(Part 2) Best products from r/Honda

Just got it this week after an accident in my 1994 Acura Legend.

First Honda for me, and first car made in the 21st century (previously also had a 2008 Chevy Cavalier).

Wanted to share with you all and ask about best (frugal) accessories to keep this car tip top for years to come. So far I've gotten:

• Elite Seat Shield- I play a lot of basketball and go the the gym regularly, so want to avoid damaging the seat.
  
  
• Armor All Rubber Mats- for everyday use and especially for ease of cleaning when I bring sand in from the beach
  
  
• Shade Sox in lieu of tinting until I can save a little money to afford it
  
  
• Jumo Windshield Shade- to keep the car cooler and protect the interior parked in the bright Florida sun.
  
  
  I also plan to get
  
  
• Ultra Gauge for real-time MPG monitoring
  
  
  Any other basic recommendations. I'm also open to learning how to properly and regularly wash and wax the car to retain the paint and re-sale value down the road, and have read a few threads on that, such as this Wiki post here.
  
  Any other good recommended (easy for the beginner) resources you can suggest. This is the first time I've spent more than $1k on a car (~$7500), and want to protect and preserve the investment.
  
  Thanks /r/Honda.

WD-40 is not really made for anything but loosening stuck things, once it evaporates it no longer lubricates very well.

Try a lock deicer if its is for sure frozen or use a dry graphite spray in the lock after the WD-40 to keep it nice and free.

WD-40 loosens really well but isn't a lasting effect. Spray graphite doesn't loosen well but lasts. They are a perfect compliment to each other.

Anytime you're dealing with wear components, picking them up from a scrap yard is sketchy at best. So brake pads, clutch, flywheel,that kind of stuff you want new.

Exedy usually makes good clutches at a reasonable price.

https://www.amazon.com/EXEDY-CLUTCH-08022-92-00-HONDA/dp/B078X6NWPV

When you do the clutch you either need to get the flywheel machined flat or replace it.

https://www.kseriesparts.com/EXE-FWHDC01.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwkcblBRB_EiwAFmfyy46fIk2nHZfuXpk2irDuHJusu8xxe5hvp2bTzJWdLe2zQ05m4rk9khoCTW8QAvD_BwE

Something that is designed to continue functioning in the same shape rather than wearing down over time? I would be happy picking them up from a scrap yard if I was confident in identifying parts that are in good shape. Ignition cylinder and distributor I would take from a scrap yard if I found a good one.

Hey, no problems. Those are what I purchased, yes. Along with this wiring adapter (which is easier than easy to install and should be included with the purchase on Crutchfield).

Speakers from Amazon

Wiring adapter from Amazon

It all comes out to about the same price (about $5 cheaper on Amazon), but Amazon's got Prime shipping, so that's why I'd recommend going there.

Also it's worth noting that I had to send them back in because one of the speakers started to crackle, so watch out for that within the first couple weeks. I'll be buying them again though soon, since they sounded pretty good for the price.

Hope this helps.

The dashboard cracking can be prevented by either covering it, or not exposing the car to rapid changes in temperatures constantly. Mine is not cracked, and I don't have it covered either but I may cover it in black alcantera if I swap out my seats for the beige alcantera recaro seats that I have been lusting after for about a year.

The homelink does also cause battery drainage when it malfunctions, thought yes it is easily replaceable, even removable. It's not necessary, and the Bluetooth capabilities are just for calling, no media. I installed this in the car for calling and music playback, it works great. My homelink works fine but I find it useless so I unplugged it.

I find the TL Type S to be one of the most elegant sedans ever made. If this car was made RWD, it would still be giving the E46 M3 a run for its money in all aspects. I feel as if Honda one-upped BMW in that time period with a FWD sedan like they did to Ferrari with the NSX back in the 90's.

