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2010 Mazda 3 Stereo upgrade

158K views 85 replies 41 participants last post by  OliverMS3 
#1 ·
Has anyone done a stereo upgrade to a 2010 3 yet, bose or no bose? If so, how did you remove the doors and get the head unit out. Did you replace your headunit or simply upgrade the speakers / add a sub / amp the speakers in your system? Was the LCD screen still functional for the climate control, etc?

Looking for any information on this as there seems to be little to none yet.
 
#3 ·
This is a great question. I just wanted to add a LOC to my Bose system so I can add some subs. And cant find information anywhere on this topic. All I want to know is how to remove the head unit and the paneling. I do not want to do a head unit upgrade. Does anyone have the actual car manual or know who we can contact? I added a LOC to my previous 2006 Mazda 3 GT, so this cant be that hard.
 
#5 ·
I have 1 peice of great news to help this situation. I took apart my 2010 3 today (GTE) and found that the main connector is still the same 24 pin connector. the wiring seems to be the same except new colour codes. I plugged in my aftermarket unit that i removed from my 2005 3. the audio part did not work but the deck did power up and functioned as it should. That was to be expected as there are 3 extra wires on the car side harness and i assume that 2 of them are power and ground for the stock amplifier. If you were to hook up a aftermarket H/U you will have to modify the 24 pin connector from hardwired ends to rca ends so you can use the low outputs from the H/U otherwise you will have to hack up the amp wiring. I am taking matters in to my own hands as far as a dash kit goes I am going to attempt to make a mold and possibly start selling them. If my mold is successful that is I will keep you posted
 
#7 ·
BBasically the vents on the top just pop out. They are held in by 4 clips. Use something like a plastic wedge so you dont damage the plastic with a screwdriver while prying it out. Underneath you will find 2 screws undo those and pull the radio out. Eventually when i get some time i will post up some pics and possibly a vid. I have good news in regards to getting the amp to work with bose equipped vehicles. I have recently got my hands on the wiring diagrams for the radio and again once i get some time i will inforn you if i had luck with the situation or not
 
#8 ·
[quote author=my_mazda3 link=topic=145935.msg3188488#msg3188488 date=1245527703]
BBasically the vents on the top just pop out. They are held in by 4 clips. Use something like a plastic wedge so you dont damage the plastic with a screwdriver while prying it out. Underneath you will find 2 screws undo those and pull the radio out. Eventually when i get some time i will post up some pics and possibly a vid. I have good news in regards to getting the amp to work with bose equipped vehicles. I have recently got my hands on the wiring diagrams for the radio and again once i get some time i will inforn you if i had luck with the situation or not
[/quote]


Speed is of the essence, man. Many of us 2010 owners are just chompin' at the bit for some info and pix.
 
#9 ·
To Geddyhanzo,
If speed is of the essence then I am unable to assist you. Unfortunatly i do not have ample amounts of time with my day job, evening job and personal life. I am trying to assist you guys on the board because I obviously would like a system in my new 3 like my previous 3 and because thats what forums are for to help each other out.

Now to continue on with the good news:
I have been able to get the stock amplifier to work
I have found the proper antenna connector so the radio will work [heres a shocker its another honda part like the hid connectors lol]
I also have a connection diagram for the BOSE equipped models which MUST be followed to avoid oem wiring to be chopped up

for the amp you are looking at pin 1j


on the connector you are looking at it as if you were plugging it in to the unit


The proper antenna connector is
HO-6 2005-2008 Honda/Acura to standard motorola male
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220403924399

For the BOSE equipped vehicles or amplifier equipped models you must follow this honda thread how he used the low outputs from the headunit to connect to aftermarket connector connecting to your stock connector
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/audio/98901-jepettos-complete-avic-d3-install.html

I hope this is a great healp and i will keep on this matter when i have time
 
#10 ·
SOOOOOO GOOD NEWS
I have been able to successfully get my deck in to my car and fully functional with the bose system. Steering wheel controllers work and everything I do have pictures on how to tear apart the car but my phone is acting up and i am unable to upload the pictures to the site but i am working on it. As far as dash kits go we are in luck again a JDM dash kit has been made already only available in asia BUT it is an OEM mazda part. Somewhat pricey of a sucker but its worth it
JDM dashkit

I will keep you posted
 
#11 ·
Well ladies and gentlemen boys and girls here it all is after the waiting period

step one : the goodbeyes
get in your car and kiss the old stereo goodbeye


Step 2: removing upper vernts
Firmly put pressure at back of vents were they meet the dash


The bottom of the vents should come up slightly so you can put something in between the radio and the vents. Please remember try to use something soft otherwise you will gauge the material. I used a trim panel puller made out of plastic


shows you all of the plastic clips in the upper vents.


