Pioneer AVIC-D1 Navigation system with DVD-ROM, CD player, radio and LCD

Seriously Useless

By prlomtevas  Dec 29, 2005 | 3 out of 5 found this Pioneer AVIC-D1 review helpful

Pros: All-in-one ability at everything (the jack of all trades)

Cons: Cannot fulfill its prime function (the master of none)

This device cannot finds its way around. There is a programming flaw in the map disks. The programmers assumed that each street or avenue was unique witin each town. So, if you live on 123 Main Street in Elkins, Maryland, the avic d1 will always loc...ate and navigate to that spot. However, if you live on Broadway in New York City, the avic d1 assumes that there is only one Broadway (Manhattan). So, if you live on Broadway in Queens (Elmhurst), the avic d1 will never find its way. There is only one 106th Street (in Astoria), and the snippet of Beltagh Avenue to the west of the Wantaug Parkway cannot be found. The unit even approximates addresses so getting lost is a breeze. The unit is safe to go to Parsons, West Virginia, but dangerous to go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This makes the unit useless as to its prime function- that of "navigation". Calls to Pioneer lead nowhere. The techs were themselves astonished at the error in the disks. Also, the unit desplays the vehicle position in lakes and forests, and the "driver's view" is disabled. Otherwise, the backup camera is cool although it does not have the lines that aid in determining where the vehicle's wheels are going. The video playback is cool once you disable the safety screen which appears when the vehicle is moving. The sound is intriguing when coupled to serious amps and serious speakers. It really sounds good when the input voltages are set properly, and the flexible equalizer settings really make the best of all kinds of audio input (CD's, DVD's, MP3's, iPod and the rest). In the end, this is really a toy. It cannot find its way anywhere. The female voice sounds like that of a ticked off school principal. The buttons and the touch screen is virtually impossible to use. There is no way to find one's way into the setup screens. Clicking everything at random may help to locate a necessary function. There is a combination of buttons and on screen icons that is utterly baffling. And the disks that create the maps can get one seriously lost never to be heard from again. Avoid this thing. It's not worth destroying a perfectly good car to install and calibrate. Junk for $1,200. Read more Less