I tried the "flash your lights" thing to run all of the features and couldn't get it to work, then I noticed that as I was turning the lights on and off the screen wouldn't dim or get brighter...isn't it supposed to? TIA.

PS its in an '04 VW R32 and I had it put in at the local tweeter about a week ago.

In regards to your "flashing" issue, I would highly suggest getting DucatiBoy's circuit...it's an easy install and most importantly, IT WORKS!!!. My next question, did you do the install? If so, did you connect the illumination wire? If you connected it correctly, you may need to adjust the setting for night function. Read your manual and there is a place where you can change the night function to work automatically or remain in day mode all the time. Hope this helps.

bongus, thanks!

zaxonortesus, I think that tweeter didn't hook up your ILLUMINATION wire correctly if at all. I believe the setting that bongus talks about is AV (button) - AV SETTINGS - SYSTEM SETTINGS and there should be a NIGHT MODE and your choices are AUTOMATIC or DAY. But that only effects the map I think. I thought that it would still dim when you turned on the lights. I could be wrong though. Double check the night mode setting, but I think from the factory it comes AUTOMATIC and you would have had to turn it to DAY mode.

Generally 99 times out of 100, this problem is that the installer didn't hook up the orange/white ILL wire out of the Z1. My circuit will flash the lights for you, but I recommend finding the ILL wire in your vehicle and hooking the Z1 to it, or if you get my circuit hook my circuit to it so it automatically dims at night with the lights on.

Since you paid to have it installed, I would think you can go back to them and tell them they missed a wire in the install. If you really want to frost their cookies, you can email or PM brachoza:
http://avic411.com/forum/profile.php?mo ... file&u=747
He knows the location of more vehicle wiring than anyone I have seen (or he has a really good data base at his fingertips). He seems like a very nice guy willing to help people find wires like this. Then you can tell the intaller where to find the wire they missed.

thanks for the help guys, I pulled out the z1 and connected the ILL wire myself now it dims, but still the flash thing doesn't work, so I think that one of these days I'll be ordering Ducatiboy's circut, it looks really well done, thanks again everyone!

zaxonortesus said:

thanks for the help guys, I pulled out the z1 and connected the ILL wire myself now it dims, but still the flash thing doesn't work, so I think that one of these days I'll be ordering Ducatiboy's circut, it looks really well done, thanks again everyone!

If it dims the radio when you turn on the lights, then you just need to work on your timing.

When you turn the car on, wait till you see the "starting pioneer navigation" text screen. During that screen the Z1 needs to see a transition in the lights, either from off to on or on to off.

So turn on car, wait till you see that screen, turn lights on, wait a second or 2, turn lights off.

or

Turn on car, turn on lights immediately, wait till you see that screen, turn lights off.

Either way works. It's just a timing thing now.

I've been trying and my timing must be off because I cant get it to work... does the E-brake need to be on or off? or does it matter? Thanks a ton, you guys are a great help.

ducatiboy said:

Generally 99 times out of 100, this problem is that the installer didn't hook up the orange/white ILL wire out of the Z1. My circuit will flash the lights for you, but I recommend finding the ILL wire in your vehicle and hooking the Z1 to it, or if you get my circuit hook my circuit to it so it automatically dims at night with the lights on.

When I had my Z1 installed at Futureshop, free install when I purchased the Z1, they asked me if I wanted the ILL wire hooked up and told me by hooking it up you could burn up the rest of the illumination circuit because of the added load from the new headunit. I was going to argue that the factory headunit was probably a bigger load, but told them don't bother wiring it up. I only told them this because I had Ducatiboy's flasher circuit on order and I was going to have to re-wire it anyways.

I highly doubt if you wire your ILL to the proper wire on the Z1 there is any risk to the rest of the circuit.

In the end, I ended up cutting out every butt-splice they used and soldered it all together. I am a big fan of the soldering gun.