madz

Hey all

I just purchased a new RX 8 (Brilliant Black, Grand Touring) and I wanted to know the best way to listen to my ipod in the car. Is it better to just use an FM transmitter and not open up the dashboard? I hate the static noise from the transmitter. Or should I get an aux port fitted? Opinions/Suggestions welcome

The Drunk IT Guy

FM transmitters all suck, but they're cheap..

The AUX port is best but'll probably cost you around $300 for the kit + install unless you're a do-it-yourself type of person with cars. I think I remember seeing the connection kit for $150..

RojoOcho

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...light=aux+jack

laythor

125 bucks get's you this: http://www.therpmstore.com/product_i...roducts_id=142

it's what i use and swear by it.

Icemark

syflex and a cable... diy for less than $80

dillsrotary

^ exactly

Null

This was one of the first things I did for my car. Transmitters are horrible due to lame sound quality and the fact that they eat batteries and/or take up a bunch of space.

The kit I bought ran me $150 (installed myself) and is pretty nifty as it allows direct connection to an ipod (with steering wheel control and track info posted up on display) but also has a backup connection for other mp3 players (anything with an mp3 jack.

One of the cheapest and worthwhile upgrades I'd say.

Razz1

Was it as cheap as your new hat?

DarkBrew

Why didn't you get the Mazda OEM IPOD adaptor as part of your purchase?

fugg

^ how much is it? I'm regretting not having it.

DarkBrew

Here you go
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...X08C236-79-CFZ
There's a nice DIY and some good pics here on the site.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

less than $10 + 1-2 hours of your time

http://www.whatsmyip.org/ipodrx8/

i did it. it was pretty straightforward. for the cost involved, im extremely happy.

madz

Thanks for the replies, guys

Well, firstly I am def not a car savvy person So I'm definitely not a do-it-yourself girl.

Yeah, I'm ditching the FM transmitter for sure, beats the purpose of having a Bose sound system

DarkBrew: I didn't know about the OEM package, I asked the dealer about an aux jack, and he said it'd cost me like 500 bucks - that seems a bit much to me..

Everyone: Can I install the DIY myself (read: my guy friends) or should I get a professional to do it?

Again, thanks all!

laythor

Installing the audiolink is a pretty straight forward process. Involves taking the panel off under the steering column and removing a 10mm bolt. Total time for anyone with some level of skill would be 30 mins.

If you're in sunnyvale,ca you should come out to one of our friday meets in union city. https://www.rx8club.com/west-rx-8-forum-34/bay-area-nor-cal-community-chat-thread-94583/

We meet around 7pm near the krispie cream and then have some dinner.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

oh hi2u got pix? lol


as for your install question, if your 'guy friends' are known to tinker with cars before, i think they should be able to handle this install.

DarkBrew

If you look back to post #12 in this thread and follow the link you will find a pictorial step by step of how to remove the head unit from the dash.
If you (your guy friends) can handle the procedure outlined then all you have to do is plug the IPOD adaptor into the external CD player port instead of doing the soldering work shown. BTW, do not skip disconnecting the battery!!

laythor

quoted for truth

It really is an easy thing to do to your car and makes listening to music about as easy as can be. If you go with the oem mazda, the audiolink, or even the axxess unit you'll most likely be very pleased with your decision.

jdoo

Has anyone tried the iphone with these adapters? The iphone doesnt allow playing music off of the iphone when it is attached to a computer like other ipods do so I'm wondering if it wont work with these adapters either. If so, that would suck since I just sold my nano

Null

Back in '04 I don't believe these were available. Even then, there were no aftermarket setups I could find either. I actually sent an email to a company that makes them and asked them to notify me when they had one ready... which is what I'm using now.

Also, I'm not sure if the OEM mazda locks out the ipod or not... Mine lets me still use the ipod itself, or use dash controls, etc.

My iphone doesn't work with the ipod cable end of my kit. However, the kit I use also has the standard headphones cable so I can still use that if I really needed to use the phone as my music source.

EDIT: Razz : My hat's not cheap...

madz

Hey Null

Which kit did you use for your RX-8? The description sounds like something I'm looking for - something that will work with my ipod as well as other mp3 players. Also was wondering - whether this option lets your charge your ipod in the car?

laythor

both the audiolink and the axxess units come with ipod and headphone jacks. They're both hooked up at the same time so you can have your ipod plugged in and control it from the radio (and they both charge the ipod) or plug any mp3 player using the headphone jack (this of course does not charge the player)

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

any ipod adapter that plugs into the headphone jack gets their music from there. so if you are concerned about sound quality you might as well save yourself the money and just do the mod i posted.

its very cheap, and it took me maybe 2 hours tops. i also work kinda slow.

i cant stress how awesome this mod is. the soldering really wasnt that hard. just a few daubs of solder in 3 different places with 3 different wires and bam your done. and then just coat it using a glue gun for stability and insulation. only hard in the entire process, and it was pretty straightforward. everything else was just disassembling and reassembling. no biggie there.

danp

I bought an IPOD adapter that hooks into the back of my stereo for my 2006 RX8. I tried to install it myself. I got to the point where all the bolts were removed,,even the 11 mm bolt that's a wicked pain to get at thats under the steering column. At this point the stereo module is supposed to pull out. I tried to pull it out but was afraid I'd snap it in half. The lower portion was releasing but the majority of the unit definitely wasn't releasing. Is there another bolt (maybe from the glove box side) that needs to be removed in order to pull the stereo module out?

Ghadrack

I got the OEM adapter as part of the deal when I bought my 8. It is terrible, it locks out your iPod so you can only use the stereo controls, the only onscreen feeback is a cryptic code that is nearly impossible to use for navigation through the iPod menus. About the only thing it is good for is Shuffle play. I have an iPod classic 160gb with abuot 45 gigs of music, to select a specific track or album can take ten minutes of work.

Definietely take the advice of those posted above and go for one of the aftemarket adapters that lets you use the iPod controls and the steering whele controls.

raizen82

if you've removed all three bolts holding the audio unit, just pull it out. it will seem that only the bottom half is loose but that's because you're not pulling the top part and there seems to be no way of doing that. i didn't try prying the top part off with a flat head screw driver since i didn't want to scratch any part of the face plate. it's only clips that are holding the top part. just get a good hold from the bottom, insert 1 or 2 fingers behind it and pull little by little if you're afraid you might break it.