audio Acura RSX 2003 Owner's Manual

2003 RSX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form

Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
......................................... ii
Your Car at a Glance ........................................................................\
................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...................................... 5
Proper use and care of your car's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint\
System.
Instruments and Controls ........................................................................\
......................................... 57
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use da shboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
...................... 101
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
.......................................................... 153
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 167
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance ........................................................................\
............................................................. 193
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the\
dealer.
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
...................................................... 253
Tips on cl eaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car ever need\
s body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected ........................................................................\
.............................. 261
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and\
how to handle them.
Technical Information ........................................................................\
............................................. 287
ID numbers, dim ensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada) ................................................................301
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only) ........................................................................\
.............................. 306
How to order manuals and other technical li terature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Your Car at a Glance
2
DOOR AND
HATCH LOCK SWITCH
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHESINDICATOR LIGHTS
GAUGES
(P.
59)
(P. 66) HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
AUDIO SYSTEM
SHIFT LEVER
PARKING BRAKE (P.
102 )
MIRROR CONTROLS
(P.
94)
(P. 79)
(P. 91)
FUEL FILL
DOOR RELEASE
(P. 156)
(P.157)
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
(P.95) (P.
125)
(P. 172, 175)

Control L ocations
Inst rument s and Cont rols58
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
FUEL FILL
DOOR RELEASEMIRROR CONTROLS
INDICATOR LIGHTS
GAUGES HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
AUDIO SYSTEMSHIFT LEVER
PARKING BRAKE
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
DOOR AND
HATCH LOCK SWITCH
(P.
80)
(P. 91) (P.
94) (P.
66) (P.
59)
(P.102)
(P. 125)
(P. 172, 175)
(P. 95)
(P. 157)
(P.
151)

µµ µ
µ
If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may sometimes make
it difficult to turn the key from
LOCK to ACCESSORY. Firmly turn
the steering wheel to the lef t or to
the right as you turn the key. You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To switch f rom ACCESSORY to
LOCK, you must push the key in
slightly as you turn it. If your car has
an automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must also be in Park. The anti-
thef t lock will lock the steering
column when you remove the key.
This is the normal key
position when driving. All f eatures
and accessories on the car are usable.
Several of the lights on the instru-
ment panel come on as a test when
you turn the ignition switch f rom
ACCESSORY to ON. Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON (II) when you let go of
the key.
The engine will not start if the
Immobilizer System does not
recognize the key’s coding (see page ).
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
the driver’s door. Remove the key to
turn of f the beeper.
In this position,
you can operate the audio system
and the accessory power socket. 76
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
LOCK (0)
ON (II)ST A RT (III)
A CCESSORY (I)
78
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

.....................
Heating and Cooling .102
...............
Temperature Sensors . 108
Audio System (All models ......................
except Type-S) .109
....
AM/FM/CD Audio System . 109
.................
Operating the Radio . 109
.................
Adjusting the Sound . 113
..............................
Digital Clock .114
............
Audio System Lighting . 115
.........
Operating the CD Player . 115
.....
Operating the CD Changer . 117
....
CD Player Error Indications . 119
CD Changer Error .............................
Indications .120
Operating the Cassette .....................................
Player .121
............
Tape Search Functions . 123
.................
Caring f or Cassettes . 124
................
Audio System (Type S) . 125
AM/FM/Cassette/ .
CD Changer Audio System . 125
.................
Operating the Radio . 126
.................
Adjusting the Sound . 129
..............................
Digital Clock .130
............
Audio System Lighting . 131
....................
Radio Frequencies . 131........................
Radio Reception .131
Operating the Cassette .....................................
Player .133
............
Tape Search Functions . 134
Caring f or the Cassette .....................................
Player .137
Loading CDs in the .................................
Changer .139
...................................
Operation .141
Removing CDs from the .................................
Changer .143
.......
Protecting Compact Discs . 145
CD Changer Error .............................
Indications .146
.......................
Thef t Protection .147
............................
Security System .148
...............................
Cruise Control .149
Comf ort and Convenience Features
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures101

CONT INUED
The band and f requency that the
radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM or
FM button. On the FM band, ST will
be displayed if the station is broad-
castinginstereo.Stereo
reproduction on AM is not available.
The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) to
operate the audio system. Turn the
system on by pushing the PWR/
VOL knob. Adjust the volume by
turning the same knob.
Your Acura’s audio system provides
clear reception on both AM and FM
bands, while the preset buttons allow
you to easily select your f avorite
stations.
The anti-thef t f eature will disable the
system if it is disconnected f rom the
vehicle’s battery. To get the system
working again, you must enter a
code number (see page ).
147
All models except Type-S
Audio System
AM/FM/CD Audio System
Operating the Radio
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures109

