coldbeer

Howdy!

Just purchased a gently used '06 5-door, and was looking to access the back of the stereo system in order to hook up an input whip for my ipod. Having read a few posts on how lame the iPod "OEM" type systems are, I figured I would opt for the low-tech non-dockingstation solution.

So... What is the best approach to get inside the dash and at the back of the stereo unit?

Cheers,

coldbeer

BBerry4430

Here you go. It's for a different product, but should do the job for you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbhenry/sets/1373983/

coldbeer

Awesome, that is just what I needed to see, thanks!

icspots

Cold beer, use caution with the beginning of that walkthrough... here's why. The far right of the dash strip is a hook vs. the tension clips holding the rest of the strip in. If you start pulling from the right then you run the risk of breaking that hook off. Open the glove compt. and pull the three clips between the LCD and the far right of the strip loose. As you get farther towards the right keep one hand on the end to keep it from popping loose violently. Once those three clips are loose then gently flex the strip to disengage the hook, and then continue with the rest of the walkthrough.

Here's a picture of the hook. (looking from the top of the dash strip)



Also what are you using to hook up your ipod?

coldbeer

Thanks for the tip.. I was able to figure it out, and thankfully resisted the urge to pry the heck out of it with a flathead. I figured out the slide-hook at the end once I got the rest of it detached. Good thing it is a newer car and the plastic hasn't had time to brittle up. ;-)

I was looking to take it apart so I could assess what the best option would be to connect up with the HU, as well as to troubleshoot the steering wheel audio controls (which I discovered weren't working as I drove home from the dealer). Turns out the previous owner must have tried to add some aftermarket audio as well, and had cut the white/blue and brown/yellow wires at the back of the connector. I am guessing that they removed whatever they had put in place prior to trading the car, and had not taken the time to correctly fix what they had bungled. A few minutes with a soldering iron and all is better now...

I am thinking that the AuxMod looks like the way to go, following BBerry's lead.

BBerry4430, are you happy with the AuxMod? Did you need to do the groundloop to avoid hum and feedback?

Cheers,

coldbeer

BBerry4430

I'm very satisfied with it. It works perfectly and was very easy to install. The only hard part was getting the dash apart. You won't need the groundloop at all. Good luck and enjoy.

icspots

coldbeer, cool beans and glad we could help you out. As to what options there are check out THIS thread for details.

I also have the AuxMod basic and am very happy with it. I don't charge anything while I'm playing stuff, so I don't have to worry about a GLI, but if you're going to be then you'll want one. Crutchfield.com has one for about $17 that's 3.5-3.5.

coldbeer

Thanks for the good info. I ordered an AuxMod last night..

The car I replace by buying the Mazda3 was an '85 BMW 535i.. I had great luck troubleshooting and maintaining that car, thanks to the enthusiast forums that I participated in. While I am looking forward NOT to have to troubleshoot much on this car for a while, it was comforting to see that similar folks are out there sharing their experiences and knowledge about the 3.

Cheers,

coldbeer