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#283463 - 17/06/2006 13:45 2004 Honda Element EX
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
I have been waiting for the XM RDS adapter to become available before installing the empeg in my new (to me) Element. It has been delayed time after time, so I decided to take a crack at the install without XM today. It was a cake walk.


Boxy is beautiful


The ugly wiring harness I had to make. This is a Scosche wiring harness adapter. It's obviously made for a wide range of Hondas due to it having two different connectors. I put orange electrical tape around the unused connector.

The EX trim-level Elements have an amp built in. I want to use it because the install will be much cleaner. I had to hack RCA cables on to the wiring harness adapter.


It works!


The EX Elements also have a built-in sub woofer. To utilize this, I used tap-ins (the blue things) so I wouldn't have to cut-off the factory sub connector (in case I sell the car with the OEM stereo). I used some orange wire from an old wiring harness from another install. This orange wire was used to extend the leads of the mono RCA cable that connects to the empeg.

Since the empeg doesn't have a dedicated sub output, I used a Y splitter on the front left and right channels and feed both the front and back speakers. I hooked the sub up to the rear output. I can regulate the sub level by fading front and rear on the empeg.


The finished product. The dash trim kit is a piece of shit. It's also designed to fit every Honda under the sun. I had to do a lot of tab removing to get the proper fit. This was a US Industries kit. I believe both Metra and Scosche make Element-specific kits, but they're not stocked anywhere other than online. Once this one is installed, it looks fine though...


A closer view.

Larger images available here.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#283464 - 17/06/2006 15:07 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Nice work, Rob. It's good to see cars with drop-in DIN spaces in the dash, still.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#283465 - 17/06/2006 15:36 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: tfabris]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Agreed! Very nice installation!!!
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#283466 - 17/06/2006 15:52 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: pgrzelak]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Thanks guys. I was expecting the stock amp to suck with a non-OEM head unit, but it actually sounds perfectly fine. Now all I need is some new speakers and that damn XM RDS adapter to be released.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#283467 - 17/06/2006 18:25 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
I take back saying that this set up only sounds "perfectly fine." I just played with the empeg's EQ and the sound is now about a million times better than the stock head unit! The difference is like night an day.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#283468 - 18/06/2006 13:50 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Nice install! Boxy IS beautiful. Double DIN for life. Is that really a manual transmission?

Smart idea bridging the front and rear and putting the sub on the real rear output. Good work.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#283469 - 18/06/2006 15:36 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: FireFox31]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Yeah, that's a manual. It really takes no time to get used to the stick being mounted on the dash. The position is pretty natural.

I got a great deal on the car because it's a manual. I don't know if the dealer was pulling my leg, but he said two buyers came in to see the car not realizing it's a manual. They left once they saw it. I know it was sitting on the lot for at least 2 months. I imagine that's a long time for a Honda dealer to store a used car.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#283470 - 18/06/2006 19:49 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
What a deal. We love 'em, they hate 'em. I got the same deal on my manual Volvo. Must have been the dealership beater for 50k miles until they decided to dump it because they were under construction. It was discounted on top of discounted.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#283471 - 19/06/2006 06:07 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Too bad you don't seem to be able to get the Element in Europe... At least not via official channels.

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#283472 - 19/06/2006 20:25 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: julf]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Quote:
Too bad you don't seem to be able to get the Element in Europe... At least not via official channels.

That's a shame. Even Top Gear seemed to like it.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#283473 - 24/06/2006 12:48 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Cool, the YouTube TopGear segments are back. They seemed to be pulled before.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#283474 - 25/06/2006 22:13 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
If I had a few extra thou in the bank I'd be seriously looking for an Element.
I didn't know they came with a standard trans!

Nice install!
_________________________
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Stolen!)

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#283475 - 01/08/2006 15:48 Re: 2004 Honda Element EX [Re: robricc]
cwillenbrock
enthusiast

Registered: 30/12/2000
Posts: 249
Loc: Dover, NJ
I like Ra.

Nice work.
_________________________
- Chris Orig. Empeg Queue position 2

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