2009 Updates
November 4th, 2009
Been a while huh? I've slowed down on my 3 due to finances and family birthdays. LOTS towards the end of the year. On a more positive note, I did pick up a '92 Miata to pour most of my attention into. Unfortunately that means modding for the 3 will just about come to a halt but I still haven't installed the cameras for the Eonon so may do that in the next couple months. I'm sure I'll be giving the 3 some love from time to time so this page won't be covered in dust and spider webs. :P
August 4th, 2009
The skirts are finally on! After a trip to Washington, I purchased some courage in Oregon (tax free btw ;D) and tackled the skirts this morning. Installation was cake and took 4 hours since I had to quadruple check the templates. Definitely a two person job for sanity. I've just got one pic for now....
July 23rd, 2009
I ordered a replacement remote for the Eonon after the original stopped working. The only thing I use it for is to randomize the tracks for music playback but not being able to do that made me want to go back to my OEM deck. Haha. Wish they'd have a way to do that from the deck itself. Oh well. Good news is that it works! Yay! Btw, the front aux input only works when Aux is selected so I may hold off on the GPS module for a bit. I may use the two cameras I bought for this deck and come up with a switch box to manually select which one I want to display while on the Aux input and then use my iPod or iPhone for music.
April 20th, 2009
Long time no update. Been busy with things and being laid off. Weeee! Good news on the HID scenario though...they've been working just fine. :P Found out that Eonon has a GPS module available for the E1062 now. Just debating whether or not I want it since they say you can't listen to music while using GPS. I need to see if the front aux input will allow music to play while on a non-music source. If so, then I'll probably go for it. I have a Garmin GPS but it'd be nice to have it integrated. Otherwise not much new. I STILL need to get those side skirts on but have been keeping myself very busy with other things. Hopefully soon I'll have a chance to tackle the skirts. *crosses fingers*
May 4th, 2009
Well, no word from Xenon Expert. Not too suprising though. There've been issues with contacting them in the past on the forums. Good news is the HIDs have been working fine lately. *shrugs* If they start acting up again I'll purchase a new set of 55w 5000k from someone else. Other than that, there's nothing new on the Mazda end. My time lately has been taken up with refinishing the wheels for my Mercedes 380SL .
April 26th, 2009
HID problems have hit me. It looks as if the driver side ballast is shot. The bulb on that side won't stay lit. I've emailed Xenon Expert about it so hopefully it will be taken care of under warranty. I may just throw in the original bulbs (blech) to hold me over till then...or just drive the Benz. :P
April 6th, 2009
I borrowed a video camera from a friend to make a little video of the Mini for your viewing pleasure..
April 1st, 2009
I've had my Eonon for almost a month now and while it is much better than the OEM deck, it could use some work. Mainly on the interface. So, I kind of took care of that. I had a G4 Mac Mini eagerly awaiting a purpose and figured...why not? I already had most of the hardware anyways. Here's some pictures I took really quick:
For those thinking of getting an Eonon for the OEM look but are shying away because of the interface and lack of other options this may be a solution. For the price of a DSS you could get an Eonon (or one like it), a Mini and all the hardware needed for something like this. 
March 29th, 2009
Well I haven't been able to figure out the reverse camera using the CCD wire so I've given up on that. It was just a novelty and not necessary so I have two cameras for something else down the line. I think I may install something semi spiffy soon but gotta look into details. I'll know within the next day or two if I'm going to do that though. I'll update then. :D
March 23rd, 2009
The blue overlay film went in the garbage today! :P Well, just one. I suck at applying I guess. I'd recommend removing the mirror from the housing to do this. It was bunching up on the sides and I couldn't cut it very easily. Ended up causing a small tear while cutting that I couldn't have hidden. I would have scowled at it all the time if I left it there so I pulled it off. I still have one sheet so if I toss out another $12 I can use the extra to do my rear view if I feel like it. No biggie. Getting more and more skiddish about installing the side skirts myself so I might look around at the cost to have them installed. Things are all over the place right now so we'll see.
March 21st, 2009
The blue overlay film arrived today. It is quite blue. I'll have to wait till a dry day to put them on since it started raining here today. I managed to install the reverse camera on Thursday but wasn't able to get an image on the Eonon. I think there's a wire on the deck that needs to be ran to the reverse switch or bulb. I still have to find a way to run the wires through the trunk wire tube.
March 18th, 2009
I received the side skirts today! Just had enough time to open the box and check that they were Sunlight Silver...which they are. Yay! Now I just have to find the time to put them on. :S The reverse camera should be here by the end of the week I hope. I also ordered some blue overlay film for the side mirrors from Dabears2k.com , a great Mazda3forum.com sponsor. That might arrive Saturday or Monday. I opted for the overlays rather than the replacement mirrors since I don't really need the wide angle offered by the replacements. According to a topic about these overlays on the forums, they do reduce glare by some perceivable amount so they aren't just for looks. And at $12 shipped, can't complain.
