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Thanks for the info lakersfan1, I was an idiot and didnt realize that the metra kit requires you to cut out the middle part to make a single din unit, so I ordered a second version of the same exact thing. Uhoh. Good news is the first kit came with the wrong side brackets (2 of the same side) so I needed the extra kit anyway.
I got a kenwood dnx691hd as my unit. The install has been eh. Some good, some bad. If anyone has answers to the bad I would appreciate the help. I'm going to play with this thing as long as I can until I track next Sunday. I'll let you guys know if I find solutions to some of the crap.
Good News:
- For the 09+ rx8s, the SWC unit sold, the rp4-mz11 retians all stock SWC. I was happy.
- Unit works, HVAC works, radio works.
Bad News
- Ambient noise and loud action noises (beeps). Need a Scosche OEA4 to turn down the pre-amp signal.
- Ipod connects via usb but doesn't play through speakers? Not sure why. It also wont connect via AUX.
- Cannot get bluetooth the pair with my galaxy s4.
- AC button is stuck! Sigh...
- Pre-amp not obtained yet, still need to solve ambient noise & loud notification issue.
- With the Kenwood Excelon DNX691HD (and many other units) the head unit needs an AUX signal and a USB signal to play music I suppose. I hooked up an AUX cord in addition to the Ipod power cord and my Ipod played and all... I am going to try and use a cord that comes from the Ipod power plug and splits into a USB & AUX. Man was I upset after hours of troubleshooting...
- Bluetooth did pair with my headunit eventually. You have to make sure to send out a signal via the headunit first (put the headunit into pairing mode first).
- AC button still stuck. I'm guessing the screws behind the HVAC controls are too tight.
If you buy this kit, godspeed. Do many researches and set aside at least 8 hours.
I have no idea how, but I lost automatic window functions. They still operate normally, I just can't use the click to send them up or down automatically. Lol w/e...
I don't know why you're bothering to try iPod connection. Doesn't the headunit allow audio streaming from your Galaxy? I don't like clutter, so having both a phone and an iPod laying around the cabin would drive me nuts. I did buy a USB stick to store behind the dash for music, but I still prefer streaming off my Windows phone because it has a random music mode and I have up-to-date podcasts.
Good point, but streaming uses tons of data, and I am sort of old fashion when it comes to music (started with plugging my cd player through a aux to cassette converter). I essentially don't use my phone while driving, minus now being able to use blue tooth to answer calls on rare occasions. As for random music, I would rather just shuffle my Ipod since I am sort of picky about what I want to listen to.
On an update, my automatic windows work again. If anyone wants me to put up a final list of what I bought for this install I will oblige.
Maybe I used 'streaming' in the wrong context? I just meant using the Bluetooth audio function to play MP3s off your phone. It's the same exact thing to fumble with an iPod than it is to fumble a phone.
The auto up/down does come back. I don't know why, but it apparently needs to relearn every time power is cut.
Yeah you are right, I dced my battery to troubleshoot more and my windows repeated the no auto then auto function. I figured out the stuck 'AC' button was from the screws behind the HVAC being too tight. For some reason, there is no need to torque them down at all, just lightly screw them in until you get resistance.
I may have to take the route of 'streaming' mp3s from my phone. I called crutchfield and had them troubleshoot with me to no avail. They are sending me a new head unit. If that one works better I'll be a happy camper.
As of now I installed the scosche oea4 and that did not get rid of the ambient noise. I am pretty much tapped out of ideas minus trying the ac cable input to the speaker thing.
My biggest reason for trying so hard with this Ipod is because i bought a proclip. In the end, however, buying a proclip for my phone would have been much cheaper. Hindsight is 20/20 i guess...
I am not understanding why you are using the Scosche oea4? Are you hooking up to factory Bose audio or something? If not, what is it for? You've got separate RCA outs and speaker out options, no?
I've been involved in car stereo for 20 years. The one rule has always been to NEVER try to interface with factory Bose. It always ends with a full tearout and lots of swearing.
