- Open the door all the way to ensure you have enough room to work with and the door won’t hit anything. If you rather follow video instructions checkout our YouTube channel @acurauadiogarage.
- Roll up the window and find a comfortable seat.
- Remove any items from the door panel storage areas.
- Use a pry tool or small flat head screwdriver to expose screws hidden behind covers and removal panels. Screws are often hidden behind the door handle or arm rest.
- Depending on the Acura you will also have screws on the edges of the door panel to check for any hidden screws or screws with covers on them.
- After locating all the screws in your Acura remove them and begin prying the door panel from the bottom with a pry tool.
- The pry tool goes between the door panel and the metal of the door. The door panel is held on with plastic clips that are pressed into the metal of the door when they release they will make a loud noise. The noise is normal, you have not broken anything.If your door panel does not release easily you might have missed a screw.
- Stand up and lift the door panel towards your head no not yank or pull it harshly. Attached to the door panels are different cables you will need to remove. You might need a buddy to hold the panel while you disconnect
- Disconnect the door latch and lock cables from the door panel. These cables are made of metal so be careful as they will easily break the plastic they are attached to. On most Acura’s made after 2009 you can unclip the entire door handle from the door panel. On older Acuras you will need to unclip the cables from the door panel.
- Next Disconnect the electrical cable connectors from the door panel. Almost all of the electrical connectors will have triggers or tabs that you must press down on to release them from the mating connection.
- Now with all cables disconnected you can set the door panel to the side and start the removal of the speaker. There are 1 to 3 visible screws holding on your factory speaker.
- Remove all the screws and then pry the speaker from the top. If your speaker does not have any screws you must just pry against it from the top with a flathead screwdriver. After prying the top of the speaker the speaker will separate from the door panel but it might not come all the way out. Next you will need to lift the speaker towards you to release the holding tabs from the door.
- Disconnect the speaker from the factory connector. This connector has two triggers or tabs on the side that you must squeeze to release the speaker. These sometimes are hard to come off and you will need to wiggle them out. Remove the speaker and place it to the side.
- Place the correct plastic inserts into the door. The white inserts are for Acuras made after 2009. The black inserts are for Acuras from before 2009. There are special inserts for the 2nd gen TSX and accord. After matching all the inserts to the proper wholes you may mount the spacer.
- Line up the speaker spacer with the matching holes of the door cavity and insert locations. Regardless of the year 3 mounting screws will be used to secure the spacer to the door. Apply the gasket foam tape to the back of the spacer and begin securing it to the door.
- Secure the spacer to the door using the provided 3 long black screws. We recommend hand tightening these screws.
- Prepare your speaker for installation, attach the acura speaker harness to the speakers and locate your 4 mounting screws.
- Connect your speaker to the factory harness and use the 4 mounting screws to mount the speaker to the speaker spacer. Only utilize the holes already made on the spacer and do not drill new holes. When mounting the speaker make sure that the final position of the speaker does not allow for the speaker terminals to touch the metal of the door. This will create a short.
- Test the speaker by playing audio through your system to make sure it is working as expected and securely mounted so it will not rattle.
- Grab the door panel and begin plugging in the electrical connectors and mount the door lock and latch cables back.
- When installing the door panel back on the door make sure to not scratch or damage the speaker. If you find that your speaker/spacer combination is touching the door panel or not allowing it to sit flush. You can use a box cutter to trim ¼ inch from the plastic that surrounds the factory speaker on the door panel. Removing some plastic will allow it to sit flush.
- Slide the door panel into place and then press it onto the door so that the clips engage back onto the mounting locations. You want to make sure you slide the door panel over any edges or components it was originally over such as the window track or the door latch.
- After the door panel is mounted you can reinstall the screws and covers you removed. Once the panel is fully installed the door panel will sit close to but will not touch the new speaker you installed. You can shine a flashlight into the speaker grill to verify.
