doc1976

Robbie,

I can't dissagree with anything you said except the sound quality is actually as good if not better than the z1 in my wifes car.

The interface is slow and clunky, the ipod cable plugs into the front which sucks, and the gps voice sounds unrefined and even annoying when getting street names wrong.

I will say however the buttons seem strong and solid, the volume dial is very responsive and tight, the video quality is as good as the z2 and the f500.

The best part is it just works. For the last few months I would get in my truck and pray that the 500bt was gong to work and 1/2 of the time it didn't. With that worry gone, I am a happy camper. I will try the next gen of pioneer when finances are better but for now cheap replacement is what I got...

I have been a die-hard pioneer navigation supporter since I got my first AVIC-N1 unit many years ago. Since then I have owned several different units including a N1 N3, Z1, and the most recent is a F500BT.

With each of these units I had hardware issues within the first year of ownership. Each unit went back for repair and was returned in working order. I just shipped the Z1 back to pioneer for the second time (not under warranty this time) when the touchscreen quit working and again it came back in working order. It is currently installed in my wifes Honda Civic.

I purchased an Avic 500bt to go in my late model Durango about a year ago. Since then I have had nothing but problems with this unit. Within several months I had to replace the battery which cost 50.00 from pioneer and another few months after that the new batter also went bad. The unit would constantly reboot and lockup. The volume control on the front of the unit would only work once in a while the bluetooth operation was terrible. The last straw was when it locked up and simply refused to boot back up. I did all the usual troubleshooting including removal of the battery, reset button, put it on the charger overnight etc. This unit should never had made it to production as it is very failure prone.

Why would they design a unit that will be used every day to rely on the battery in order to function? For instance, 90% of most peoples daily driving are short trips which will quickly wear out the battery in a unit like this, especially a battery that is memory effect prone.

Don't get me wrong, these units are awesome and feature rich but the reliability, build quality and design is subpar. I have decided to move away from Pioneer Navi units and try something new. This past weekend I installed a new Dual xdvdn9131 in my Durango. So far it is not quite as nice as the pioneer units feature-wise but the interface is clean and simple and build quality seems more solid. I guess only time will tell.

I think this is a battery issue but I am not sure.

Recently my F500bt has stopped coming back on when I shut my vehicle off and turn it back on a short time later. The blue light on the right side comes on but that is it. The only way I can get it to come back up is to hold the power button down for like 10 seconds then push it again and it does a full reboot.

Anyone know what might be causing this. Again, I think maybe the battery is going bad but I don't want to shell out 50 bucks for a battery if that is not the problem.

Hey Guys,

My Z2 is on its way back to pioneer. I have a couple of questions,

1. I think my hard drive may have started to go bad along with my touch screen. Will they replace the hard drive as well as the screen if they determin it is going bad?

2. will they upgrade the unit to the latest firmware before it leaves the repair facility?

3. Will I lose my music Library?

4. I just purchased an unlocked hard drive with the Z3 upgrade on it. Other than the maps, what are the differences between the Z3 and the Z1 and Z2. I heard the Z3 was a pretty substancial update. Is this true?

Thanks!!

Hey Guys,

I have a Z2 in my wifes car. Today when I went to go to the store I went to the AV menu and and choose an artist. Then after that, the touch screen would not work. I did the hard reset on the front and it rebooted to the nav map warning screen. When I try to push the OK button the screen won't register the touch. The AV, Map, and Menu buttons are not working on the front of the unit now. The eject button IS working and when I put a cd in I can hear it play and the volume buttons work.

To troubleshoot, I did several reboots and even removed the battery wire to make sure it would completely reboot. Each time it boots up to the nav warning window and won't register a touch when you try to push ok.

Could it be the hard drive starting to fail? I have had the unit for about three years. I do have an updated hard drive on the way that will update it to the Z3 firmware. Do you think that will solve this issue? Does anyone know how much pioneer charges to service these?

Thanks in advance!!

F500BT??? Will it work... Anyone???

I am sure this has been asked already but will it work for an f500bt?

Thanks!!

Thanks man for the info!!

I have an f500bt and it is having random startup issues. I have traced it to the battery not holding a charge. Do you guys know where I can get a replacement battery other than pioneer? I have looked in all the usual places (ebay, batteries plus, interstate batteries, amazon) and have not had any luck. I am sure pioneer wants an arm and a leg for this little battery so I want to try other options before contacting them.

Thanks!!

Anyone know why the slope gauge does not work. Mine says something like "this gauge is not available now"

I had a avic-n2 that did the same thing... any ideas?

bump,

I guess the included skins are all you get?

Got mine installed at Best Buy for $150. I have an 04 f150 that needed the dash cut for it to work (which i don't think the installer knew when he agreed to the price) Eitherway they did a good job and it looks great. The installer also hooked up the vss, illumination and after a $30.00 tip offered to hook the bypass up as well. They did mess up my climate control module which they paid to replace after I filed a claim. All in all a good experience and the best part is they will uninstall if for free when I go to trade the truck in.

Hey Guys,

Is there a way to add more vehicle dynamics skins to the few that are provided by default?

Also, what is the best tv tuner to use with a Z1?

Thanks,

My Z1 had the old software on it. I was getting the parking brake error and the nav controls would not work. Did the update and all is well now. I do still get the error when I start up but once the error is cleared I can use nav controls and view video.

Best buy did the install and they did a pretty good job of it considering I have a 03 f150 and they don't have a true double din setup. He had to pull the whole dash apart in order to get the unit installed so it could not be easily removed. The only problem is they forgot to hook something in the dash back up and not my ac only blows out of the defroster vent. I gave them a call and they are going to fix it tomorrow. They also did not hook up the illumination signal cable so at night the unit is WAY too brite. I asked them about that and they said they would take care of that tomorrow also.

At this point, I only need to find a bracket that will fit along each side of the unit because the mounting kit bezel would not fit. I will probably have to fab something as I am sure I won't find anything off the shelf. I also need to shave the part of the dash that surrounds the radio as it doesn't quite clear when the z1's face opens. It opens fine, you can just see that it scrapes a little. Anyway, all in all not a bad experience so far and if BB will fix the remaning issues I will be a very happy camper.

Thanks guys for all your advice!!

Thanks man!!

Hey Guys,

My Z1 was delivered today. It is a referb unit from an online store. I am wondering what bypass to use and was hoping for a newer unit but the build date says 6/06... Does this mean that the two wire bypass won't work and I will have to do the light flash bypass? Also, on the box it says AVIC-Z1/B

Does this mean it is the updated unit that the two wire bypass will work?

Hey guys, I was reading motor trend the other day and Bose now has a Nav system. It look pretty cool. I am wondering if anyone has used one or has an opinion on it. Also there is no pricing on it, only a phone number to call for info. Anyone know what the pricing of it is?

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VI ... x.jsp&ck=0

According to the guy at best buy they have done quite a few of these and it won't be a problem. I have a feeling that this guy doesn't know what he is talking about though and soon after I drop my truck off I will get a call telling me they can't do it. Anyway, I will let you know how it goes. The Z1 should arrive today so I am psyched. Its been about a year since my n2 got ripped off so I can't wait to have a pioneer system nav system again. (stupid thief stole the head unit but didn't know about the brain so he got a worthless deck)

Thanks man, I will let you know how it turns out!!

Thanks for all the info guys,

I decided to call Best Buy and see what they had to say. They said they can do the entire install including the ipod adaptor and my sub woofer for 270 including parts and labor. He said he didn't think much modification would be required but if it needed to be done they could do it. I went ahead and made an appointment for saturday and will post some pics once I get it done.

I just got back from CC and they told me that they didn't make an double din adaptor for my dash and that my dash would have to be CUT in order to fit the avic-Z1. Can this be right? I have a 03 f150 King Ranch.

I am hoping to do the install myself so I can install the video bypass but if I have to hack up my dash then maybe I should just leave it to the pros.

Hey guys,

I just ordered my z1 and plan to do the install myself this weekend. I have a couple of questions for you guys who have done this before.

I used to have an avic-n2 that circuit city installed for me. after only having it about a year, some lowlife broke into my truck and stole it. The kicker was he more or less just grabbed the unit and yanked it out, wires and all. I had to have the dash rewired just to put the stock radio back in. CC never installed any bracing or anything which made it easy to just rip out. I am wondering what is the best way to secure this thing into my dash so it can't be easily removed.

The other question is I know I need to hook up the vehicle speed sensor, and the reverse sensor wires. Are these wires in the radio harness or do I need to find them under the dash somewhere? I have an 03 F150 Crew Cab King Ranch.