Hey all,

Anyone have any experience with the AVIC D-3? Toughts and opinions?

Im having one installed tomorrow.

Thanks

 

i installed one a few weeks ago, so far so good. make sure you do the bypass or have them do it.

although i heard the navigation wasnt to good, it has been spot on the 3 times i used it.

only thing i hate about it is the single slot dvd which means no cd music when using the navigation unless you have an ipod.

 

linjy2- how slow is the processing of the unit? often times with aftermarket GPS units i find the things are just way too dang slow.

 

Linjy2 what do you mean when you say make sure you do the Bypass i am looking to have one install for $850 is that a good price

 

i dont really have anything to compare with since this is my first nav unit. i would say it is pretty quick in routing the destination you type in. 3-4 sec? i also read this was one of the better units with fast and good ipod interface. does ipod video also. but i dont own a ipod yet to test.

The bypass allows you to watch dvd movies and access additional function of the navigation while you are driving. It is illegal to have these features while driving, but most shop will do the bypass for you. Without the bypass you can only work the navigation and watch movies while in park.

links to do the bypass.
http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtop...ghlight=bypass
http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtop...ghlight=bypass

link where i bought my avid d3 for $699.99 -> $714.94 shipped to me.
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Pioneer-A...k=searchViewed

$850 is a decent price for supporting your local shops, but they might charge you additional fee for wire harness and double din dash kit, if it is not included.

 

i had the unit installed saturday. the navigation is very intuitive, and seems to be on point. while you do need to switch Cd's and navi disks in order to utilize the navi, i think the D3 is the best value for the price.

i cant find any issues with it. the gauges that show accelleration, lateral G's, etc. are pretty fun to screw around with.

 

I've been debating for months whether to get it or not.

Redsc400, do you have any pictures of the unit installed? Any decent install kit out there?

 

i can take pictures soon, and post them. however, as you may know - it is "doubledin" which means that it fits rather perfectly into the SC300/400 stock nakimichi system's place. There is about 1/3 cm on either side of the unit, and about 1 inch below that you could easily fill with a custom cut piece of plastic molding. other than that 1 inch gap (easy to fill), it fits perfectly!

 

In for the pics......

 

i have one for about a month now and so far so good. the only thing annoying for me is that the navi operates by memory so when you're driving when playing music and you drive into area that aren't in the navi's memory, you then a get a useless map. load times are pretty quick, but changing cds for navi is quite a hassle. make sure you get them to hook up the nighttime setting because it doesn't come automatically, or can be set up manually. the look of this player once installed is amazing, i didn't even know that this is an aftermaket player, looks much better and cleaner than the motorized double dins. all in all, this a a super good player, the navi is good while still affordable. kenwood wanted me to spend another 1000 on top of the player for a navi system that isn't up to par.

^^ might get pics to see how it looked but it is awesome

 

not too bad if you want dirt cheap navi and don't care about video while you're driving

 

get a bypass switch for your e-brake (installed free from any quality car audio shop) and you can watch movies all day.

 

no need to. pull the sticker on the bottom of the unit off and flip the switch. then ground the brake switch. voila! you have movies all day

 

I have the avicd3 in my car...no complaints. I don't really care about the one cd/dvd slot. I added XM and ipod so I can still listen to music while navi disc is in.

 

The employee cost at Best Buy on the D3 is $666. Just to let anyone know that might want to get the unit so they have a ball park as to pricing. I dont put much stock in employee price but if you can get the unit for around that price you got a good deal anything cheaper and it might be somthing like the D2 a referburished one so keep an eye out.