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Any way Run USB cable to Armrest area?
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I'm interested as well. I hate running a lightning cable through the shifter area to the console where I put my phone. My wife's 2016 Mazda6 has the USB port in the armrest, and I added the Carplay retrofit kit to it a couple of months ago. This required removing all of the trim on the dash and center console, and it took about 15 minutes and required no tools. I assume the 3 is the same. The question is whether the center console piece from the Mazda6 would also fit the Mazda3. I would think that Mazda would make them the same dimensions and part numbers to keep production costs low, but I'm not sure. The other question is whether there is a blanking plate that can be used to fill in the hole under the HVAC controls where you would take out the old USB plate.
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You can purchase a new USB accessory module to fill the void.
I don't think there's an easy way to do it. The problem is with the wiring: even with the AA/CP retrofit cables installed, there are still other cables that need to be connected to the back of the AUX unit (including power) for it to work, and those can't be moved easily because they are of a specific length and are taped to other wires.
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Do other countries have it ?
Saw this on Ebay but was interested in the pic?
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Saw this on Ebay but was interested in the pic?
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this guy ran it from the screen to the armrest area, but I believe his was there to begin with.
it would be much more convenient to keep the usb stick and phone in the armrest
it would be much more convenient to keep the usb stick and phone in the armrest
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If you are electronics wizard and/or just a brave person there may be a way to have it in both places.
If you have a second USB module (like if you replaced the original USB module with the Android Auto / Carplay module) you may be able to splice into the new wires with the old wires and string them into the center console area where there appears to be a spot for a USB module.
After reading this thread it crossed my mind, but me and electronics don't jive and I would probably burn the car to the ground, lol. I did do the AA/CP install on my wife's Mazda 6 so I have an extra USB module and cables. Maybe one day I'll give it a go.
The USB module is in the center console on the Mazda 6, and there appears to be a "blank" plug in the Mazda 3, so it may be easy to just move it from the front area to under the arm rest.
If you have a second USB module (like if you replaced the original USB module with the Android Auto / Carplay module) you may be able to splice into the new wires with the old wires and string them into the center console area where there appears to be a spot for a USB module.
After reading this thread it crossed my mind, but me and electronics don't jive and I would probably burn the car to the ground, lol. I did do the AA/CP install on my wife's Mazda 6 so I have an extra USB module and cables. Maybe one day I'll give it a go.
The USB module is in the center console on the Mazda 6, and there appears to be a "blank" plug in the Mazda 3, so it may be easy to just move it from the front area to under the arm rest.
I have removed all the trim pieces and confirmed that the blanking plug in the armrest area and the CP/AA auxiliary face are interchangeable. Instructions for removing all of the trim pieces are available as PDFs. You can find a link to the hosting site at the beginning of the second post in that massive Carplay install thread (I can't link there due to insufficient post count).
Any 2018 that came with CP/AA had it installed by the dealer before delivery, and the kits are the same for all models - that means the USB cables are long enough to reach the console area, the excess is just zip tied in a bundle under the dash. However, the larger cable is only long enough to reach the cubby under the dash where the Aux hub originally was located. Mazda does make a longer version of this cable for many of its cars where the aux hub is in the console, I'm just having trouble finding that part number. Can anyone confirm what this part number would be?
I have tried moving the Aux hub to the console and plugging in just the USB cables, leaving the larger plug danging under the dash. I thought that the larger plug was only used for navigation (a moot feature if you've got CP/AA). But it turns out that the entire hub won't communicate with the CMU without the larger plug also connected, so you need the large plug in order to have CP/AA in the console.
Any 2018 that came with CP/AA had it installed by the dealer before delivery, and the kits are the same for all models - that means the USB cables are long enough to reach the console area, the excess is just zip tied in a bundle under the dash. However, the larger cable is only long enough to reach the cubby under the dash where the Aux hub originally was located. Mazda does make a longer version of this cable for many of its cars where the aux hub is in the console, I'm just having trouble finding that part number. Can anyone confirm what this part number would be?
I have tried moving the Aux hub to the console and plugging in just the USB cables, leaving the larger plug danging under the dash. I thought that the larger plug was only used for navigation (a moot feature if you've got CP/AA). But it turns out that the entire hub won't communicate with the CMU without the larger plug also connected, so you need the large plug in order to have CP/AA in the console.
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Wiring stalks are unique to each model configuration, which a custom DiY solution is extending the cabling.
I'm not sure I follow what you're saying. Yes, I can extend the cable if I can find the correct male and female connectors. I've found a cable with these connectors on Aliexpress but the site won't let me order because it says my shipping address doesn't exist.
