click Wheel, and it rotates to simulate the touch function of the wheel.
Here’s how I installed it:
1) Install the power connections – Remove the lower center console per the instructions above and disconnect the cigarette lighter connection. The wires going to the cigarette lighter should be yellow and black. Carefully cut and strip the yellow wire (+12 VDC) and connect it to the yellow AND red wires on the d+p’s wire harness. You should have three yellow wires (the two ends of the yellow wire going to the lighter and the d+p yelllow wire) and the red ACC wire. Twist together using pliers and join with a suitable wirenut. Wrap off the wirenut in electrical tape to secure. Cut the black wire, strip the ends, and twist them together with the black wire from the d+p’s harness.
2) Test power connection and choose location for “brain” – Just connect up the controller, display, and iPod cable, hook up your iPod, and start the car. On my car, the display comes on and turns off while the engine is starting. Push the Play button on the d+p controller to turn it on. The iPod display should give you the “Ok to disconnect” message. You should have control of the iPod through the d+p now. If you’ve connected your HON-AUX to the d+p “brain”, you ought to be hearing music now. Now, stash the brain somewhere. I stashed mine behind the center console on the driver’s side – there’s a nice amount of space there.
3) Select controller and display location and mount methods – I chose to mount my display to the left of the dashboard, above the vent and roughly even with the windshield pillar. I mounted the controller basically where I used to have the iPod – right where my hand would rest off the end of the armrest just in front of the gearshift. In both cases, you have the option of self-adhesive mounts or screw-on mounts. I opted for adhesive, as I might be getting a new car in the next couple years. Route the cables as you see fit. I routed the controller cable straight down the driver’s side of the console, then tucked it under the plastic all the way to the “brain”. For the display, I tucked it into the seam wher the windshield pillar and dash meet, down the inside of the door, above the hood release, under the floor mats just behind the pedals to the “brain”.
4) Select location for iPod – the natural place is the covered pocket in the center console under the armrest – it’s out of view to deter theft, but easy to access to grab your iPod. You can remove the black part of the console (up to the seam by the gearshift) by prying. Start from a back corner and work forward. The parking brake handle will need to be up to remove it. Drill a 1/2″ hole in the bottom rear of the pocket. Route the cable to the “brain” underneath the center console.
5) Replace all your covers and rock on.
Enjoy, and if you’ve got any questions/comments, please post below – if you want a response, be sure to include a valid e-mail address!
Also – in the comments below, I periodically insert my responses to your questions in italics. Just so you know…
I used the iPod2Car made by Peripheral Electronics for my 2001 Honda Civic 2 door LX. I bought it from Crutchfield.com for about $100. It’s nice because you connect it to the CD Changer slot, you can use the RW/FF buttons to seek or skip ahead or back, and your iPod still functions normally.
I used a slim kitchen knife to pop the cigarette lighter panel off. I had to put some significant work into slipping the knife into the slit on the sides; trying to pry the bottom of the panel was worthless. After quite a lot of prying and thinking I was going to break the panel or the knife through the side, it popped off. I have some minor scratches from that but it’s fine since it’s low down. After pulling the cigarette lighter connector off, I just reached up behind the dashboard without doing the A/C and radio disconnect bit. The CD changer plug is on the right side (i.e. passenger side) of the radio, just to the side of what felt like a parallel/IDE cable sized plug on the back of the radio. I’m routing the iPod dock cable out a gap near the floor towards the rear of the space where the ashtray panel area goes. It’s nice and neat, and didn’t require any other damage. The iPod2Car pack came with a holder that I’m fixing to the spot just under the radio and to the right of the rear defogger button. The hardest part was getting over the anticipation of doing some damage to my car!
Ben,
Can you use one of the FM transmitter/car charger docks that insert into the car lighter/power supply as the power supply for this installation? I have one, and figure that would also serve as a holder for the iPod as well.
This set up is just an aux jack for your radio. You need not go purchase an Ipod to use this, any mp3 player will work. Try a Zune, better mp3 decoder = better sound quality and truer high and low end sounds. The ipod is kleenex, just the brand, and nowhere near the best sounding mp3 player on the market.
Ben’s note: Sure, it’s basically just providing an aux input into the stock head unit. You couldn’t pay me enough money to use a Zune. I don’t give a flying you-know-what about the MP3 decoder, because nearly all of my music (aside from the stuff I get from iTunes) is in >192 kbps AAC format. Since AAC gives higher quality at equivalent bitrates, a better MP3 decoder is a non-starter. When I’m not in the car, my iPod’s hooked to Shure SE530s or Sennheiser HD600s (via a dedicated headphone amp I built), so I’m quite aware of how good music sounds. The Civic is not an audiophile’s car anyhow, so the quality of the Zune’s decoder is completely irrelevant to our discussion.
