griffin89

If i ordered the metra kit, would my current system work with it without too much tampering.
i have a 2004 mazda rx8 w/ bose system
Im having trouble with my stock headunit so i want to upgrade. I just want to know how much work would be involved to make it work with the bose system

PatClarke

I just installed mine and it was not the fastest thing I have ever don but the after market head unit works and sounds 10x better then the stock one. The metra kit comes with a special wire harness and you need to scavenge parts from the stock head unit to put it all together.

griffin89

yeah i was afraid of that, im not too confident on taking off the a/c controls and the hazard light button. let alone trying to figure out all the different wires i have to splice into. ugh.

are there any 8 owners who installed in that live in SoCal somewhere near the Indio or LA area?

New Question: If i buy a replacement radio, will an 09 rx8 radio work properly inside an 04 rx8

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

No.

I'm not gonna lie. It's not an easy install. If you're really feeling that intimidated, I suggest seeking out a professional installer.

PatClarke

If you can install a normal cd player you can do this one. It is harder then normal but that's rely just because of a few extra steps. the wiring harness tells you what connects to what. Its just you have this small black box that comes with the kit that every thing plugs into witch makes it "funny." So you take your after market cd player wires and solder them to the metra wire harness and plug that into the box. witch then plugs into the stock harness that was plugged into the back of the stock cd player. Just read metras wire harness guide and match the wires to your after market cd players wire harness guide. I had a bent pin on my wire harness and got no sound because it was to power the stock amp, but every thing turned on so this took me like 3 hours to figure out. Rely should be about a hour unless your pro.

-take dash apart
-remove stock cd player
-take stalk dash kit apart
-add stock dash parts to after market dash kit (follow metras E Z step by step guide)
-solder wire harness to after market cd player
-plug into black box (witch then plugs into the cars harness no cutting just plug and play)
-put back together (in my opinion the hardest part to hide all the weirs and looks clean )

griffin89

sounds simple enough. Ive installed different cd players into my previous cars/trucks just not in my 8

Is this the correct kit i need that has everything?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAZDA...item23127e1186

or should i get it from somewhere else?
cuz i see how the stock wiring harness connects to the red part and then the white end connects to the axxes box but i dont see the harness id solder the after market on to or where the red lcd screen would connect to

PatClarke

That is the right kit and that is the harness. The pic is kinda deceiving theo. The white end plugs into the box and the red end goes into the stock harness (plug an play) there is another end that the pic leaves out lol but its just a bunch of wires. Thats what you would solder to this after market cd player. so sorry may last post was a bit wrong im trying to do this from memory.


btw that is the high gloss one i got the normal one cuz it matched my interior.
btw again lol that is the double din so make sure you have a double din after market cd player.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

There's not a chance in hell he's going to complete this in under an hour. Stripping/soldering/taping the wires is a solid 30 minutes alone. You installing a navi headunit? Add in running the GPS antenna and bluetooth mic. For someone inexperienced, this could quickly turn into an all day event.

griffin, you realize your factory steering wheel controls will no longer work without additional equipment correct? Add another $50 and extra time installing.

The red lcd does not get removed or disconnected. No worries there.

PatClarke

I still think this should take about a hour but i didnt time my self if you know how to take the car apart and know what you are doing i think this is a 1 hour job unless you run into problems or are not sure what you are doing. agreed 30 min strip tape solder
10 min break down 10 min to take stock dash kit apart 20 min put every thing together. that sounds about right to me so a bit more then a hour.?
lol that does not include the nave blue tooth or steering wheel controls you are right and theos are extras.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Well, OP, let us know how it goes. And good luck.

griffin89

thanks, it will be a lil before i gather everything and order it, still deciding what headunit i want. Deffinately getting a double din though. As for steering wheel controls i know ill loose them not too worried about it at the moment but i might as well do it while i have everything apart. Im sure itll take me longer than an hour. But i do know for the most part what im doing.

Thanks for the help and insight guys. Its much appreciated. When i finally order everything and install it ill take pics and let you know how it went

PatClarke

cool let us know if you need any help the hardest parts for me wear
taking stock head units hidden 10mm bolt out
having a bent pin on wire harness
hiding the black box and wires under the stereo

griffin89

Well i decided to wait on upgrading it for awhile. I ordered the Auxmod, didnt know it existed til the other day cuz my f.w. on my radio is below 9.55, its 9.50.

And the install went great and i fixed my loose faceplate connection issue. Apparently those metal things tht hold the faceplate to the metal harness that gets screwed onto the core the plastic housing were busted. So i filled those plastic housings with super glue and shoved those bolts in there. And so now everything works great!!

griffin89

Well i decided to wait on upgrading it for awhile. I ordered the Auxmod, didnt know it existed til the other day cuz my f.w. on my radio is below 9.55, its 9.50.

And the install went great and i fixed my loose faceplate connection issue. Apparently those metal things tht hold the faceplate to the metal harness that gets screwed onto the core the plastic housing were busted. So i filled those plastic housings with super glue and shoved those bolts in there. And so now everything works great!!

MazdaJeff

I just ordered the Metra kit. I should get it next week. So fingers crossed for a smooth install.