Nav + Bose = Irked

[CXRabbit]

Okay, I love the car, dig the navigation and the Bose system sounds pretty good for factory-provided... so let me just say those things.

EVERYONE knows I'm pretty irked about lack of iPod support. But that's not what this post is about...

So, what bugs me about the Head Unit on the Tech Package?

No pause. Okay, come-on. Even the most basic CD players can pause.

No mute. Jeez, so if I have voice-guided nav I can't have mute too? Really, it's annoying!

And please, correct me if I'm wrong on this one, but now I discover the "random" function is pretty limited and it's pissing me off...

I can't have an iPod going, so next best thing is MP3 CDs... and with a 6 CD changer that over 600 songs. Okay, that's pretty good...

I have songs organized into folder and I like that I can pick a folder to play from. But hey, sometimes I don't want just THAT artist, or THAT category, I want it to be random. Okay, I'll live with the fact that it's can't be random across all CDs (though that bugs me too)... and yes, I've figured out that if you hit the random button twice it's random across the whole CD (not just the folder you're in)... but here's where it gets my blood boiling...

It's playing songs... I'm enjoying... a song starts I'm just not in the mood for... but guess what? I can't skip it without the whole random function turning off! Now please, that's just lame. Of course, once I've skipped the song I can just turn random back on, but guess what, now because it's a whole "new" random cycle I might end up hearing a song I just heard (from the previous random cycle). There is no way to skip a song and stay in random mode????

Come ON!!!!

(bang)

 

[CX7andMiata]

Okay, I love the car, dig the navigation and the Bose system sounds pretty good for factory-provided... so let me just say those things.

EVERYONE knows I'm pretty irked about lack of iPod support. But that's not what this post is about...

So, what bugs me about the Head Unit on the Tech Package?

No pause. Okay, come-on. Even the most basic CD players can pause.

No mute. Jeez, so if I have voice-guided nav I can't have mute too? Really, it's annoying!

And please, correct me if I'm wrong on this one, but now I discover the "random" function is pretty limited and it's pissing me off...

I can't have an iPod going, so next best thing is MP3 CDs... and with a 6 CD changer that over 600 songs. Okay, that's pretty good...

I have songs organized into folder and I like that I can pick a folder to play from. But hey, sometimes I don't want just THAT artist, or THAT category, I want it to be random. Okay, I'll live with the fact that it's can't be random across all CDs (though that bugs me too)... and yes, I've figured out that if you hit the random button twice it's random across the whole CD (not just the folder you're in)... but here's where it gets my blood boiling...

It's playing songs... I'm enjoying... a song starts I'm just not in the mood for... but guess what? I can't skip it without the whole random function turning off! Now please, that's just lame. Of course, once I've skipped the song I can just turn random back on, but guess what, now because it's a whole "new" random cycle I might end up hearing a song I just heard (from the previous random cycle). There is no way to skip a song and stay in random mode????

Come ON!!!!

(bang)

CXRabbit, I feel your pain! One thing I have discovered is that, when in random mode, I can just FF through the song and the random setting is not lost that way. It is a bit of a pain but it works on my 7 anyway. You can do it by just holding up/down the toggle button on the wheel that changes song and it will FF or REW depending on the direction.

You probabaly already knew this but I thought I would mention it anyway in case someone else didn't...

 

[CXRabbit]

Hmmmm... I'll have to try that again... I thought I had tried it and it also turned off random mode, but maybe I'm mistaken... I'll try again tomorrow and see if it works.

It IS so annoying though! Some of these basic little features missing... it's baffling.

 

[CX7andMiata]

Hmmmm... I'll have to try that again... I thought I had tried it and it also turned off random mode, but maybe I'm mistaken... I'll try again tomorrow and see if it works.

It IS so annoying though! Some of these basic little features missing... it's baffling.

Yeah, I agree like a trip computer...

BTW, I sent an Email to Mazda customer service asking them if there was anyway to get the mileage computer added to a US model and here is the response I got:



Thanks for contacting Mazda.

Unfortunately, the trip computer cannot be added to the U.S. spec vehicle. We cannot guarantee it will be compatible since it was designed without it. Our technicians do not even have the ability to order it, nor are they trained in modifying the vehicle with it.

Please keep in mind that your warranty only covers defects in original workmanship or materials, not items related to outside influences such as modifying the vehicle from it's original design.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda.

Regards,

Heather B.
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

 

[CX7andMiata]

Hmmmm... I'll have to try that again... I thought I had tried it and it also turned off random mode, but maybe I'm mistaken... I'll try again tomorrow and see if it works.

It IS so annoying though! Some of these basic little features missing... it's baffling.

CXRabbit,

Scratch my previous comment about the random setting staying set when you fast forward. I was wrong... Must have been having a brain fart the day I thought it worked. Tried it again today and it definitely does not work. Sorry about the bad info...

Sure seems like somebody screwed up in programming the features on the audio system... No pause/mute is starting to really bug me...

 

[CXRabbit]

CX7 - yeah, I tried it today too and was going to come back and say it definitely doesn't work (the fast-forward thing). It's REALLY annoying. The lack of a good random function, pause and mute is really starting to get under my skin.

 

[CX7andMiata]

CX7 - yeah, I tried it today too and was going to come back and say it definitely doesn't work (the fast-forward thing). It's REALLY annoying. The lack of a good random function, pause and mute is really starting to get under my skin.

AMEN to that! You would think this would be something they should have caught in early testing of the vehicle. The thing that really bugs me is that all of these little issues will probably be fixed in the 2008s so I am gonna want to trade...

 

[CXRabbit]

AMEN to that! You would think this would be something they should have caught in early testing of the vehicle. The thing that really bugs me is that all of these little issues will probably be fixed in the 2008s so I am gonna want to trade...

I hear ya on that... but with the money lost on the trade-in it might be better to just rip the stereo out... honestly, I'm considering it. It won't be cheap and the unit I've looked at is quite pricey but I figure if I wait another few months there will be some nice dash kits available. The one I'm looking at has iPod, navigation with live traffic reporting, blue tooth, satellite, rear-camera and DVD capabilities (which I'll skip). It's an amazing unit. But even with the cost of putting it in I'll be more ahead of the game than trading in the car.

Unit: IVA-W200 (Alpine)
Watch the Video
It's offered in a single din unit the slides out, or a double din unit similar to what the stock navigation/bose radio looks like.

Alpine makes the best iPod capable head units. They have what they call a "full speed" connection so it's almost as fast as working your iPod natively. My husband got an Alpine deck with iPod support in his car recently (see my post here)... it's a different unit, but very cool, and really exemplifies how good iPod support CAN be.

The IVA-W200 is about $1,000 retail + installation and then + the units required for each level of control (iPod, bluetooth, navigation)... I got quoted about $2,000 at the local car stereo place. Think about that... when we paid at least that (or more) for the "Tech Package". Really, THIS is what the head unit in the tech package should have looked like... and it's so customizable Mazda could have let you pick and choose the features you needed... so if you didn't want blue-tooth, no extra cost... if you wanted iPod pay for it... if you wanted satellite radio, pay for it... etc. etc.

I was originally going to get the non-tech package version of the GT and pull out the stock radio and put this in... I'm sorta sorry now I didn't... but cest la vie. I do love the smart-key and sunroof

I won't be doing anything immediately, but I will certainly keep everyone posted over the next few months!