Mazda5

[damiomen]

Hi,

I’m about to buy a Mazda5, with the iPod option.
I just wanted to know if anyone here got this option with their Mazda (5 or not - I guess it’s the same system in all Mazda models...)?
What can you controlled with the radio, everything? browse artists, plylists and all?
Or you can only control next, previous play/pause?
Is it charging the iPod?

Any info would be appreciated...

Thanks!! :)

[jnd3]

We just bought a Mazda CX-7 with the Mazda iPod interface. My wife (primary driver on the car) is fine with it, but I'm not wild about it. It's all controlled through the radio controls (volume, fwd/back, etc.), but the interface is going to take some getting used to.

It goes something like this on the radio/CD interface:

EX:1 = playlists
EX:2 = albums
EX:3 = artists
EX:4 = genres

That's not exact, but it's close.

And yes, it charges the iPod. I think it's pretty clunky, personally, and if I had to do it again I'd probably go with one of the nicer third-party solutions. But the wife's happy with it, so maybe it'll serve for you as well!

[damiomen]

thanks for your answer...
i just got my car today (yeah! :-) and i’m kind of confused with the iPod controls on the radio... and also surprised that I cannot control directly from the iPod when I’m connect...
anyway, i guess i’m gonna find how it’s work...

but some other clues would be appreciated... :-)

[damiomen]

just to conclude this, it can be useful too anyone getting a Mazda.
the controls are not that hard to understand, but you have to almost know the content of your iPod by heart (!). When you browse with the radio by artist or playlist or whatever, you only have a number going from 1 to 6 that indentified the content. so if you have 20 playlists, the 7th one is numer 1, the 8th one is number 2, etc...

anyway, i found the complete documentation there:

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/instructions/iPod_user_guide.pdf

cheers!

[jnd3]

It wraps around?!? Oh dear. That will make it ... interesting. To say the least. I think my wife has been just plugging it in and letting it play, but she'll be happy to hear that. Thanks for the info and enjoy the zoom-zoom!

[damiomen]

well, i’m so pleased now...

on a Mazda forum, i found this trick, that let you control your music directly from the iPod, while connected to the adapter (and still charging):

1. Turning the radio on
2. Keeping it on a FM station(FM1?), the iPod will most likely be displaying "OK to Disconnect" and showing the Mazda Logo
3. With the Logo showing, reset the ipod by pressing and holding the menu/ok button (NOT SLEEP), an actual reset (or how ever your ipod resets, every ipod varies)
4. It'll reset, upon resetting your iPod's menu (should)will be displayed(not the Mazda Logo). From there press Mode on your stereo and go to EX and it should go there without your ipod saying "OK to Disconnect" hence you get to choose your songs from your ipod, not the stereo.

i tried it yesterday, and it work just great! :)

[leftyx]

well, i’m so pleased now...

on a Mazda forum, i found this trick, that let you control your music directly from the iPod, while connected to the adapter (and still charging):

1. Turning the radio on
2. Keeping it on a FM station(FM1?), the iPod will most likely be displaying "OK to Disconnect" and showing the Mazda Logo
3. With the Logo showing, reset the ipod by pressing and holding the menu/ok button (NOT SLEEP), an actual reset (or how ever your ipod resets, every ipod varies)
4. It'll reset, upon resetting your iPod's menu (should)will be displayed(not the Mazda Logo). From there press Mode on your stereo and go to EX and it should go there without your ipod saying "OK to Disconnect" hence you get to choose your songs from your ipod, not the stereo.

i tried it yesterday, and it work just great! :)

VERRRRY interesting. I see you have to turn the radio on first. Is this before you connect the iPod? If so, don't the instructions say to connect the iPod with the radio off?

Does resetting the iPod while it's connected damage the iPod or the radio in any way? Have you experienced any problems yet?

[leftyx]

BUMP if it is allowed.

[driver8uk]

I bought the Mazda iPod adapter for my new Mazda 3. I returned it to the dealer the following day to have it removed, as it is utterly unusable. If you have a couple of hundred albums on your iPod you can only scroll through them at a rate of 1 per second. Therefore it'll take you a couple of minutes to get half way through your list, and even then you don't necessarily know if you've found the right album, unless you're familiar with every opening track, as there's no display. Complete rubbish, in my view.