That, and who the hell actually owns a Zune? Their market share’s what, 5%?
Since this article, I’ve upgraded to the Harman/Kardon drive+play kit for better iPod integration. Now, my iPod’s stashed in the center console, display next to the A-pillar, controller where my iPod used to be. Can’t do that with a Zune, because there are barely any 3rd party accessories for it!
hey man , i dont know how much you check this and i have a cpl Qs for you about doing this to my 02 EX..
can you add me on facebook?
lol sorry wierd request
figured you were the best person to ask though, looks like youre a genius on this stuff…:)
Leah Bauer
Indiana
Thanks so much for sharing.
I installed over the weekend but every so often there is a split second where the music stops..as if it’s skipping (but it’s not a CD). Maybe it is shorting out? What would cause this split second stoppage to occur and what can I do?
I installed the converter that circuit city sells…its not the P.I.E or the Blitzsafe..just a general adapter that includes an Ipod connection instead of RCA.
Thanks for the help, had to get the serial number off the radio to aquire the code to reset radio as I bought vehicle used. Your diagram and directions were perfect.
MMC
I have a 2003 honda civic and an iphone. I was wondering if this would work for me? Just now sure if it would be different to do with iphone instead of an ipod? Thank you
CAR: ’01 Civic w/factory radio
Convertor: HON 98 AUX PIE from Logjam
This setup pleases me thoroughly. My PIE came with a grounding wire. If you have the ipod volume down, you must crank the head unit vol. This introduces a soft hiss. So go the other way and run with the ipod vol high and keep the head unit vol down. The sound is awesome! Also, as stated earlier you don’t have to pull the whole stereo unit out to reach the back of the stereo. You can remove it, however, without using prying tools by simply tilting the ac vents down and opening the flip lid below the stereo. Use both hands to firmly pull the console out – the securing clips will give way with enough effort. By removing the unit, I was able to run the 3.5 mm (1/8″) cable over towards the glove compartment. I then routed the cord between the plastic and the carpet back towards the hand brake. (No cutting and wire is out of sight.) One last thing – logjam charges $15 for the RCA-3.5mm. You can get the same cable from Radio Shack for $5. Please note that 3.5 mm and 1/8″ is the same.
Thanks Ben for the blog..
seems like a lot of trouble for a iPod car connection??
I got one from http://www.ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk that i think is excellent, its exactly what i wanted and i installed it my self (with ease) and there are others available i think dension and dice?. i’d definately recommend geing a dension any day
hello, thanks for providing the info on this page! I just wanted to clarify something – I just bought the drive and play as well. Do I need to follow the steps for the HON-AUX first before I follow the steps for the d + p? Thank you!
Hi,can you sent me few pictures to take out center console and remove stereo?
Thanks!
Wen
Hi Ben,
Thanks much for providing these details. I installed the ipod on my car, it was as smooth as butter.
Thanks
Deepak
Thanks for your informative site. After reading it I had the courage to buy the harman/kardon drive+play (Amazon $29 inc tax & shipping)and the input converter (Ebay $49 inc shipping). I was able the get the input converter plugged into the radio without pulling the radio panel out (just the cigarette lighter panel). It’s a bit tight back there but with a little patience it went in. I mounted the drive+play display to the left of the cigarette lighter without the base so it’s somewhat flush. The control knob thingy is mounted on the center console near the cup holders. I put the Ipod connector in the little slide door (lined with foam)near the emergency brake. The “brain” of the unit, along with all the wires are under the center console (lots of room under there). I have a 2001 Civic EX with automatic. Not sure if the other models or years are the same. It looks like the harmon/kardon unit has been upgraded (better display as well as some add’l features) which is why the the older model was so cheap. Again thanks.
After reading your site and the many comments left here I managed to install an aux input into my 2001 Honda Civic LX last night without a hitch! I got the HON98-AUX adapter from crutchfieldcanada.com and bought a panel mount 3.5mm input from a local surplus store for a buck. Then I used one of the many RCA wires lying around my house to solder that to the 3.5mm input, at which point I was ready to get to dismantling the car.
