hi, im looking to get my z1 installed soon and i want to do the security bypass. however, after talking to some audio stores around my area, they have told me a couple of things. one place told me that even after the bypass, i will have to flick my brake lights on 3x. and if i didn't want that, i would have to pay 150 for them to get the part so i wouldn't have to. is the bypass module needed? they are going for 50 bucks on ebay and i was wondering if that is what i needed or not:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=

there seems to be 3 different kinds on ebay as well. and how much of a difference does it make depending on what model mine is. after july or before july. thanks for the help guys. this is the best forum i have ever been apart of.

[/url]

they are full of it. dont do it. just ask them to ground the parking brake wire which is light green and to insert and ground the secret wire. thats it. everything else depending on the manufacture date you can do from software in the front of the unit.

also, who are you getting the z1 from since not many available anywhere right now

hey. im getting it from a friend that no longer wants his *shrug* he hasn't even put it in his car. so it's practically brand new in box. so ok. all i have to do is just tell my installer that? what is the secret wire? could you give me a step by step? that way when i go to him (or probably another person now) i can just tell them. hey u need to do this. thanks guys

yes you need to search. but heres the link eventually you would get

http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.htmlhttp://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html

Actually in that ebay list this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0076200083

Is mine.

I don't really sell them anymore because you don't really need them anymore, but I keep paying to put up auctions to keep the information "free". Old units build June 06 and before can use the circuit but most people will update the Z1 with the bluetooth update CD to bring it up to an october unit and then you just need to follow my directions on the web site tillithz posted. It's not too hard.

hey DB. so i don't need the thing from ebay correct? but i was reading the post about if i upgrade the bluetooth, i will lose my bypass? something along those lines. can you make that more clear to me? and how do i know if my z1 is before july or after oct? thanks

hey DB. so i don't need the thing from ebay correct? but i was reading the post about if i upgrade the bluetooth, i will lose my bypass? something along those lines. can you make that more clear to me? and how do i know if my z1 is before july or after oct? thanks

Technically no body NEEDS to buy anything from ebay or anywhere to bypass the unit. Any seller that has a switch or something for the Z1 is either a scammer or doesn't know the Z1 well enough.

Ok, Z1 history for those who can't find it or haven't been around....

Pre-July units required you to flash your headlights ONCE during startup. So I made a circuit that would tell the Z1 that you flashed your headlights. That's what I sell on ebay. All the other boxes and things are something that will tell the Z1 you flashed your headlights. That worked great until...

Come July, Pioneer made a change to the Z1's software. Now units were not bypassable via flashing the lights, so my circuit (or anyones circuit no longer worked). The difference was only determined by the manufacture date on the unit or the box. No visual difference in the Z1's screens. It took a little while but we/I figured out how to bypass these July and newer ones, and that's the 2 wire ground or the 07/06 bypass listed on the bottom of my site: http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html (that tillithz posted).

Now come October. Pioneer was working on a fix to the bluetooth function to get rid of the echo that callers heard when using it. It seems that they updated the software on the Z1's coming from the factory around that time. They also created an update CD. This was given to installers and reps. It was not "released" to the public. It was leaked to the public and posted on this forum. It's downloadable and installable. Only recently have people been reporting that they called Pioneer and they were mailed the update CD. These units are also bypassed by the 07/06 bypass.

If you take a Pre-July unit and put that update CD in there. It will fix the bluetooth problems and change the way you do the bypass. If you have a flasher circuit it won't work anymore and you will have to do the 07/06 bypass. If you put this into a July - October unit, it will update the bluetooth functions. But the bypass doesn't change cause those were already doing the 07/06 bypass. If you put this disk into an Oct and newer unit it will tell you the update has already been applied.

So you can bypass any Z1 with the new 2 wire ground (07/06) method. Some need to be updated with the CD before this will work.

Jaytrey,

Again, I'm offering to help you out over the phone and with no long distance charges to you. I know your vehicle very well so just call me when you get the Z1 installed and I'll walk you through the by-pass over the phone. In 15- 20 minutes you will have the by-pass completed, you'll have the bluetooth fix and you will not need to install anything.

Don't make this hard on yourself. Its a simple modification. The Explorer face pops on and off really easily so even after your Z1 is installed, you can gain access to it and do the by-pass yourself for free. Just tell your installer not to cut the wires of the AVIC-Z1 harness too short during install so that you can have future access to the rear of the Z1 as required. And also, tell him to skip grounding the parking brake and just coil up the green wire and set it aside.

And one more bit of advice. Check the manufactured date of your Z1 and document it somewhere handy before having it installed. I'll need to know this date to determine whether or not you'll need to download the latest update for the bluetooth fix and by-pass.

Cheers,

Kevin

419-722-2103

suggestion: just install it, and if it needs the update, then get it. but get the thing working as it should, then install the bypass as if its a new unit.. then update if needed.

Well said tillithz,

My point exactly.