It was super easy. Granted, I took the easy route (using a dual USB in the cigarette lighter to power the led’s. One plug is for the footwell lighting, one is for my phone charger when I want to charge)

This is the Red LED light kit I bought on amazon

Then I just removed the shift knob and shift boot, and worked the led strips and cords under the center console through the shift boot hole (shifter exposed)

Then I pushed each of the led strips under and through each side of the center console to the footwell that I wanted them in (I have 4 led strips, 2 for the front and 2 under the seats for the rear)

Then I just cleaned up the wiring so nothing shows.

Plug in the led strip usb when you want red accent lighting

Not bad for $17 😊

I had a similar rust spot on my civics hood. Bought a fiberglass scratch pen from Amazon
(https://www.amazon.ca/Scratch-Brush-Fiberglass-Colors-vary/dp/B0019V18D2) which worked awesome. I tried gluing sandpaper to a pencils eraser but the control wasnt good when sanding.
Then applied Dr colorchip to seal it up. Worked great but I know your hood isnt a factory color. Im sure some shops might be able to colormatch.
Good luck

I used these https://www.amazon.com/SYLVANIA-SilverStar-Performance-Headlight-Contains/dp/B000M5Y720

Seems to be their highest performing bulbs, I could have gone HID's but I didn't want to blind people because of my reflectors. The light is whiter than the stock yellow bulbs.

Just went out and took these for the thread. They're absolutely brighter than my old bulbs, they slightly overpower my high beams. http://imgur.com/a/sM8BQ

I'm pretty happy with them, I'd buy them again when one goes out for sure.

From Imgur -

Haters gonna hate.
Seriously this translates to any low-end model car. See what you can do. Just put your mind to it.
Wiring harness disaster.
This was the initial wiring harness done by mysterious previous owner. Electrical tape and twisting is effective, however, very sloppy.
Wiring harness - fixed.
Solder and heatshrink wires into a nice in-line harness. Used conduit and electrical tape to secure the lines into an OEM-like headunit harness.
If it sits, it fits.
Checking whilst removed that the new mount for my headunit is working properly.
Cupholder add-on.
Stock DX doesn't come with a retractable cupholder. I picked up one of these universal dual cup holders at Advance Auto Parts. It's designed to wedge between a seat and a center console. I used a hack saw to trim it down, then used Plumers Goop to fasten it to the trim piece used for the cupholder add-on.
Sitting nice.
It looks like it all came together ok, not - it's time to check and see how it's working.
Sexy.
Sits fine, have to get a USB bluetooth adapter for audio, however it functions just fine like so.
Torque for Android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque is the software. http://www.amazon.com/Newest-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner-Adapter/dp/B009F4JHHO/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1395625503&sr=1-2&keywords=Bluetooth+ODBII For the hardware.

Hope you enjoyed this! I did this today since I was a bit bored and wanted the car to function with my phone better. Happy modding!

First off, if there are any mods, I would not buy it. HOWEVER, if the mods are basic, cold air intake, headers, exhaust, then thats pretty easy stuff. Step by step though I would do this.

1. Make sure the car is cold, meaning that it hasn't been warmed up before you arrived.
   
   
2. Check the oil.
   
   
3. Check the trans fluid.
   
   
4. If is it warm, then look under the car for any fresh oil or anything else that might have leaked out.
   
   
5. Check under the hood (and I DO mean under the hood. Open it up and make sure the insulation is free of oil or any other liquids that have been splattered on the underside of the hood) and anywhere else. Oil leaves a pretty dark stain where ever it hits.
   
   
6. Do a compression test (http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7828-Professional-Compression-Storage/dp/B00020BM28) something like this. This will tell you a lot about the engine.
   
   
7. If they won't allow you to do this test, then walk away.
   
   
8. If the compression is good, then take it for a test drive. low speed, around town, test the brakes (not too hard) and basically go through every gear.
   
   
9. MOST IMPORTANT dont listen to what they have to say about the way it drives, take your own notes. This way you can lower the price based on what you just drove.
   
   
10. Feel the tires, and by this I mean run you hand lightly over the treads. If it feels wavy, then the tire is out of balance. If you feel bald spots here and there it means the shocks are not working as they should. If it feels worn on either the inside or outside of the tire then the alignment is off. All of these things will effect how the car drove when you tested it. Again, these are thing that the seller might not have known about and it only works in your favor.
    
