For those of you who have done the mp3 player install, or fooled around behind the face plate...is it possible to pull out the stock radio and use a new head unit? Is the AC in a seperate unit? What Im looking to do is either move the AC unit, install a screen and HU, or leave the AC and do the screen and HU. Any ideas?

Will

 

up

 

The front panel with the stereo and HVAC controls, is a single unit. The head unit plugs into a custom cradle mounted to the rear of the facia panel, and connects via a couple of (I suspect proprietary) multi-pin connectors.

I suspect that if anyone's going to come out with an aftermarket unit, it will have to include a whole new facia.

 

Questions:

1 - What's your opinion? Is this a good or bad thing?

2 - Do you think anyone WILL release an aftermarket facia? It'd be huge!

 

Oh the facia is a inevitable....I was just wondering if you could fab one up while leave the ac unit there. If not, I would have to move the entire box, hack it up, power the ac, etc etc etc. Gets very involved. Anyone else with ideas?

 

Hard to say, I'm sure someone will make something.

I mean as far as I could tell (did my MP3 install today), there are just plugs that connect to the dials that control the A/C. I figure so long the new design of the fascia has the ***** and such it'll be alright.

But see that's the problem, whoever designs it will have to do more than just the face plate of the radio unit, they will have to redesign the entire piano black area of the fascia.

Kinda rude for Mazda to do that if you ask me, but it looks great the way it is. Sad that aftermarket decks wont go in easy.