2011 CX-9 OEM Radio must remain in vehicle for A/C to work!

For some reason i want to say that it may be the Bose Audiopilot kicking in, since you have both decks hooked up at the same time. And it sounds like you are still using the bose amp's. Maybe hunting down the mic and disabling it may help you out.

Worth a shot if its bothering you that much.
 
That's a good suggestion. I'm going to redo the connections today and see if that is the problem but I'll look into either making sure autopilot is disabled on the factory deck or the mic it uses disabled. I'm not sure that is it though because there's only two wires in that service harness other than power, constant power, and ground connected. But one of those certainly may be a signaling wire of some kind that the amp is picking up on that's for sure.

thanks for the suggestion!
 
I've been getting an ABS light and brought my '11 CX-9 to the dealer. The service guy mentioned that there is update for my car to have the A/C work properly. He said that he'll do the reprogramming while they pull the codes for the ABS issue. I wonder if this solves the "aftermarket radio - A/C not working" issue.
 
checked with my dealer and gave them the VIN over the phone and they can't tell anything just from that. But they offered to pull the software version it has and to check if that is the latest from Mazda if I was willing to bring it in so they could pull the version. I'm skeptical, but since NCMazda6 was told that Mazda fixed this and now you have a software update for your A/C out there available when you took yours in, I'm going to have it checked out. Maybe we'll get lucky.

Too bad we can't look stuff like that up on the net.

Just an update on my situation while I'm here.....

I figured out that the OEM head unit only needs to be connected when the car starts. For some reason, after the car is running and the A/C is confirmed working, I can unplug the OEM radio - which gets rid of all my sound quality and aftermarket stereo interference problems - and the A/C keeps working.

Since it's not warm outside, it's hard to verify that it keeps working, but I drove for 9 hours yesterday from Cincinnati to Little Rock and the whole way was about 35-40 degrees and rain. The windows never fogged and normally when A/C is not working in those conditions, the windows start to fog. SO, I'm hopeful that this means that my A/C continued to work for the entire trip (I purposely did not turn off the car when I stopped for gas for this reason).

Z-Thrizzle's Connects2 harness seems to have solved the problem anyway and I've ordered one myself so hopefully when that comes, my problem will be solved regardless.

I will continue to post updates here and in the other thread.
 
http://rosendealercentral.com/nav/2010-11%20MAZDA%20CX9%20FLYER%20WITH%20PRIMO%2008.01.11.pdfHi All,
Just a heads up , I installed the after market Rosen In dash Nav plug and play for my (new CX9) via my mazda dealer a couple days ago. And it works great, I have not lost any of the steering wheel controls at all including voice control, bluetooth, volume, etc. Also it looks great and works better than factory oem nav. The ac works great too and so does the factory clock and info button controls have not been lost. I can access them as well and the change the oem clock time as well. Overall its a great unit except for glare during sunlight. Also had remote engine start installed via the dealer and it works great. Best part is the factory warranty has been reatined and dvd in dash comes with warranty to match factory warranty.
 
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I'm glad you had a good experience Racing. Sounds awesome.

I already had my Kenwood system and at $1200 I really didn't want to throw it away or try to sell it used and get less than half what it is worth. Plus, those Rosen systems are expensive in my experience and are not known for their quality (I'm not saying they're bad, just saying what I've heard).

I love the way yours looks though. I'm glad it worked out for you. If this whole thing ends up unresolvable, I may look into one of those.

I'm hopeful that my situation will work out with the new harness once it gets here. I have confirmed results from 2 people now that the Connects2 harness fixes the A/C problem and the clock issue (the clock I really couldn't care less about frankly).

I am planning to take the car to the dealer and have the "firmware" version checked to see if it is current and maybe that will help the A/C problem even without the harness. Can't hurt. In any case, I think all this issue is with the A/C is the connection for the audible tone. I noticed when the OEM head unit is connected to the service harness I have, that all of the HVAC controls send a confirmation "beep" through the speakers and for some reason because of that, the circuit needs to be complete before the A/C will be allowed to turn on. I can confirm that the actual A/C circuit itself will work when the OEM head unit is disconnected because I can unplug it once the car is running and the A/C stays working fine. It's just some kind of silly signal that the computer needs to see before it will let it work and for that I'm hopeful that, if there is a software update out there, that's all that is needed.

