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Tonyrodz

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New HU is in! It's a Pioneer MVH-300EX. It's what they call a "multimedia receiver". It has just the things I want and nothing else: Big screen, fine-tunable button illumination color, radio, Bluetooth, aux input, USB, F/R/Sub RCA outputs, video RCA output, phone mic, 13-band EQ, backup cam capability, video capability from USB, etc. No CD/DVD, no nav, etc. I got the Axxess ASWC-1 steering wheel control adapter but I can't get it to work other than powering up and the LEDs flashing.

The Metra kit matches the dash plastic perfectly and is a really nice fit. It needed only minor tweaking. I still need to work on the top corners cuz the factory burlwood trim piece isn't sitting in all the way. Probably just need to do some minor clearancing with the Dremel.


Started by setting up a work area on a table I already had out for another project and pulled up the wiring diagram on the big screen:

View attachment 205558


Not gonna twist-n-tape this one! :

View attachment 205559


One down, at least a dozen more to go:

View attachment 205560


All connections soldered and heat-shrinked. Anyone that's ever dealt with these adapter interfaces knows they can be difficult to make into a clean harness because of all the directions the wires come and go. I applied my best logic... and plenty of Scotch Super 33+! The ASWC-1 is just sitting on top of the GMOS-LAN-01 (It may be a mis-labled 'LAN-02, though.) :

View attachment 205561


Aaaaand the money shot. I like how clean and simple it looks with minimal buttons. I still need to tweak EQ as well as the button color and brightness to perfectly match the mint green OEM color scheme:

View attachment 205562
Pioneer makes some great headunits. Just curious, what's the relay for?
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Also done during all this was possibly disabling the TPMS system. Mark (@Rocket Man) inadvertently disabled his while pulling fuses at or around the same time he was replacing the driver's door switch panel. We couldn't figure out what fuse(s), if any, had to do with the TPMS, but the warning light came back on months later after some stuff was being worked on. It was off again after the body shop had the doors opened up to replace the door handles and they disconnected the battery.

So, the consensus was that it had something to do with that switch panel and the battery being disconnected.

Yesterday, I popped the driver's switch panel off and unplugged all the wires from it except for the high power (big gauge) wires at the rearmost end of the panel. I turned the key to "on" for about 10 seconds to see if the warning light was off- it wasn't. I turned the key off and disconnected the battery for about 10 minutes. After reconnecting the battery, I turned the key "on" and saw that the warning light and message was off. I waited about 10 seconds then plugged all the wires back into the panel (left the key on) and snapped it back into place.

I know the system reads the tire pressure sensors after you've driven a little bit so I went for a short drive around the block, about 5-7 miles. After a few key on/off cycles, the light and warning message still hasn't returned. I don't drive this thing much so it may take a while to thoroughly test it, but so far it looks promising cuz the warning would come on immediately after startup.

Thanks to Mark for sharing his findings and for letting me pester him for the "exactly-how-and-when-did-you___" details.
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Pioneer makes some great headunits. Just curious, what's the relay for?

I've always been a Pioneer fan and was excited to see that there finally was an HU that had just what I wanted so I didn't have to pay for all this other stuff I didn't want, and it was a brand new model from Pioneer.

The relay is there for my blinker sound. The original radio produced an electronic "tick tick" (actually more like a "tock tock") through the driver's speaker. The Axxess interface just makes a relay click. It's close enough. I learned when I had this interface installed in my old wok van that the relay is barely audible when located behind the HU. But, if it's mounted to the dash shell inside there, the sound is amplified and changed some so it sounds deeper and more like a cross between the original sound and a traditional blinker relay instead of just a high-pitched "click click".

The warning/key in ignition tone sounds very much like the original one and it plays through the driver's speaker but it temporarily mutes music coming from my speaker to play it. If they made the blinker sound play through the speaker, you'd lose your music from the front left corner every time you had the blinker on- waiting to turn, changing lanes, etc. That'd get annoying.
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Nice looking unit!

Thank ya! I think so, too. After playing with it for a while, I'm realizing a few small features I'd like for it to have, but they're very minor and really not missed. It's one of those small things that I'd check the box for if I could custom-build an HU like one would order a sandwich from Which Wich. But I can't be greedy and I'm very content with what I got for $175.

