N5 password problem, asking for a password I didn't set!

[civicious]

OK, here's the whole story. Just over a year ago (conveniently just long enough for the unit to be out of warranty), my truck got broken into and my Z3 got stolen. I had full coverage insurance, and they agreed to cover the damage to my truck (thieves actually tried to pry my door open with a crowbar before they gave up and broke the window) along with the cost of the radio. I told them that I didn't want another fixed-screen unit, as it was too obvious with the vehicle off, so they agreed to get me an N5. They sent out a mobile installer who installed the unit at my job (at the time, the service department at a Nissan dealership), and everything worked great. I still have the original receipt from them, along with all the paperwork and the card with the serial number and such.

 

I read over the manual, and saw the part about programming in a password; however, I thought to myself 'Man, that sounds like an awesome way to lock up my unit if I ever have to take it out or remove my battery', so I opted to NOT program in a password. I never, at ANY time, programmed a password into my N5.

 

Fast forward to about a week ago, and the screen stops opening all the way, and after a day or two of opening/closing really erratically, it sticks open. 'Great, now it's going to get stolen again just like the last one, and this time there's a big screen sticking out ABOVE my dash!'. I did a search on here for 'N5 screen stuck open' but didn't see anything, and somehow missed the sticky at the top of this forum, so I didn't have a clue what was going on. I decided to take the unit to the shop that my current dealership (I'm an electrical tech on high-end cars, ironically...no radios though!) uses to repair damaged factory radios, and they fixed it in a day. I picked it up from them this morning, and put it back in the truck.

 

Now, I should note here that I don't EVER use the navigation on the N5, it's a really crappy interface IMO and my iPhone works a LOT better for me. I didn't have the navigation disc that the unit was set up with (the 'west' disc), but I did have the still-unopened 'east' disc in my toolbox along with all the paperwork from when I got the unit. I powered up the radio and it immediately said 'please insert the appropriate disc' or something along those lines. I popped in the 'east' disc I had, and it processed for a few seconds before popping up and saying 'In which city were you born?'

 

WTF! I never put in any type of password! Oh well, I gave it a try and put in the city I was born. It said I was wrong. I tried entering the cities I grew up in, my current city, cities I have lived in in the past, 'I Don't Know', my email password, my forum password, my ATM pin number, my birthday - literally anything and everything I have EVER used as a password - and still no luck. My battery literally drained from cycling the key so many times to reset it.

 

Is it possible that the memory portion of the unit that stores the password is in the head unit instead of in the separate brain, and the shop that fixed my stereo just installed new internals? The serial number on the outside of the head unit is the same as on my original purchase card...

 

Now, I've looked around and seen that in order to reset the unit with a 'forgotten' password, it has to be sent back to Pioneer.

 

 

My question is, how much is Pioneer going to charge me for this, and how long of a turnaround time am I going to have? I do have my original receipts and whatnot, so this won't be a problem, except for one thing...

 

I roadrace sportbikes, and spend a very good bit of time driving around the southern U.S....I've got a race coming up in a couplea weeks, and I definitely do NOT want to make a 10-hour drive there and a 10-hour drive back with no radio!

 

If I'm going to have to spend MORE money to get this unit to work, or if it's going to take them 6 weeks or something, I'm probably just going to buy another unit - and it definitely will NOT be another Pioneer!

 

 

 

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate anyone's input and/or advice!

[Zermelo]

Well, I did read your whole post. Sounds like a crappy situation. I don't think you're going to get too many responses - simply because the N series is discontinued and dying out.

 

From what I hear Pioneers service is not too quick in turn-around and somewhat expensive.

 

Have you tried getting into the "Hidden Menu" on the N5?

[VBLUE42]

Last I heard the price they charge is 200 dollars for a password reset. Maybe you should track down the mobile installer that put the unit in. Maybe he entered the password. Regardless though, your either going to have to get that password or send it to Pioneer. There may be info on here that details a way around all of this but I cant say I remember seeing anything.