Hey guys,

Almost a year ago, I got a Pioneer 3200DVD and the U220 GPS module. A few months into it, I started having video problems when viewing the GPS unit. The problems are shown in the video, video scrambling and dropouts. While the video is blank, I can still operate the GPS unit through the touchscreen if I know where to click.

I sent the U220 to Pioneer and it was returned with repair code NTF (no trouble found). I was really annoyed by this and just left the unit disconnected in the glove box for months. Finally, I decided to try it again and it worked for about half an hour then started up again. So I took the video below and plan to send the whole thing: head unit, GPS unit, and cable to Pioneer this weekend along with a letter and SD card with the video in the unit so they can see the problem themselves.

Has anyone else ever seen or heard of this before?

Video at: http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=fbxmv5&s=7

Got an email from Bestec Electronics asking for my sales invoice. My guess is it's going to be a warranty replacement of the head unit. Yay, me.

Lesson for today: Don't buy Pioneer equipment from an unauthorized dealer.

I got an email from Pioneer saying the service on my U220 was on hold. When I called them, they said they wouldn't honor the warranty, but they'd "evaluate" it for a $70 bench fee. The funny thing about this is that the U220 was previously shipped to them and they tested it out and returned it NTF (no trouble found). The difference this time? I had send the sales invoice to Bestec and now they knew where I bought it from, which is not a place they recognize as a dealer. I told them to send it back; I didn't think that's where the trouble was anyway.

Part two: I call Bestec and ask for a status update on the head unit. They say Pioneer has refused the warranty on that as well (bought from a different online vendor). So I say, send it back. Here's the thing, he says. Because Pioneer is not warranting the device, I have to pay to have it shipped back - $30. That's almost 3 times what it cost to ship it out there. I sure hope I get my connector cable back.

So, all in all, I have a head unit that won't work with the U220 and I'm out about $50. On the plus side, I'm sure I saved more than that by buying from unauthorized vendors. I'll probably Ebay the U220 and get a little back for it. Life lessons can be rough sometimes, but no sense in going ballistic over the whole thing.