Hi everyone-
As the title suggests, the radio is now officially dead in my 2004 Honda Accord. I kind of guessed that this would happen eventually, but admittedly, I don’t think I was taking the problem that seriously until the head unit completely died a few weeks ago. I created a thread about this a few months ago (when it first started to act up) where I explored a few possible solutions, but there was really no resolution.
Based on what I’ve heard (and read), I can’t leave this problem alone forever, as it sounds like the problem could still get worse, to a point where the radio starts draining the battery when the car is off (and causing other electrical issues). I heard that it may be in my best interest to just pull the fuse for it in the interim. So far I haven’t experienced any battery drain, but the radio has tried to come on by itself while I’ve been driving.
The way I see it, there are probably three realistic options:
1. Replace the radio and HVAC controls with a new touchscreen unit. Mind you, this is something I’ve already ruled out. After looking at some examples of it being done, it just looks terrible (in my opinion). I also am a fairly low tech person and don’t have any interest in the advanced features.
2. Add a small aftermarket radio in the cubby. This seems to work for a lot of people, but I’ve heard that it still isn’t fail-safe. Apparently, you’re better off getting the touch screen since the HVAC is still connected to the old (deteriorating) radio. I’m also not thrilled about the selection of aftermarket radios. Whatever I could get will look out of place. I looked into the possibility of getting an older radio of eBay (from the 90’s) for this purpose, but it sounds like that idea would be a waste of time and wouldn’t work.
3. Try to get another radio from another 2004 Accord. This seems like my best bet. Repairing my radio seems unrealistic, so poaching another one may be the next best thing. I looked into some of the previous feedback I received about re-soldering the circuit boards inside of the head unit itself. The YouTube tutorials for fixing the backlit screen seemed somewhat doable, but not the entire unit failing. Unfortunately, a used radio seems a bit hard to find (and they’re certainly not cheap). Not to mention, I’d be kicking the can down the road until that radio fails.
For now, I’ve got a small battery powered radio sitting in the seat next to me. Maybe I can just make that work for the rest of the time I own the car? It seems to work decently well. It’s not ideal, but my parents used to do that with their old cars back in the 80’s (so I guess I can live with it). I’m not really sure this is legal, but it’s not like I mess around with it while I’m driving.
What do you think I should do?
As the title suggests, the radio is now officially dead in my 2004 Honda Accord. I kind of guessed that this would happen eventually, but admittedly, I don’t think I was taking the problem that seriously until the head unit completely died a few weeks ago. I created a thread about this a few months ago (when it first started to act up) where I explored a few possible solutions, but there was really no resolution.
Based on what I’ve heard (and read), I can’t leave this problem alone forever, as it sounds like the problem could still get worse, to a point where the radio starts draining the battery when the car is off (and causing other electrical issues). I heard that it may be in my best interest to just pull the fuse for it in the interim. So far I haven’t experienced any battery drain, but the radio has tried to come on by itself while I’ve been driving.
The way I see it, there are probably three realistic options:
1. Replace the radio and HVAC controls with a new touchscreen unit. Mind you, this is something I’ve already ruled out. After looking at some examples of it being done, it just looks terrible (in my opinion). I also am a fairly low tech person and don’t have any interest in the advanced features.
2. Add a small aftermarket radio in the cubby. This seems to work for a lot of people, but I’ve heard that it still isn’t fail-safe. Apparently, you’re better off getting the touch screen since the HVAC is still connected to the old (deteriorating) radio. I’m also not thrilled about the selection of aftermarket radios. Whatever I could get will look out of place. I looked into the possibility of getting an older radio of eBay (from the 90’s) for this purpose, but it sounds like that idea would be a waste of time and wouldn’t work.
3. Try to get another radio from another 2004 Accord. This seems like my best bet. Repairing my radio seems unrealistic, so poaching another one may be the next best thing. I looked into some of the previous feedback I received about re-soldering the circuit boards inside of the head unit itself. The YouTube tutorials for fixing the backlit screen seemed somewhat doable, but not the entire unit failing. Unfortunately, a used radio seems a bit hard to find (and they’re certainly not cheap). Not to mention, I’d be kicking the can down the road until that radio fails.
For now, I’ve got a small battery powered radio sitting in the seat next to me. Maybe I can just make that work for the rest of the time I own the car? It seems to work decently well. It’s not ideal, but my parents used to do that with their old cars back in the 80’s (so I guess I can live with it). I’m not really sure this is legal, but it’s not like I mess around with it while I’m driving.
What do you think I should do?