I managed to get the panel where the 12-volt power socket resides off fairly easily, though a little piece of plastic from the panel did break off. It was ok since it’s a piece in behind and not visible at all. I then took the plastic cover from where the fog lights would be and installed the aux inoput into that just like Raj did (see his comment somewhere way above, and thanks for the idea!). I couldn’t get my big hand up under the climate control panel and so decided to take it out as well since I wanted to make sure I attached the grounding wire from the HON98-AUX unit somewhere securely, and this wire isn’t very long. I disconnected the battery first, of course, to avoid getting zapped. Taking the climate control and radio panel out was not super easy, but I didn’t need any tools either. I started from the top left and worked my way around to the right. One metal clip broke as it released, but I think that had nothing to do with what I was doing and simply was a matter of the metal being brittle. Once I had the thing removed it was easy as pie to hook everything up, secure the grounding wire to an existing screw in behind the dash, secure the HON98-AUX unit with a tie, and put everything back together.
It works like a charm! The next thing I want to do is to split the 12-volt socket in behind the dash and plug in the power adapter for my satellite radio behind the panel so it is nice and neat and so that I still have the socket in the front available for other things. I just have to decide where I’m going to mount the satellite radio so that I know where I need to run the power cord.
Thanks for the site and all the useful comments! This is a great little project that keeps the stock radio in your car and maintains the original look.
PLDS – my opinion? I’m not interested. What it looks like you’re doing is providing an automated drawer to stash the iPod in the center console and using someone else’s 3rd party head unit. To me, that’s not really a significant value-add. A motorized drawer is unnecessary “bling”, like spinner rims. Further, I don’t want to control the iPod/iPhone from the head unit for a couple of reasons:
1) Takes my eyes off the road
2) It’s a reach
3) I haven’t seen a headunit that gives you full “just like the device” level of control. You can change tracks, turn shuffle on/off, etc, but you don’t get the full functionality in most 3rd party units.
The harman/kardon drive+play setup is really the ideal solution to me in terms of car integrations for a few reasons:
1) Provides hidden install options with *full* device control
2) Has a display that shows useful info and can be remotely mounted in a driver-preferred location for viewing (ie, the dashboard right next to the A pillar)
3) The controller provides full access to the device and mimics the iPod interface, and can be mounted in a driver-friendly location (center console by where the hand naturally falls off the armrest)
It does have a couple of downfalls that have led to me no longer using it:
1) Not compatible with 3G iPhone. Showstopper bug.
2) Twitchy voltage requirements – it wants a 12V feed, but on a cold day, the power system’s voltage drops just enough under load (blower running on HI + defroster on) that it flickers on and off
Short answer? I’m not biting.
Just got a 09 civic ex in the family. Wife loves the IPOD but can’t listen in the car, i’ll have to try this out.
I installed the HON-AUX in my 2002 honda civic and everything works fine. But now i cannot listen to the InDash CD player because i had to unplug the pin that connected to the cd player to connect the pin from HON-AUX . Did i do something wrong or is there anything else that can be done?
Nope. If your CD player is a separate unit from the stereo, you have to choose one or the other. In my Civic EX, the CD player is integrated, and the accessory port was designed to accommodate a CD changer.
Well I thought I had hit a jackpot when I found that I can hook my Ipod up to my 01 civic EX but it seems I don’t have a CD Changer hook up on my stock CD player? is there another way?
Please help
This is the best site for propiding apple mobile.
Great site and of course it really great technology.
Mophie Iphone 4 Since june 2007, iPhone Cell phones have grow to be the major choice for cell phones usersbl
2003 Honda Civic EX Coupe Install:
This differs from the instructions for the 2001 Honda listed at the top of this blog above:
First Step:
After obtaining all of the necessary parts and tools, and removing the negative battery cable (Note: You must have your stereo security code prior to removing the negative battery cable – mine was on a sticker on the left outside of the glove box)you can begin on the cigarette lighter plug panel removal. I purchased a door panel removal tool from Autozone for $9.99 to minimize the chance of damaging the panel or dash. Not exactly designed for this but its curved, wide flat head allows you leverage and to distribute the pressure over a larger area reducing the chance of denting or permanently damaging the dash/molding when prying at the retaining clips.
1. First remove inner plastic rectangular ring around the gear shifter. This is retained by four clips. All on the sides. Two near the top (left/ride) two near the bottom (left/right). This plastic is thin so don’t pry to hard and try to pry close to the clips to prevent from breaking this.
Step Two:
2. Remove outer plastic rectangular ring around the gear shifter. Same number of clips, same locations. Again, be careful and pry close to the clips.
