Please oh please let there be someone here who can help...

I recently received my new (to me) 2004 XF where a prior owner had installed a double DIN (I think that is the correct term) Nav/DVD/CD/Radio/satradio, etc, as well as an Alpine Amp (That thing will be a separate question).

I read the various manuals, and while I can handle the nav program (my husband thinks it's the Most Wonderful Thing In The World since he tends to be the reluctant map reader), and the radio plays quite nicely, I cannot play a single CD. If anyone here is familiar with this screen, all 'active' portions tend to be highlighted, and while the Music Library is highlighted, the CD portion is not, and whenever I try to play a CD, burned or not, the player will make a lovely 'thinking and reading' sound, then have the unreadable disc caption show up.

Does anyone have any ideas/hints/shortcuts as to what this could be and if I can fix it myself? And can this have anything to do with the fact that the Alpine Amp and the rear speakers also don't work? I hate to think that the whole system could be tanking, as this whole setup was professionally and expensively done.

Please help.

thanks

 

avic411.com

 

Thanks; I've checked that site and will go back on it again. I took the car to the local D-Tronics blasting-stereo-electronics shop (since according to Pioneer they are a distibutor), and they told me that the disc drive is toast. Also that whoever did the custom dash work broke all the clips, that he/she used a hot glue gun, yada yada. I still love this car, and frankly, it looks nice and neat to me.

Since the GPS, nav, rear view camera (which I will get installed by a friend of mine), etc, all work well, I am just going to get the Sirius back on the system (the prior owner decided to keep that account , even though it was advertised as part of the package) for the time being.

Has anyone ever had to deal with Pioneer itself for repairs? If I decided to get the disc drive fixed (highly doubtful it will be covered under any kind of warranty), would it be better to risk having the unit removed and sent to Pioneer, use a repair shop like this one listed on EBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=390019857401, or just put on my BigGirlPanties and get a whole new unit?

 

Never dealt with pioneer myself, but I've read some bad stories. They charge a lot, even if its covered by warranty, and usually update your software and/or clear your hard drive even if you ask them not to.

A lot of people didnt want the new software because it stops them from watching movies while driving, but when they sent it in to get something fixed pioneer updated the software anyways.

 

What?! NO MOVIES WHILE DRIVING! How are we going to live! Lord 'Amighty! How dare Pioneer force us to go back to reading books and papers while driving!

I had Pioneer service one of my units. It was prompt, professional, and reasonable.

I recommend reading the manual closely. The sub and external amps need to be turned on using options that are only available when the head unit is OFF. And of course the remote power switch lead (blue) needs to be connected.

If the disc is truly broken then you might want to go back to the seller and hit them up for both the bad CD player and the missing Sirius component (if it's missing and was to be included).

 

I wish I could track down the seller (I found the car thorugh a dealer, who took the car as a trade for a Honda S2000, but the seller was (in)famous on this website), and some of the advertised perks was the year subscription to Sirius as well as a great CD music system. The seller told the dealer that she was keeping the Sirius account due to some kind of ID theft mumbo-jumbo (I think she just transferred the account to the new car), and I think that the driver of the car ruined the CD player then decided to just try to add an IPOD doohickey to it.

Oh, yeah, the Homelink hand-held transmitter was also not included.

To be honest, I also could not understand the concept of watching a DVD while driving, so having a DVD player is not a big deal. I just thought that perhaps just having the CD player repaired would save me a decent amount of money since I do like the Nav system and having the GPS show my husband where the two of us are driving (he is so easily amused).

 

lol. well actually it does make a lot of sense.. for long trips the driver can drive while passengers watch a movie or something. The updated software also stops you from inputting a destination or finding a POI if you are going faster than 5 mph, which is pretty ridiculous considering i back out of my driveway faster than 5mph. Granted its there for protection so people don't get into accidents while typing or watching a movie, but it also stops the "smart" people who would enjoy it safely and practically.

If you can't watch a DVD while driving, whats the point of having one of these in your car? Going to sit in a parking lot and watch a movie? Why not just go home and watch it.. And making people pull to the side of the road to find a poi (something that takes maybe 2 pushes of a button)? The point of these devices is for when you are on the move otherwise they wouldnt even exist.


anyways.....

did you post on the forums that I linked you to? those guys know what they are talking about, I'm sure they can help out.

 

Actually, I had found and searched for hours through that site before coming back here, and found nada, other than trying to contact Pioneer and sending back the unit for repair.

I guess I'm at a point right now where the pluses of the unit (Nav unit that shows the car moving through roads thanks to the GPS and the fact that the installer (may have accidentally ) unplugged the 'safety' wire that prevents usage of the nav unit while driving; Sirius and XM setup on the sytem (I just have to get either one activated), outweigh the use of the CD player. I just hoped that there would be an alternative - some fancy hit-these-keys-in-this-order - or some software upgrade that would mean that I would not need to remove the unit from the console for outside repair or even need to buy and install an entire new unit.

(sheepish grin) I'm heading back to avic411 to ask questions.....

 

lol.
well at least you can plug a mp3 player into it.. I'm still searching for a way to do that on the OEM head unit. :-/

 

I did not read through the whole thread but we have two of those exact units. Thaey have worked well for several years but I did have to sent the first unit in about three years ago. Truthfully I don't remember how long it took but they did a great job and upgraded the unit to reflect the most recent bells and whistles. Call Pioneer and see if they can take care of it for you.

Greg