I have a 2012 Mazda5 Sport 6MT with the factory stereo that includes the 6-disc changer. I don't use the changer very much and thought that I'd upgrade to a 2013+ OEM stereo so that I could get the USB/iPod compatibility and control my modded 128GB iPod classic via the steering wheel and have it pause when I shut off the car. I bought a cheap stereo and the appropriate USB cable but it's not working as planned.
I'm wondering if some of the functions are controlled by the body control module or if I just got a defective stereo. None of the buttons or knobs on the radio work, but I do have some limited control via the steering wheel controls (volume, mode, scroll through presets). Not surprisingly the aux input no longer works as that's part of the 16-pin connector on the original radio, and this new one has a 12-pin. I haven't found any pinouts for the 12-pin connector on the new radio so I don't know how to match them up with the wires on the 16-pinner, but this all may be a moot point anyway. I wasn't able to select the USB/iPod mode via the steering wheel control either.
That 16-pin connector seems to be fairly common on Mazdas through 2012, so now I'm tempted to go back to the original stereo and just use one of those eBay special Bluetooth/Aux devices in place of the factory aux jack. I'm reluctant to go with one of those because I find most of the cheap Chinese electronics to be of dubious quality and usability, but for $15 it might be worth a shot. They don't say that they support a 2012 Mazda5, but I'm assuming that they will since it's the last usage of the 16-pin connector that Mazda used for years across a number of models.
I'm wondering if some of the functions are controlled by the body control module or if I just got a defective stereo. None of the buttons or knobs on the radio work, but I do have some limited control via the steering wheel controls (volume, mode, scroll through presets). Not surprisingly the aux input no longer works as that's part of the 16-pin connector on the original radio, and this new one has a 12-pin. I haven't found any pinouts for the 12-pin connector on the new radio so I don't know how to match them up with the wires on the 16-pinner, but this all may be a moot point anyway. I wasn't able to select the USB/iPod mode via the steering wheel control either.
That 16-pin connector seems to be fairly common on Mazdas through 2012, so now I'm tempted to go back to the original stereo and just use one of those eBay special Bluetooth/Aux devices in place of the factory aux jack. I'm reluctant to go with one of those because I find most of the cheap Chinese electronics to be of dubious quality and usability, but for $15 it might be worth a shot. They don't say that they support a 2012 Mazda5, but I'm assuming that they will since it's the last usage of the 16-pin connector that Mazda used for years across a number of models.