Aftermarket GPS navigation (Pioneer AVIC-N1) with pics

[djltoronto]

Thought I'd share some pics of what a Pioneer AVIC-N1 looks like in a Mazda 3.

I know I was concerned about how well it would integrate into the dash, and weather or not it would stick out far beyond the dash (I have seen these decks in Cavaliers and they usually stick out about 1" from the dash and block all the heater controls)

I am TOTALY impressed with how well it looks and works, even with the GPS sensor hidden underneath the center dash cover, I am still able to connect to 7 of 8 parallel satellites.

The Metra dash kit actually looks pretty good, and the two additional pockets it adds are quite useful. (headbang)

Enough with the rambling (yawn) ... Here are some pics from multiple angles!!!

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9558/img08121qv.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5047/img08134vs.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5191/img08140ah.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5140/img08158sq.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4812/img08167fn.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4175/img08176ae.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4420/img08187yk.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/874/img08199bk.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2381/img08208qr.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/8136/img08210cr.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/603/img08227am.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/1908/img08224kb.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4714/img08237xk.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2725/img08244pv.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9665/img08251iv.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2866/img08269vk.jpg

[solid_snake]

nice, and it costs the same as the factory one which does not hav the other goodies such as the gauges, DVD, etc)

[tsunami]

very nice... the only thing i don't like is the how the pocket looks where our oem display is... the pocket underneath the unit looks nice and the dash kits does look good, but that c/f look alike stirp and that lil pocket just stand out...

great job though, and i am impressed you could fit that underneath the center dash piece, very nice indeed...

[romecandleboy]

That's a sweet setup !!! - I'm too cheap so I went with a Garmin Streetpilot
c-320 for around $400 (touchscreen and everything + portability) .
btw, great pics.

[ChopstickHero]

wow, that looks really great. must be nice to have all that room in your dash!

[DeanSweet]

Kick looks awesome! :)



heck, I'd love to be able to see the back of my head unit... and I wish my vents were that high above the din slots... be curious how the control box is gunna feel being under that much heat?

-Dean

[ZoomVT]

i dont know much about this head unit so i wasnt to ask you a couple fo questions. First i assume you lost your wheel controls, right? Is that a touch screen? You do lose your 6-disc changer but you have sat radio right?
how much did it cost?

[djltoronto]

i dont know much about this head unit so i wasnt to ask you a couple fo questions. First i assume you lost your wheel controls, right? Is that a touch screen? You do lose your 6-disc changer but you have sat radio right?
how much did it cost?

1. Steering wheel controls are gone for now, but can be fixed using a PAC SWI-X (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-A0jH63LPJFo/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=118900&I=127SWIX)

2. Yes, it's touch screen, (part of the reason I love it so much)

3. I never had a 6 disk changer, but yes, if I had one I would have had to sacrifice it for this to fit where it is. Although I can now play MP3's, so a disk changer is not really required since I can fit so many MP3's on a single disk. Actually, I can make a DVD full of MP3's 8 gigs of music on a single disk.

4. SAT radio is a direct connect option, which I don't have yet. Still debating if it will be worth it for me.

5. They are expensive, but worth it in my opinion. plus I got a hell of deal.

[ZoomVT]

very cool. thanks for the answers. i still didnt get a price, lets just put it this way, what is the cost at retail?

[djltoronto]

very cool. thanks for the answers. i still didnt get a price, lets just put it this way, what is the cost at retail?
$2499.99 at futureshop and Bestbuy here in Canada

[djltoronto]

very cool. thanks for the answers. i still didnt get a price, lets just put it this way, what is the cost at retail?
$1999.99 at bustbuy.com

[ChopstickHero]

about $1000usd on ebay!

[ZoomVT]

ebays price is more reasonable. 2500??? that would be madness. i think im just going to stick to my carputer.

[tsunami]

ebays price is more reasonable. 2500??? that would be madness. i think im just going to stick to my carputer.


carputer is the way to go, if you have the time to devote to building and installing it... you can add your own gps, have almost an unlimited supply of music, and add sat radio, plus how cool is it to browse the 3forum while in your 3??? hehehe...

[ZoomVT]

yeah im already saving for it, hopefully i;'ll have it by then end of the winter.

[tsunami]

my plan is to save for wheels/tires and exhaust... i needed to stop spendin money on the entertainment and spend money on the perf...