µµµ
Use the TUNE knob to
tune the radio to a desired f requency.
Turn the knob clockwise to tune to a
higher f requency, or
counterclockwise to tune to a lower
f requency. You can use any of f ive methods to
f ind radio stations on the selected
band: TUNE, SEEK, SCAN, AUTO
SELECT, and the preset buttons.
To change the f requency rapidly,
press and hold the top or bottom of
theSEEKbar.Releasethebarwhen
the display reaches the desired
f requency. Depending on which part
of the bar you press, the system
scans upward or downward f rom the
current f requency. The SEEK f unction
searches the band for a station with
a strong signal. To activate it, press
and release the top or bottom of the
SEEK bar. Depending on which part
of the bar you press, the system
scans upward or downward from the
current f requency. It stops when it
finds a station with a strong signal. The SCAN function
samples all the stations with strong
signals on the selected band. To
activate it, press the SCAN button,
then release it. The system will scan
up the band for a station with a
strong signal. When it f inds one, it
will stop and play that station f or
approximately f ive seconds. If you do
nothing, the system will then scan
f or the next strong station and play
that f or f ive seconds. When it plays a
station that you want to continue
listening to, press the SCAN button
again.
TUNE
SEEK
SCA N
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures110

µ
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total
of six stations on AM and twelve
on FM. Pick the Preset button you want
for that station. Press the button
and hold it until you hear a beep. Select the desired band, AM or
FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two f requencies with each preset
button.
To store a f requency:
Once a station’s f requency is stored,
simply press and release the proper
preset button to tune to it.
The preset f requencies will be lost if
your car’s battery goes dead, is
disconnected, or the radio f use is
removed.
You can store the
f requencies of your f avorite radio
stations in the six preset buttons.
Each button will store one f requency
on the AM band, and two
f requencies on the FM band.
UsetheTUNE,SEEK,orSCAN
function to tune the radio to a
desired station.
1.
2.
3.
4. Preset
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures111
AM/FM BUTTON
STEREO INDICATOR
SCAN INDICATOR
PWR/VOL KNOB SEEK/SKIP BARPRESET BUTTONS
TUNE/MODE KNOBAUTO
SELECT
BUTTON SCAN
BUTTON

µIf you are
traveling far from home and can no
longer receive the stations you
preset, you can use the Auto Select
feature to find stations in the local
area.
If you are in a remote area, Auto
Select may not f ind six strong AM
stations or twelve strong FM stations.
If this happens, you will see a ‘‘0’’
displayed when you press any preset
button that does not have a station
stored. To activate Auto Select, press the
A. SEL button. A. SEL will f lash in
the display, and the system will go
into scan mode f or several seconds.
It automatically scans both bands,
looking f or stations with strong
signals. It stores the f requencies of
six AM stations and twelve FM
stations in the preset buttons. You
can then use the preset buttons to
select those stations. If you do not like the stations Auto
Select has stored, you can store
other f requencies in the preset
buttons. Use the TUNE, SEEK, or
SCAN f unction to f ind the desired
f requencies, then store them in the
selected preset buttons as described
previously.Auto Select does not erase the
f requencies that you preset pre-
viously. When you return home, turn
of f Auto Select by pressing the
A. SEL button. The preset buttons
will then select the f requencies you
originally set.
AUTO SELECT
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures112

µµ
These two
modes adjust the strength of the
sound coming f rom each speaker.
BAL adjusts the side-to-side strength,
while FAD adjusts the f ront-to-back
strength.
For inf ormation, see page .
Bass, Treble, Balance, and Fader are
each adjustable. You select which of
these you want to adjust by pressing
the TUNE/MODE knob. The mode
changes from BAS to TRE to FAD to
BAL,andthenbacktotheselected
audio mode, each time you press the
TUNE/MODE knob.
Select BAL or FAD by pressing the
TUNE/MODE knob. Adjust the
Balance or Fader to your liking by
turning the TUNE/MODE knob.
The level number on the display
shows you the range.
Use these modes to
adjust the tone to your liking. Select
TRE or BAS by pressing the TUNE/
MODE knob. Adjust the desired
mode by turning the TUNE/MODE
knob. The level number on the
display shows you the range. The system will automatically return
the display to the selected audio
mode about f ive seconds af ter you
stop adjusting a mode with the
TUNE/MODE knob.
131
Adjusting the Sound
Balance/Fader
Radio Frequencies and Reception
Treble/Bass
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures113
LEVEL NUMBER INDICATOR
TUNE/MODE KNOB