Possible to put a new radio in the 3 ?

[vyse12012]

a pioneer like this one for example

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4039_63891888,00.html

or any radios for that matter ...


I'm sure there's a way to remove the crap stereo from the 3 and put a good one .. or the only way would be to remove all the dash board and cut holes in it to put the radio ?

(boom07)

[bluntman]

Do a search on Sounddomain.com, a couple people have already put in aftermarket HUs in their 3s. One person put it down where the cigarette lighter/PAB light is (bottom of the centre stack) and another put it in the stock HU position. The only problem with the latter position is that he had to make a custom surround to go around the new HU because, as of yet, no one makes one. Of course, putting in an aftermarket HU also disables your LCD panel (namely, the clock) and your steering wheel controls. There is an aftermarket adapter that will allow you to program the steering wheel controls to control your aftermarket HU, but it's expensive and apparently a pain in the @ss to program.

Personally, I kept the stock HU and upgraded everything else, all speakers, a couple of amps and a subwoofer.

[vyse12012]

thanks

[yac2727]

thanks
Actually, I also kept the stock head unit. When you use a nice HI-LOW converter like the N-7V from Navone Engineering www.davidnavone.com
you can get sound just as good if not better than any pioneer head unit. Only thing I did add was a nice Alpine EQ in the cigarrete lighter-airbag light panel (I changed my cigarrete lighter and put it inside the little pocket underneath, and the light I just hid behind the EQ. Sounds INCREDIBLE!!

[yac2727]

Do a search on Sounddomain.com, a couple people have already put in aftermarket HUs in their 3s. One person put it down where the cigarette lighter/PAB light is (bottom of the centre stack) and another put it in the stock HU position. The only problem with the latter position is that he had to make a custom surround to go around the new HU because, as of yet, no one makes one. Of course, putting in an aftermarket HU also disables your LCD panel (namely, the clock) and your steering wheel controls. There is an aftermarket adapter that will allow you to program the steering wheel controls to control your aftermarket HU, but it's expensive and apparently a pain in the @ss to program.

Personally, I kept the stock HU and upgraded everything else, all speakers, a couple of amps and a subwoofer.
I did a search on sounddomain, couldn't find any pictures. Could you provide a link?? Thanks

[nate0123]

no suggestions for making it fit, but I have that HU and like it a lot (thumb)

[bluntman]

Sorry, that should have been "CarDomain.com" instead of "SoundDomain.com"

Anyway, check this out...Brian's Mazda 3 (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/542663)

[yac2727]

Sorry, that should have been "CarDomain.com" instead of "SoundDomain.com"

Anyway, check this out...Brian's Mazda 3 (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/542663)
That looks really good. But honestly I don't know how he got it to fit. I could barely get a half din EQ to fit in that space because it was hitting my transmission box in the back, that's why I had to go with the Alpine 3342 because it's only a face and then uses the actual brain box in the back. I sure would like to see how he did that install!! Looks nice! (first)