Aux in Aux off

Our Honda vehicle is great. Fuel efficient, reliable, a great traveling car. Except one thing. No aux input for your MP3 player.

We've used an FM transmitter to couple with our iPod/iPhone and Zen to play through our stereo. It's not great. But it did the job. But it was a pain finding a free station, clear enough to use.

I just installed a P.I.E auxillary input for our Honda. It was relatively easy, if you find a useful YouTube how-to remove the stereo unit video. And have the right tools.


This is what you need. Aside from the YouTube video which is essential and the AUX unit, which if you search for "PIE Hon98 AUX" you'll find it online for about $50.00 USD (sometimes free shipping in the lower 48 states).
Pry bar (nylon), 8mm hex nut socket, and panel door opener.

With this you can do the job quickly and easily.


First remove the panel under the stereo.
Right at the top of the panel there is a catch. Put a pry bar in there and use the panel door removal tool to push the catch down and the panel will come off easy.
There are two 8mm hex bolts you will need to remove so you can get the head unit out.
Next pry off the upper panel with the stereo and A/C controls.

Once you have that upper panel out, look on the back of the unit for the CD changer harness input. Plug in your P.I.E. unit into there. Make sure it's in. Otherwise hitting the CD button won't switch to the iPod unit.
Run your 6ft RCA cable to 3.5mm male jack behind and under the dash and under the center console and have it come out just where the hand brake is.

A 5 or 6ft cable is long enough to reach wherever you want to place your iPod unit.
There is a ground cable. Attach that to one of the mounting bolts on the bottom of the bracket that holds the stereo and A/C controls, that you have to remove in order to access the back of the unit.



When you plug your iPod in. Press the CD/TAPE button. And it'll detect the P.I.E Hon98-AUX unit and you'll see on the display CDC for CD Changer.

Now you're iPod is playing through your stereo. No more static from using that FM transmitter module.

It was way easier than I thought.

I do ALL this stuff. Not so much for me, or to show how handy I am. That's all unimportant.
One reason I post it, is to log what I did and when. Useful for reference when I need it. But my main reason is to learn and one day when Kieran is older and interested in doing this stuff too. I'll be able to do it with him and guide him and show him that he can do anything he sets his mind to.
We as parents are our kids, first and longest running teachers. We are there for the rest of our lives. Through birth, first steps, first words, elementary, grade school, high school, post-secondary and through early adult hood.
Show them that learning is an every day thing. That learning by doing is a way of life. That learning can be fun, can give you confidence, through understanding and accomplishment. Lead by example.

The easy road is to take it to someone who knows how to do it.
The better road is to understand how to do it, learn in the process, create new pathways in your brain and you've just gained a bit more confidence. Good on ya.

And besides we can play the fun songs from Chicken Little clearer now.

Click me for photos