I just got the AVIC D3. After the install I tried to change some of the normal settings, time, background settings....The options aren't highlighted. Only one or two of the options are working. Any suggestions?

Your unit needs to be bypassed. Go to the hacks/mods: D-series board and read the three or four topics about the bypass at the top of the page.

I followed the steps in the bypass. Double and triple checked to make sure all the connections are right, but nothing has changed. Half the setting menu is faded out. What did I do wrong?

I don't know WHAT you did wrong, but I can tell you that you did indeed do something wrong, or else those options would not be greyed out. I'm also willing to bet that if you stuck a DVD movie in there that it wouldn't play the video from it.

Three things needed for the bypass:

1 - ground the green parking brake wire

2 - ground the black/yellow mute wire

3 - relocate that black/yellow mute wire to the empty slot adjacent to it on the AV wiring harness. MAKE SURE IT IS SEATED IN THE HARNESS FIRMLY AND PROPERLY.

If you do all 3 of those things correctly, the bypass is 100% guaranteed to work.

Here is exactly what I did. Could it be that my unit is a refurbished unit from Pioneer and not new out of the box?

I also noticed that when I pulled the back of the HU out, the MUTE wire wasn't connected to any thing. I was just sitting there. After moving the pin and grounding it, it should be a complete circute right?

Yes. BTW those tap-in connectors are crap... Sometimes they don't pierce the wire all the way and don't make a good connection. I usually tie each wire into a good chassis bolt or screw to make sure the ground is good.

Do yourself a favor and buy a soldiering gun/iron

In case you havent soldiered before... (Do this in your house at the dinner table with something under you to protect the table so you dont piss off your woman/mom whatever the case may be)

Strip back just enough of the insulation on the wire youre tapping into that you can wrap/twist the other wire around it. Don't cut the wire, leave it intact just push back the insulation. Use a razor blade to cut the insulation. It makes a clean cut in the insulation and it wont accidently cut the wire. Put the soldiering iron/gun against the twisted together wires and with your 3rd hand (LMAO) push the soldier into the wire (not against the soldiering iron) if it doesnt start to melt after a few seconds just wait a little bit til its hotter and try again. With electronics you have to worry about too much heat going into the components but when youre just soldiering wire you dont really have to worry. Just dont melt the insulation on the wires too much. If after a few tries you cant get the soldier to melt and the wire is feeling really hot you can touch the soldier on the iron just a bit to get it started but as soon as it starts to melt move it over and push it into the wire and dont let it pool on the iron tip. Its not very hard and it'll make a much better/reliable connection. You can pick up a soldiering iron at radio shack or whatever pretty cheap. You can also get some heat shrink tubing there to put on the wires after you soldier them. If you dont want to mess with the shink tube then just use electric tape.

Those connectors you have there work (sometimes) but they are absolutely crap. You should throw them away.

Most electical issues for me is like trying to do quantum physics, I just don't have to skill to work w/ it. I can follow directions better than the average bear, so I'll try to soldering iron in the morning when I get home from the station.

On a side note, I noticed that the intaller at Best Buy extended the ground wire comming out of the D3. I'm assuming for the amp I have in the trunk, but I'm not 100% sure. Could it be a bad ground causing the problem or would the HU not work at alll if it was?