[leftyx]

I bought the Mazda iPod adapter for my new Mazda 3. I returned it to the dealer the following day to have it removed, as it is utterly unusable. If you have a couple of hundred albums on your iPod you can only scroll through them at a rate of 1 per second. Therefore it'll take you a couple of minutes to get half way through your list, and even then you don't necessarily know if you've found the right album, unless you're familiar with every opening track, as there's no display. Complete rubbish, in my view.
Another opinion, for what it's worth. I appreciate the fact that Mazda offered some kind of a solution to the problem of how to get acceptable sound while using an iPod in the car. I understand it's clunky. I too have a couple hundred albums all sorted perfectly on my iPod. For the car I mostly put it on shuffle anyway. The random setting does the same thing, when you set the menu item on playlists. For those few times I want to listen to albums I guess the earlier post on how to hack the iPod connector to use the iPod screen is what I would do. Assuming the original poster answers my question concerning if it is safe to do that.
I used to have a cassette adapter, and truthfully I don't miss it. Fiddling with the iPod while driving always gave me the jitters. I prefer to just set the menu item to playlists and listen to random trax. Just my opinion.

[damiomen]

VERRRRY interesting. I see you have to turn the radio on first. Is this before you connect the iPod? If so, don't the instructions say to connect the iPod with the radio off?

Does resetting the iPod while it's connected damage the iPod or the radio in any way? Have you experienced any problems yet?

it’s been a while since i came see this thread! :)

well, yes, the radio should be on (i never turned it off before pluging my iPod anyway).
i had no trouble so far. reseting doesn’t do any damage, no problem.

this hack works well. but the problem is when you stop the car (for gaz or anything) and start the car after that, you have to do it all over again. so you have to re-choose your playlist or artist or anything...

i almost went back to the dealer at first, and have it remove. but since the sound is good, and it’s charging the iPod, it’s still usefull. but it’s not worth the 300$...
just and audio in in the front of the radio would have been better.

[bobb-mini]

but the problem is when you stop the car (for gaz or anything) and start the car after that, you have to do it all over again. so you have to re-choose your playlist or artist or anything...
Now THAT's what we nerds called a KLUDGE. Given free OK, but paying $$, nope.

[leftyx]

it’s been a while since i came see this thread! :)

well, yes, the radio should be on (i never turned it off before pluging my iPod anyway).
i had no trouble so far. reseting doesn’t do any damage, no problem.

this hack works well. but the problem is when you stop the car (for gaz or anything) and start the car after that, you have to do it all over again. so you have to re-choose your playlist or artist or anything...

i almost went back to the dealer at first, and have it remove. but since the sound is good, and it’s charging the iPod, it’s still usefull. but it’s not worth the 300$...
just and audio in in the front of the radio would have been better.

Mine with install cost $400. I have to like it 25% more than you. :rolleyes:

Seriously, thanks for reponding. I tried the hack once without the instructions and I think I left out a step. I will try it again, just in case I ever need it. I don't mind the way it works too much now. Like I said I like to put it on shuffle or random and see what happens.

I agree an audio jack in front was what I was thinking. But I dont like to fuss with it much while I"m driving so that wasn't great either. I believe some of the more expensive cars use vid screens which is nicer. But $50,000 for an iPod "accessory" is a bit much.:rolleyes:

[damiomen]

Anybody know if the new iPod classic will work with the Mazda interface??
Thanks!

[fb_eye71]

I'm really sorry for bumping this old thread, but has anyone tried plugging in the iPod through the AUX jack that's at the bottom of the Mazda5 front console? I've read somewhere that you can get the proper iPod to AUX cable for 6$ at Best Buy. Is that true? I just need to plug in the iPod and control the music directly on the iPod...

Thanks!!!

[damiomen]

Anybody know if the Mazda connector (installed in 2007) is compatible with the iPod Touch or iPhone?
Thanks!

[damiomen]

Anybody know if the Mazda connector (installed in 2007) is compatible with the iPod Touch or iPhone?
Thanks!

nobody??? :confused:

[leftyx]

Not compatible with iphone 3g

[damiomen]

crap, that’s a shame :(
i already payed too much for this thing that is not working that well, and now, if I change my iPod, it will be useless...