2013 CX-5 Aftermarket Infotainment System & Backup Camera

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'13 CX-5, '07 MX-5
Here is an overview of the wiring that I used while installing an aftermarket infotainment system (Dual XDCPA11BT) and backup camera (LeeKooLuu F05) in my 2013 CX-5 Sport. The only option on this car is AWD, so it had the basic factory stereo without a touchscreen, no bluetooth, and the basic four speaker system. My installation retains the steering wheel controls, as well as the factory USB and AUX inputs. The stereo that I installed has wired Carplay, and yes, this functionality works through the factory USB input.

During my research prior to (and during) the installation, I noticed that there appeared to be variations in the factory wiring based on options and possible revisions in the manufacturing process. I found that this made it difficult to find instructions that work for a specific CX-5; even the instructions that came with my wiring harness didn't work perfectly in my case, as detailed below. Hopefully my findings will help someone with an identical model or assist in troubleshooting a different installation.

Here is the back of my factory stereo, which is referenced below:
20210102_231200559_iOS.jpg


USB
This one is simple. I used the Scosche TAUSB01B cable, which plugged right in to the wiring harness connector and my aftermarket stereo. I have full functionality through the factory USB input in the center console. Before pulling out my factory stereo, my research showed that I would need the Metra AX-MAZUSB cable-and this would only provide charging via USB, no data. These cables have different connectors, so they are not interchangeable. I suspect this difference has to do with the factory bluetooth module-in my case, the lack of this module.

Antenna
No tricks here, I used the Metra 40-HD10 wiring harness that was recommended for this vehicle.

AUX
I'm not aware of any aftermarket connectors for this one. In my case, I noted that the wiring harness only had four pins-despite the numerous pins on the back of my factory stereo pictured above. I made a guess that these four wires were for the AUX input-and I was right! I made my own cable with left and right RCA connectors on one end, and four pins on the other. I then plugged these pins into the four active pins on the wiring harness and tested the AUX input on my aftermarket stereo, moving the pins around until I had them in the proper places. I don't have any pictures of this, but I think the top two pins were one channel (left or right) and the bottom two were the other. I also think one wire on each channel was mostly black/darker, which was the "ground" wire. There might be a wiring diagram for the factory stereo that has better details.

Main Connector
There are a couple of options for the main wiring harness; I chose the PAC RP4-MZ11. Here are the steps that did not match the instructions for me:
Vehicle Settings: The instruction sheet states that "If using this interface in a Mazda CX-5 or 2014+ Mazda 6, all vehicle settings must be finalized before removing the factory radio." I'm unaware of any vehicle settings set through the stereo on my car, and the "Info" buttons on the steering wheel function just fine after installation for changing the MPG/fuel level display in the instrument cluster. For my vehicle, I don't think this applied.
Illumination: The instruction sheet states that "Mazda CX-5 - This vehicle must use the orange/white wire in the interface connector for illumination." When I did this there was no illumination on the aftermarket stereo, regardless of the headlight setting. I switched to the orange/white wire in the vehicle connector (these connectors are identified on the instruction sheet) and illumination works great!
Reverse Output: The green wire on the interface connector is supposed to be reverse output (+). With my backup camera installed and connected, I was not getting any indication from my aftermarket stereo that it was aware when I put my car into reverse. A little testing with my multimeter, and I found out that there was no signal being transmitted over this wire when I shifted into reverse. I decided to tap into the reverse lights and run this all the way to the reverse trigger wire on my aftermarket stereo, in addition to using this to power the camera itself. Luckily my camera's video cable had a power wire built-in, so I already had the wiring in place. My pre-work research found that some people were reporting the reverse lights were actually 6V, not the typical 12V. Again I'm not sure of the source of the differences, but I tested mine with a multimeter and was delighted to find they ran on 12V. I used the t-taps included with my backup camera to tap into the left backup light wires as follows: white with black stripe is 12V and black with yellow stripe is ground.
 
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@Jordoss thanks for a detailed explanation of your setup.
Do you have a controller/joystick, and does it work on your aftermarket device? Like, to navigate it through the menu or something - also, do buttons next to it do anything.

Can you see parking sensors, does your DAB work, aux and usb?

Sorry for a lot of questions, but looking for an upgrade, and info is not very available. Cheers.
 

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@kkereta Always happy to help where I can! My car's factory system was very basic, so I don't have information on most of the systems you're working with:

- No controller/joystick (only controls/buttons are on the radio itself and the steering wheel)
- No parking sensors
- No DAB
- Factory AUX and USB work!

Good luck as you research your installation!
 
Thanks @Jordoss. Kinda losing hope since not sure what the situation is with the command knob in the center, and don't want it to be left useless, and nobody seems to have it in their 2013/14 Mazda, which is very odd :)
 
@kkereta Does your car happen to be a Mazda6? I think those had the command knob before the CX-5, which is what I have. You might find something specific written up in the Mazda6 Forum.
 
Hey I’m working on installing a boss audio aftermarket radio into my 2013 Mazda CX-5 and having two issues one the steering wheel controls aren’t working and also is the back up cam isn’t triggering even though the reverse input on the radio is plugged into the reverse light trigger on the harness
 
@bbroadnax7 Do you have the model number for the wiring harness that you are using? Also, can you confirm that you have the factory backup camera? Thanks
 
this is what Crutchfield suggested to me once I contacted them.
They also didn’t have an answer for me about the controller knob
 

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