OSUV

I know there are several posts about all of this but it seems that I'm having to read bits and pieces from various "Older Posts" and I'm not sure which procedures are outdated.

I would greatly appreciate it if someone would please post step-by-step instructions as thoroughly as possible on how to change the AVIC-Z1 bootup screen, including where to buy the HDD unlocking software and any required hardware such as IDE cable etc.

Also, can I do this using my laptop or do I need to use a desktop PC? If I can use my laptop, please make the step-by-step instructions geared towards using a laptop to change the bootup .bmp file in my Z1.

Finally, can I unlock the hard drive permanently or would I have to pay everytime I want to change the bootup screen?

Thank you in advance to whoever creates these instructions and again, please take your time and be as thorough a possible, keeping in mind that we're all not techies?

Great investigative work Rodge,

I would like to take these fraudulent little bastards and string them up by their little electronic balls. Whatever happened to the days when you could actually trust buying something from someone?

May the wrath of God set fire to their private parts.

That's what I see Sportsfan21,

It looks like the bezel console angles inward towards the driver which was most likely GMs intent for a more ergonomic design. That along with the angle of the camera when the photo was taken, may have contributed to making the AVIC-Z1 appear to have been installed crooked.

I guess we'll just have to wait for the reply of 420greg to find out if it is in fact crooked and if so, perhaps it had to be installed a little off kilter due to possible tight tolerances which may have not been able to be avoided.

So say you 420greg, crooked or not? Either way, it's quite an achievement to get it to fit in the space that Chevrolet allowed you. Or should I say, didn't allow you

Bravo

I have an 2002 Silverado LT Ext. Cab and figured that the AVIC-Z1 couldn't be installed in it , but this gives me new hope.

1. How does the 2003 console bezel differ from that of the 2002 console?

2. Was it difficult to lower the climate control? Did that require any additional fabrication/cutting?

Please elaborate on the install.

Great job though! It looks really nice!

PS I don't see the crookedness that was mentioned in the previous posts. Was it installed crooked?

Thanks for explaining. Good infomation.

I wouldn't mind buying a used one either. The prices for the GEX-P5700TV are running $250US to $350US new.

To be honest, with the few changes made from the Z1 to the Z2, I don't know why Pioneer is waiting until April 2007 to release the Z2. Release it now.

I just received an email from this store which stated that they no longer have anymore Z1s left in stock and that they are now awaiting inventory of the new Z2s.

Now that doesn't sound like scammers to me. Wouldn't a scammer have lied and replied by saying "Sure, send me your money, We have plenty".

If this offer was legitimate, I hope someone on this forum was able to take advantage of this bargain.

BTW, their website still shows them available. So I emailed them back to ask why their website still shows the Z1 available and I'm just waiting on their reply.

Nice writeup,

But why didn't you just tap into the dimmer on the stock radio harness?

As for the reverse wire, unless you are installing a rear backup camera, you don't even need it hooked up. But the easiest way is to route the wire back to either tail light and look for the bulb that goes into the white lense socket as viewed from the outside when you are in reverse. (the wire that came with the Z1 is plenty long enough to go back to the taillights) This bulb plug should have 2 wires, Wht/Yel & possibly Black. Tap into the Wht/Yel and you're done. Do this at the same time that you install your rear camera so that you'll only have to remove your trim panels once.

I'm still not sure that I understood why you had to go through the firewall. Could you elaborate on that?

But like I said, it's a good writeup and it should help other Mustang owners with their install.

Good Job!

LOL, I have the dog barking for home too on my Z1. I'm about to shoot the damn dog as well. I like the radar tone. Much less annoying yet noticeable.

yeah palacios,

keep us posted

You the man Jason, You are the man!

Now if we can get this sucker fired up, we'll have some fun. Please let us all know when you get it figured out for Explorer and once you do, it may not be a bad idea to make a grand announcement on the home page. This is a big deal!

Good job!

Kevin

Hmmm, I guess we'll never know unless someone buys. I agree that it is a risk and one that I'm not willing to take.

DucatiBoy, you mention that their cc processing is done through google checkout. Google is a multimillion dollar corporation. Wouldn't they inherit somewhat of a liability? I certainly find it hard to believe that Google would take the risk of harboring criminal and fraudulent activities through their websites. After all, wouldn't that be a predicate for the RICO statute? Would it not be considered a criminal enterprise? Just speculating out loud.

Hey Jason, I get the exact same thing "invalid username or password".

By the way, has this chat link always been on this website or did you just add it today? I don't ever remember seeing the link before.

If you added it today, then thank you for responding so quickly to the email that I wrote you last night, suggesting a Chat on this site. If its always been here, then I must be losing my mind?

Kevin

Great investigative work guys. Its refreshing to have people looking out for people on this forum. But I have question. Their website states that they accept MC, VISA, etc. I don't know how your credit card companies are, but mine protect me against fraud.

Also, I own a business and accept MC, VISA AMEX and Discover and I was thoroughly scrutinized before being allowed to accept credit cards. Just a thought.

Maybe 140 of us should all pitch in $10 and buy one. Then if we get scammed, we'll only be out 10 bucks each! LOL!

Gentlemen, Start your engines!

Check this out guys and gals. I just found this ad for Z1's in stock for $1395.00 and it appears to be legit. And you if buy the ND-BC1 camera at the same time, you pay only $75.00 more. Otherwise, the camera by itself is $155.00. Wow, what a bargain! Oh, and these are stated as factory new not refurbished. Give them a call and see what you think.

Here is the link: http://www.theelectronicdealers.com/

Good Luck!

Well I'm glad to hear that it is being monitored by Pioneer. Now if we could only get a senior tech to commit to chat sessions maybe one night per week to answer our questions and listen to our comments. Is there any way to add a live chat session to this website, or is that not an option with The411Forums.com Network?

I know this is all wishful thinking but I would be highly interested in hearing first hand what's in store for the future of the Z series nav units and where better to get that information than straight from the horse's mouth.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great contributors on this site who offer invaluable information, but a little insider information once in awhile would be nice.

Nice pic pnanda,

I tried that location, near the rearview mirror but it still produced some echoing. I'm glad that it worked for you. Again, the drivers side trim pillar, above my head was the optimum location for inside my Ford Explorer.

I'm sure that cabin size, speaker locations, and basic vehicle acoustics all contribute differently amongst various types of vehicles, so what may work in some vehicles, may not work as well in others.

Your best bet is to call someone who has time to talk and move the mic around and adjust the volume accordingly until your caller hears you best and with no echo.

Godspeed All!

Does anyone own the GEX-P5700 or GEX-P6400 TV Tuner? I am interested in buying a TV tuner but I wanted some input first as to the reception and the functionality of these TV tuners. Do they work very well and are they worth the money?

Also, what are the differences between these two models and are there any other models out ther that will work with the Z1?

It seems to me that a representative should be continuously monitoring this website to better their navigational products

Instead of having people calling them constantly with complaints and suggestions, why not head off these calls by reading this forum and taking suggestions from here. Then they can go back to their proverbial drawing board and correct the bugs and shortcomings until they perfect their navigational products.

As an avid boater, I use C-MAP software on my Raymarine chatplotter to navigate my boat I can tell you that a rep from C-MAP, which is a marine navigation company, constantly monitors the C-Map forum and continually keeps C-MAP users up to date with new advancements and offers suggestions and solutions to common problems.

We need someone like this from Pioneer Electronics to monitor AVIC411.com

Does anybody know someone in the R&D department for Pioneer's mobile navigation division who can maybe contact them and recommend that they begin monitoring this site? If not, I will be more than happy to start contacting people at Pioneer until I get one of their reps to become a member of AVIC411 and start monitoring this site. I just don't want to step on anyone's toes here but I can be pretty pursuasive when Iwant to be. I look forward to everyone's feedback on this suggestion

Cheers,

OSUV

Okay, now you got me started...

Pioneer has a lot of work to do in the way of navagation for the Z1. In a word, it sucks. The problem you mentioned is a big one, another one is it's ETA, its terrible! And the inability to locate many rural addresses is frustrating to me as a real estate appraiser.

Oh, and today, it wanted to route me 10 miles South only to turn me back North for the purpose of getting me started on a major highway instead of just cutting me over on a rural road to hook me up to the road I needed to be on. I would have lost 10 minutes in driving time if I followed the Z1's recommended route. It's a good thing that I knew the area.

Maybe the problem is that Tele Atlas is based out of Europe. Maybe they should stick to European navigation and leave US navigation to US based companies like DeLorme or NavRoute, both of whom are, in my humble opinion, superior in US navigation to that of Tele Atlas.

After owning my AVIC-Z1 for only 2 weeks, I have to say that I am just NOT happy with its navigation. But now I own it, so I guess I just have to live with it's sortcomings. Hopefully, future updates will correct these problems.

From Pioneer's website:

Stay Tuned to the Digital-Quality Sound On-board: SIRIUS Satellite Radio

Enjoy SIRIUS Satellite Radio on board! In conjunction with Pioneer “SAT Radio Ready†headunits, the SIR-PNR2 offers crisp, digital-quality sound from over 120 channels — including 65 channels for commercial-free music and more than 50 for sports (NFL, NBA, NHL games and others), news, and a wide array of entertainment programs.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio also boasts stable signal transmission to tuners. Three powerful SIRIUS satellites fly directly over the U.S. at high elevation angles, ensuring coast-to-coast coverage. The satellites' “clear line of sight†keeps drivers tuned to the selected channels without obstruction from buildings or trees.

The SIR-PNR2 is a SIRIUS Digital Satellite Tuner for use with Pioneer "SAT Radio Ready†Headunits and AV Receivers. Features IP-Bus Input and Output, Single-Pole Sirius Antenna included, and 1-year Warranty.

New features for this model include:

Game Alert: Prompts when your favorite teams are playing at start of game and when scores

Game Zone: Lists your favorite teams' scores

By the way, I bought my SIR-PNR2 brand new for $6.00 + $7.90 shipping for a total of $13.90. What a bargain huh?

I find myself using the voice recognition more and more each day as I learn what the Nav can and cannot understand. I used voice recognition a lot when I used Co-pilot GPS on my laptop before buying the Z1.

The hard drive is another huge plus. It's nice that I can pop in a new CD and the Z1 starts recording, labeling and organizing all the songs while I'm listening to that CD. And now I never need to put that CD in my Z1 again. It's now all on the hard drive. And I can select by album, song, artist, genre or most played. Essentially I have a jukebox on wheels with all of MY favorite music and no longer need to carry my bulky CD case with me.

Cheers,

Kevin

I guess reception was not the best word. Sound clarity is more of what I mean. For some reason, Sirius just sounds so much better to me on the Z1 than XM does. Maybe it's just because I like the music/channel selection better on Sirius than I do on XM.

I have read from others on this site as well that they think Sirius sounds better on their Z1s too. But like you said about opinions...and I certainly respect yours.

One thing I do like better about XM is their integration of channel logo/icons on the Z1. It blows Sirius away in that respect.

But for live sports, XM can't compete.

Cheers,

Kevin

You don't have time to wait on the Z1. They're flying off the shelves and it appears that their pricing is going up because of low supply and high demand.

Just buy it and we'll help you through it all. I never installed a car stereo in my life but installed the Z1 myself just 2 weeks ago. I did a litttle at a time.

I highly recommend buying a shop manual with wiring diagrams for your car. It will save you a ton of time and grief.

The metra harness is helpful and will save you about 15 minutes or so install time since you won't have to splice so many wires but probably will not cover all of your Z-1 wire hookups. I used part Metra harness and part splicing of wires. I hooked it all up myself and everything works just fine. You don't really need the Metra harness if you learn all of your radio wiring color codes, hence the need for a shop manual.

Cheers,

Kevin