MK4 Sat Nav Upgrade

Hi
Just bought an entry level MK4 with standard radio. Not really bothered but If i wanted to can it be changed to SAT NAV ? Have seen full kits on Ebay presumably from crashed cars - how easy is it to retro fit? What issues mightI have with coding etc… Any help comments appriciated.

I have seen a few people ask this question on various fora, can’t recall seeing a successful conclusion, would be interested to see one just to know how much of an effort it actually is.

For the cash you’ll shell out maybe better to buy a decent stand alone sat nav.

The inbuilt sat nav is a bit marmite like, once you get to know it then it is actually pretty good, you need to invest the time in learning it though.

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Standard Sat Nav can easily be upgraded to AndroidAuto/CarPlay for anywhere between £100-£350 depending on where you buy from and whether you install it yourself. Waze through CarPlay is a joy to use compared to the Mazda system.

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I have considered doing this but every time I have seen the reply as - ‘do not bother - it is not possible’.

The question I would have are:

  1. Is it plug and play? - install the radion and it is detected by the CANBUS and just works - or does it need coding by the dealer?

  2. How much kit does it need? Are there cables that are required to be installed and how difficult would that be?

  3. Does it need the added bits and cabling to the steering wheel?

  4. Will the existing speakers need changing?

So far, I have had no answers.

Which suggests that the completed ones are few and far between if at all.

Personally I’d put it into the too much effort for too little true return box and enjoy driving the car.

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If you haven’t already, why not ask a dealership for a quote? Then you’ll know if it’s actually possible and if it is try and be cheeky and ask what’s involved :stuck_out_tongue:

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I’m a fairly frequent browser of the main MX-5 forums and am quite up-to-date on most things MK4, I’ve never read of anyone actually doing it so I don’t fancy your chances of getting any answers. I’m sure its ‘possible’ but at what cost and involvement of Mazda (if they were even willing) god knows.

The ND uses SatNav software from “HERE” which is owned by the major European manufacturers. They do a free version for Android and iOS. However, I prefer using Google Maps so although I have the Mazda Entertainment system, I don’t use the satnav that is built-in.

On a club run last year, the routes were sent out in TomTom format so I purchased a second hand one for the week’s run and was pleasantly surprised how good the TT unit was, both for mapping and other options. The only downside is the updating which takes an absolute age, so never update whilst mobile, just when you are at home.

I would recommend using a smartphone or TomTom unit - better, in my opinion, than the Mazda Entertainment System option on SatNav.

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The trouble with a TomTom (I do agree they are very good), is that its occupying space on an already small windscreen.

The real question is the Type B/C radio plug and play when replacing the type A - or does it need an upgrade or enabling attention from the dealer. If it p&p, then it is just a question of getting all the bits including the cables, and getting them fitted.

It could be either case, but there are some strange differences that I found surprising - like the inability to change mph to Km/h with the type A radio. Why would that be?

Mazda do not approve or support 2nd hand parts from - lets say - early scrapped cars. That was from a dealers mechanic.

Here’s what’s on the back of the MZD I took out of the mk4 race car, hope this might help in terms of connections you’d be looking for!

I agree that the TomTom is good!

It seems particularly good for cameras, often identifying ones that other apps might not.

I bought an iPhone Xs (in spite of owning a pretty good Samsung phone at the time) so that I could run the TomTom app through Apple Car Play. Unfortunately, it only seems to work on the newer/more expensive iPhones and, at that time, the app did not run through Android Auto. I don’t know if this is still the case.

There is a small subscription for the updates.

The app runs mostly like a stand-alone TomTom, although there is no “progress bar”, as Apple has not facilitated this within its Car Play specification (apparently).

The TT I bought came with lifetime updates, I couldn’t get the TT app to work as I wanted with Car Play, nor the TT unit; route planning on the app when transferred to the TT ignored (lost) stops so was a bit of a pain. In the end, I only used the TT. Shame about them not merging full functionality between route planning/app/unit. Nothing is ever the complete “answer” unless you are talking about our MX5’s

Hi Thanks for all your answers comments and suggestions. I think its probably best to just leave it alone. Its not a bad radio and the Sat Nav works great on my phone. Probably best to get a good dash / vent iphone mount.

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It might be worth the effort if the Type B/C radio was plug and play but probably not if it required dealer work. It is not just the SatNav - it affects quite a lot of other functions.

Hi;
I was interested to see this thread as I am currently waiting for a genuine carplay upgrade parts from NWG… see link…

I have a 2016 ND, 2L Sat Nav and have been looking at doing this a while, the MX5 Miata Forum has lots of threads discussing this too, some used the cheap Aliexpress upgrade from China but reading the details for upgrading the firmware to get CatrPlay or AA its very much a given you have genuine CMU and USB cable parts etc.

There is a wealth of information on the HiDrive link which is where the firmware updates and PDFs are housed for all upgrades for Mazda…

I have added the link here and its also looking at videos on YouTube from people who have done the upgrade to CarPlay…
https://my.hidrive.com/share/hsodpqja.l#$/Mazda%20CONNECT%20Firmware/-CarPlay-AndroidAuto%20INSTALL

Hope this of some help
Thanks

On the CX3, which runs the same software / hardware I believe, I number of uses just purchased the map on the official SD card, plugged it it, and off they went…