[ZoomVT]

my plan is to save for wheels/tires and exhaust... i needed to stop spendin money on the entertainment and spend money on the perf...

yeah tru dat. i am a software engineer though so having a carputer its like having a performance mod. lol
depending on the mileage i may just get the finds from the carputer and out it towards the turbo. I would really like to have the carputer though and then do it Pimp My Ride style with screens on the headrests and a PS3 in the glove box.
oh im drooling

[tsunami]

hahaha... nice ps3's are goin to be bad ass, i am already lookin at possibly gettin one of those and not an exhaust when they come out... prob goin to be 400+ for the ps3.. oh man... drooolage for sure..

[ChopstickHero]

my buddy works at EA games and he has the xbox360 and early PS3 to work on... he says go Xbox360 ... for now. although he said the PS3 looks promising!

[ZoomVT]

yeah you cant go wrong with either one. they are both top notch

[Guinnessman]

How difficult was the installation?

[djltoronto]

How difficult was the installation?
Surprisingly simple.

Same wires as any other aftermarket head unit, with the addition of a parking brake wire. The standalone computer and GPS antenna fit nicely without any modification to the dash.

The "extra accessories" (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/album/0,,2076_2007714,00.html) could add some complexity to the installation.
Rear view camera
Voice command
Rear screen
Additional inputs
Traffic module
etc...

[Guinnessman]

Surprisingly simple.

Same wires as any other aftermarket head unit, with the addition of a parking brake wire. The standalone computer and GPS antenna fit nicely without any modification to the dash.

The "extra accessories" (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/album/0,,2076_2007714,00.html) could add some complexity to the installation.
Rear view camera
Voice command
Rear screen
Additional inputs
Traffic module
etc...

Why did you have to wire the parking brake light? You know I was thinking about getting some kind of an aftermarket unit in my mazda, so I looked up some photos of different HU and just hated the way they looked but your Pioneer looks flawless. So I am looking for a similar unit, now I understand that there is a new one out on the market AVIC-2N. What are the differences between the two, and do you know if the dementions are the same? Finally did you need any other accessories other than a standard harness and the dash adapter?

........alright, I think that's it :-) Thanks for all the info!!! (cheers)

[geomatics_tech]

Very nice.


I have 2 $80.000 GPS systems I use at work.

[djltoronto]

Why did you have to wire the parking brake light? You know I was thinking about getting some kind of an aftermarket unit in my mazda, so I looked up some photos of different HU and just hated the way they looked but your Pioneer looks flawless. So I am looking for a similar unit, now I understand that there is a new one out on the market AVIC-2N. What are the differences between the two, and do you know if the dementions are the same? Finally did you need any other accessories other than a standard harness and the dash adapter?

........alright, I think that's it :-) Thanks for all the info!!! (cheers)

The parking brake wire is a safety so that the unit can not display movies on the front screen while driving. (This can easily be bypassed by connecting this wire to ground so it thinks you’re always parked). It also prevents you from entering navigation info while driving. (screwy)

The AVIC-N2 is 100% identical to the N1 in all physical aspects. The N2 uses updated firmware. There are a few minor differences, and a few MAJOR differences.

The Minor differences are slightly larger touch screen buttons on the N2, and the clock is always in the same place on all screens (N2). On the N1, the clock is on one side during navigation, and the other side when on the music screens.

AVIC-N1's can be upgraded to the N2 with the N2 software dvds, but there is one HUGE, poorly documented drawback. (there are forums full of AVIC-N1 owners that upgraded to N2 and are PISSED cause you can't revert back without sending the unit to Pioneer to have it "reset" (firmware stripped).

I considered buying the N2 software so I could have 2005 maps (instead of 2004), but the MAJOR difference is that the N2 does not rely on the parking brake wire as a safety. instead, it uses the GPS and gyroscopes to determine motion and goes into safe mode if the vehicle is moving more than a 5 mph. The reason this feature bothers me so much is because in this "safe mode", inputs to the navigation can not be made. basically, to be safe, Pioneer recommends that you stop the vehicle, plan your route, and then drive.
For me, I almost always have a passenger who is capable of mapping out a route while I'm driving.

Because of this "safety enhancement” I prefer the N1 software over the N2, not cause I like to watch movies while driving, but cause I do like to enter new destinations and search for points of interest while driving. (the rear display “optional accessory” is always enabled on both models). These decks are pretty powerful… You can be navigating on the front screen while listening to XM radio on the front while playing a DVD on an external rear screen – all simultaneously.
Both units have 100% identical features.
In fact, if you go to www.avic-n1.com, you will see that all the features and specs are the same as www.avic-n2.com.

