Hillstones
Well-Known Member
Hello all,
My name is Pete, and I am 43. I traded in my '03 Accord Coupe EX-V6 Navi for the '13 Civic Coupe EX-L w/Navi in Kona Coffee Metallic. I love the Kona Coffee color. Much nicer than the Graphite Pearl on my old Accord. Gas isn't getting any cheaper, so I wanted a car with better MPG than the Accord. I am not into paying a premium for a Hybrid, to never recoup that cost in gas or the expense to replace the battery system. So I had my eyes set on the Civic EX-L w/Navi. (No Si here...the MPG on the Si was no different than my Accord V6). I love the new Civic and the 10-year improvement in technology. I love the i-MID display, which remains separate from the Navi (not so in the new Accord, it is one or the other). I love the iPod USB interface which displays the album artwork on the i-MID. Odd that the album artwork does not also appear on the Navi audio screen.
I have tinted the windows, 20% in back and 35% on the doors. I have replaced the interior, license plate, and trunk lights with white LEDs. Nothing too bright, just slightly brighter than stock. I put a 6-LED board in the trunk, because a trunk should be well lit. I am not into lowering a car or changing exhausts. I bought the car for the fuel economy. I do need to add a few more extras like the splash guards and trunk tray. I am thinking about the Honda Blue LED interior ambient light kit, but don't know how much light it would add in the foot wells.
The Premium Audio System is not very Premium. I don't know why Honda put such lousy speakers in the back, and it sounds like the amp has less volume in the rear than the fronts. The subwoofer doesn't do anything. I was hoping for at least some pretty decent sound from the subwoofer. So in the near future I want to bypass the factory amp and install a new amp, components up front, new rear speakers and a new sub. I want to retain the factory Navi head unit, and since it is an unpowered unit, it would hopefully be easy. However, I am not familiar with differential balanced outputs, which I believe the premium system uses. So suggestions would be helpful for adding an amp and new speakers.
Here are some pics of the new car. The first and second pic were before the windows were tinted, but show the Kona Coffee better in sunlight. The third pic was overcast, which makes the car look almost black.



My name is Pete, and I am 43. I traded in my '03 Accord Coupe EX-V6 Navi for the '13 Civic Coupe EX-L w/Navi in Kona Coffee Metallic. I love the Kona Coffee color. Much nicer than the Graphite Pearl on my old Accord. Gas isn't getting any cheaper, so I wanted a car with better MPG than the Accord. I am not into paying a premium for a Hybrid, to never recoup that cost in gas or the expense to replace the battery system. So I had my eyes set on the Civic EX-L w/Navi. (No Si here...the MPG on the Si was no different than my Accord V6). I love the new Civic and the 10-year improvement in technology. I love the i-MID display, which remains separate from the Navi (not so in the new Accord, it is one or the other). I love the iPod USB interface which displays the album artwork on the i-MID. Odd that the album artwork does not also appear on the Navi audio screen.
I have tinted the windows, 20% in back and 35% on the doors. I have replaced the interior, license plate, and trunk lights with white LEDs. Nothing too bright, just slightly brighter than stock. I put a 6-LED board in the trunk, because a trunk should be well lit. I am not into lowering a car or changing exhausts. I bought the car for the fuel economy. I do need to add a few more extras like the splash guards and trunk tray. I am thinking about the Honda Blue LED interior ambient light kit, but don't know how much light it would add in the foot wells.
The Premium Audio System is not very Premium. I don't know why Honda put such lousy speakers in the back, and it sounds like the amp has less volume in the rear than the fronts. The subwoofer doesn't do anything. I was hoping for at least some pretty decent sound from the subwoofer. So in the near future I want to bypass the factory amp and install a new amp, components up front, new rear speakers and a new sub. I want to retain the factory Navi head unit, and since it is an unpowered unit, it would hopefully be easy. However, I am not familiar with differential balanced outputs, which I believe the premium system uses. So suggestions would be helpful for adding an amp and new speakers.
Here are some pics of the new car. The first and second pic were before the windows were tinted, but show the Kona Coffee better in sunlight. The third pic was overcast, which makes the car look almost black.



Last edited by a moderator: