I'll have to read over the manual again, but I remember something about the error message appearing everytime on power-up.

I may have mis-read that portion, but I'll go through it again.

 

Here is a new turn of events! The local stereo shop where I purchased the Pioneer was able to receive the Best Kits dash kit.

While I was there I explained a couple of problems I was having with the Pioneer where the Video input from the rear DVD player was having problems with the left channel and I had come to the conclusion the Pioneer's left audio channel input was defective. Another problem was the Sirius seems to have some compatibility issues with AVIC D1. The AVIC is more geared towards XM, but I chose Sirius. About 50% of the time upon startup, the Sirius input would not be recognized by the Pioneer. I would have to cycle the power on the Pioneer to obtain the Sirius option as it is automated. Also the presets would not label with the appropriate channel and instead would remain generic with "Preset x" and the only way to find out was to press the preset. We came to the conclusion the Pioneer unit is possibly not fully compatible with Sirius.

So, they were nice enough to exchange it for the Eclipse unit they have which is a little more expensive because it has the DVD player that doubles as the Nav DVD slot. The Eclipse works very well with the Sirius! Another benefit, when you ground the parking brake lead the Eclipse doesn't opt out the Nav or Video functions! No error messages like the Pioneer nor is the Eclipse as intelligent to eliminate nav functions while moving!

I'm definitely more satisfied with the Eclipse unit!

 

picture quality of the pioneer units are very poor. I went with the kenwood dvd 715 for 600$ off ebay which has a 7" screen and got the 4100 nav from ebay for 700$. i'm going to ripping my dash apart soon as my wife leaves, and will take some pictures of me installing the gps speed sensor wire.

 

Thanks for all the great info. I just purchased an '05 F250 4x4 King Ranch Crew Cab.
I also have a Pioneer AVIC-D1 on the way. After reading all of post, I'll be going to the local installer. Pau Hana, are you happy with the Pioneer? Viper has me second guessing. Although, Pioneer has the most bang for the buck.

No one has said anything about the steering wheel controls. Will they still work with the new unit?

 

I installed the SWI-X steering wheel control adapter and it works very well! I have the IR transmitter LED installed in the center console between the cup holders. I programmed all 4 buttons and so far so good.

The Pioneer unit is fine, just not what I was looking for because of the small differences which suited my preferences better. There are certain things the Pioneer is superior. Primarily I've noticed the Pioneer navigation system is more accurate and consistent compared to the Eclipse. Also, the Pioneer navi allows for phone number destination searches, where the Eclipse does not.

The Pioneer has a little more intelligence and will not allow you to modify destinations or view Video while moving regardless of any wiring manipulations where the Eclipse can be fooled. The Pioneer has more safeguards built in for driver safety.

 

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Thanks for the warm welcome, and quick replies. There is such a wealth of info. on this site it's great.

Going back to the Pioneer. You guys has talked about the E-brake needing to be set to program the Nav. You also said when set, the E-brake will send power to the unit letting it know the brake is set. What it you were to run the lead coming out of the HU to an uplifter switch instead of the brake. Then when you flip the swich the power is sent to the HU and it thinks the brake is set? Or is it a speed or movement thing?

Thanks again.

 

In order for the Pioneer to allow Nav destination functions or AV input viewing, the Parking brake lead wire needs to see a Ground while the vehicle is stationary. By supplying 12v, you will not release the safety portion of the Pioneer.

When I installed the Pioneer, I grounded the PB wire. This would create an error message when you first boot the Pioneer, but you just press the "OK" button to clear the message and then you will not see it again until you cycle the ignition.

By grounding the PB wire, once you came below 5mph the system will automatically allow Nav functions and AV viewing. When you exceed 5mph, the system will disable Nav adjustments and AV viewing.

If you connect the PB wire to the parking brake wire, the system will not allow Nav functions or AV viewing until you are stopped and apply the Parking Brake.

 

I finally have mine working pretty much all the way and am very happy with it so far. I connected the green parking brake wire from the AVIC to the correct PB lead (see previous posts) and it started working correctly after a few cycles. Not sure why it took a few cycles to make it behave, but now I never get the error message. Also, I disconnected the ACC lead from the ACC connection and wired it into upfitter switch #4 so now I can at least have some control over when the unit comes on. If I leave the switch up, the unit behaves just like it did before, except that it does not run unless the ignition switch is on the ON position. This is because of the limitations of the upfitter switches - they only supply power while the key is ON. The bad part about this is that you cannot just switch the key to ACC and program the AVIC at leisure. But the good part is that you can leave the upfitter switch in the OFF position and the AVIC will not do a double-cycle every time you start your truck. What I plan to do now is put a simple toggle switch on the ACC lead that will allow me to bypass the upfitter switch and power up the AVIC when the truck is not running. This will be used only for programming the unit, or just playing around with it, while the truck is not running. 98% of the time the bypass switch will be OFF, but it will at least be there when I need it.

I have not discovered any way to make the steering wheel controls work yet.

