Phase888

Just wanted to say that I finally got my Metra dash kit for my 2009 and I have to say that I am reasonably happy with the results. Seems to be good quality and a very good fit. I went with the flat black instead of the gloss, in hindsight I think I might have preferred the gloss coat.

Install was pretty straightforward, only thing I noted was some places said the 10mm bolt on the side of the radio was on the passenger side. It's on the driver's side for my car at least. Very easy to find though as it was the only 10mm bolt in that area!

I'm a bit disappointed in myself though as I forgot to cover the gearshift and scratched the heck out of the factory face when I took it out.

I'm quite happy with the Clarion FZ709 and would say it is far superior to the crazy CD changer my car came with. The bluetooth integration is very nice and I have no real complaints about the sound quality.

michaelsk8er

iTrader: (1)

Interesting. I like the cubby in the center. It would probably look surprisingly good in gloss black.

DoctorWho

Looks pretty good - definitely agree that the gloss black would have been even better.

Wiring question - where did you get the harness and do the steering wheel radio controls still function? Those are a must have for me...

laythor

pac swi = full steering wheel controls

harnesses can be found at most car audio shops.

I like the HU you picked out.. i still think that cubby looks "slapped on" and wish Metra had done something a little nicer.

Phase888

As Laythor said, you can get wiring stuff at any car audio shop - I picked mine up at Best Buy since they happened to be open and I was driving past. As for the steering controls I am pretty sure you can get them working but I really never worried about that much. I guess you would have to shop your stereo with that as a primary feature.

Yes, the cubby thing is a little cheap looking but I put it in there until the rest of my stuff comes in. Rather have a cheap plastic thing in there than a big hole. I think this one would have looked better if I would have used the Metra trim ring instead of the Clarion ring. Given the choice though I would rather just have an option for a block off plate.

Still pretty amazed at the mounting depth the car can handle. I've had bigger cars that were majorly more of a pain to do an install in than this one.

R3PWNr

can i have a link to the kit?

laythor

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1209575...k.html?tp=3486

Phase888

actually, Crutchfield is wrong - they admit they have 'no data' on the 2009.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...99-7515HG.html
is the one you want for the 2009+

Kpoc

From what I could find the web list the Protege wiring harness under 2009 and up RX8 as being the correct Harness has anybody confirmed this, or if I am wrong list the correct one.

Phase888

Pretty sure the Protege harness is the one I used. I'll double check it tomorrow when I get out and about - I think I kept the part number from the one I used.

Kpoc

Went ahead and bought it since it was only 12 dollars for the part. Sure enough it worked. Installed my eclipse AVN 4430 this morning and it is all working exepct the steering wheel audio. Will continue to work on that later. Now if only the metra kit arrives as it should on Monday I will be happy and complete lol.

Phase888

Sorry, couldn't find the orginal packaging but I did find my receipt and it does say:
MAZDA PROTEGE HARNESS 2002+
and that one worked very well.

rstar

Sorry I know this is an old thread but.. since you have an 09 and so do I how did you get the HVAC display to continue working since Metra on makes a wiring kit for 04-08 rx-8? I really want to put a new HU in but I don't want to lose functionality in the HVAC display but i also don't want to keep the old HU in the Car. Any ideas would really help.
Thanks
Rob

canaryrx8

iTrader: (3)

The only time the Metra kit doesn't work is if you have auto climate control as far as I know, but I could be wrong, best thing to do is give them a call and ask. The kit allows full functionality of hvac plus customizable text in the display etc.

Phase888

In the 09 I didn't lose anything for HVAC display as already stated. Of course I covered up the HVAC display with my GPS mount - doh! It's been so long since I've even seen the top part of my dash I had to actually go look to remember what it was supposed to do.

Vorsanss

I finished my install last night and i will be doing a DIY on installing the AVIC X940BT / axxess controls but i have one little problem my AC button is stuck depressed LOL any ideas on how to loosen it a bit without pulling everything back out?

DannyJames

Very nice, I'm awaiting the arrival of mine in high gloss. I'll be grinding mine down for an iPad Mini fit though.

For anyone wondering...

Installation of this kit in a series 2, you will retain all climate control functionality. The clock remains on the LCD display until you remove the battery in which case the ambient temperature will then take its place, however this will display a maximum of 70F or 21C.

Topwiz

iTrader: (1)

just to put this out there, the finish on the high gloss kit looks like crap..looks like they spray painted the matte..be careful as it scratches easy too.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

I have the gloss kit for the S2 and it looks fine to me

DannyJames

I agree! It is spray painted and not actual polished plastic but it looks perfectly fine and matches the rest of the dash

KensterRX8

I wrote this blog article on my experience with my Car Computer and Metra installation... check it out.. IntelligentSystem - The Evolution of the Intelligent Car Computer and Touch Screen

PTY_507_Night_Fury

I successfully installed mine plus the steering controls and everything is working perfectly fine. but I'm having a BIG situation... The Manual included with the kit says to plug "the factory" LCD display cable on the back of the axxess unit but the cable end plug is BIGGER than the axxess port where it's supposed to fit.

Does anyone knows if there's maybe an adapter or something??? I can't stand not having the LCD screen display anymore!

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

err. The metra AXXESS is a SWC module. You shouldn't be plugging anything into it. You would only be connecting the power, ground, and the two signal wires to the corresponding steering wheel signal lines.

Are you in the right section? This is for the S2 rx8

LiveWire

iTrader: (1)

Hey, so despite being an electrical engineer, I am pretty worried about this install, mainly because I have never done/seen a head unit install before. If someone would help me out here I would be very thankful! I just want to make sure I am not missing any components before I being the install (its my dd). So just to clarify, are these the only things I need for the install of a basic single din head unit?

Protege Wiring harness: Tandem Recumbent Protege Harness 160mm Bracket Kit Part 8000 3 Sale | eBay

Metra Kit Double din kit: Metra 99-7515HG (met-997515hg) Single or Double DIN Installation

And finally a 1 layer head unit (havent decided what to get yet).

I thought there was some other wiring kit I needed based on other metra kit threads, however they were installing units with screens. Could that be the difference?

lakersfan1

The Metra dash kit is correct, but I have no idea what that Protege harness thing is.

You'll want Metra 70-7903T wire harness.

Also, with the dash kit for the RX8, you are not constrained to a Single-DIN headunit. The kit will accomodate a Single-DIN while giving you a small pocket, or you cut the pocket area out and a Double-DIN fits perfect. My advice would be pick the headunit that gives you exactly the features you want and not worry about what size it is. I would recommend, however, that you select a unit that has adjustable light colors. The orange color in our dash is hard to match.