2011 Mazda2 DIY Head Unit Android 4.4.4 Install Tips

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Mazda 2
I noticed there's quite a bit of confusing information about installing an aftermarket head unit into a 2011 Mazda 2. I thought i'd just post a link to a guide and some of my own tips. I have an Australian Mazda 2 2011, so it may vary for you based on locality.

1. Follow this thread to take apart your dashboard to gain access to/remove the stock head unit. http://www.mazda2revolution.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374
  • I did not need a antenna adaptor as mine had a single pole rounded long plug that went straight into my head unit.
  • The poster does not go into detail about how he fitted the unit in the dash kit. The head unit I had was double DIN but wouldn't fit with the dash kit i purchased. I had to sand down the mounting brackets to about 0.25mm to get it to fit. I then carefully levered the unit into place and used some flat screws to attach it to the mounting bracket.
  • For a automatic car you don't need to unscrew the shifter knob, the panel just comes off.
  • the wiring harness i purchased was not a metra branded one, and the wires were not labeled. I found the diagram below to be extremely helpful and accurate. Ignore the wire colour in the table. Match pin to pin. from the stock harness to the adapter and then from the adapter to your head unit as per its instructions. The illumination wire did not work for me despite many attempts, you may have more success than I. Everything else works flawlessly.
  • If you want to wire up the steering wheel controls, either use a SWCI and follows its instructions, or in my case, as i did not use one, simply connect pin 13 to ground(24). You should then be able to assign steering wheel functions to software functions once the head unit it running.
  • There is another 16 pin white plug with the old HU that handles the AUX cable functions. I've left this unattached for now until i figure out how to integrate it into the head unit.
  • If you accidentally short anything, two fuses have to be replaced as below. Don't make the mistake i did and create a short circuit, make sure all your connections are either capped off or covered in heat shrink/electrical tape.
  • Make sure you transfer the small white clips on the back of the old dash piece, otherwise your unit won't clamp in. You'll also need the small metal brackets and screws that secure the hazard panel in place. Pay close attention to them when you take the dash apart, so you know how to put them back together.

2004-Mazda3-Radio-Wire-Diagram.jpg


2) If you wired everything up correctly, you should see your device boot.
  • To get the key lights working go to settings> factory settings > other > key light. Password is usually 126. You can also change the boot logo in this menu.
  • Some people have said that GPS doesn't work well when the antenna is inside the dash. I've had no problems.
  • Some people say that you need to position the microphone near your mouth(somehow?), mine is placed on the back wall of one of the storage boxes right next to the steering wheel. I've had no problems and tested extensively.
  • Download a good offline maps software.
  • Set your radio station presents to avoid white noise on startup.
  • Finally make sure your device powers off completely(not just sleep) after 30 seconds following complete turnoff of the car. When you turn the car back on after 30 seconds you should see the boot logo appear. If it doesn't you need to make sure your accessory wire is correctly connected, otherwise it will drain your battery.
 
Hi i am new to this forum and i just want to say thank you to op 10/10 for such accurate information and also you helped me solve an issue i thought was going to cost me around 30-40 on a adapter for my steering wheel controls,

I read your note on

"If you want to wire up the steering wheel controls, either use a SWCI and follows its instructions, or in my case, as i did not use one, simply connect pin 13 to ground(24). You should then be able to assign steering wheel functions to software functions once the head unit it running."

i have already made an attempt at this using information on other forums around 6 months ago and it was not described as well and as accurate as you did, without your screenshots i would have got lost but because you added diagrams to your already precises instructions this made it easier for me the thing that got me thinking here was the pin numbers on my Mazda pins 12 and 13 are different colors from what you listed but i said to my self chances are they were the same stereos so cabling would need to route to the same places regardless of color, i think the colors of mines was green & black may have been white & pin 13 was red and silver i router these in the order you disciribed & my andriod was able to pick up all of the steering wheel buttons with no issues,

So thank you,
 
I do apologizes the reason for the wiring for my Harness being a different color is

the diagram here is for Mazda 3

My Mazda is a (Mazda 2 sport DY 2011)

hope this helps anyone else with the same issues with the same Mazda as i have,

i will take some pictures of my harness setup so it shows clearly the colors that need connecting to the ground on the harness, and key 1 on the stereo harness

Thanks,
 
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You can tap a male aux end to the 16 pin plug and then just plug that in to the head unit to retain aux port functionality.
 
Is there any way to get the information button working again or at least to change it? I had it set on what I wanted, but it must have reset during the aftermarket install.
 
Hi first post here, thanks in advance for any help :cool:

Here in New Zealand, I have just purchased a Japanese import 2010 Demio 1.5. The Clarion head unit was in Japanese and didn't have the right radio bandwidths so I've purchased a SONY XAV-AX1000 head unit with Mazda to ISO loom and ISO to Sony loom.

I'm halfway through swapping out the units and looking for a couple of pointers

Where is the best place to pick a feed for the park
I'm trying to work out which is the reversing camera feed. The car has a factory-fitted camera but it didn't seem to be working with the original head unit. Any tips?

Thanks

Ian
 
Do I understand it well that there is no reverse signal wire on the Mazda connector? So I do have to use for example the signal from the reverse light?
 
You can tap a male aux end to the 16 pin plug and then just plug that in to the head unit to retain aux port functionality.

@Wocket Sorry to bring up this old post. Do you have any details with regards to the male 16 pin connector? I am trying to come up with an adapter to RCA to be able to use it with the android device.
 
I do apologizes the reason for the wiring for my Harness being a different color is

the diagram here is for Mazda 3

My Mazda is a (Mazda 2 sport DY 2011)

hope this helps anyone else with the same issues with the same Mazda as i have,

i will take some pictures of my harness setup so it shows clearly the colors that need connecting to the ground on the harness, and key 1 on the stereo harness

Thanks,
Hi i am new to this forum and i just want to say thank you to op 10/10 for such accurate information and also you helped me solve an issue i thought was going to cost me around 30-40 on a adapter for my steering wheel controls,

I read your note on

"If you want to wire up the steering wheel controls, either use a SWCI and follows its instructions, or in my case, as i did not use one, simply connect pin 13 to ground(24). You should then be able to assign steering wheel functions to software functions once the head unit it running."

i have already made an attempt at this using information on other forums around 6 months ago and it was not described as well and as accurate as you did, without your screenshots i would have got lost but because you added diagrams to your already precises instructions this made it easier for me the thing that got me thinking here was the pin numbers on my Mazda pins 12 and 13 are different colors from what you listed but i said to my self chances are they were the same stereos so cabling would need to route to the same places regardless of color, i think the colors of mines was green & black may have been white & pin 13 was red and silver i router these in the order you disciribed & my andriod was able to pick up all of the steering wheel buttons with no issues,

So thank you,
@joeontherun hey mate i have question, i have mazda demio 2014 and i am looking for steering wheel controls settings. so when you say "simply connect pin 13 to ground(24)" you mean to cut both cords from the default arness and splice them together (13 and 24) or can i cut pin 12 and splice it to key1 of my aftermarket arness and splice it to SW1?

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