I know some of you have this model navi in your cars. There is this quest you can go on, if you dare, to upgrade the Z1 unit. It takes a while but the end result is turning your Z1 into a Z2 with new maps and features, also has 12 mil POI instead of 9. After a few hours I got it working perfectly. this is a great alternative because you cant find the 250.00 upgrade DVD anywhere, resellers are out of stock. You have to spend some money on cracking the drive lock and be computer savy because performing all the tasks is beyond novice computer experice, but its really worth it IMO.

now i have custom boot up screens with no Pioneer logos, and custom splash screens for music and navigation, plus after grounding 2 wire the unit is unlocked completely while driving. no more flashing my lights. You can also change HDD size and upgrade to a more speedier drive if you get the extra drive. I just used the current one because size hasnt been an issue for me.

 

nice Christian I have the Z1 but I don't think I'll be upgrading anytime soon. Hope you and your wife are doing well, haven't seen you guys in awhile

EDIT: BTW have you noticed the maps being better with the nav on the Z2? I have had a few problems with the directions on the Z1

 

if interested here are the instructions
http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9446


we are good, she is due in 3 weeks though.. so shes ready to get that part over with.


to be honest with you I have not driven my car since I did the upgrade because of the weather. I just sat in it and played around with the interface some. as soon as i have a chance to drive it somewhere when the weather is nice i will let you know if there is an improvement.

 

Nice mod! Time for a how-to write up! =D
Any tricks you know of for the D series?

 

here would be my instructions for a write up.

step 1. get your "friend" who knows about computers and buy him\her dinner.
step 2. Con him into helping you and pray he doesnt ruin your navi system.






since I dont own a D series , I have never looked at the D mods that are out, but sure enough you can find them on Avic411.com

 

Is the search function as poor on the Z2 as the Z1? I have a shat load of songs on my iPod and the only way to search is starting with "A" showing 5 or 6 artists on the screen and pressing the down arrow. Should I want to get to the T's it can take many many presses of the down arrow. I find this silly in this day and age that there isn't a fast forward type function. This is also dangerous to continually be looking at the screen while driving. I emailed Pioneer and unfortunately this is how it is. An update fixing this would be fantastic, as this is the only problem with this unit for me.

 

this should enable you to use your scroll wheel on the ipod to select songs instead of the slow interface on the HU.



1. Turn on the ignition while the iPod is not connected to the CD-IB100II.
2. Turn on / wake up the iPod and return it to the main menu. Stop playback if music is currently playing.
3. Press and hold the Play/Pause button on the clickwheel. Wait for a second*, and plug the dock connector cable into the iPod right before the screen backlight fades to black. Release the Play/Pause button.

If successful, the iPod's screen will remain off**. Now press Menu button on the clickwheel to wake the iPod. You'll see the "Safe to Disconnect" screen scroll away and returns iPod to the main menu. Now you can use the iPod's clickwheel to select songs / playlists / videos (I wish you wouldn't while driving) / EQ settings, while allowing the iPod be controlled by the headunit.

If the iPod is left connected to the CD-IB100II, you will not have to repeat the above steps at each ignition-on cycle: the clickwheel control will be retained until you unplug the iPod.

*The exact timing may be difficult to grasp, especially if the iPod has been sitting for a while and needs to load files off the internal hard drive. I find more success when plugging in the cable right before the backlight on the iPod begin to fade. If the iPod comes back on displaying the Pioneer logo, and the clickwheel is inactive, unplug the iPod and repeat step 2 & 3. There is no need to cycle the ignition.