Hey guys,

Haven't been on the forums in a while but with the release of the Z2, my interest has been sparked again.

I've been scanning the threads for a few days and wanted to compile a thread of known information regarding AVIC-Z2 bypass attempts and results. From what I've been able to gather here's where we stand right now:

AVIC-Z1 - bypassed with 2 wire trick

AVIC-Z2 - no known bypass as of now

AVIC-Z2 hard drive in AVIC-Z1 with 2 wire trick - Not bypassed

AVIC-Z2 hard drive in AVIC-Z1 with headlight flash trick - Not bypassed

AVIC-Z1 hard drive in AVIC-Z2 with 2 wire trick - Bypassed

Based on the above it seems that the bypass is software based, not firmware, is this assumption correct?

On another thread I noticed that a member had replaced one suspect file on the Z2 with the same file from the Z1, but the final results were not in yet.

So, now, brainstorming:

I dont have a Z2, but anyone who does could we get some hires pictures of the unit?

If you feel around the stickers is there any empty areas underneath those stickers in which a button may exist? (like an earlier Pioneer bypass, dont remember the model #)

Any additional pins in the harnass?

Any other trial-and-error scenarios that I can add to this thread?

yes it is definitely software, not firmware.

hey edrock. i just wanted to let you know i have torn apart a Z1 and Z2 completely. The hard drive does not store the OS. there is a seperate flash memory module NEXT to the HDD. you can only get to it by removing the back heatsink, the top cover, and taking out the DVD drive assy. there are about 5 ribbon cables to unhook. I took a flash memory module (FMM) out of my Z1 and put it in a Z2 and the bypass worked. Im unsure about having to swap the HDD, but its probably a good idea since all the nav files are on it. The only problem then is the upgrades from the Z2 wont work. We need to figure a way to get the software off a Z1 and Z2 FMM and see what pioneer changed in either a registry file or some other "rules" file for lack of a better word. The only other thing i can think of is clone a bunch of Z1 HDD and order a Z1 FMM from Pioneer (if they still make em). Keep up the good work everybody!!!