I've finally gotten the chance to work on my 1999 LX. My first upgrade that I'm doing is replacing the factory system. I've installed systems on all sorts of cars from Mitsubishi to Benz, but not a Mazda. My first questions has to do with removing the rear door pannels. My LX comes with 4 speakers and locations for two more in each of the rear doors. I'm planning on putting in 6 1/2 components, however I can't get the door pannel off. I removed all the friction tabs, took the soor realease off, but i can't get the door handle off for the life of me. I read the tip guide found here http://www.astolfo.com/p5/p5.asp but that didn't help me much. Can anyone clarify how to remove the door handle? The way it is described seems that you release the pressure tab and pull the handle off but it doesn't woprk for me.

Secondly, I'm putting in a new Head unit withe a full sized EQ/DSP under it to fill the void. Now on all the cars i've installed (benz, ,mitsu, VW, nissan, toyota) I never seen a head unit that wasn't simply bolted into the car. How do you remove the factory unit? There are no screws to be removed. The guide suggests using a coat hanger but doesn't go into detail as to how to use the coat hanger. Do I make small hooks, insert them into the holes and then simply pull the unit out? I hope someone can clarify that for me.

Lastly I have some general questions. My car has Pioneer 6x9's in the rear deck, i haven't removed them, i just looked at the magnets, are these factory speakers or were the installed aftermarket byt he previous owner? Also, how many RMS watts can i run on the factory alternator/battery combination. Should I look to install an addition alternator and battery to run a system of 800-1000 watts?

thanks!

 

Hi

I took pictures when I installed front speakers and here is one:
http://www.angelfire.com/blues/bougha/ovi1.jpg

Yellow circles are where you need to loose screws, then you just pull the handle (it may be really tight, but go on) around the lower screw. Under the handle you'll find 2 more screws and after loosing those you just pull/lift the panel away. Hope this helps.
I have more pictures of installation if you are interested. I changed those 6x8" s to 6.5" DLS