    
11. And this is a tough one. Look for where the paint isn't all the same around the car. Cheap paint jobs usually cover up accidents. I would suggest looking up a youtube video on how to spot the differences, but its better then me trying to describe it.
    
    
12. Look for how the panels line up. For example, if you are in front of the car, and the gap between the hood and the headlight on the left compared to the one on the right is off, then that says either the hood has been off for some reason, or this car rear ended someone on a certain side. Again, youtube it to see.
    
    
13. Anything that you aren't sure of, electrical, engine noise, does the engine shake at idle, exhaust leaks, do some research online. heres a great link for future mods/projects http://honda-tech.com/
    
    
14. If the seller seems eager to sell you the car, watch out!
    
    Hopefully you do read these steps, and again they are 14 simple steps that NO mechanic will argue with. If a seller isn't willing to let you do any of these tests, then you do no want to buy that car.

The K&N will increase horsepower and acceleration, but not as much as a custom air intake, but much better then the stock air filter.

The filter itself is washable and reusable with a special recharge kit (I recommend the non spray kind, but instead the pourable/squeeze kind. It only needs to be done every 50,000 miles or so, depending on road conditions, but I did mine about every 10 to 15 thousand with prior cars because I'm anal like that.

Plus for a DIY, its simple as opening a few clamps and then replacing.
Product Website for the CRZ Filter


Amazon carries it too

You might want to look at this guy as well, as he has backup / aux / usb inputs but also bluetooth which I have found to be immensely useful for the car. No fucking around with wires I just switch to BT and have my whole spotify library ready to go, and then I have a thumbstick with 15gb of music on the usb that just stays in the car all the time for roadtrips.

That kit would definitely work for your wiring though, although you can easily route a cable up into the glovebox and just leave a usb in there if you decided to go the bluetooth route.

Keep in mind you'll need a wiring kit for the rsx and a dash kit to get the double din to fit with different trim.

Not a Type S unfortunately but I'm very happy with it. Drives amazingly.

Edit: Also I'm contemplating putting in a Short Ram air intake from K&N. Their dyno chart seems to show I'll be getting about 5 more HP then around 10 more once the VTEC kicks in. I'd be pleased with just some better gas milage and sound. Anyone have any experience with such a venture. The part I was looking at was about $150.

You should just need the aftermarket adapter that you connect to the aftermarket head unit, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-1729-Wiring-Harness-2008-Up/dp/B001JT3NZK

It's a pretty simple process, you just match up the colors. A soldering iron would be a good idea, and some heat shrink wire sleeves, to make sure there's a good connection.

If it's anything like it was on my RSX you're looking at 30-60 minutes to swap it.

They’re these ones here, they’re awesome. Not sure what bulbs tbh but it’s all LEDs and very nice looking at night. They’re not exactly plug and play though. Requires slight modification to the wiring harness for the stop/running lights but it’s not very difficult.


Spyder Honda Civic 96-00 3DR LED Tail Lights - Red Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W421CU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wvb1AbFZ6MHXF

special stuff. here is the kit
http://www.amazon.com/99-5000-Aerosol-Recharger-Filter-Service/dp/B00029WYEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333468088&sr=8-1
that one looks like it has the spray oil, which is better than my pour on oil (much faster and harder to over do). just follow the instructions shouldnt be a problem.
the MAF is easy to locate, do a little reading on cleaning it first, and proceed with caution if you do. they're usually pretty expensive to replace.

That video was perfect thanks so much. Yeah I haven't had any problems with glare with the current radio and wouldn't want to cause any new issues. After watching the install it looks pretty easy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Accord-Civic-3-5MM-iPhone-6-car-MP3-Interface-Aux-In-adapter-Brand-New-/390947699287?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275 I think I'll give this one a try.
EDIT: or maybe this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003PPGOC0/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=WC28042