For anyone interested and for the sake of spreading good info around I have solved my issue of random playing and pausing. As it turns out, the SWC controller (pac rp4 mz-11) seems like a hunk of crap. I could have rigged a better program up on an arduino (not necessarily deal with the interface however). Aside from my ragging, I believe the default program conflicts with the preset program and so they fight for commands. To get this unit to do its proper duty, you must program your SWC buttons individually. It's not too bad, except for the fact that NOT ONE of the 3 tables provided with the unit give the correct order of buttons. I have ONLY dealt with the KENWOOD set, but here is the button # followed by the command:
After this the head unit will act less sluggish with commands. My bluetooth button stopped working. Not sure if the previous owner broke it or the harness doesn't play well with the signal.
As for the ambient hissing/buzzing noise signal, I will be moving on to using the RCA preouts on the back of the headunit rather than the wires from the headunit harness. Beers to a small yet large victory.
Hi to all! I need your help, i just bought a 2009 rx8 like a month ago. The last owner told me he was modifing the audio system. He changed the radio. He put an aftermarket pioneer avh p4300dvd. Put a clarion 640w amp and a subwoofer. The problem is that he only got working the rear speakers and the subwoofer. All other speakers dont work. I disarmed the head unit and saw the problem. he bought only the metra panel. But not the harness. So he cuted the factory cables and connected them to the radio harness. He bypass the rear speakers to the amp and conectes them with rca cables to the radio thats why they are the only ones that work.
Ok. Now i want all my speakers working ofcourse. But i dont know what harness i have to buy from metra? I already have the metra panel but nothing else. Steering wheel buttons dont work either and my HVAC is only showing the clock. Can you help me telling me what i have to buy? I have read all threads but still dont get an specific answer to my problem. I hope you can help me. Im from chile in latin american so all the things i hsve to import them. Thanks
Im asking for the harness. I will connect al cables default mode, the panel i already got. May be this one ? Please help. With this my clock display will work again ?
Well it looks like the guy may have left you the factory harness although I'm not positive I've yet to take out the radio on my 8 but I've done it hundreds of times to other cars, so it looks like the white plug is your factory harness what I would do is determine if your car has bose sound system check this link https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-int...ference-74664/
I'm not sure if there are any aftermarket harnesses for the rx8 so the easiest thing is if you have the stock radio run the wires from his rigged harness and reattach them to the factory and just plug stock radio on. if you don't want to do that then read the above thread it tells you the harnesses to get and like I said some crimping caps and zip ties instead of electrical tape will hold a lot better and look cleaner
UPDATE, i have bose system, i bought the metra harness, HVAC works but has temperature on the other side, clocks working, but my problem with the front speakers is persisting, the previous owner installed a subwoofer and add another clarion amplifier, rear speakers are working because are conected directly to the amplifier and then connected to the radio with RCA cables, but front speakers are not working, tweeters either, only the rear with RCA are working. i thought that installing the metra cable will solve the problem but it didnt. still no sound to front speakers. there are no cutted wires :/ dont know what to do from here
Well, since this is a used car with someone who hacked the audio system to hell....are you sure there's even speakers installed in the front? Maybe he removed them? Or maybe they're non-factory speakers? How does the Bose amp look? Is the harness in/out of it touched/butchered? Did you connect the blue/white amp turn-on wire to turn on the Bose amplifier, which powers the front speakers? if all that checks out, do a little signal tracing. Follow the front speaker signal out of the new head unit, through the harness connections and back to the Bose amp. Then see if the Bose amp is outputting anything to the speakers. Try removing a front speaker and connecting any speaker just to see if it makes sound. Maybe the front speakers are toast?
You wont belive what just happened. First of all, the cables all look ok. The bose amp looks untouched. I was driving today just now, subwoofer and rear speakers working as always. But in one second to other the subwoofer and rear speakers stopped working and all other speakers started working ! I didnt do anything. I was driving. This is a puzzle to me
Has anyone been able to have the LCD display working again with metra kit and axxess on series 2 ?? i have the clock working, temp is ok, and AC , but no text. is there anyway to fix this??
07-19-2014, 10:47 PM