March 15th, 2009
*Same Day Update*
Went ahead and ordered another camera. This *should* be the right one....better be the right one. :P I'll update with more once I receive it.
*Original Update*
Not much of an update today but I did find out which camera I need for the trunk keyhole. They're on eBay for $30-$100 and don't include any IR LEDs from what I can tell. There's no specific name or model number for them but a search for "keyhole rear view camera" will bring them up. Here is a measurement diagram from one of the current auctions.
So, if you're looking for one, don't bother with the cameras that show the IR LEDs around the lens. Those are too big. The $100 supposedly works just as good as the IR ones but thats more than I'm willing to pay. Its more for novelty than enhanced night vision so I'll go with the $30-$35 ones.
HERE 's a link to a guide on "How to choose the right backup camera." The first two pictures with 'yanlab' on them show the difference between the main types of keyhole cameras. The first one with no IR LEDs is what you want for the 3.
March 12th, 2009
Today I received the dash strip and the reverse camera. Unfortunately the reverse camera is too big for the trunk lock hole and I don't want to do any cutting to get it in there. I found another one that I may order in the next few days. Other than that, I just wanted to update with some more interface and detail pictures of the Eonon for those that are interested.
First off, the new faux carbon fiber dash strip that replaced the faux wood one and the Eonon's screen resolution detail:
Next up, the different interface screens in this order: Main interface | General setup, Radio | Bluetooth, then the advanced display/audio settings followed by a low angle (thus the screen's look) night shot to show the illumination color of the buttons.
March 10th, 2009
The Eonon is in now. What a pain in the rear. Took me an hour to figure out how to get it in properly because the harness that comes with it tends to get in the way. The key is to remove the upper peice of the dash with the vents and guide the harness into the 'pocket' on the right, behind the stereo. Also, be sure to screw the black rubber peice onto the back of the unit or it'll keep sliding down and the bottom edge will stick out. All in all, its a worthy upgrade. There are a few little gripes but I'll get into the pros and cons after some pics.
As you can see, it fits quite well and looks very OEM aside from the interface. Not shown in these pics, I also managed to get my trip computer back since I had the stereo out and I'm just as excited about that as I am about the stereo. :P For those that don't know how to retain the trip computer with an aftermarket stereo, you simply set the display to what you want it to show (clock, current fuel consumption, miles remaining, average speed...) then you unplug the OEM stereo WHILE THE IGNITION IS STILL ON and plug your aftermarket stereo in WHILE THE IGNITION IS STILL ON . That's all. When you cycle the ignition off then back on, it will retain what you set it to. I hadn't done it with the Alpine so it was exciting when I got it back. :)
Okay, back to the Eonon. I guess I should start with the build quality which is pretty good. The unit is maybe 1/4" shorter than the OEM deck in height and depth. There are two flaps above the CD/DVD slot, the left is spring loaded for the SD card and the one on the right is a false door. The knobs are black plastic with chrome rings on the front as you can see in the pictures. A rubberized plastic would be nicer but they look and feel just fine. The whole unit feels just as good as the OEM unit and the screen is uniform in brightness. The resolution is fairly low but it doesn't look bad or out of place. If you've used a budget portable DVD player, thats how the screen is. Colors appear to be well represented, although I only tested it with one DVD (Lost in Translation) and a few pictures off of the SD card. The unit doesn't dim when turning on the headlights but can easily be dimmed through the interface by selecting the 'SOFT' from the preset picture settings. The button backlighting doesn't change in relation to the screen dimming but is the same brightness as the other dash backlighting with the headlights on.
The touchscreen response is good but it doesn't always register the presses on the smaller buttons. Its probably just because my fingers are a bigger than the onscreen buttons and the buttons are placed close together. Overall response of the unit is good but it does take a while to load the DVD/SD/USB interface. I haven't received the reverse camera yet so I'll have to update on that later.
Next up, there is a clock but it only displays constantly when using the radio. Otherwise, if you press the DSP button the remote, it'll show the clock for a few seconds then go away for the other modes. The radio reception is better than the Alpine from what I've tested. A nice little feature is that the radio will display the station name and current song under the station presets. Pretty nifty huh? The overall interface is functional but lacking. It is confusing at first and not consistent across all modes. The DVD playback and SD/USB modes work similarly regarding on screen controls.
