kachud

I don't have a picture but I ran the cable into my center console so that the IPOD could sit either in the rear compartment or in the cupholders. Depends if I want to set it and forget it or navigate using the ipod. The NEO system is good. It has some quirks but it is the only option out there if you want steering wheel controls (track forward + reverse). I would try a different setup if possible (a few little problems with NEO/Dension but no big deal. All in all it is drastically better then any FM transmitter.

jbrasure

I have a love/hate relationship with my NEO IceLink Plus. I love it because it's the best option right now, and once you get it going it sounds awesome...just as good as a CD. However, I also hate it: It doesn't always turn on until I cycle the stereo power twice. Sometimes it skips tracks. And using the IceLink UI is almost impossible.

I'm still glad I got it, and it's definitely better than an FM transmitter or CD player. However, I'll be replacing it with the first good competitor that comes along. As far as I know, there aren't any on the horizon.

Juxagent

how about the overload - anyone got any info on it?

kachud

Backordered. So is the PIE adapter

azharo

Guys,

For some reason my NEO connection does not allow me to go to EX. It was working fine until tonight. Now it refuses to get into EX. What gives? The ipod still does get charged and goes into the denison screen, but the CD changer would not switch into the EX mode. Any advice would be appreciated.

mediashift

I am trying to install it in my 04 Rx8 and can not find the bolt they refer to that must be released to let the head out. Can anyone give me instight on how to find it? The instructions said it's the hardest part and they had no photo's of it. I agree it's the hardest part and could really use some advice. I just got the unit from www.mp3yourcar.com and am really looking forward to using it but can't get the head unit to come out.

Please email me at randy@socaldata.com

jbrasure

Yes, that bolt is a tough one to find. The reason it's so hard is that you can't see it by lying down under the dash. There is too much stuff in the way. I pulled a lot of hair out trying to find it, so I know how you feel.

However, there is hope. Here is how to find it:

1) Pop off the plastic panel under the steering wheel (as described in the IceLink D.I.Y. posted elsewhere in this forum).

2) Hold a flashlight against the side of your head, pointed away from your head, along your line of sight.

3) Then use the flashlight to peer through the holes in the panel under the steering wheel. Look through them towards where the stereo is behind the dash. If you keep looking carefully, you'll eventually see a gold-ish 10mm bolt. The bolt is all by itself, and screws into the side of the stereo.

4) Once you find the bolt you'll think to yourself, "How the heck will I ever reach that?" I used a tool that I found at Home Depot. It's a screwdriver-like socket wrench with a bend in it that lets you turn the handle. When you rotate the handle it drives the socket around a 90 degree bend. I had to add a 6" extension. Fortunatley the bolt is not very tight (at least mine wasn't.)

Good luck, and let me know if you have more questions.

mediashift

Thank you so much! I am going to Home Depot with your post in hand to find the tool and hope to have the unit installed tonight. I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again, this may make my weekend.

StewC625

Can someone please post the exact URL of what to buy to do this? Supposedly there's an IceLink that works, but Denison's site doesn't show that, and I'm just roundly confused. Will one of the experts here please help the clueless?

HolyCow

A yellow in BG, eh? Are you ever up in the Mundelein/Vernon Hills area? I work in that area and have seen a yellow with a bike rack a number of times on the road. Possibly you?

Not sure if this is going to help or confuse the issue even more, but a couple months back I was trying to decide what iPod interface to get and after pouring through all the forums on the site, I came up with three choices:

- Dension IceLink Plus (http://www.densionusa.com)
- Neo iOn (http://www.mp3yourcar.com and/or http://www.neocaraudio.com)
- PIE AUX-In adapter (http://www.pie.net/index-2-details.c...dID=MAZ/PC-ALP)

I quickly eliminated the PIE product because I wanted a single solution that would also charge my iPod.

