Hi i acquired a AVIC-z2 from a friend that didn't like it. I am crazy about this thing especially the no cd mountain in my car any more. thanks to this site i was able to attempt the bypass to use the dvd and some navi functions. i am a tinkerer a would like instructions on how to do more.i have a external hard drive. i read about a emulator and stuff. i would like to jump in and find ways to contribute

Aside from free updates, there's not a whole lot more tinkering you can do with this unit.

We've been looking for ways to change/upgrade/hack the unit for years with no luck.

how about that upgrade maps and stuff

i am trying to download the update on the map. but to no avail it just stay stagnant and show infinite time to download. any help here

yeah, I gave up on trying to download and just sent my harddrive to Garrett Toomey, paid him $50 and he took care of it for me. See his post for upgrades.