2006 Mazda5 with DVD Navigation - Aftermarket Radio question

I just bought a 2006 Mazda5. The car has a DVD navigation system. I was told that I can not add a aftermarket RADIO without losing the DVD navigation. Does anybody have anymore info on this. Is it true?

purddy much yeah... or splice the harness and cause some problems.. both radios will try to work and one may mess with the others signals.. just buy an aftermarket Nav unit or bypass your factory one...

I was not planning on having both radios in the car, I will remove the factory radio and install a aftermarket one. I just want to be sure that when the new aftermarket one is install that I still have a working DVD navigation.


http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123664432&page=7


This thread says it is possible, but he does not have a American version and I am still unsure. Best Buy said they would check for 80 bucks an hour (crazy)

OK after looking into this and getting a wiring diagram from a car repair guild (ALLDATA) it looks to me that the Nav unit and the Radio are completely separate parts. It is easy to remove the radio and add the after market one. Now I have another question. How can I get the Nav unit to mute the radio when it wants to talk. This is done via a data cable via the computer and not just a mute cable from what I can tell. Does anybody have more info about this?
Thanks

Just an Idea... But Good luck!

JUST my .02 worth okay,,, I'm not, say again not rain on your parade, BUT...

I'm at the END of the planning stage for my Mazda Premacy Audio, video, upgrade at the moment,
I've got estimated 3,000.00 worth of stuff to install over the next two years and I've done a BUTT LOAD
of research, so please take what I say with some heart being in it.

The Mazda 5 DVD Navigation IS 100% linked to the radio and you CAN'T
get an after market radio to mute the radio when the navigation talks...
TRUST me I asked, wrote and tried, many times. So now what? Right?

Here is what I recommend you buy and install to make I think you want

'better sounds' or your MP3's right <3 ?

a) there is an adapter cable that will PLUG right in to the stock sound
system and lets you listen to your ((cringe)) IPOD (I use a MS Zune so

you get the pun in the cringe part right?)

Anyhow... here are some cell phone (Keitai as it called here in Japan) pics
when they installed mine, they suck and it's hard to see, but I now have a
'headphone wire coming from the dash' that I just plug into the Zune and I
WATCH MOVIES ON MY NAVIGATION SYSTEM:

Mazda 5 Audio Video Build Step 1 of 5

THat is the WIVES Bass box, not what I'll use later, it's a filler until I get my stuff.

b) Buy this little buddy:

Audio Control LC6i - 6 Channel Line Output Converter with Internal Summing


Is on its way to me in the mail... *sigh* living in Japan = takes forever
getting items in the mail, dam you better prices on the internet !! :wink:



It'll convert the STOCK sound to RCA signal....

DO I need to go one more, because once you get RCA signal... it's POWER
AMPS CAPACITERS, crossovers, pro audio stuff, the options are endless, etc...
more on that some day!

Peace!
Good Luck !
)

Thanks for the info, I hated what you have to say because it does kill what I had in mind (the cheap way), but it may lead me down the other road I was considering. (expensive way)

As a side note, for other people wanting to understand how this works. The radio and NAV systems are separate. You can remove the RADIO and the NAV will still work. But the kicker is the muting will not work at all. The units do not plug into each other they plug into the onboard computer. The Nav system sends info to the onboard computer via a DATA cable. Then the onboard computer sends the info to the RADIO via a data cable that the radio understands as a mute or something like that. So it is not just a on or off type of signal. Does this sound right can anybody add to this or let me know if I am wrong in my understanding.

I still wonder if there is a way to mimic the signal, so when something is coming down the data cable it triggers the mute cable on the aftermarket radio. Anybody know how to make this happen.

Looks like I might install a new dual din aftermarket all in one Nav system. I am looking at the Kenwood DNX6140 unit. This unit will allow me to hookup my rear LCDs for the kids which I could control from the dash. At that point I would not need the old NAV unit, and it would just never be used. Just I hate to have it and never use it, the the map data is now over 3 years old a new DVD will cost $199 (www.mazdanavigation.com) so once you start adding up the new aftermarket RADIO and the new map data we start getting closer to the cost of a whole new aftermarket unit.

manwdaplan said:

Thanks for the info, I hated what you have to say because it does kill what I had in mind (the cheap way),

Click to expand...

I hear and feel your pain, I too hoped the stock stereo was sort of like a home PC, all sorts of plugs and connections, ... wishful thinking, DOH!

manwdaplan said:

but it may lead me down the other road I was considering. (expensive way)

Click to expand...

The PRO audio shops around here, have all said the same TWO things:
a) If it's worth doing,... it's worth doing right in audio/video world,
b) You get what you pay for... "cheap way" would have resulted in cheap sound.

manwdaplan said:

As a side note, for other people wanting to understand how this works. The radio and NAV systems are separate. You can remove the RADIO and the NAV will still work. But the kicker is the muting will not work at all. The units do not plug into each other they plug into the onboard computer. The Nav system sends info to the onboard computer via a DATA cable. Then the onboard computer sends the info to the RADIO via a data cable that the radio understands as a mute or something like that. So it is not just a on or off type of signal.

Click to expand...

You describe it perfectly, good job, simple and I got the same story from the Mazda Dealer here in Okinawa, (Translated into English by my wife and a piece of paper with sketches all over it) (kiss)

manwdaplan said:

I still wonder if there is a way to mimic the signal, so when something is coming down the data cable it triggers the mute cable on the aftermarket radio. Anybody know how to make this happen.

Click to expand...

Ha! If you invent that, (and it has to be universal) you and I can be millionaires together !! (drinks)

manwdaplan said:

Looks like I might install a new dual din aftermarket all in one Nav system. I am looking at the Kenwood DNX6140 unit. This unit will allow me to hookup my rear LCDs for the kids which I could control from the dash.

Click to expand...

You can try the idea I posted above, that signal converter is great!

But then again, if it's worth doing it's worth doing it right the first time.

manwdaplan said:

At that point I would not need the old NAV unit, and it would just never be used. Just I hate to have it and never use it, the the map data is now over 3 years old a new DVD will cost $199 (www.mazdanavigation.com)

Click to expand...

When you sell it, take out the after market radio and hook up the original DVD then it'll get some use. (wink)

manwdaplan said:

so once you start adding up the new aftermarket RADIO and the new map data we start getting closer to the cost of a whole new aftermarket unit.

Click to expand...

Yup, again you get what you pay for right? So take a look at what I posted before, the converter is 124.00 and then you can add amps, woffer, etc. The kids, take it to a PRO shop and have them install the headrest ones. BUT get that ADD on cable, you can play movies form an IPOD or Zune.

Did ya see my video?
Plus my kids see fine from the back seat.

Good luck!
Peace! (rei)