Step 3 Removing and unbolting the radio
Once the dash vents are removed you will find 2 screws holding in the radio. remove those


The radio is now free pull it out towards you and tilt is so the radio faceplate faces the windshield


Unclip the 3 connectors and remove the radio


There will be more to come have to take some more snapshots and will keep you posted
 
#14 ·
Continuation

Step 4 dissasembling the radio
turn the radio so you can see where all the OEM connectors go in and you will see the highlighted bolts 4 large 4 small. remove them and the faceplate will come off. also there will be 2 screws on each side holfing the unit to the cage undo those aswell


Please disregard those other 2 bolts i just added those for extra stability

Step 5: minor modifications neccesary to instal new dash kit
Here you will see the minor modificatiosn. The JDM dash kit has 4 connecting legs if you will call them that and the bottom 2 get in the way of the metal cage. I disconected the oem feet by unsrewing them

these are them

Then i cut the oem bracket so i could bend it 180degrees to get the metal out of the way of the plastic

This worked for making the plastic bracket fit in the stock location


***************************************************************Bose equipped models MUST follow this step**********************************
The 24 Pin connector Must be converted from regular wire speaker connectors to RCA connectors because of the oem amplifier. The low outputs from the deck must be used


***************************************************************If you are using steering wheel pac unit then follow this*************************************************************
The pac wiring
Red- 12V switched
black- ground
white-connect to 1P in the diagram
connect 1n to ground
Colours of those pins will follow


**********************THIS NEXT STEP HAS EITHER OR OPTIONS*****************
Step 7A: installing the new radio ********if you have a flush deck***********
Take your double din unit and instal it in to the metal bracket put 4 screws 2 on each side


Step 7B: Installing new radio**********if you have a motorized screen*************
If you have a motorized screen you MUST only instal the TOP LEFT CORNER BOLT. The radio must be sat on an angle so the dash kit does not get caught when lowering and raising the screen

If this does not work for you like it did not work for me because my screen is rather oversized i used the old brackets from my 2005 mazda 3 and mounted them, the same way posted above I bent the tabs for the old screen sideways and screwed them in to the dash


Step 8: Sit back and enjoy
the finished product
 
#15 ·
I was wondering if a double din would look decent and it does. Can you give a link to the double din kit you bought?

Also, what controls and all (if any did you loose)? DO you still have all the functions with the stock system you did before?
 
#16 ·
link to dash kit This dash kit isnt the greatest for the price and supposidly being OEM JDM parts i am somewhat dissapointed for the minor modifications yet they are crucial. For being OEM this should have fit like a glove no modding neccesary.

I didnt really lose any functions except for the fact that the voice instructions do NOT work for the OEM nav but i like it that way because the voice telling me to turn and stuff bugs me especially when on the highway stay in express dont go to collectors man that gets annoying lol. The steering wheel controls still work which reminds me i have to put a how to on that aswell. The OEM bluetooth and satelite functions are lost but i dont use sat and my deck has BT built in
 
#17 ·
[quote author=my_mazda3 link=topic=145935.msg3191897#msg3191897 date=1245714165]
To Geddyhanzo,
If speed is of the essence then I am unable to assist you. Unfortunatly i do not have ample amounts of time with my day job, evening job and personal life. I am trying to assist you guys on the board because I obviously would like a system in my new 3 like my previous 3 and because thats what forums are for to help each other out.

Now to continue on with the good news:
I have been able to get the stock amplifier to work
I have found the proper antenna connector so the radio will work [heres a shocker its another honda part like the hid connectors lol]
I also have a connection diagram for the BOSE equipped models which MUST be followed to avoid oem wiring to be chopped up

for the amp you are looking at pin 1j


on the connector you are looking at it as if you were plugging it in to the unit


The proper antenna connector is
HO-6 2005-2008 Honda/Acura to standard motorola male
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220403924399

For the BOSE equipped vehicles or amplifier equipped models you must follow this honda thread how he used the low outputs from the headunit to connect to aftermarket connector connecting to your stock connector
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/audio/98901-jepettos-complete-avic-d3-install.html

I hope this is a great healp and i will keep on this matter when i have time
[/quote]


any ideea where i can find the service manual in a electronic format?
 