Overall I am very happy with the unit at this point. It seems to acquire satellites quickly and has no problem re-routing if I miss a turn. The in-dash installation came out very well and looks good, the AVIC screen is clear and bright, and the unit appears to have plenty of options. I am NOT using mine with an external radio source, so see above posts from Viper TT in regard to that. I'd be glad to answer any questions that I can.

 

I finally have mine working pretty much all the way and am very happy with it so far. I connected the green parking brake wire from the AVIC to the correct PB lead (see previous posts) and it started working correctly after a few cycles. Not sure why it took a few cycles to make it behave, but now I never get the error message. Also, I disconnected the ACC lead from the ACC connection and wired it into upfitter switch #4 so now I can at least have some control over when the unit comes on. If I leave the switch up, the unit behaves just like it did before, except that it does not run unless the ignition switch is on the ON position. This is because of the limitations of the upfitter switches - they only supply power while the key is ON. The bad part about this is that you cannot just switch the key to ACC and program the AVIC at leisure. But the good part is that you can leave the upfitter switch in the OFF position and the AVIC will not do a double-cycle every time you start your truck. What I plan to do now is put a simple toggle switch on the ACC lead that will allow me to bypass the upfitter switch and power up the AVIC when the truck is not running. This will be used only for programming the unit, or just playing around with it, while the truck is not running. 98% of the time the bypass switch will be OFF, but it will at least be there when I need it.

I have not discovered any way to make the steering wheel controls work yet.

Overall I am very happy with the unit at this point. It seems to acquire satellites quickly and has no problem re-routing if I miss a turn. The in-dash installation came out very well and looks good, the AVIC screen is clear and bright, and the unit appears to have plenty of options. I am NOT using mine with an external radio source, so see above posts from Viper TT in regard to that. I'd be glad to answer any questions that I can.

 

Pau Hana, thanks for the update. Viper mentioned a steering wheel control called the SWI-X. I found some info. on line, and the reviews were great. I went to an installer today. He had a real attitude when I told him the unit was in the mail. He told me people think they are saving money buying online, but they end up paying one way or another. Then he quoated me $375.00 to intall with an Ipod adaptor, he said he would have to make a custom bracket. He asked me what I paid for both units. When I told him and asked him if he would of been able to sell it for that price he said NO. So, I think I'll check out another shop.

Did you have any luck with the antenna on the dash? It would be better there then on the roof.

I'm also checking into a Bluetooth hands free phone kit. These kits will mute the radio and broadcast the call through the truck speakers. Do you have one of these or know anything good or bad about them? Anyway, your truck looks great. My unit will be here on Fri. Can't wait to get it up and running.

 

The antenna on the dash seems to work very well and I'd highly recommend you try that before going to all the trouble of routing it through to the roof. It was quick and easy and really doesn't look bad at all - I can post a picture if you like.

Don't know much about the mute function of your Bluetooth device, but there IS a mute connection on the AVIC for cell phones. As for putting the call through the truck speakers, I'm not sure how you would wire all of that in. As it is, there is quite a scramble of wires behind the AVIC now. I tried to minimize the mess by keeping splices short and zip-tieing everything to keep it neat, but still wound up with lots of wires. If one could find a custom cable with AVIC connector on one end and Ford connector on the other, it would certainly help.

Let us know how it goes when you start your installation. With the right harness kit and dash kit, and a lot of patience, the installation isn't really too very hard. I've probably had the front of my dash off at least 5 times to get it to where it is today, but each time I pull it off it just gets a little easier.

 

Viper, I don't want to hijack this thread but I am looking for some installation do's and don'ts for the Eclipse unit. I have a AVN5495 on it's way and I'm trying to do all my homework before it get's here. Can you offer any suggestions. What are the chances you have an electronic version of the installation manual?

 

I installed the AVN5435 and using the double din Best Kits dash kit that Pau found, it is a fairly easy install. I had to use some washers on the lower mounting points to space the lower out to sit even with the dash from top to bottom.

The only installation manual I have is the paper version.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

 

Just installed the AVIC D1 and I absolutely love it! Great features and the navigation works perfectly (so far). I had a factory navagation system in my 03 Honda Accord so I'm pretty used to how these systems work. I can tell you this the AVIC D1 works much better then the Honda. The only thing that really bugs me is the safety feature. You can not navigate to a different destination without engaging the emergency parking brake. So if your on the road driving and you want to find another address you have to pull over. Not so with my Honda and I know the AVIC N1 also.

One thing that does concern me is the "Wait to start" on the desiel. When you turn the key and wait to start the AVIC starts up then as you start the engine it of course shuts off then has to restart. I hope in the long run this doesn't mess up the electronics.

Everything else is fantastic. I highly recommend it. If you find a AVIC N1 I would consider it. Only draw back to the AVIC N1 and N2 is that in order to play a CD if you have to eject the DVD map disc. Not so with the AVIC D1 (has a seperate DVD map drive).