so does it actually take the place of the door locks? meaning I won't be able to use my key to get into the car? It sounds very neat and I will probably look into getting it. Do you recommend a professional install or is this something that is easily installed?
thanks
Mike
It replaces the outside and inside door assemblies. Which means they basically won't function anymore. So in a sense, it does replace the door locks. I haven't installed this particular kit before, but rather their "door popper" kit which is for the "true" shaved doors where there is no outside or inside handle. This I have installed on 6 of my previous cars where I have shaved the door handles all together.
To be honest, since I've owned my CRX, I've only used the cylinder locks twice that I can recall. About a week after getting my CRX, I replaced the alarm that was in there and installed "door plungers" or "door locks" which is controlled by my alarm. The plungers are made by AudioVox but it's very similar to the AutoLoc's (http://www.autoloc.com/detail.lasso?itemid=CL2000). I also tied them into my ignition switch so that when I turn the car ON, it will engage the locks, and when I turn the car off, it unlocks the doors. What I need to do now is install a set of switches inside the car so I will have a true power lock setup.
Installation for both is pretty easy. The instructions that come with all the AutoLoc kits are very well documented and easy to read and understand. They also have a tech support line that you can call if you have any problems.
All you need is some basic mechanical skills and if you know how to install a car stereo or a car alarm then that's all you need, IMHO.
It is a bit time consuming... it took me about 40-45 minutes to do one door and that included wiring it into the alarm and ignition switch... The door poppers that I've installed took some time to install too. About the same amount of time per door. So if you have a shoppe do it, expect to pay at least 2 hours of labor to do both doors.
Anyway, because I don't recall ever using my cylinders other than twice in the 4 years I've owned the car (I don't even know if it still works... I should go outside and see...), I'm seriously considering just shaving the doors clean and smooth and installing a "door popper kit".
I made mention of converting the rear hatch to an electronic one. I took a look back there and while it can be done, it's not going to be easy. I was hoping to use a metal rod linkage to work the rear latch assembly but that doesn't look as if it's going to be possible. So I'm thinking about replacing the rear latch assembly (if I can use the stock loop on the rear hatch, that would be cool...) with a solenoid plunger or some sort. I haven't tore the rear panels off to get a better idea as to how I'm going to achieve this and I don't want to have to fabricate a lot of things to make this work... if that happens, then I will revisit the use of the stock cable being actuated by a solenoid (i.e. like the door plungers I have in my doors...).
I also do not plan on doing this anytime soon... Maybe in the next couple of months... It's not that high of a priority for me right now... :^)
CRX Owners Group President (http://www.crx.org/southcal)
1990 Honda CRXsi (http://drive.to/jiggy)
ICQ # 3714283 (nickname: godzilla)
