I want to upgrade my RX-8 to have the LCD screen, but I was not prepared to pay the $2000 for the NAV option.. I'm looking to find the Mazda Part Number for GPS LCD Screen, and the plastic molding that replaces the stock moulding..

Does anyone know what the part number(s) is/are? And has anyone taken the upper center portion of their dash apart? How do you get the top peice off?

Thanks,

OverLOAD

 

im looking into doing the same, i just need the plastic piece that comes w/ the NAV system then i will take an aftermarket TV of some sort and flush it in. I will also connect this to a brain and tv tuner so i can have tv in the car. the part number and price will be greatly appreciated

 

oh this sounds like a nice idea for down the line... good luck with ur search

 

I called the dealer, and this is the p#: FE0166DV01 and the MSRP list is $1532...

That sure is a heck of a high price, but if nothing else, at least it's cheaper than the full cost of the $2000 nava option.. plus, I have to see if I can order it from my dealer that promised me 15% off accessories (I don't know if this qualifies) or if Trussville Mazda will carry it..

I'm excited about it though, this may get me a step closer to my dream of the Mazdaspeed style LCD Gauges..

OverLOAD

 

is that price for the plastic piece and the LCD screen? because it will be alot cheaper to just get the plastic piece and buy an aftermarket LCD screen and flush it in.

 

Here's a clip from my posting on my Music Keg install:
"...so I decided to check out the space above the stereo. There were a couple of screws (left & right) to remove, then the vent grills just pop out. Following that, there were a couple more screws (left & right) and the central top cover pops off. (upward) Since I don't have the Nav unit, there was plenty of space there for the RF Mod."

 

Thanks jdaled.. That's a great shot of exactly how much room there is up there.. I'm brave but I'm still hesitant about chopping up my upper panel on my center console. I'd like to do it, and from your pictures, it's obvious that there's a lot of room to be able to do it, but I need to figure out if the motorized lcd unit can be purchased in pieces..

That assembly number give to me by a parts department supposedly includes the plastic molding, the lcd housing, the LCD screen, and the connector cable to plug into the head unit.. It's supposed to be a complete package, and sounds like it would be the most elegant way to upgrade to an LCD screen.


Can anyone with the actual NAV screen comment on the quality of the LCD screen that comes with the Nav? Is it worth having, or are there definately much better aftermarket units? and exactly what are the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the LCD screen?

I kind of doubt that I'll be able to order a bunch of piecemeal parts to slap together with a replacement LCD screen.. but this is looking to be an interesting project..

 

i'm very interested to see how far u take this OverLOAD...i'm kicking myself for not getting the nav...especially moving to san diego in a few weeks...woulda come in handy.

i was always thinking,"eh, it costs too much. i can read a map and use mapquest...no need for nav." the convenience factor didn't sink in until my friend got a new accord with nav and he hasn't stopped with the stories of how great it is to have.

anyway, i've been thinking about this a lot lately and feel going this route might end up being more flexible than having the facotry nav installed in the first place.

 

Well, to be honest.. The whole thing that started this was the picture of the mazdaspeed RX-8 with the LCD screen Gauge cluster.. My mind just screamed "I WANT!!!".. It's very slick, and I am capable of making an interface through the OBDII connector, through a computer which would be NAV & DVD equipped, and also give me smoking cool Mazdaspeed LCD digital gauges..

I'm working on figuring out how I will do it. I need to write some more software.

OverLOAD

 

Side note - check out www.garmin.com for the new iQue and StreetPilot 2610. Both portable nav systems with the same maps as the Mazda Nav, point to point live routing, and better route programmability.

Regards,
Gordon

 

gps is only a minor portion of what I'm looking for, I've got a handheld garmin gps which mostly serves that function..

OverLOAD

 

If anyone is trying to not pay $2000 and put in their own, I doubt you will save any money and certainly won't have as nice an install as the factory one. Don't forget you need the DVD unit, dual GPS antenna/receiver, and gyro which would come with any respectable nav unit. Has to tie into the sound system. It's quite a project for anyone willing to tackle it; I'd sure like to hear how it comes out. Don't compare it to Garmin or iQue; those are handheld units that you have to load the maps you want from your PC. With the Mazda factory install, you get the entire nation and Canada with you all the time; no map loading required. I hope one of you hobbiests does find a viable alternative to factory install, but I'll be surprised if you do.

 

Theres a thread in the electronics section as well where someone found some japanese instal pics a guy did with his own setup. I am probably gonna order the tray from canzoomer and start shopping for a nice LCD setup to put in.

Will be a hell of a project, especially when I start to cut into the dash :D

 

You can get a pioneer nav setup that looks exactly like that one, just look up the pioneer website under navigation.

 

I'm interested in this too!! Good luck you guys!!

 

I'd like to hook up a laptop to the LCD screen and hook up a webcam in the rear bumper somewhere so I can actually see where I'm backing up too

 

The Pioneer NAV ...

