Is anyone using an aftermarket radio without using the steering wheel controller? If it's just for convenience, I really don't care for it. It's not that big of a deal, BUT...it IS more of a function than a cosmetic. Thoughts?

 

I use em. If you don't care, then don't hook em up.

 

I have the unit for it but never installed it because there were no pins in the metra harness that the metra axxess steering wheel unit wanted me to hook the wires up to. I never bothered to find some pins to install in the harness so my unit is just sitting in the home lol

 

???

If I remember right, the Metra harness doesn't need anything special to install this. It plugs into the wired remote input on the back of your aftermarket headunit. From there it's power, ground (which of course it has to have) and one signal wire (I believe the RX8 uses the white one). I think you just tap right into the stock RX8 harness for this (red/black?). Again, it's been probably almost 3 years since I've done one in an RX8...

Yep.
http://www.pac-audio.com/SWI/SWIAppG...iOptions=Radio

 

That's correct, but when I bought it Metra advertised in their instructions that I wouldn't need to tap into the factory harness that they had pins in their harness for those but they didn't. I just never bothered to tap into the factory harness.

I bought this one a while ago:

 

I ordered the Axxess controller along with the metra kit Double Din. If the ASWC is a pain to install or whatever, then I'll just return it. Oh well, its whatevs. LOL

 

I went YEARS without one, then decided to add one later. It's nice to have the controls back on my steering wheel at least for volume up, and down. and it's not THAT expensive.

 

its a pain in the *** to install, with the metra you have to manually program every function. I've only seen it auto detect on a GM before, but for every other car its manual programing, read the manual its a pain!

 

maybe the s1 is different but on the s2 the metra axxess autodetected all buttons for me.

 

I haven't installed mine in my S1, but it says it will auto detect the buttons.