2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI AVIC-D3 install

[Bambego]

A few days ago I installed my Pioneer AVIC-D3 in my 2007 STI.

The whole process of installation didn’t take too long, just about 3 hours together with amps and subs. I forgot to take a pictures during the installation so I’m going to use some of the pictures from @whitej34 (hope you don’t mind). On the very beginning you need to know something, there is a different with installation between 05, 06, and 07 so that’s why I’m posting this for 2007 users. I have no idea why Subaru changed some stuff every year, well that’s how it is. Anyways……

 

First of all you can do the bypass for your unit, only if you want to.

1.Remove the yellow and black mute wire.

2. Place the Mute wire in the slot directly above where you removed it from.

3. Using a wire tap connect the mute wire to the ground.

4. Using the wire tap (that is already attached to the parking brake wire/green wire) attach it to the ground wire as well.

5. GROUND the BLACK WIRE

 

 

Now you can start the installation, you need to take off the plastic trim around your shifter (it’s snap in)

then will be two screws holding the plastic panel with your AC, fan etc. (3 knobs). After removing those screws you have to gently pull top of that trim, there is two clips holding the top (I use flat screw driver)

 

Now disconnect the wiring from those knobs and unscrew 6 screws, those are holding your radio in place, after you remove the radio unscrew the brackets from the old unit, you will need them, they are work perfectly with AVIC-D3.

It’s good to use the Subaru Wire Harness receiver

(I bought mine at CRUTCHFIELD for 12.99 and also they send me the mastersheet instruction, this is manual how to remove the door panel and change the speakers, it helps). The Navigation antenna I placed on the dashboard, removed the factory clock pod (4 clips) cut a little bit on the edge for the wire and that’s all.

 

To have the Navigation work you need to find three wires

#1. The Vehicle Speed Sense (VSS wire)

#2. Reverse signal

#3. Illumination

The VSS wire is very easy to find behind the speedometer. Best is to pull everything out. Here are instructions to do that:

VSS (Speed)- Behind gauge pod. Take out the two screws in the hood(above the speedometer). And then pull that plastic piece forward. Once the plastic is off you’ll see three screws. Remove those and the gauge pod can be pulled forward. You can turn the gauge pod to expose the harness you need. When facing the gauge pod, it’s the farthest to your right. The speed wire is green with a black stripe. (it’s dark green, only one wire with this color).

 

The reverse signal, you need to tap to the wire with reverse light. I taped to the reverse light wire inside the trunk, it's very easy. I tried to tap to the same wire like @whitej34 did in his 2005 STI, but in 2007 this wire is for something different. This wire has all the time power, so your signal is always HIGH, I had like that for a couple days and pissed me off, the nav was lost all the time, sometimes it showed me I drove reverse when I drove forward, lol. So I decided to tap to the wire in my tail light.

 

Illumination is the easiest part, I mean the harness what I bought has already wire in that spot so actually I connect it to the Nav illumination wire.

Well that’s all, then I put everything together and it works perfect

BEFORE

AFTER

 

Installation AVIC D-3 is not very hard to do. But in case of problems i hope this will help you a little bit. I do have a AVIV-D2 in my truck

and i like it better, my biggest problem with D-3 is:

you can't look for destination or search for address while you have a CD or DVD inside the unit. If you want to do stuff like that you need to put the DVD MAP disc to the unit, but beside that it's good stuff

[Dane186]

Finally someone else that keeps a fire extinguisher in their trunk.

[Bambego]

heh, yup i do keep it since one of my friends car caught on fire. i do have one inside too under the driver seat.