the box you'll need to go with the avic is about 100 bucks.... they are for any pioneer, so if you dont like the chance of selling it is fairly decent!
this wa a ROYAL pain but its finished. I wouldnt recommend this job w/o a dremel and cutting disk. The NAV bezel had to be cut a lot just to get the AVIC-D3 to come through properly. Ill get better pics tomorrow when there is more light out.
The factory head unit (which includes the 6-disc in-dash changer) was removed, and the Pioneer unit was installed in its place. The Avic is a complete head unit.did u had to take out the 6 CD changer? or is it behind the GPS system?
You guys have to come up to this decade. Seriously...CD's are going the way of the cassette. I'm 42...and made the move to a portable MP3 player to house all of my music...6 years ago. Went to an Ipod 2 years ago ONLY because of the avic. Having 10 songs or so per CD vs literally 50,000 songs AND some movies, music videos, etc..on an IPOD the size of 1/2 of a CD. You make the call. CD changers are 10 years ago.
What a great thread!
I am picking up my new 02 LS this weekend and I was going to install the Alpine IVA-W205, instead of the Pioneer.
One of the techs at Crutchfield told me that they are the same size and that I shouldn't have any problems, as long as I can get the nav bezel.
My question is;
Has anyone installed the Alpine IVA-W205 in their LS?
I have an 05 ultimate with the THX navi. Will all my speakers work properly like they do now if I upgrade to this? Is there a way to hook up all the speakers to the pioneer and has anyone done it?
I've gone almost full circle.
Recently upgraded to the Avic F900BT.
Initial notes: Easy upgrade from the D3, as the wiring harnesses are the exact same. For the video in motion bypass, you have to move the mute wire in the harness to another location (simple), and the GPS antenna connector ends need to be swapped from the D3 over to the F900's. (again..simple..requires the use of a small pick or jewel flathead screwdriver and takes all of 5 mins.)
Cons so far: -Unlike the D3, you cannot customize the background..just the initial splash screen. So your background is always a drab black. ugh.
-Unlike the D3, you cannot control the phone/bluetooth volume from the volume knob, you have to use an touch onscreen + and - that appear when a phone call is active. This onscreen + and - menu block out some of the lower portion of the Nav screen while a call is active. Ugh.
I'll note more pros and cons as I go along. So far, I'm content with the upgrade, but not OVERWHELMINGLY excited about it. If it werent for the voice recognition (works very well, and useful once you get used to it) and the much improved Ipod interface that actually allows you to scroll through the music in a reasonable fashion (unlike the D3), I'd probably hesitate on going from the D3 with its larger screen..and more stable platform.
Stay tuned
3 days so far. There are definitely some pros to the unit..dont get me wrong. I'll give a more balanced report as the days go on. One significant pro? The F series uses Windows software..which the guys over at avic411.com have already hacked to do..just about any and everything including adding redlight and speed camera icons and warnings to the maps