We'll see. Again, congrats on your solution working for you Racing! If you get a chance, send a pic on this thread. I'd be interested in seeing your unit installed for real.
 
UPDATE: Firmware was up to date. I ended up replacing the harness with the Connects2 one and that solved the problem. A/C works. Can change clock, adjust fader, and access trip computer info from steering wheel controls. No more OEM radio or T-Harness.

For those with a 2011 or 2012 that are looking to replace the OEM stereo, buy the Connects2 harness from the UK and it will prevent you from having to connect the OEM stereo at all.
 
Thanks for the info d19racing. I have a few more questions:
1. Are you still happy with the Rosen unit? Have any "gotchas" popped up since the installation?
2. What is the approximate price for the receiver and installation at the dealership?
3. What dealership performed the installation for you?
4. Did you install a backup camera?
Thanks in advance.
 
i had a Rosen unit in my Passat. I had to go to UK ebay to get the proper harness. The rear cam has better lightning that the factory CX9 unit. It has great bluetooth and i even installed a backseat cam to see the kids. i was able to sync up my iphone and use it's Nav app. sweet unit.
 
Thanks jk240sx. I'm going to get the Rosen unit if I can find a few positive testamonials. Has anyone else installed it in a 2011 CX-9? I read on the Edmunds forum that there were some problems with the older unit on pre-2011 CX-9s.
 
2011 Mazda CX-9 W/ Bose Audio Wiring Diagrams

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Had to call a few dealership and corporate till a Dealership gave it to me. Funny thing is Corporate and dealership I bought vehicle from said its Proprietary info that they couldnt give out and if I wanted it I would have to buy a Service Manual or buy a membership to a online manual they provide to obtain such info. Called another dealership parts guy was happy to give it to me free of charge. Frustrating being told by corporate this isn't "POSSIBLE TO SWITCH HEAD UNITS" but as we already now their wrong. Thanks for listening feel better now.
 
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The 2010's do not appear to have the Aftermarket Radio, AC issue from what I gather on the threads posted here on aftermarket radio installation. Hopefully in their future models, Mazda gets rid of the current type of Factory Nav and puts one in with partnership with Garmin, one that works as well as the commercial units available.
 
mightymavkev...is everything still working ok?? i just picked up my cx9 and let the dealership install the aftermarket navi as part of the deal and the a/c did not work. they are searching for a solution with mazda japan??? if this is the solution i will send them the link for the connects2 harness. Thanks!
 
Sorry to post so late, but yes, everything is working great!!! I have had no problems with my setup at all since I got the Connects2 harness.

The only thing I'm lacking is a reverse wire. The Connects2 harness I purchased included a wire for reverse but I hooked it to my Kenwood head unit and it does not recognize it and switch to the rear camera so I'm not sure if it is simply not working or if it is a voltage requirement difference.

I thought about tapping into the reverse lights and running that to my head unit but I'm afraid that it may not want a full 12 volts and thus might damage the head unit.

So if anyone has any idea how to get my Kenwood head unit to connect to something on the CX-9 to recognize reverse and automatically switch to the rear camera I'd appreciate it.
 
you need to turn on the rear camera on the kenwood unit. its in the settings menu on the right
 
Thx nosbusa. but I think I wasn't clear.

The option on the head unit to switch to the rear view camera is turned on. The issue is I can't find a signal wire on the car to connect to the kenwood's Reverse Sensor wire to trigger it to switch to the camera when I put the car in reverse. The Connects2 harness I bought works great to integrate into the OEM BUS and still allowing the A/C to function as well as giving me fader, trip computer and clock controls via the Steering Wheel controls for the audio. However, the wiring diagram that came with that harness has a lead that is supposed to be the reverse sensor but it does not work.