Bluetooth works with my iPhone but the mic isn't that great. If you talk loud though, you probably won't have much to worry about. The deck's sound quality is actually pretty good. I still haven't got it all adjusted but with default settings it sounds better than the Alpine did. :O The bluetooth and DVD volume are substantially lower than the SD/USB/radio volume so it needs to be turned down when going back to one of these sources. The USB/SD functions will playback MP3s, MP4/DivX video and display JPEG pictures. I don't have any standard MP4 or DivX video files so that hasn't been tested, but the MP3 and JPEG files do work. It will play MP3s from a DVD as well. Dual Layer included. It does not resume music playback at the same time in the song that it was when powered off though. JPEG rendering is a bit slow but thats probably because there's not much horsepower under its hood. Not sure on the specs but I'm guessing 200MHz-ish maybe. Even that should display JPEGs quickly enough...then again I tested it with 2228x1712 or somewhere around that.
So, the interface could be improved. There is no customization for any of the interface layout or color. The Mazda logo screen that is shown in some screen shots online is built in and there doesn't seem to be a way to import custom boot pictures. Having a permanent clock displayed would be HUGELY appreciated and consistent volume would probably leave this without much complaint from me.
March 9th, 2009
*shakes head* There is no hope for me. :P I ordered some OEM side skirts today and ran out to get the video cable for the reverse camera. Also on a less exciting note ;), the Eonon E1062 arrived today. 2-3 days shipping time from Hong Kong with free shipping isn't bad. I had to rush off to work so just took a couple pics for now. I plan to install it tomorrow along with running the video cable for the reverse camera. The second pic shows the mounting bracket for the original LCD so no worries there.
The packaging is excellent. Very well protected. It came with a printed instruction manual, the main unit, an analog TV antenna which is going to be of no use with the digital switch around the corner, harness connector, rubber stopper for the rear of the unit, the remote and a stylus. The bluetooth appears to be built in since there was no separate box for it. I had read that the bluetooth was integrated into the GPS box so we'll see. No GPS box for me with this one.
March 8th, 2009
Got a chance to measure the trunk lock diameter. The lock cylinder is 22mm wide. I didn't think to remove the rubber grommet/seal but it is around 1mm thick, so....24ish mm wide total for the trunk lock hole. The rubber grommet/seal's outter diameter (on the trunk lid) is 34mm. I had a hard time finding a reverse camera with those dimensions but ordered one that is 25mm in diameter with a 34mm face so it *should* fit without widening the lock hole. Hope it does.
Now I just gotta figure out what to use for music, a flash drive or the iPod video with the aux video input...if that'd even work. Hmmm.
March 6th, 2009
Whelp, the Eonon E1062 is on the way now. Took the leap and ordered it through Eonon.com and hope it pans out. :) Now I need to look for a good reverse camera that'll fit in place of my trunk lock. Not sure if there're multiple sizes (diameters) or if its pretty much universal. Thats about it for now. Going to have a stereo swap convention here once it arrives. :P
February 28th, 2009
New news is that I will be receiving one of the faux carbon fiber dash strips thanks to a great member on mazda3forums.com so I can finally replace my faux woodgrain peice. Woo hoo! Also, gave the 3 a good washing and planning out the next order of mods. Aside from a different head unit and the exhaust tweaks (which I may hold off on), I'm may finally paint my calipers, get a set of the Mazda3 branded pedals , clear (or smoked) rear reflectors , tint and a few other small things.
February 22nd, 2009
Still eagerly awaiting the '07+ grill from Extreme Dimensions. The first pictures have been released and posted up on the forums HERE . Only other tid bit of news I have is that I'm planning on purchasing an OEM style screen unit like this DSS unit or this Eonon unit . The Alpine is a great deck but I really want to maintain the flow of the interior design with something more OEM looking. I'd like to do a couple other A/V related things but those are still in the 'is it worth it' phase. I'm also looking into a muffler to throw on for looks mainly, but also to lower the tone a little. I don't want to go with a full exhaust right now since performance isn't really a concern just yet.
January 28th, 2009
Well, it looks like the '07+ open mouth grill may soon become a reality. There is a group buy going on over at Mazda3forums.com right now for Extreme Dimensions to create a grill for us '07+ i model owners and someone willing to leave their car with ED for the prototyping phase. Those in the group buy just need to send in their deposits and wait a couple months then we'll be just as cool as the '04-'06 owners! :P I still need to send mine in...
January 9th, 2009
Just a nifty pic to start out the new year. Worked some early morning overtime and snapped it while at the gas station.
I originally thought of having some pics of the K&N install, but that wasn't too eventful and it was dark. I just have the K&N filter warning sticker on the battery box vent above the intake so nothing too fancy. Not too sure what's planned for the 3 this year. I'd like to look into tint, a 'real' intake, a Stealthbox sub (if the sedan version is ever released), side skirts, an '07 open mouth grill (again...if it is ever released), fogs, horn upgrades, chassis stiffening, motor mount stiffening, better floor mats, heavier shift knob....the list could go on and on. Anyways, thats all the updating for now.
2008 happenings on the next page... :D
