so pretty much if i buy a metra kit im gonna have problems unless its the updated version?

 

You're gonna have a fast clock and possible flickering display characters on occasion, if you call those issues.

 

what about the hvac controls having problems ppl talk about

 

the hvac controls will go out eventually anyway, our cars are known for this, mine was going out before i did the install, after install it went out completely, others had it go out before the kit was even out. The fix is very easy tho and cheap, all you have to do is take out the board and solder it, if you dont know how or dont want to mess it up, take it down somewhere and have someone else solder it, let them be liable, still will be alot cheaper then a new board or hvac unit from the dealer =p, and yeah those arent really issues you can borrow the cable to update from somneone on the site, the update is really simple or if you want go buy the cable and sell it online after you use it still the kit and cable much cheaper then the corksport kit, and you will have the hvac problem regardless of which kit you get.

also eventually you may have a power steering problem as well, mazda decided to put the coolant drain hose right above the power steering connector eventually the connector gets coroded another common problem with our cars, very simple fix tho, just disconnect and reconnect the connector and your good to go and also relocate the drain hose so it doesnt happen more then once, but that is a completely different subject and there is a whole thread on that just like there is a whole thread on the havc problem, just thought i would mention another common problem with our cars.

 

Got mine installed today and so far no issues whatsoever, my display worked flawlessly, setting the clock and text worked perfect too and after driving it the long way home no weirdness anywhere to be found. (granted it's only been in the car a short time, I haven't really been able to "test" it throughly yet). We also added the ipod cable to my D3 and I regained full functionality of my steering controls. The aftermarket piece I used for that can be found below, I have the Avic D3, and this unit works perfectly with it.

http://www.installer-parts.com/by_item.php?it=peswips

It's made be peripheral and it's called the "peswips", if you have any questions about it feel free to pm me, after this evening thanks to that piece, and the metra kit, I have now replaced my ENTIRE stereo system and retained FULL oem functionality, heck, I even gained some customization of my display in the process, frickin' sweet.

 

That's what I thought, but I remember looking at a diagram and it looked like my tail lights would be out too if it was the fuse. Maybe someone can confirm this.

I put in a Pioneer DEH-P6000UB. It's a single DIN kit and this is a single DIN head unit. It folds out when you turn the car off, and it's never caught on anything or had trouble. HVAC works great. No steering audio buttons though.

 

hey all i am thinking of going from single din to double din, and sell my single din kit, when i get the double din kit i can just switch the faces right and thats it? no other difference between the 2 kits correct? im sure this is a dumb question but i just wanted to make sure is all.

also i was thinking about getting the Panasonic CQ-VW100U is the load time good on this thing? does anyone know? the one i have now the load time really sucks and sometimes wont even read the disc it will say NO DISC, i dont care if it has nav or not since i already have nav in the car so what ever deck i get does not need to have nav setup, just looking for a clean double din deck around $300 i would like to switch the illumination to red but some of the ones i seen that can do that are like $100 more which is not worth it just to change the color lol, any help be great, thanks guys

 

OK, got a question for those of you who have or have had the "heat always on" problem. I know about the solder joint issue, but here's my question: Did you also have an issue with the 4-way switch not working...and not only not working, but no LEDs, nothing at all? Because here's my thing. I had everything working, but the AI-Net cables were wrong between my Alpine HU and the HD Radio tuner, and the EQ. So I had to reopen it all and switch them around, and when I put it all back together again suddenly I had heat on always, no display up top, and the switch in the middle is completely lifeless. Hazards still work, and fan speed still works. It seems unlikely to me that I found the solder joint problem at the exact same time I caused some other problem, probably in the harness somewhere (I thought I saw that a wire had pulled out somewhere before, but I haven't been able to find it) but if you all had the same batch of symptoms simultaneously, and the fix was the solder joint repair, then that's what I'll have to do.

Thanks,
jds

 

wow that sucks, no i only had the heat only problem

 

to my knowledge the solder joint issue only effects the hot/cold mix ****.

 

just order metra kit and dvd kenwood exelon 819 , just a question: can you still control volume from steering wheel? . Thanks, opp... another one: if you tape constant power to the head unit, can you play dvd while driving ( believe me, i am not watching while driving, but just interest to know.)

 

to keep the steering wheel controls you need a PAC or PERIPHERAL SWI (steering wheel interface) box, appropriate to the model of head unit you are using. It connects between the vehicle's dash wiring and the head unit directly, but is not related to the metra kit itself.

The power source has nothing to do with being able to watch video in motion. Most head units disable/enable video display via the parking brake wire, which they tell you to hook up between the head unit and the parking brake so that it only works with the brake on (and ground signal being fed through the wire to the head unit). The simple method around this is to simply run this parking brake wire from the head unit to a toggle switch, then to chassis ground, ignoring the parking brake. With the switch on, the head unit sees ground and thinks the brake is on, thus it gives you video. And with the switch off, the head unit disables video because it thinks the parking brake is off.