For various reasons, I then decided to go with the IceLink Plus, so I went to their website and ordered it. (This was back when they actually listed an RX-8 kit on their site.) I received my order confirmation, etc. and then a couple weeks went by with no status change on my order, so I called them. The rep I spoke to apologized and told me that Dension had discontinued the IceLink for the RX-8 and that all the orders should have been cancelled, but for whatever reason, mine was not. When I asked why the product was discontinued, she told me that they were having reliability issues with it and that their engineers were going to be working on a new version. She couldn't give me a firm date as to when the new version would be ready, but said she doubted that it would be before mid-summer. I didn't want to wait that long, so on to the Neo iOn.

I then gave Neo a call to confirm a few details with them. They were very helpful and I went ahead and ordered it. What showed up was a box containing a couple cables, an interface box that looked Very much like the PIE box, and a Dension IceLink Plus...yep, the very same IceLink that Dension had told me was discontinued. The install was easy and uneventful and, minor quirkiness aside, everything worked great for about two weeks. Then one day, I plugged in my iPod and nothing happened. I wasn't able to select it from the head unit. After tearing apart my dash again, re-seating all the connections, and resetting everything I could think of with no results, I gave the folks at Neo a call. Again, they were very helpful and issued an RMA and asked that I send the entire thing back so they could test it. Ugh...here I go tearing the dash apart again. Neo had my kit for a week and I hadn't heard from them, so I gave them a call. The rep I spoke to said my unit was dead and that they were waiting for replacement parts. When I quizzed him a bit more, he made it clear that they were experiencing issues with the RX-8 kit and that they were waiting for a new version of the product. He told me he couldn't give me a firm date for a replacement, but thought it was going to be at least a couple weeks. Hmmm...starting to sound very similar to the story I initially got from Dension.

I'm not sure how this is all going to end up as I'm still waiting for the replacement from Neo, but I thought you might want to be aware of some possible problems...

itsallaboutgary

great write up holycow! very informative. im sorry bout your unit, that must be a pain in the butt! i have an ipod ready to go and my friends keep bugging me to get the interface already for the car, but ive decided to wait until september at the latest to see what new version they will have to offer.

HolyCow

PIE has a new line of iPod interfaces ( http://www.pie.net/applepie.cfm ) but they don't have an RX-8 kit yet. The gal I spoke to over there said they were currently working on one and to check back mid-to-late July. Hopefully that will soon be another option...

jbrasure

I agree. You should probably wait if they are working on a new unit. The old one works ok, but it has some quirks.

kachud

Don't wait too long for a replacement. A variety of companies have said the same thing. "We are working on a prototype and it should be out by the end of the year", translation "good luck".

StewC625

Hi Holy Cow (and others):

Well, after fiddling around, I decided to buy the Dell Jukebox instead of the iPOD mainly because I was able to get a 20 gig unit for only $200, and I'm not a huge fan of the iPOD user interface (yes, I realize I'm the only guy on the planet with that issue, but ...)

So, since I'm not going iPOD, I just need an aux input adapter. So, is that the PIE unit everyone talks about? Which one do I need?

HELP!

Stew

DaGnome

If you only need the Aux input.. then PIE is probably the easiest/cheapest.

You need two things..
PIE's "MAZ/PC-ALP" (The box that connects to your stereo's headunit).
and
PIE's "ALP/M-RCA" (This is the cable that connects to the PIE box, and ends in 2 female RCA inputs, left and right).

I think PIE makes a cable that is a directly headphone type cable, but I'd suggest staying with the RCA and using a standard RCA to Headphone cable to connect your Dell. This way if you ever get another MP3 in the future and it uses RCA your all set that way too.

Then.. to mount it..

I suggest looking at PROCLIP.USA. Great website and Thier clip fits perfectly into the RX8.

I've got a Creative Labs Zen Xtra, which is very similar to the Dell and Love it!

HolyCow

Don't like the iPod interface?!? Well, no need to get into that...

Since you're strictly looking at aux inputs, you can get the PIE parts (DaGnome gave you the part numbers above) at:

http://www.mazdaparts.com/CategoryPr....jsp?cat=P.I.E.

Another option is OverLOAD's custom Aux-in module. It's a little cheaper, but seems like it's always in short supply. Info can be found at:

http://www.sylfex.com/products/AuxMod/
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/custom-aux-module-17396/

StewC625

Thanks guys! I know what I'm up to this weekend, then!