#18 ·
not available to public. They are only available through mazda dealers and i was able to obtain this information through a source of mine i am unsure if he was allowed to supply this information so i will keep my source unnamed
 
#19 ·
[quote author=my_mazda3 link=topic=145935.msg3280253#msg3280253 date=1250307996]
link to dash kit This dash kit isnt the greatest for the price and supposidly being OEM JDM parts i am somewhat dissapointed for the minor modifications yet they are crucial. For being OEM this should have fit like a glove no modding neccesary.

I didnt really lose any functions except for the fact that the voice instructions do NOT work for the OEM nav but i like it that way because the voice telling me to turn and stuff bugs me especially when on the highway stay in express dont go to collectors man that gets annoying lol. The steering wheel controls still work which reminds me i have to put a how to on that aswell. The OEM bluetooth and satelite functions are lost but i dont use sat and my deck has BT built in
[/quote]

Thanks for the heads up. I have to decide what I want to do.
 
#20 ·
I'd just like to replace the stock speakers in a 2010 Mazda i sport 4 speaker system. The high freqs aren't good enough. Bass is ok, but not as good as my last car with a sub-woofer of course.

What size are the speakers and what needs to be done? Also any speaker recommendations? I'd like to install them myself.

Thanks for any help.

Bill
 
#21 ·
I have the Bose system. I already blew out the right front speaker, so I decided to replace the front. I replaced the Bose with Infinity's they are 2 ohm speakers, and I felt they'd fit well with the existing Bose amp. They do sound much better than the original Bose (yuck!). Probably won't make too much difference, but I'll probably switch out all my speakers with the Infinity's, and also put in a real sub maybe a 10" of course w/amp, loc, etc.....I want to keep the stock HU. I don't want to much attention to whats going on inside my car.
 
#23 ·
Just installed my LOC and ran my power wires. I didnt have a 1J location wire for amp turn on so I used the 1P wire which was purple in my car. So I hope that works.

Also, I conected the ground for the LOC to thick black wire. Which I think on the diagram says "power ground". so...is that power or ground. I would assume ground since it was black but was the biggest wire.
 
#24 ·
I am pretty disgusted with the stock stereo, and a little intimidated by the upgrade. What concerns me most is the horrid EQ, which as I understand is not defeatable and varies with volume. I talked to the Crutchfield guys and they recommend the JL Cleansweep, but this forces a separate volume control.

Is there no way to get a flat line-level out of the stock, non-Bose HU? Barring that, is there a HU available which won't kill my phone / steering controls?
 
#25 ·
Hey folks, first post here. My father recently purchased a 2010 M3 I sport and I started lurking the forums looking for pics and info on mods and upgrades that he can do to his toy. The first thing that came to my mind was a double din HU but was instantly turned away by the Jdm kit posted. :shock: It looks good but is expensive. I figured that metra would come out with a kit soon and sure enough it's available already.

Here is an online retailer that has the kit for under $30. Sonicelectronix is a better known retailer but it shows OOS.

Metra part# 99-7514b http://www.12vtoolbox.com/METRA_99_7514B_MAZDA_3_2010_STEREO_INSTALL_KIT_p/metra%2099-7514b.htm

Here is Metra's pdf with kit instructions http://documents.victorytechnologies.com//documents/product/17666.pdf
 
#26 ·
[quote author=Sierra07 link=topic=145935.msg3302137#msg3302137 date=1251521241]
Hey folks, first post here. My father recently purchased a 2010 M3 I sport and I started lurking the forums looking for pics and info on mods and upgrades that he can do to his toy. The first thing that came to my mind was a double din HU but was instantly turned away by the Jdm kit posted. :shock: It looks good but is expensive. I figured that metra would come out with a kit soon and sure enough it's available already.

Here is an online retailer that has the kit for under $30. Sonicelectronix is a better known retailer but it shows OOS.

Metra part# 99-7514b http://www.12vtoolbox.com/METRA_99_7514B_MAZDA_3_2010_STEREO_INSTALL_KIT_p/metra%2099-7514b.htm

Here is Metra's pdf with kit instructions http://documents.victorytechnologies.com//documents/product/17666.pdf
[/quote]

anybody did this yet? what will happen to the red display on the dash for the radio?
 
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