Sorry! I still don't have photos and I'm tied up installing a new Avic D1 in my wives Subaru this weekend. In short I highly advised installing yourself *IF* you think you are capable. A local shop wanted around $500 to install the Avic N-1 with XM module in the Crossfire.

Some quick advice, and I can provide more as you need it:

1) Return the N2 and find an N1. The local circuit city I was in yesterday had the N1 for $1499 and the N2 for $1999. Functionally they are the same unit. The big downside is the N2's gyro interlock to defeat the handbrake trick. This also kills your using DVD audio creator for making MP3 DVD's. I've got about 40-46 mp3 CD"s on a single layer, haven't tried a double yet.

If an IPOD interface is what you MUST have, get the AVH5700 instead. Starts out around $800, w/o Nav and w/o Vehicle Dynamics. Nav will run you another $800ish. Upside: TWO drives, so you can keep the Nav DVD loaded while playing CD's, MUCH better IPOD display. The AVIC families compatibility with the IPOD interface is pathetic. Downside: On screen interface appears slightly lower resolution, not sure on brake/gyro interlock operation.

2) Placement... wiring this is NOT too bad. There is an access panel under the carpeting on the passenger side. Pull the floormat out and pull the carpet from he foot well back to the seat. Remove the styrofoam "cushion" and then pull the three screws from the metal access plate. That "hinges" back towards you and down.

In the back you'll see a metal support that the top most nut went on for the access plate. I have the AVIC brain and XM tuner module stacked on top of that. Play with you positioning, between the metal frame and some double sided tape on the support, you can get a great mounting position.

3) Wiring...

Tail light lead - I have never bothered to connect it, however it's simple enough to run the wire back around the dash, behind the driver footwell carpet, under the crossfire door panels, behind the back wall carpeting, through an access hole, and under the trunk carpeting to the brakelight. I never back up for large distances, so not really concerned about it. In all honesty I forgot to do it when hooking everything up, and haven't been bothered enough to spend the hour pulling everything back apart.

Handbrake lead - On N1 you can defeat this with simple wiring. You do so at your own risk. Be an adult, don't go watching a DVD while driving. That would be a moron.... I think we're all assuming that with a $30K plus car and $2K worth of stereo, the owner would be an adult. Of course driving past the local highschool last week has reset that view for. Side-note: Who are these parents!?!?

Oh side note: on the N2, D1, and AVH5700 there is this defeat for the handbrake trick. Pioneer wants to see the handbrake start OFF then go on. People on the 12volt forum have discussed using an added switch to provide this defeat without always have to pull the brake. I'm wondering if a 555 timer IC wired with a relay IC would do the trick. IE: timer waits 20 (?) seconds after car is started and then closes the relay which grounds the lead. *Shrug* I have an N1, haven't been bothed to play with that thought.

Speed pulse - You are right on top of it, it is connected to the amplifier and on the hinged access panel. You have plenty of room to snap the vampire tap onto it. I forget the exact color right now. There is another thread with a GREAT diagram in jpg or gif format with the wiring diagram. If you can't find it let me know.

Speakers - Since you have the audio harness, know that the Crossfire ONLY uses the front left and right leads of the harness. They go to the factory amp. You can cap off, or pull out the rear speakers leads from the harness. Be sure in the amp to adjust the fader full front.

You have two choices... either go with the speaker out, or the pre-amp out from the crossfire. At first I did the "right" thing and hooked up the front left and right pre-amp outs to the factory harness. The thing was too quiet at full volume. I've since reconnected the speaker outs to the factory harness to restore a "normal" volume. Yes I know this is amping and already amped signal and could damage the factory amp. I'll live with that if it happens and replace the amp with one that puts out a sufficient volume. I didn't want to go through the hassle of connecting all the speakers directly to the headunit, or finding a sufficiently cool space with enough air circulation to mount a new amp. I cheated here.

Antennas. So my directions above for how to route the break lead. The rear carpet can be lifted from the bottom up. Rig some paperclips, or use some needle nose pliers to loosen the big round plastic screw heads with the two dots. Then by hand remove them. You can lift the carpet enough to put the leads down through. I popped the gaskets around the bars behind the driver and passenger and routed one antenna under the passenger bar, and the other under the driver bar. With the top up and the tree cover of spring/summer I still have plenty of reception on both XM and GPS. Added bonus, you can't see the antennas from he outside.


Hope that helps get you started....
-Ed