And no, no additional accessories were required other than the harness and dash kit.

[ChopstickHero]

The parking brake wire is a safety so that the unit can not display movies on the front screen while driving. (This can easily be bypassed by connecting this wire to ground so it thinks you’re always parked). It also prevents you from entering navigation info while driving. (screwy)

The AVIC-N2 is 100% identical to the N1 in all physical aspects. The N2 uses updated firmware. There are a few minor differences, and a few MAJOR differences.

The Minor differences are slightly larger touch screen buttons on the N2, and the clock is always in the same place on all screens (N2). On the N1, the clock is on one side during navigation, and the other side when on the music screens.

AVIC-N1's can be upgraded to the N2 with the N2 software dvds, but there is one HUGE, poorly documented drawback. (there are forums full of AVIC-N1 owners that upgraded to N2 and are PISSED cause you can't revert back without sending the unit to Pioneer to have it "reset" (firmware stripped).

I considered buying the N2 software so I could have 2005 maps (instead of 2004), but the MAJOR difference is that the N2 does not rely on the parking brake wire as a safety. instead, it uses the GPS and gyroscopes to determine motion and goes into safe mode if the vehicle is moving more than a 5 mph. The reason this feature bothers me so much is because in this "safe mode", inputs to the navigation can not be made. basically, to be safe, Pioneer recommends that you stop the vehicle, plan your route, and then drive.
For me, I almost always have a passenger who is capable of mapping out a route while I'm driving.

Because of this "safety enhancement” I prefer the N1 software over the N2, not cause I like to watch movies while driving, but cause I do like to enter new destinations and search for points of interest while driving. (the rear display “optional accessory” is always enabled on both models). These decks are pretty powerful… You can be navigating on the front screen while listening to XM radio on the front while playing a DVD on an external rear screen – all simultaneously.
Both units have 100% identical features.
In fact, if you go to www.avic-n1.com (http://www.avic-n1.com), you will see that all the features and specs are the same as www.avic-n2.com (http://www.avic-n2.com).

And no, no additional accessories were required other than the harness and dash kit.

I agree, what's the point of navigation if you can't navigate while driving?! I've googled for a solution to the lockout, and found a forum where people have found bypass solutions to overcome this. it involves some soldering for the avic-n2 and only a wire tap for the avic-d1. however, the avic-n2 solution will probably result in voided warranty. apparently the avic-d1 wire tap can be reversible.

[ssinstaller]

Too bypass the video lockout, flip the screen over and remove the silver sticker. You'll see two contacts marked R197, just connect them with a drop of solder and your done. .

[djltoronto]

Too bypass the video lockout, flip the screen over and remove the silver sticker. You'll see two contacts marked R197, just connect them with a drop of solder and your done. .

That sounds too easy...
Is this confirmed?

I saw I guy selling "Instruction to unlock AVIC-N2" on ebay...
Maybe this is what he was selling!!

[MaZDuH 3]

Honestly, I really like the stock look to the 3 interior. I even like the lcd display. I was wondering if you can use this kind of setup when installing aftermarket gps/dvd:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAZDA-3-DVD-GPS-Screen-DASH-INSTALL-MOUNT-KIT-Mazda3_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33646QQitemZ8005 402133QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD10V
?
I like that setup also because I still get to keep all my controls as they are.

Also, where can I go to look at/buy the mazda gps? I like the way the stock one looks with the screen tucked into the dash, but I couldnt find it as an accessory on the site.

[Guinnessman]

Honestly, I really like the stock look to the 3 interior. I even like the lcd display. I was wondering if you can use this kind of setup when installing aftermarket gps/dvd:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAZDA-3-DVD-GPS-Screen-DASH-INSTALL-MOUNT-KIT-Mazda3_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33646QQitemZ8005 402133QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD10V
?
I like that setup also because I still get to keep all my controls as they are.

Also, where can I go to look at/buy the mazda gps? I like the way the stock one looks with the screen tucked into the dash, but I couldnt find it as an accessory on the site.