What I would prefer to do is find the part number for the longer version of this cable from Mazda. The cable from a Mazda6 would do, since that car has the Aux hub in the console so it would be long enough. All the parts diagrams I've found online show all the components of the car, but no cables so I can't get a part number.
Oh, I see what you mean now. I don't want to cut the original cable, especially if I can't find a part number to replace it if something goes wrong. I'll create an extension using aftermarket connectors to connect the existing cable at the bottom of the dash back to the rear console. This would be 100% reversible.
I was able to get Aliexpress to find my address so I'll update this thread after I make the extension in a month or so. It says 25 days shipping time from China.
Well it took over 6 weeks to receive the part I ordered from Aliexpress, then another month for me to get around to doing this. The part I bought from Aliexpress was called "Liislee 12 Pins RCA Adapter Connector Wire Cable for Mazda 3 ...".
This cable has the correct plugs that match the USB box for our cars. However, the length is really short so you'll need to splice in a bunch of wires to make the extension. There are 12 leads, but I didn't know which ones were used in the car without taking apart the console again, so I just extended all 12. I used 22AWG wire that I had laying around, and I added about 60" of wire. This ended up being way too long, but that's fine - even the extensions you get from Mazda are too long, and you just bundle them up with a zip tie and stuff them in an empty spot in the console. No harm done. I zip tied the wires in a bundle under the cupholder in an empty spot, and zip-tied the loose wire to the shifter assembly up front to make sure it doesn't end up moving around and interfering with the shifter mechanism (maybe less of a concern with an automatic).
I've added a few photos here. Any questions, let me know.
This cable has the correct plugs that match the USB box for our cars. However, the length is really short so you'll need to splice in a bunch of wires to make the extension. There are 12 leads, but I didn't know which ones were used in the car without taking apart the console again, so I just extended all 12. I used 22AWG wire that I had laying around, and I added about 60" of wire. This ended up being way too long, but that's fine - even the extensions you get from Mazda are too long, and you just bundle them up with a zip tie and stuff them in an empty spot in the console. No harm done. I zip tied the wires in a bundle under the cupholder in an empty spot, and zip-tied the loose wire to the shifter assembly up front to make sure it doesn't end up moving around and interfering with the shifter mechanism (maybe less of a concern with an automatic).
I've added a few photos here. Any questions, let me know.
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Were you able to insert the blank template from the armrest compartment into the original placement on the front console?
Yes, the blank is an identical size and fits perfectly in the original USB hub's location under the dash.
I've been using Carplay with the USB plug in the armrest with no issues for the past couple of months. Everything works as it should and looks like it came from the factory this way. I've been very happy with how this all turned out.
Awesome, I just got all my parts in and am waiting on some 20 awg wire to come in tomorrow so I can extend my adapter. You said you added about 60" of wire and that it was more than needed; how much length would you add if you were to do it again?
I don't remember how much excess there was, but too long is better than too short. If you have the time to do it all at once, the best thing would be to disassemble the car, measure how much wire you need, make the extension, and then reassemble. That will also let you see which pins need extending since not all 12 have wires attached to them on the car's plug.
I already made the cable ahead of installing everything later today. I adding 50" of extra wire because the length I ordered was 50' of 20 awg (600"/12 wires). I'll take a couple pics of the wires used in the plug and measure the space to post here in order to simplify the process for anyone that might want to try this in the future.
It looks like the plug uses 8 of the 12 pins on the connector. I was able to route it back to the armrest without an issue and swap the blank template into the front console. The biggest pain is that you will need to completely disassemble the center console as well as a lot of the dash in order to get to the aux/usb box in the front. So if you are thinking of doing the android auto/carplay update yourself and want to relocate that box to the armrest, I would highly recommend doing it all in one shot.
Like I mentioned above, I added 50" of 20 awg wire to the connector that needs to be ordered (it does not come with the Carplay/AA upgrade kit). Looking at the amount of slack I had leftover, I would not go with any less than 40" of added wire.
Additionally, if you need any foam tape to keep your extra wires from rattling, I used this wide foam tape from Home Depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Bui...x-30-ft-Camper-Seal-Foam-Tape-02352/202066511
Like I mentioned above, I added 50" of 20 awg wire to the connector that needs to be ordered (it does not come with the Carplay/AA upgrade kit). Looking at the amount of slack I had leftover, I would not go with any less than 40" of added wire.
Additionally, if you need any foam tape to keep your extra wires from rattling, I used this wide foam tape from Home Depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Bui...x-30-ft-Camper-Seal-Foam-Tape-02352/202066511
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