Some of the newer head units have gone another step and use the NAVIGATION/GPS sensor signal to determine if your car is moving or not, and can use this to disable video feed as well. IF this is the case, there are sometimes software or hardware hacks you can do to the head unit to bypass this feature. For the pioneer head unit I used, the hardware "mod" is to simply move one of the unused wires on the head unit wiring harness plug, from one pin to another empty pin, and then ground that wire. For older units, there was a switch on the bottom of the unit that could be moved to bypass it, and for some units there are software downloads that can change the programming of the head unit to allow video feed.

Search online for "kenwood XXX (your model) video bypass" and you should learn quickly enough what you need.

 

On my 8120 you just ground the parking brake wire. Everything else works perfectly.

 

ppl should read earlier pages and will have answers to all there questions =p

 

I agree, but when a thread gets merged and becomes this lengthy, I frankly don't blame people for not wanting to. It takes quite a studious and dedicated person to sift through a 20 page tech thread in search of accurate tidbits of information, amongst all the off topic ramblings and debating about which way would be best.

 

this is where a maintained FAQ thread where only relevant information is posted would be very valuable.

anyone up for that task?

 

One way of shortening this lengthy thread is for J Owens to reduce the size of his sig.

 

haha sorry, i think im just going to get rid of my sig =p lol

 

can you just tape the ground wire from HU directly to the parking brake wire from HU together, or you have to ground the parking break wire via switch as mention by the threat above. thanks for the reply guys

 

You dont "have" to use a switch on the pb wire. But I like doing so, because if the 5-0 roll up on you in traffic while you are watching a porno, you can just flip that bad boy right off in less than a second and the screen will display "warning front video prohibited while in motion please engage parking brake" or something similar, which basically keeps you legal.

If you just straight wire the pb ground to the head unit main ground, you'll have no quick way of disabling the video, and most of these new head units are complex enough that you can't manually change the screen as quick as you could with a kill switch in that scenario.

I put my kill switch under the ashtray lid, in front of the cigarette lighter receptacle, because I don't like gaying up my stock interiors with toggle switches. I also used a thin/low profile rocker switch that only sticks up about 1/8" so it's not in the way and I can still use the cigarette lighter.

 

[QUOTE=RotaryResurrection;2920677]You dont "have" to use a switch on the pb wire. But I like doing so, because if the 5-0 roll up on you in traffic while you are watching a porno, you can just flip that bad boy right off in less than a second and the screen will display "warning front video prohibited while in motion please engage parking brake" or something similar, which basically keeps you legal.

If you just straight wire the pb ground to the head unit main ground, you'll have no quick way of disabling the video, and most of these new head units are complex enough that you can't manually change the screen as quick as you could with a kill switch in that scenario.

I put my kill switch under the ashtray lid, in front of the cigarette lighter receptacle, because I don't like gaying up my stock interiors with toggle switches. I also used a thin/low profile rocker switch that only sticks up about 1/8" so it's not in the way and I can still use the cigarette lighter

 

[QUOTE=yenphi;2925300]RR: I am confuse a little bit here, please help me out. I am now installing the dvd player, there are relay connector which they ask me to connect to the vehicle's parking brake detection switch harness and a parking sensor wire which needs to connect to the parking sensor, what should I do? which one should I use the switch as you recommend above?
also in order for me to play dvd, is it neccesary to connect the relay to the parking brake detection?, thanks in advance.

 

I do not know, it is different for every head unit brand and model. I have never heard of the use of a relay for installing a head unit. I also do not know what you mean by "parking brake detection switch harness".

The parking brake "switch" triggers the light in the instrument cluster by a simple microswitch at the base of the handle. The switch is grounded, and when you pull up on the handle, the switch closes, passing the ground through the harness to the dash. The dash light gets fed 12v+ anytime the car is on, and the ground from the parking brake switch completes the circuit and activates the light.

The head units ask you to connect the parking brake wire to the parking brake switch, so that it can see ground when the brake is on. In other words, the head unit requires the parking brake wire to be grounded in order to display video.

At least, this is how Pioneer/Premier head units are set up. I have limited experience with other models.

I would recommend you test operation of your unit before actually installing it into the dash. With the harness connections made, all except for the parking brake wires in question, turn the unit on and try to play a dvd. If you get an error screen and it will not display the dvd, then ground the parking brake single wire. If it still will not display, then try to ground the relay wire you speak of. If that doesnt work, then perhaps the relay requires 12v+ to activate. Test it all out and get the video display requirements figured out before you actually install the unit into your dash. Once you know which wires require ground, then you know that those can be hooked to a bypass switch and the switch hooked to chassis ground.

 

thanks. i let u know later and will post picture when done.

 

any one got the update cable then can lend me? i am switching from single din to double din so i want to update the new box when it gets here, thanks