I talked with my local dealer today about changing out the head unit with their Sat ready one. He gave me a breakdown for the exchange... it is a bit pricey and was wondering if anyone knows where I can obtain the parts cheaper?

Part No: Description List

FE04-66-9H0 Panel AU 462.10
FE05-66-AS0 Tuner 281.52
0000-81-K02A Installation Pak 14.95
0000-81-G01A Satellite Receiver 399.00

Tax 95.50
Labor???

Total: 1,253.07

 

I haven't checked but I am sure you can beat that price at a local stereo shop.

 

Talk to Thew (RX8garage.net) and see what he says.

 

For Sirius, from EBAY (I've bought several setups):
Kenwood 901 Receiver U$ 30.00; FM Modulator with Controller U$ 50.00-65.00; Older Terks Antenna (2 leads) $30.00---> For less than US $150.00 you can install yourself in less than a day.

 

I have an early 2005 w/o the satellite ready radio. I could not get a straight answer from my dealer/ Mazda USA about swapping out my system for a satellite ready system. So. here is what i am doing instead of fighting with them:

Kenwood Sirius Tuner: $50
Kenwood Head End Controller: $100
Kenwood 10GB MP3 player: $250
Dremel Tool (Model 395): $70 (for the installation)
Terk Mini Antenna: $50
PIE: Adapter/Cables: $100

Total: $620

With my Infinity Basslink ($250) and speaker replacemant ($200) of the stock speakers, I expect to save money and get better audio than Mazda could provide with anything they could give me.

I love my 8, but Mazda is really lacking when it comes to aftermarket stereo.

 

Added a Pioneer add-on unit for XM, they go for less than $100, fit between the antenna and the radio.

Works great, but has the ugly old antenna, I'll be getting the new smaller one.

S

 

I think his quoted prices were for the integrated Mazda Sirius tuner, along with a new updated head-unit. I'm not sure if the new headunits are any different than the old, other than the SAT button and the firmware. If this is the case, you may be able to save the $462.10 for the new panel, and $281.52 for the new radio, and have rx8garate.net upgrade your firmware for like $50.

 

I have the PIE adaptor and and an inline power adaptor that I installed. I have an XM roady2. The install of the adaptors took about an hour and the total cost for all the parts was about 150.00. The PIE adaptor allows you to use the steering wheel controls. It sounds great. Much better than the modulater crap.

 

Phlash, is your set up on a 2004 rx-8?

Anybody, If I get a 2004 RX-8 rather than a 2005 am I crippled in terms of getting cd quality sounding satellite radio at a reasonable cost? What is the pie adaptor, and does that get you the "cd quality" sound rather than going thru the fm? The pie adaptor works with 2004 RX-8? Thanks

 

While I realize that the last post in this thread was FIVE YEARS ago , I'm wondering if any of you succeeded in putting an 05 head unit (part FE05-66-AS0) into an 04 (replacing part FE02-66-AS0).

I'm interested in pursuing this not for the satellite functionality, but so I can install a DICE MP3 adapter and have the MP3 titles show up on my car radio display.

 

Now this post is even older - but I just got an 04 RX8 which has the Bose System but nothing for satellite Radio.. Any advice would be appreciated.. So while there is a button for Cassette and Mini CD, those items are not even there. - In case this helps!

Thank you!

 

This is an old thread I know but there are no real answers here and as our RX's age this will become more of an issue. My example is sort of putting the cart before the horse, I went ahead and bought a 2005 head/control unit to replace the busted up original in my 2004 head unit. My LCD display started giving me the matrix screen and flashing. Following advice here I removed the unit to find many missing screws and about 6 broken mounting points. All cheap plastic that had probably been overtightened in the past by a PO or just poor engineering from MAZDA. Anyway I found a replacement unit on ebay and bought it. It is for a 2005 with the SAT button. My unit has the FM1/2 /AM button instead. While I don't care if I ever get SAT ability I just want everything else to work. Both are for the BOSE system and have the 6 disk changer and all the plugs look the same from what I can tell. Once I get the unit and install it I will post an update.

 

So finally got the new 05 radio installed. First try was a red LED and the AC controls working but nothing else. Removed, reinstalled...same thing. Removed and disassembled the face plate from the HU. Bent mounting tabs back a little and carefully aligned all the pins from the face plate to the HU and reassembled. Triple checked all the plug connectors and it worked! So a 2005 with SAT button works fine in a 2004...both had the 6 CD Bose system. Also installed the iPod adapter and it works fine as well. Also found an OEM factory painted spoiler on eBay and installed that. It instantly made the car sound better, look better, get better gas mileage and go faster! Ha!