I checked around the net for models that were supported by my car (which was hard because it was a 1st generation, 1st year TSX). I know there’s an MP3/DVD Player option as well as an XM head unit available for the 2004 TSX, but no iPod adapters from Honda. I finally decided on the DICE Electronics R4 Kit for Honda/Acura because it had received positive reviews and seemed a pretty simple install

I purchased the DICE iPod Kit from a reputable seller on eBay for $139 + tax and had it within a few days. The unit itself is pretty small (only a couple square inches) and has inputs for the iPod cable as well as AUX input. It’s a good thing the unit is so small because it has to fit up in the dash

Installing the unit in my car took about all of 2 minutes. Literally.

(Sorry about no pictures, I’ll add them as soon as I’m able to!)

Step one was to remove the storage bin that is located below the factory radio. This is where the factor XM or MP3 player would go. Simply open the bin and pull it out towards you. There are two clips on the bottom right and left as well as clips on the top.

Pull out the storage bin carefully as the light above is still attached to it. Carefully remove the light taking care to not break the housing. Once the bin is out your radio compartment will be exposed. Just a warning: be careful in there! Unless you’ve unhooked your battery, there’s still live current as well as some wires for the airbags Don’t kill yourself over an iPod hookup

Step two is wiring it in. You’ll see one wire running straight up into the stereo. Unplug this. This is the wire that will plug into the daisy chain provided by the DICE iPod kit. Plug the other end of the DICE iPod kit into the factory radio.

Step three is running our cables however you choose (into the glove box, storage bin, middle console) and putting the storage bin back in! Presto! Done!

I used a Dremel and cut out a small section of the bin to run the cables through. To keep it clean looking, I used a bit of rubber (read: old mouse pad) to cover the Dremel spot and cut a slit down the middle allowing the cables to run through it. This helps seal up the bin without having a gaping hole into my dash. Also, for the sake of future use I added a small amount of hot glue to the connectors that are plugged into the DICE iPod Kit so (god forbid) someone pulls on the cable too hard it wont unplug from the DICE iPod Kit while still in my dash. I didn’t add a LOT of glue, just a small drop to hold them in place nicely.

Finished storage bin with iPod & Aux Cables

A few “gotcha’s” about this unit and the 2004 Acura TSX. The ‘XM’ mode of the DICE iPod Kit only works with Honda/Acura models with an actual ‘XM’ button. This wasn’t introduced until the 2005 model year. The 2004 Acura TSX only has a “CD/AUX” button. Because of this, the DICE iPod Kit cannot work and will not be detected in XM mode. You have to set the unit to “CDC” (CD Changer) mode.

Other than that, the unit works great! It’s able to charge my iPhone 3G while I’m listening to music as well as allowing me to stream my iPod and any audio from my iPod straight into my factory radio!

Setting the DICE iPod Kit to ‘iPod’ mode allows you to control the iPod manually on the screen and not with the wheel controls. I find this much easier than trying to navigate the songs using a ‘track up’ & ‘track down’ method on my steering wheel. Also, in ‘iPod’ mode, the DICE iPod Kit acts as a standard audio source. Meaning it’ll play Pandora and send ring tones to your factory radio without having to use the AUX input, like iPod adapters from other manufacturers!

I hope this helps someone else out there in the same situation I was in Please feel free to ask any questions and I’ll be sure to post pictures of my setup as soon as I get them!

Cheers!

Recently my wife and I purchased Quicken for her Mac so we could keep a tab on our expenses and after tracking trends for a month we were floored to find out that I was spending $350 per month on gas alone! That’s $4,200 per year, or an extra $21,000 over the life of my five year loan! What the hell man!

Of course things will keep getting worse because gas prices here in North County San Diego keep going up! My wife actually had to pay $4.25 per gallon of 91 octane gas for her Mini Cooper! It’s a tiny little car and only takes like 13 gallons, but still cost over $60 to fill it! I was irate!

I thought, as a consumer, what can I do to just save myself money let alone try to stick it to the man. I decided on the following tactics:

• Drive no faster than 65 on the freeways
• Always use cruise control when I could
• Do not use AC/Heater unless it was insanely hot or very, very cold
• Do not use a ‘jackrabbit’ start, and try to gradually accelerate from stops

I figured these would be the easiest things to change that wouldn’t have a major impact on my commute or pocket book. For safe measure, I checked the pressure in my tires and also cleaned my reusable K&N air filter.

Now, I drive a 2004 Acura TSX which has only a four cylinder engine, but it’s a large four cylinder at 2.4 liters. My commute to work is 40 miles round trip with mostly freeways and on average I filled up every six to seven days getting an average of 26.4 miles per gallon.

I’ve now been driving using the above listed method for over three weeks now and I’ve filled up twice. Each tank had the following statistics:

First Tank:

29.5mpg

425 miles traveled

Nine Days Between Fill-ups

Second Tank:

31.5mpg

465 miles traveled

Ten Days Between Fill-ups

These were OUTSTANDING results! If I can keep up this trend I’ll be cutting my monthly gas price in half and saving about $150 per month or $1,800 per year! And the way gas prices keep going up, it’ll continue to save me more money

I suggest you give my above suggestions a try and let me know your results! I think you’ll be shocked at how much money you’ll be saving with these astronomical gas prices.

Cheers!