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- 2014 & 2019 CX-5 Touring(s)
As requested, repeating my iStop-disable module installation how-to here...
Many people (me for one) do not like the Mazda iStop function, both because the continual stop/start annoys me, and because I don't like the extra wear it places on the engine. It also annoys me that I need an expensive special battery because of this, all for a fractional increase in fuel mileage. Not worth it.
SO, I first investigated adding some way of disabling this myself, whereupon I came across pre-built, plug and play units to do it for me. The first one I found that specifically stated it was for the CX-50 was from mikstoreph.com. But after getting it I found it was really built for the CX-30 (marked on the box for the CX-30 with nothing about the CX-50), and it definitely works for the CX-50. There are many of these CX-30 devices available on AliExpress and the like, and at a cheaper price than mikstoreph.com, just FYI. Anyway, installation is easy, and the unit works well - it's been running on my CX-50 for 2 years now (FYI).
What you get in the box (although the yellow pry tool is totally unnecessary):
There are no instructions with it, but again, installation was very easy. First you need to pull off the driver air vent unit. Just get 8 fingertips (4 shown here as I was taking the photo
) into the side join where the leather wraps back inside the dash, and PULL. The vent and surround will unclip:
This is a view of the back of the vent, so you can see where the (red) clips are (again just FYI):
Then pull at the inside top of the lower dash and unclip the top clips and pull back enough to get access (you will NOT remove the whole unit here, just bend it back a little). You should see the top white connector into the button box:
Now get your fingernail in to press-in the connector 'catch' on the steering-wheel side of the plug (arrow) and pull the plug out. You may find getting the catch pushed in is a little fiddly, but persevere:
Then plug the cable into the socket on the pigtail from the iStop disable unit, and the pigtail plug-end back into the button box:
Then you can peel off the backing of the sticky tape and stick the box against a flat area inside the dash to stop it rattling around (no pic). Push everything back together and you're done!
To have this installed is SUCH a relief for me, as it was really biting my crank when I forgot to turn off iStop and the car turned off on me. YMMV. The only possible 'con' about this is that you cannot turn iStop back on. If you press the button to turn it on, the module will turn it back off again immediately.
NOTE: This is a how-to thread, NOT a discussion on pros & cons of iStop, or whether you personally want or don't want such a device. So please take those comments off to another thread. Thank you!
Many people (me for one) do not like the Mazda iStop function, both because the continual stop/start annoys me, and because I don't like the extra wear it places on the engine. It also annoys me that I need an expensive special battery because of this, all for a fractional increase in fuel mileage. Not worth it.
SO, I first investigated adding some way of disabling this myself, whereupon I came across pre-built, plug and play units to do it for me. The first one I found that specifically stated it was for the CX-50 was from mikstoreph.com. But after getting it I found it was really built for the CX-30 (marked on the box for the CX-30 with nothing about the CX-50), and it definitely works for the CX-50. There are many of these CX-30 devices available on AliExpress and the like, and at a cheaper price than mikstoreph.com, just FYI. Anyway, installation is easy, and the unit works well - it's been running on my CX-50 for 2 years now (FYI).
What you get in the box (although the yellow pry tool is totally unnecessary):
There are no instructions with it, but again, installation was very easy. First you need to pull off the driver air vent unit. Just get 8 fingertips (4 shown here as I was taking the photo
) into the side join where the leather wraps back inside the dash, and PULL. The vent and surround will unclip:This is a view of the back of the vent, so you can see where the (red) clips are (again just FYI):
Then pull at the inside top of the lower dash and unclip the top clips and pull back enough to get access (you will NOT remove the whole unit here, just bend it back a little). You should see the top white connector into the button box:
Now get your fingernail in to press-in the connector 'catch' on the steering-wheel side of the plug (arrow) and pull the plug out. You may find getting the catch pushed in is a little fiddly, but persevere:
Then plug the cable into the socket on the pigtail from the iStop disable unit, and the pigtail plug-end back into the button box:
Then you can peel off the backing of the sticky tape and stick the box against a flat area inside the dash to stop it rattling around (no pic). Push everything back together and you're done!
To have this installed is SUCH a relief for me, as it was really biting my crank when I forgot to turn off iStop and the car turned off on me. YMMV. The only possible 'con' about this is that you cannot turn iStop back on. If you press the button to turn it on, the module will turn it back off again immediately.
NOTE: This is a how-to thread, NOT a discussion on pros & cons of iStop, or whether you personally want or don't want such a device. So please take those comments off to another thread. Thank you!