I think my biggest gripe is the interface module I used. Yeah, everything "works", but it's just not as refined as OEM. The reverse parking sensor beep is weird, the volume increments are a bit strong and there's a slight "tick" in the left front speaker when interface powers up when the key is first turned on.

It's not enough for me to buy a different interface like a Maestro or something. I mean, the only reason I even did this project is because I already had the interface, the price of the HU and because I sold my OEM nav unit.
 

adventurenali92

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Thank ya! I think so, too. After playing with it for a while, I'm realizing a few small features I'd like for it to have, but they're very minor and really not missed. It's one of those small things that I'd check the box for if I could custom-build an HU like one would order a sandwich from Which Wich. But I can't be greedy and I'm very content with what I got for $175.

I think my biggest gripe is the interface module I used. Yeah, everything "works", but it's just not as refined as OEM. The reverse parking sensor beep is weird, the volume increments are a bit strong and there's a slight "tick" in the left front speaker when interface powers up when the key is first turned on.

It's not enough for me to buy a different interface like a Maestro or something. I mean, the only reason I even did this project is because I already had the interface, the price of the HU and because I sold my OEM nav unit.
Yeah there’s always a few things like that with aftermarket. I wish I would have gone with an Apple car play enabled HU, looking back..... but oh well. Lol. As long as it works then that’s all that matters!
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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Also done during all this was possibly disabling the TPMS system. Mark (@Rocket Man) inadvertently disabled his while pulling fuses at or around the same time he was replacing the driver's door switch panel. We couldn't figure out what fuse(s), if any, had to do with the TPMS, but the warning light came back on months later after some stuff was being worked on. It was off again after the body shop had the doors opened up to replace the door handles and they disconnected the battery.

So, the consensus was that it had something to do with that switch panel and the battery being disconnected.

Yesterday, I popped the driver's switch panel off and unplugged all the wires from it except for the high power (big gauge) wires at the rearmost end of the panel. I turned the key to "on" for about 10 seconds to see if the warning light was off- it wasn't. I turned the key off and disconnected the battery for about 10 minutes. After reconnecting the battery, I turned the key "on" and saw that the warning light and message was off. I waited about 10 seconds then plugged all the wires back into the panel (left the key on) and snapped it back into place.

I know the system reads the tire pressure sensors after you've driven a little bit so I went for a short drive around the block, about 5-7 miles. After a few key on/off cycles, the light and warning message still hasn't returned. I don't drive this thing much so it may take a while to thoroughly test it, but so far it looks promising cuz the warning would come on immediately after startup.

Thanks to Mark for sharing his findings and for letting me pester him for the "exactly-how-and-when-did-you___" details.


I'm disappointed to report that, about 5 miles into a 10 mile trip yesterday, the warning message and light is back on.

@Rocket Man, have you ever cycled through the tire pressure display with the DIC? I did during my test drive right after I did this and then again on my drive. I'm wondering if this prompts the computer to query the sensors and then it realizes they're not there. I'm gonna try disabling it again.
 

PoPoPPV

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That's a sweet unit. I am very impressed with your skills! I do NOT posses the knowledge or patience for that level of work! Indeed!

My daughter has a 2008 Jeep J/K Wrangler Sahara with the factory HU/GPS/XM and all the bells and whistles. About a year ago it took a dump and died. So we upgraded to the Pioneer AVH-4200NEX with the Maestro wiring harnesses to integrate steering wheel controls, console USB, and even gauges and vehicle info into the head unit.

It's very impressive!!

No... I did not do the install. :D
 
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iamdub

iamdub

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That's a sweet unit. I am very impressed with your skills! I do NOT posses the knowledge or patience for that level of work! Indeed!

My daughter has a 2008 Jeep J/K Wrangler Sahara with the factory HU/GPS/XM and all the bells and whistles. About a year ago it took a dump and died. So we upgraded to the Pioneer AVH-4200NEX with the Maestro wiring harnesses to integrate steering wheel controls, console USB, and even gauges and vehicle info into the head unit.

It's very impressive!!

No... I did not do the install. :D

Thank you!

It's all just matching wire colors and screwing in stuff, really. If I was in the market for that level of equipment, I'm pretty sure I would've gotten something from the NEX series. The guage and diagnostics feature is cool!

At least with your 2017, you won't have to worry about upgrading your infotainment system.
 

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