doubledee715 Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Hello guys, first poster here. Have a 2003 f250 superduty I will be putting an avic-d3 in soon and have one general question. I post on a lot of powerstroke forums and a lot of newbies will ask about how well the powerstroke motor is and what years/models to avoid. That's what my question is for you all except regarding the d3. Obviously most of these threads in this forum have to do with issues people are having and looking for fixes. My question for you regulars is: is the d3 a hit or miss unit? Are problems with these units common? From this first page it looks like there are a lot of issues but I know nothing about the history of the unit and looking for some input from more of you experienced guys/gals. thanks for any input/opinions you all can offer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whtcrxghst Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 I would say installer/user error leads to 90% of the issues if not more, as you can probably see by the number of questions on this board that are answered in the manual that people don't bother to read Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HiFiSi Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 A lot of the "issues" that you're reading about on this site are just people trying to do something they don't know how to do. There's not really much that's wrong with the D3, it's just that some of the features are a bit less refined than in more expensive units. Like the nav routing is a bit daft at times compared to a dedicated GPS unit. And if you're going to be using the navigation all the time you're going to want to get an external audio source, like an ipod, XM, or Sirius radio. Other than that, it's perfect for the price IMO. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doubledee715 Posted December 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 great. thanks for the replies guys. If any others care to chime in I'd appreciate it. I'm sure I'll be back for more questions in the future once I purchase the d3. lookin' forward to it. I'll probably watch a movie most of the time anyways and I'm a guy so I have too much pride to ask for directions I'll just use the nav when necessary. lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MisFit Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 this site does make it seem like there are a lot of problems with the d3. but of all the units we've installed i only had one that had an actual problem that needed to be repaired. these thing really never come back. alot of people really shouldnt be doing their own installs. and a lot of them just chose the wrong installer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RED903L Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 ...some of the features are a bit less refined than in more expensive units. Like the nav routing is a bit daft at times compared to a dedicated GPS unit. And if you're going to be using the navigation all the time you're going to want to get an external audio source, like an ipod, XM, or Sirius radio. Other than that, it's perfect for the price IMO. Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this Q&A session.. The wife & I will be touring the country in our truck and camper, and we'll be relying on the NAV unit quite extensively....so my question is: Just how bad is the NAV unit?? The most frequent complaint I've seem is that the routing selection to a location can get a little bizarre....and lengthy. Also your recommendation to get an external audio source if the the NAV unit is going to be used extensively....can you elaborate a little more on the reason why? Thanks........ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VBLUE42 Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Because you have to have the nav disk in the drive to use the nav features. You can store the current route in MEMORY NAV but if you choose to edit the route you will need to insert the nav disk. Thats why it is a DVD nav unit. So if your listening to a cd or watching a DVD movie you will need to eject those disk and insert the nav disk. Your best bet is to get a video capable ipod and just use that. Also if your traveling the country I would never rely on just one source for nav routing. You might want to print your various routes through MAP QUEST or GOOGLE MAPS just in case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HiFiSi Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 ^ That's pretty much everything I was gonna say. Thanks for doin' the work for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knight20 Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Although there are some issues with routing, the D3 should still get you to where you want to go, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HiFiSi Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Oh, yeah, it's not like it's gonna take you to the completely wrong destination. It's just that on occasion the route it provides you with isn't always the most efficient one to get you where you're going. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doubledee715 Posted December 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 more great info guys. thanks so much. really glad I found forums to find the truths on expensive products before I buy them. you guys are great. take care and I'll be sure to post pics when it's all done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VBLUE42 Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 My experience with routeing issues has been in very rual areas. You know, like places that still don't have cable tv or high speed net. In metro areas though and cites it has always been spot on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whtcrxghst Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Agreed, mine is almost always perfect, but I live near three major cities so I imagine they spent some time/$ on this area My experience with routeing issues has been in very rual areas. You know, like places that still don't have cable tv or high speed net. In metro areas though and cites it has always been spot on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Master Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 I don't know about you guys, but my GPS kept taking me through the local street instead of routing me on a major highway. (No that option is not checked) I only had it for a couple of days, but GPS in this unit sucks. And who was the genies that put NY and NJ in two different zones. Have they ever heard of Tri-State area? GPS takes you to where you want to go, but does horrible job in providing the most efficient rout. Everything else works great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ Hellfire Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 And who was the genies that put NY and NJ in two different zones. Have they ever heard of Tri-State area? Hell yeah! I was trying to type in my wifes job address (she works for Pfizer in Manhatten) and I am wondering why the only 42nd streets coming up were in DC and Va. Then I noticed that NY was in a different zone than Jersey which is idiotic! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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