So I don't know if that sensor lead is correct and perhaps it is too low voltage to work with an aftermarket deck (in other words, maybe the Kenwood is expecting 12V over that lead when the car is in reverse and it is only supplying a small current).

I'm afraid to test by tapping into the backup lights or something however because if the Kenwood is expecting something less then 12V and I force that much into it as a test, I could damage the circuit in the head unit (it's probably not fuse protected).

I downloaded the OEM installation instructions for the rear view mirror with Back Up camera display and it identifies wires in the kick panel as the Reverse Sensor wires. I'm going to try to find that wire per those OEM instructions and tap into it for my Kenwood to see if it works.

I don't know when I'll take the car apart to work on that though but I'll post results here when I do.
 
I am sharing my experience about the backup camera I just installed to my Nissan Maxima. This may or may not help, but hopefully it will shed some light. I just upgraded my head unit to my Maxima with a double din unit (Kenwood ddx 419) which I also use for viewing the rear view. I tapped the positive 12v reverse wire which I found near the middle of the driver's side. I ran this wire to the front from which I soldered the positive wire of the camera and the reverse signal wire of the Kenwood unit, so they are all 12 volts. When I shifted into reverse, the camera is turned on and the Kenwood unit is switched to rear view camera mode, and I can see the view in the back. The point here is the Kenwood head unit and the camera accept 12 volt positive juice from the reverse wire with no problem. You might try accessing the reverse wire and try to connect it to your Kenwood head unit to see if this will work. By the way, your connects2 hook up is for the system with Bose, do you know if there is one for the non-Bose, as my CX-9 is non Bose and I have an itch to upgrade the stereo with one of the Kenwood excelon I heard to be very good.
 
Thx nosbusa. but I think I wasn't clear.

The option on the head unit to switch to the rear view camera is turned on. The issue is I can't find a signal wire on the car to connect to the kenwood's Reverse Sensor wire to trigger it to switch to the camera when I put the car in reverse. The Connects2 harness I bought works great to integrate into the OEM BUS and still allowing the A/C to function as well as giving me fader, trip computer and clock controls via the Steering Wheel controls for the audio. However, the wiring diagram that came with that harness has a lead that is supposed to be the reverse sensor but it does not work.

So I don't know if that sensor lead is correct and perhaps it is too low voltage to work with an aftermarket deck (in other words, maybe the Kenwood is expecting 12V over that lead when the car is in reverse and it is only supplying a small current).

I'm afraid to test by tapping into the backup lights or something however because if the Kenwood is expecting something less then 12V and I force that much into it as a test, I could damage the circuit in the head unit (it's probably not fuse protected).

I downloaded the OEM installation instructions for the rear view mirror with Back Up camera display and it identifies wires in the kick panel as the Reverse Sensor wires. I'm going to try to find that wire per those OEM instructions and tap into it for my Kenwood to see if it works.

I don't know when I'll take the car apart to work on that though but I'll post results here when I do.

all aftermarket screens want to see 12v for the backup camera. its standard in the car audio industry (non-oem. some oem is data)
 
WOW what a mess I just found this post. My wife is wanting the Kenwood unit because of the Garmin GPS. Since it has been 7 months since the last post has there been any updates? Is there a list of all of the add ons we need? Bose,back up cam,steering wheel controls.
 
question

2011 Mazda CX-9 W/ Bose Audio Wiring Diagrams

2cfwc4k.jpg

2vl5m47.jpg


Had to call a few dealership and corporate till a Dealership gave it to me. Funny thing is Corporate and dealership I bought vehicle from said its Proprietary info that they couldnt give out and if I wanted it I would have to buy a Service Manual or buy a membership to a online manual they provide to obtain such info. Called another dealership parts guy was happy to give it to me free of charge. Frustrating being told by corporate this isn't "POSSIBLE TO SWITCH HEAD UNITS" but as we already now their wrong. Thanks for listening feel better now.

question here guys, if I want to swap my oem radio on my 2011 for another oem unit from 2010 would i still need to carry my original radio? the difference between 2 units is that one has a screen and does stream bluetooth and the one i have now is just the CD unit with no screen.
 
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