Hey everyone, I am 16, and a new HCH owner, my dad got me the car because i used to own a 2000 Malibu which was a V6 and killed me at the pump. We boutght the extended warranty that covers all the hybrid parts and was wondering if my warranty would be voided if i put in a new head unit, a subwoofer, and an amp. Thanks For all your help!

 

best thing to do would be to check with the dealership,

but I think a good way to protect yourself if you decide to go with it, is to buy a capacitor. Have about 1-farad per 500W RMS. Not only will it protect you from taking huge draws at once from your hybrid battery, it will make you system sound better by never wanting for juice during a major bass tone. This in most cars would be seen as the headlights dimming.

Since we don't really have an altenator (i think), we use the IMA motor for all our electical needs, and that little battery up there in the engine compartment is purely for the backup starter in the event your IMA battery is depleted or there is a malfunction in the IMA system and it has shut itself down until you see the service department. So the capacitor would be very good for protecting this tiny power source (normal battery).

You could never have too big of a capacitor, but you don't need to go crazy unless you just have that kind of money. A 1.2 farad runs $100 up to a 40-farad at $500. So that would give you stored energy for a 600W system to a 20,000W system.

I really don't see why you couldn't (have a system, and others do), especially if you have it professionally installed. Your system would sound best if you replace the door and rear speakers and ran an amp on those as well. I don't think there would be any advantage of running the head unit through the capacitor power supply, but I don't think it would hurt. If you want to go really crazy, you could get components for the front (and rear if you like) and mount the tweeters somewhere higher up for better soundstaging and Sony also makes head units that you can enter in the distance from the speaker to your ear and it adjusts when the speaker recieves the signal so that all the waves for that note hit you ears at the exact same time.

Here is a link to the Crutchfield capacitor page http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DhQCewR...sp?g=725&avf=Y

Even if you don't want to buy from them, they have great resources for learning about products and technology. If you do order from them, they give you free connections most of the time, free lifetime support, free phone support. I can still get info and support on an amp I bought from them 6 years ago.

I am getting tired, so I apologize for the length I can go on and on when sleepy

 

Thanks alot, so where would this capacitator be installed? Would the dealership install this for me? I could use as much info on this as possible from anyone. Thanks Alot!

 

You need a stereo shop to do this. I don't htink any Honda dealer is going to do it. These are aftermarket parts, not Honda parts (head-unit, new speakers, amps, capacitor - all of it). A dealer's not going to do it.

 

Yeah, a professional shop would be best unless you are very confident in your installation prowess. Most dealerships won't install aftermarket speakers, so a whole system, most likely a no. Never hurts to ask, but their labor rate might actually be HIGHER than a specialty stereo shop.

You will need to run a power cable (usually 4 guage or bigger - use the equipment suggested size) from your battery to inside your cabin, make sure you use a proper sized fuse as close to the battery as feasable. You would have to do this anyway for a proper amplifier installation. The capacitor would then connect to the wire from the battery into its iput socket (instead of it running directly to your amp or your distribution block if running multiple amps). Then you use the output socket(s) to run the power wire to your amp. The capacitor also needs its own ground, the upper models will accept your amp grounds (up to 3) on a negative input terminal so you only have to worry about grounding one wire in your cabin.

It is simple (but not easy) if you know what your are doing. You find a grommet on your firewall that is big enough, or drill one where there is nothing to hit and use your own grommet. Removal of some trim pieces to lift up the carpet, etc. It will look clean and be basically the same thing as having it done professional without the cost.

A big thing to watch out for is whether or not the shop will cover any damage THEY do to your car. Even if they say they do, have pictures before you go in as proof. I know I was told by a major chain if they installed a head unit they would not replace any parts if broken because the pieces were known to break before. I thought there was insurance for such problems, but I didn't argue ...

I wanted to upgrade and didn't feel like sweating in the heat to install it myself. I ended up just keeping what I had, which wasn't bad in the first place. 88 RX7 GXL, had CD and a 10 or 12 band equalizer, and it had its own amps on all the speakers.

 

Alright guys, I went to my local stereo shop and talked to the guy. I told him that I didn' twant to give up any space and that I wanted to have the sub installed in my rear dash. he said they would have to make an entire custon rear dash and it would run pretty high in $. Another idea he had was to use a JL Audio Stealth box. Has anyone had experience with this? Is it a good one??? An I was lokin at some pioneer head untis, i hear they are the best. Anyone have any ideas. Oh, and about the capacitor, the guy at the shop said the new JL audio Subs dont even need a capacitor?? Is this true?!??! Sorry about all the questions, I just dont want to mess up my new hybrid!

 

I had asked my dealer when I bought mine a year back. I don't know if the subwoofer et. al. would void my warranty, but it would absolutely screw with my Honda Finance loan. Modifying the car is a big no-no to them.

 

What do you mean by your finance loan...?

 

Nil,

The capacitor reserves up "burst power needs" that an amplifier would need from time-to-time (typically heavy, loud bass passages). It has very little to do with a speaker, including a subwoofer speaker. Unless the JL Audio Stealth Box includes an amp AND includes an internal capacitor - then the guy you talked to doesn't know what a capacitor is. Or maybe he thought you were talking about a crossover.
JL Audio is a good brand of subwoofer speaker. I have a pair in my MB.

I'd definitely talk to a few other shops (if possible) and start getting a good handle on the terminology and products available. There are MANY paths and price ranges you can take to improving the sound. I'm not sure how much better you want the sound to be. Many shops THINK you just want louder and more bass (to make your car a boom-box). Personally, I HATE these. The overall purity of sound is horrible. The bass IS loud, but often distorted. And you can pay lots of money and get just that. So be sure to tell them your budget and what you want it to sound like.

I went for a clean-installed look, and audiophile sound quality. My components are: Kenwood front-end, Kenwood CD changer, Precision Power amp 50watt x 6 channels, MB Quart 6 1/2 inch speakers with crossovers and separate tweeters, and 2 JL Audio subwoofers in a custom-made box. Each speaker has an amplifier. I have no capacitor. The sound is unbelievably clean, pure, and can get quite loud when necessary (top-down, passing that 18-wheeler!). It can crank out overwhelming amounts of bass, if desired, too. It was pretty expensive (over $2500), but I got exactly what I wanted. Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Clarion - there are many good brands of head-units out there - same with amps. Compare features (that you'll use) and performance. Ask around. Different shops will tell you different things (usually because that's what THEY sell), but you'll start to develop a sense for the good stuff.
I have decided to leave the sound in my HCH-II alone - for now. Since I have the NAVI, I'll probably never change out the head unit, but I could upgrade the speakers, add an amp, or add a sub.
The best low-cost improvement is usually the speakers (the ones in the doors and rear deck). You can even replace the rear deck ones with small subwoofers, I suspect. I think the Honda Bass Kit is just that, with a small amp just for them too. Next up, would be to add an amp, to give these better speakers more zing. For many people, this is as good as they want. And it's usually quite good. High power amplifiers can draw a lot of battery juice. That's one reason for a capacitor. For the Hybrids, another reason (I think) is so that the power demands of the high-power amp will less-likely interfere with the hybrid battery's other demands.
Tbaleno has a kicking system in his HCH-I. I'd read up on some of his posts. I'm sure there are others.
I could ramble on and on...

 

One of the terms in the loan paperwork states that there can be no modifications done to the car. Reason being if they ever need to repossess it. I actually read all the fine print before signing. As soon as I've paid it off, anything can go. Since I knew I wasn't going to modify my car anyways, I didn't really pay attention to what is said the consequences would be.