Before I got the idea from djltorontoof for getting the pioneer unit. I thougth about getting the stock GPS since I didn't want to replace the stock radio or mount some aftermarket GPS. The aftermarket GPS doesn't look right with all the wires hanging around, so I looked for mazda's orignal stock GPS...can't find it anywhere! I even called the dealer to find out if I could buy one from them, the guy I talked to said he doesn't even have any and MAYBE he could order one from mazda but it would cost me a lot. they didn't even have mazda 3 with navigation in stock!!! This is a huge 5 star dealership we're talking about and they don't have a car with navigation installed already!!! Well, anyways if you find one somewhere, let me know. I think i'm gonna go with the pioneer anyways. It sound like jltorontods knows what he's talking about and he's got pictures to prove it! Pioneer GPS unit is a winner.

[MaZDuH 3]

Before I started caring about GPS I read somewhere that the stock was hard to get and even harder to install...

But I do have 2 other questions:

1) Is it possible to just get the piece that the monitor fits into for the stock GPS and mount another monitor? Cause I was thinking of maybe setting up a carputer, and just mount my own monitor.

2) Would it be possible to set up everything using that piece from ebay and still being able to use stock controls?

[ssinstaller]

That sounds too easy...
Is this confirmed?

I saw I guy selling "Instruction to unlock AVIC-N2" on ebay...
Maybe this is what he was selling!!

I've done it twice already. It's very simple, but it is a little tricky as the contacts are very small.

[BrianG]

Before I started caring about GPS I read somewhere that the stock was hard to get and even harder to install...

But I do have 2 other questions:

1) Is it possible to just get the piece that the monitor fits into for the stock GPS and mount another monitor? Cause I was thinking of maybe setting up a carputer, and just mount my own monitor.

2) Would it be possible to set up everything using that piece from ebay and still being able to use stock controls?

I don't have the answers to your questions (although I'd call the dealership to see if you can get the part you need), but I tend to be leary about putting something like a computer screen right under a dark panel that is in direct sunlight. I know the stock GPS display goes there, but I still don't like it. Does the stock setup have some sort of heat shield or something?

[MaZDuH 3]

After doing some research, I am thinking that I am going to go with the Pioneer AVIC-N2. I was contemplating building a carputer but then I thought about all the time and effort and realized that for $1250 the pioneer isnt bad at all, and it doesnt rely on my skill (or lack there of) to build. My plans were just to use it for gps, dvd, and possibly upload my itunes anyway, but the pioneer does it all in one(minus itunes, but has an ipod adapter), and would probably consume less power, which was a concern of mine. I also think that if I went the carputer way I would have spent alot more also. Im not downing the carputer, I just think for what I am looking for, the carputer isnt the way to go.


I still have 2 questions:
Can I set up the AVIC-N2 using this piece while still keeping my stock controls? Cause Im not going to use it for music really, unless I connect my ipod to it possibly.


Also, in djltoronto's pic i saw him put the main chassis where I want to put the Monitor (under the dash piece). Would it fit in the glove box?
Dimensions (Main Chassis) 7" x 2" x 6-1/2". I dont know the specs of the glove box :(

[MaZDuH 3]

Is it me or does the same kind of piece at mazdaspeed suck?

And its more expensive...

[djltoronto]

After doing some research, I am thinking that I am going to go with the Pioneer AVIC-N2. I was contemplating building a carputer but then I thought about all the time and effort and realized that for $1250 the pioneer isnt bad at all, and it doesnt rely on my skill (or lack there of) to build. My plans were just to use it for gps, dvd, and possibly upload my itunes anyway, but the pioneer does it all in one(minus itunes, but has an ipod adapter), and would probably consume less power, which was a concern of mine. I also think that if I went the carputer way I would have spent alot more also. Im not downing the carputer, I just think for what I am looking for, the carputer isnt the way to go.


I still have 2 questions:
Can I set up the AVIC-N2 using this piece while still keeping my stock controls? Cause Im not going to use it for music really, unless I connect my ipod to it possibly.


Also, in djltoronto's pic i saw him put the main chassis where I want to put the Monitor (under the dash piece). Would it fit in the glove box?
Dimensions (Main Chassis) 7" x 2" x 6-1/2". I dont know the specs of the glove box :(

Our glove box is HUGE, so it should be easy to mount the hide away computer there with a little creativity from the installer (custom brackets).

Using the stock audio system for radio and CD's, and then the pioneer unit for navigation and DVD's might be quite a challenge. I'm assuming you would want to use the same speakers for both? You would need to figure out a way to have an aux input into the stock deck, and switch to that mode whenever you want to use any audio features of the pioneer unit.

You'd be sacrificing the guidance voicovers which are softly spken in a female voice.

Perhaps a high quality RF modulator would make it all work. I'm not a fan of RF modulators though.