Step #3:
3. Once Step #2 is complete you should see two Phillips head screws (at the top of the hole left by the removal of the outer ring in step #2) holding the beige plastic molding in place which is all one piece with the Cigarette Lighter Plug and two switch cut-out covers. You will not have to remove the cup holders so no need to even try. After removing the two screws, gently pry along the left and right side of the molding along the outer edge of the gear shift housing, working from the back toward the front. The left and right side molding is actually along the outer side of the Gear Shifter housing along the top edge. You will find two clips on each side, and then the front (closest to the dash) has one slide-in piece on both the left and right front lower side. What I did is after I loosened the left and right sides along the shift knob housing I grabbed both the left and right side of this molding at the same time and gently pulled toward the back of the car with a slight upward angle. This caused the two clips on each side of the Cigarette lighter housing and one in the top center to release allowing me to gently pull the entire piece out. Don’t pull to hard or to far until you unplug the wires/plug to the back of the cigarette lighter plug. Once the wires are unplugged you can completely remove this piece and set it aside. This will give you access to the two 8mm bolts (which also have Philips heads on them) that retain the stereo rack mount.
Return to step c at top of this blog with photo for removal of the upper panel that contains the stereo and A/C, Heater controls and center vents. The 2003 Honda Civic EX Coupe upper panel is identical to the one pictured. Note: When removing the upper panel, I started with the lower left side, and lower right side first and worked my way up both sides toward the air vents. After removing the side clips, I just gently pulled toward me and with a slightly upward angle and the three top clips released, allowing me to pull the stereo rack forward, giving me access to the rear of the stereo.
Note: Many have written and said they were able to reach the plug at the rear of the stereo by reaching up through the hole left by removing the Cigarette Lighter Plug panel and feeling around until they found it. Just out of curiosity, I attempted to reach up there and found numerous wires in the way. I planned to remove the stereo anyways as I wanted to secure the HON98-AUX device to something as my fear was that if not secured, it would rattle when driving and I did not want to have to go through this entire process a second time if at all possible. I would have been fearful that while \fishing\ around to find the hole without removing the upper panel I may have inadvertently loosened wiring to something else. I have big hands so it did not afford me much room to feel around. I also found that the removal of the top panel only took me an additional five minutes to do, and gave me free access to the rear without having to \fish\ around for the device plug hole.
After pulling the entire panel (stereo rack and all forward) I plugged the device into the back of the stereo and dropped the ground wire and audio jack wire down behind and through the hole behind the cigarette lighter plug panel. I had planned to use double sided tape to secure the HON92-AUX device to the top of the stereo (as someone had suggested)but realized if I did,it would block the vents from going back into place properly. I decided instead to secure it to the top side of the bottom of the rack (below the plastic cd pocket). I utilized two long wire zip ties, making sure not to cover the bolt holes for the two bolts that secure the rack in place (removed in step c above). After securing it nice and tight with the ties, I pushed the upper panel containing the stereo and A/C, Heater controls back into place gently pushing around the edges until all the clips were secured back in place. I chose to install an intermittent switch between my ground wire and the ground, because in reading the numerous posts here, some devices require the ground, some don’t work well with the ground, so I didn’t want to have to pull this all apart again if my son chose to change MP3 devices. I got a low profile push (on/off) switch from hardware store for $4.00 and installed it in one of the switch cut-outs on the Cigarette Lighter Plug Panel. Went with black so you can barely see it. I then grounded one of the switch wires to the existing 10mm Chassis bolt that was directly behind where the Cigarette Lighter Plug was. This bolt already had a ground wire for something else, so I just loosed the bolt, added my ground wire to it, and tightened it back down.
I ran the audio jack through a gap at the front corner of the panel passenger side. It was neat, yet the wire was plenty long enough to reach anywhere on the drivers side, yet could be tucked out of view if not needed.
At this point, I replaced and tightened the two 8mm bolts that secure the stereo rack (Step C at top, original post)and then completed my Step 1 – 3 in reverse order (Don’t forget to plug the Cigarette Lighter Plug wire back in to the back of the plug before replacing this panel). All panels went back into place without a hitch, no damage and looked good as new. Replaced the Negative Battery Cable, inputted the Stereo Security Code (after turning the key on, turning the stereo power on, when the \Code\ word showed up on the digital display). Thing works like a charm. My son is using the new Verizon I-Phone, and discovered that when on speaker phone, the system also works like a bluetooth. He can lay the phone in the center console or on his lap and the sound comes through the stereo preventing him from having to hold the phone up to his ear while driving. Pretty cool, unexpected extra. The ground switch does have to be in the grounded \on\ position for his I-Phone to work properly, or he receives major static, but glad I went through the extra step of installing the switch.
I really took my time with this so it took me about 1 1/2 hours. Could probably have done it in 45 minutes.
I couldn’t find much out there regarding removal of a 2003 Honda Civic EX Coupe Stereo so I hope this helps someone else….