I just got back from best buy and they couldnt find a way to install my riocar! they have never seen it before and say it is imposible to install while keeping my cd player...they say the way the dash is shaped and the din size blah blah wont alow the rio to fit! I NEED HELP!!! TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I NEED MY RIO!

Well, how about this. Rip out the cd player and install the rio car! If you have enough room for 2 din radios, then you can fit it in there. Search some in the install forum and see if you can find some honda installs.

I just got back from best buy...

Oh God! Please don't get your RioCar installed at Best Buy. They are so bad, they will screw everything up I promise you.

//matt

On some cars, there simply isn't enough room to install two stereos. I highly recommend you remove the CD player completely. Trust me, you won't miss it.

Please read the Car Installation section of the FAQ, here, for more details.

And do take the advice of the others in this thread: Don't take it to Best Buy, take it to a specialty car audio shop. They will know what to do.

I STILL want to reiterate that there ARE Best Buys and Good Guys with competent installers. My entire system has been installed at a Circuit City by a buddy of mine, and i've seen the quality of their installs in other cars. It all depends on the manager. Though your odds are better at a specialized install shop, they aren't that much better in a lot of cases. I have had just as many bad experiences at install shops than i have a best buy's. It's not that hard to determine if the people know theire shite or not. Just ask them a few questions, and if they are elusive, try to sell you something else, or just don't know what they are talking about, walk away.

{plug}
Also check out my how-to installation page at
http://empeg.gregdemetrick.com/empeg2_install.html

It specifically tells you how to install the Empeg into a Honda in step-by-step instructions. Yes, you can do this yourself and you will be happier if you do.

{end plug}

Greg

How do you get the headunit? how do u take apart the dash? sorry this is my first intsallation

I'll stick with the only good installer is yourself

Maybe...although I was told by both Circuit City and and very reputable pro shop, that what I did in 30 min. myself was impossible. I think that (what you said kinda indirectly) the people are the key...if you know someone that has had quality work done, get the name and location of that installer. Ask around for as many referrals as you can get, and go by that, not the name of the shop.

Oh, and to get back tothe original question, this Install section has everything you need to learn how to do it yourself, there is everything from Pathfinders to Ferrari's in here.

How do you get the headunit? how do u take apart the dash? sorry this is my first intsallation

If it's your first installation, either take it to a pro shop, or get the master sheets and install kits from Crutchfield.

If it weren't for the Crutchfield master sheets, I would have done serious damage to the dash of my Honda when dismantling it. There were some hidden things that I didn't know about, that the master sheet showed me how to take apart.

<<Step Three: There is a gasket on the left side on the engine compartment that feeds wires to the dashboard behind the glove compartment. By pulling the gasket back, I was able to run the power cord through the opening above the gasket.>>

I'm sorry to have to tell you, but that's a no-no kazama!
A rubber is meant to have the wire go through it, not over it. Ever thought of what happens when that very thin (sharp) firewall eats through the isolation of that power cable?
On a sidenote, you'd be surprised of the (engine) noises coming through that gap.

Frank (professional installer)

i have a 98 civic and i am trying to install my rio in that one. i have opened up the dash a couple of times to check out space and wiring and stuff like that. i got the direction for opening the dash from www.installdr.com they were right on for my 98 and i am sure they will be right on about yours as well. i am curious how you are gonna put this one in though. do you have an extra slot by the cup holder like do? my advice would be not to rush into anything. i have had my rio for about a month and i have only played it in my home so far. don't damage your car for some tunes.

If you go to http://www.installdr.com they have a guide to show you step by step how to get at the headunit in the newer civics. In the older civics, you removed 4 bolts and the center console would just come out. The newer consoles are similar but I would use either this guide or the Crutchfield guide to help you.

Greg

Heh, I can tell you from first hand experience frying the entire electrical system in a Mercury Tracer, that you do not want any wires running next to any metal edges. I zip tied a power wire from the battery to the windshield wiper motor to hold it down. It didn't LOOK sharp. Well, a year or so later it turned out it was. The entire wiring harness was melted into a big lump. You must run all wires through the firewall through big fat rubber grommets.

The entire wiring harness was melted into a big lump.

This sounds like it's more due to the fact that you didn't put a fuse on the power wire near the battery, rather than due to any sharp edges.

I mean, yes, if it weren't for the sharp edge it wouldn't have shorted. But for pity's sake, people, FUSE YOUR POWER WIRES!!!!

I suppose the harness mleting into a ball could kinda be considered a fuse...lol.

My wife has a 2002 Civic. Does your Civic have the radio or cassette player on top with the CD player as a separate unit under it? If so, there's no way to keep the cd player without keeping the factory head unit as well, since it's just a slave device to the factory head unit.

You could install the RioCar and keep those two in the dash, but I don't know where you'd put it. Alternatively, you could take out the CD player, and with a little work, install the RioCar underneath the factory head unit. You'd still have whatever functions the factory head unit provides (radio or tape or whatever), but no CD. If you really needed CD (you don't), you could run a line from the AUX input of the RioCar to a portable CD player.

all my civic has is the factory cd unit(radio) thats it...underneath it is just a space like for storage...thanx