Keir

Hi all, I started to install a new Sony XAV-AX3000 into my M35 Stagea today. My car has a Bose cassette/CD with remote amp and sub-woofer, so I'm using a PAC OEM-1 to interface with the original Bose gear. After doing all of the wiring, the new stereo works perfectly and sounds great. However, I reckon I'm not the first person to discover that the climate controls no longer work. After a bit of investigation with my multimeter it appears that the climate controls take their power from the main plug that goes into the back of the cassette player. This power is then sent via a tiny ribbon connector at the bottom of the unit, to the climate controls. The problem is of course that I need to unplug that connector from the cassette player and plug it into my PAC interface. So the quick question that I hope someone can answer is: Do I need to buy one of those aftermarket fascia jobbies that look cheap and nasty but cost more than my stereo to make this work? I hope there's another way.

When I bought my Stagea it didn't have the standard pop-up screen; one of the previous owners had replaced it with a fixed unit. Unfortunately, this screen doesn't function. I don't know if it's the standard screen, which has been remounted in this fixed position or whether it's something else entirely. On the back it has a yellow, RCA style input and a couple of 3.5mm sockets, one of which is for a remote on/off button which doesn't work. I think it's made by Clarion. Anyway, a couple of months back I decided to remove all of the AV stuff in the Stagea that wasn't doing anything other than weighing it down. I removed the Japanese DVD/Satnav unit above the glove box, and also the TV tuner which was installed under the carpet in the front passenger's foot well. The TV unit had actually been crushed by someone jacking the car up using the floor instead of the chassis. I also removed about a kilometre of cabling. Some questions: On the Stagea's standard pop-up screen, you get a display in Japanese that shows data such as real-time fuel consumption. I think this screen has a graphic of a leaf or something. Does anyone know what actually produces this image? Is it a product of the damaged TV unit in the photo above (left) or is produced by the DVD/Satnav system (right)? Or does it come from somewhere else? Presumably the actual data is retrieved from the ECU and then processed somehow for the display. I actually use the Android app NDSII and an OBD2 Bluetooth interface to retrieve some data but unfortunately fuel consumption isn't one of the available parameters. Has anyone had any luck retrieving this fuel consumption data via an OBD2 interface? My Stagea has the Bose sound system and I am about to a receive a PAC interface so that I can connect a generic 2 DIN unit and utilise the Bose amplifier and subwoofer. I'll hopefully be able to fit it neatly into the aftermarket, fixed cowling. I'm trying to choose between the cheap (and sometimes cheerful) Chinese Android units, and a more traditional Kenwood or Sony unit that supports Android Auto. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Keir

Hey James, I just bought my M35 Stagea a couple of months ago too. Slowly getting it all sorted and tidied up. What do you think of yours? Do you have any pics to upload yet? Cheers, Keir

Hi Josh, I just got my 2002 Autech Axis Stagea too. I'm pretty happy with it but will need to tidy up the inside a bit. What sort of condition is yours in? Keir

I finally took some pics today. It's a bit rough around the edges cosmetically but it seems to be well sorted mechanically.

Thanks so much for helping me out with this. I went back to the Hume Inspection Station this morning armed with the documentation and it actually swayed them. My Stagea now has ACT number plates!

Thanks for that offer. I've sent you a PM.

Yeah that's where mine are mounted. I know it's the right place but they're asking me to prove it.

Yeah my last car was killed in the hailstorm too. That's why I bought my Stagea. It's also an Autech Axis, but the VQ25DET version.

Hi all, I'm trying to register my Stagea M35 in the ACT. It's currently registered in NSW. Following the inspection there was a huge list of stuff I needed to fix, which has all been done. One thing remains, the guys at the ACT Vehicle Inspection Station are not convinced that the three child restraint anchorage (CRA) points located on the inside of the roof, right at the back are compliant. The fact that my vehicle was complied already in NSW and has the purple sticker doesn't sway them. They've asked me to provide the Consumer Information Notice (CIN) to prove that the CRA points are fitted where they're meant to be. My purple sticker shows that my vehicle was complied by a company called Australian Compliance Centre Pty Ltd and when I search for them, I discover that they've ceased trading. So I have written to the RAWS section at the Department of Infrastructure asking if they can provide the CIN. What a nightmare. Does anyone have or know where I can find some documentation that proves the correct location of these CRA points? Thanks, Keir

Hi all, I bought a Stagea M35 with a VQ25DET. Hoping to get help and advice from this forum. Cheers, Keir