 

Yeah. I am probably going to order the tray someone else found and install a motorized LCD screen so I can watch DVD's :D

Also come in handy as a display for a mini-PC to use as well for all the other stuff I want to have handy.

 

My best bet so far, for cohesiveness of the system is this plan:

1. buy OEM Mazda LCD screen & assembly ($1532 maybe 15%-25% discount)

2. Splice out a VGA connector from the NAV harness (or whatever the interface turns out to be).

3. get a very small, low power use Single Board Computer (SBC) that's up to running a heavily chopped up version of Windows 2000 (to reduce boot time, and slack) to run off a flash disk

4. Install the SBC in the space between the glove box opening and the right of the head unit. Wire up power to automatically come on with ignition, and be resistant to abrupt power-off from shut down.

5. Connect the OBDII harness to a high speed serial port in the SBC.. many of the SBC's feature a high speed 16c650 or better capable of serial communication above 1Mbit/s. This can easily saturate the 500 KBaud CAN bus the OBDII uses.

6. Interface the software readings with a visual software package that is pretty configurable on the display options. Thing like EGU, ECT, RPM, A/F ratio, timing advance, MAF readings, oil pressure, battery voltage, are accessable from the OBDII readings.

7. Add auxillary functions, as mentioned, NAV, DVD, MP3, Live Video Display, etc.


So, time for the budget to start hurting.. I can do development for the software on the OBDII to do a proof of concept inexpensively, and this will most likely take the longest. I'll keep you all posted on the results in the Audio & Electronics forum..


Cheers,

OverLOAD

 

sounds liek this would be so much fun BUT what about voiding the warranty. Someone else asked about making the fogs go on without the headlights, and i told them my story, i will copy and paste is for you as well because i am almost sure this is the kinda stuff they are talking about in the e-mail

Be very careful about your warranty. i put some neon foot well (lit up the floor for the passanger and driver's foot area, but real dim) lights, looked real classy despite what alot of people said on this site. well when i took my car in because they sold me a broken car i was told i voided my warranty, keep in mind no wires splices, i just had it plugged into the cigerette lighter. the service manager also told me that i voided my warranty by having a radar detector in my glove box, not plugged in (it died on me, but after 3.5 years of good use, i just put it there to remind myself, new car time to buy a new detector). now i know that its bullshit, and i got the sales rep to say it doesn't void my warranty, but only if i pull everything out of my car (all my time and energy putting in the lights gone to waste). The service manager handed me this e-mail all the mazda sales managers got, and here it is:

---------------------------------------------
Sales Managers


Please be advised:


New Mazda vehicles equipped with CAN engine management system (Mazda6, RX-8, Mazda3) may not function well when wires are spliced and other aftermarket accessories are tied into a vehicle. One vehicle recently in question would not start. The technician was faced with trying to get the vehicle running and had to do it with limited factory support. MNAO, MC, or FORD cannot tell a dealer what will happen when these parts are installed as tehy vary in operation from vendor to vendor. The technical hotline will only recommend the complete removal of the system in order to isolate the root cause. The operation will not be covered under warranty.

I reccomend that dealers curtail this type of installation whenever possible. Warranty will not cover any related repairs caused by there aftermarket parts.

-----------------------------------------------------

i cut out the names, because i'm sure the e-mail adresses shouldn't be revieled here. i really want to make it so the i can plug something into the usb of my laptop and i have a seperate keyboard mouse and everything shows up on my lcd screen (i did pay the 2 grand for the navi, and being in NYC i love having it, all those damn one ways now make a little bit more sense, and for those of you who think NYC is just a grid, you are very wrong, and a perfect example is tribeca which is an area downtown, and it stands for triangles below canal, so yes it can be rather confusing) Goodluck, if anyone can get proof that this doesn't void the warranty, and a good place to start would be the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act please get back to me.

 

Well, it sounds like your dealer was very over the top on that one. That email reads to me like Mazda is complaining about Bus-Based CAN dataloggers and similar things of the sort that may bypass the ECU or involve some very low level functions.

I belive that dealers can sometimes go too far, but that does not give them the excuse to deny you warranty for putting a tape in the tape deck, or a cigarette in the ashtray, or an ODBII scantool in the OBDII diagnostics port. Each are all valid things to do, and have legitamate reasons and must be allowable. Now, hacking the ECU, or putting in an aftermarket AFM, etc might be understandable...

Warranty is always a question. Auto makers are going to hav to tie things down like the video console makers have if they want to curtail that, and that is pretty difficult, since any shop who does work on your car (even a non-dealer, or even yourself) can not be capable of voiding a warranty according to the same act you specified.

OverLOAD

 

If you want,I am ordering some of the dash trays tomorrow:

F151V 6535 Dashboard tray for NAV display
Selling for $95 US / $129 Canadian.

 

Canzoomer, I've PM'ed you,

OverLOAD

 

I just PM'd ya too

 

How is the stereo removed?