Need Advice - Are Pioneer Head Units really bad?

[cornerbax]

Ok, here's the scoop. Don't want to bore anyone but i'm really getting frustrated at this point so I am hoping to get some help. Long story short, I have saved up for a system for a while. Ended up getting kicker amps, 4 channel/sub amps, kicker speakers/subs.

Went with the Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD after reading tons of reviews on several units and spending hours researching different units in my price range. I didn't really care about nav as I have a Garmin installed in my sunglass holder I use when I need which works great.

Anyway, I get my AVH-P3100 installed by guys who have been in biz over 15 years near me. I bought the unit through them. Everything was fine...for 2 days...that's when I started getting this high pitch engine noise during acceleration or any engine rev. It was really annoying. I've read this is can be a common issue with grounding, etc.

I also noticed when this engine noise started that my bluetooth was very distorted, crackling and full of static. The place I bought it from immediately talked about how "PIONEER" units are so much of a headache with this type of "engine/alternator whine" and that I would of been better off going with Kenwood or Pioneer with aftermarket amps. GEE, thanks for telling me AFTER THE FACT!! Anyway, I have gone OUT OF MY WAY because I searched that the resistors could of given out and that seems to be common with Pioneer HU's so I took it on for repair. They did replace the resistors as the article I read stated...so I thought I was good to go.

They get a brand new bluetooth as well at this place thinking the BT may of been bad. So I figure i'm gonna be good. Have a repaired Head Unit that I just GOT 2 weeks ago, and a brand new bluetooth. They go to install it and I have the SAME, EXACT PROBLEM! Same crackling of the bluetooth, same bluetooth distortion and same ENGINE WHINE! Once again, these guys are talking about how I should of gone with "KENWOOD OR ALPINE"....I've kept my cool thus far but im really pissed right now.

I feel I went way out of my way in not asking for a brand new unit on the spot and I took this unit 20 mins out of my way to get reapired to begin with, and went o pick it up! Not to mention had to go back each time for the uninstall and re-install...and I didn't ***** once...but now I'm really upset and am wondering how I should go about this.

These guys clearly havent' fixed the issue and whatever the repair shop "fixed" obviously wasn't the problem. Even if it was suggested here I should go with Kenwood or Alpine, I wouldn't want to go back to this shop....

Anyone have any thoughts, advice or suggestions on this? Any input would be really appreciated...especially at this point.

[RastaMan]

There is nothing wrong with Pioneer head units, it's when you start hot swapping RCAs is when you run the risk of problems. If you plug in RCAs while the radio has power supplied to it, you have the potential of blowing this tiny fuse in the head unit, and when that fuse blows, alternator whine trickles in.

There is a way to ground the jackets of the RCAs to get rid of the problem, but I would make them replace the unit. Every installer I know, knows about this problem and avoids it very easily.

[cornerbax]

RastaMan,


that is funny you mentioned that man because before I went in this morning I told this guys about this issue you mentioned. I found a post that said on Pioneer HU'S their resistors hold some type of "slight charge" and I told him that this may be what caused the problem but he refused to agree. He said that shouldn't make any difference...regardless, he said he will plug the RCA's in LAST this time...he did and I have the SAME problem.

So what I'm saying is I took the unit in ALREADY FOR repair and apparently they fixed this internal mini fuse...the guy plugged the RCAs in last, and I still have the issue.

So you think the UNIT itself should just be REPLACED entirely vs. taking it back to the same Repair shop?

Also, could this issue with the unit also be causing so much of the bluetooth noise/static/distortion i'm all of a sudden getting?

[RastaMan]

Plug the RCA's in first, BEFORE you hook it up to the 12v power source. Hooking them up last will cause the problem.

[cornerbax]

Rastaman,


I think I wrote that wrong...what you said is exactly what someone else said and I printed out the doc and showed to the guy. He said he did it that way, meaning the power "LAST"....the article said to do it that way b/c on the Pioneer HU's the reistors hold some kind of "CHARGE".....

so basically what i'ms aying is he did do it that way, plugging the power in last and I still have the same, exact issue. I'm gonna see about getting a new unit so at least that can be ruled out entirely.

I appreciate your input man...what do you think about the BLUETOOTH issues i'm having though.....are those related?

[killa101]

I hope you didn't pay for the repair. If you bought it from a shop you would have a 1 year warranty on it through Pioneer...

See if you can get a new head unit or get that one repaired again. If all else fails you can do it like the way in the link below....
http://bcae1.com/images/rca/temporar...eldrepair.html

I would also do what you said and make sure it is the head unit. You can have similar noise from having a bad ground.

[Xtremepayne]

I had noise before from not having a good ground. Sometimes it can be tough to find a good ground on some vehicles. It took me several times before I found a good spot.

[cornerbax]

guys, I really appreciate all the INPUT....this is a great learning experience for me. The RCA grounding they tried last time it helped minimize the noise, but it was still there and that is a temporary fix.

As far as the repair goes...no, I definitely didn't pay for it....the shop covered it all under my 1 year warranty -- parts and labor...it just really sucks to get this unit back and I have the SAME, exact, ISSUE!

As far as grounding goes, this tech claims he tried "SEVERAL" grounds with my "repaired" unit...and the same thing! I have a 2007 Dodge Charger, btw. Any ideas on how I could test whether the ground is the issue without testing for grounds in the car?

My whole thing is, to go through this whole thing "again" get a new unit and have the SAME issue is just more of a waste of time...if it turns out with the same problem. I thought I had read somewhere the ground could be "bench tested" somehow to see if that's what it is.....is there a way for that?

[drozzy]

Originally Posted by cornerbax Any ideas on how I could test whether the ground is the issue without testing for grounds in the car?

I suck at troubleshooting, but... how about you swap the 3100DVD for another Pioneer unit and drive around to see if you still hear the whining noise? Or even with any other HU?!?

If you do, then check every single grounding point.

If you don't, well... (insert any derogatory comment towards the shop here)

[cornerbax]

Drozzy,


thanks for the suggestion and advice. Here is the most current scoop. I took my car back and talked to the owner of the shop. He was with me on the issue and realized he'd be pissed too. Basically they ran a ground from the positive on the battery to the unit direct...something like that...and it still had the noise.

Here is the thing though....the Noise is NOT really that loud. I've read where engine noise can be very loud and annoying.....only at ZERO volume can I really hear it...it is a high pitch whine...but with any kind of volume on, I don't hear it at all. The guy was saying his truck has 3x more whine then my car and it isn't really a big deal. If that's the case, I'm perfectly fine with it. The unit sounds GREAT and I love the functions of it.

I just don't know if I should go with the mentality of "live with it"....but since it isn't apparently screwing anything else up...i'm wondering what the general consensus would be at this point?

Also, a heads up on the bluetooth....apparently my phone needed a software upgrade as my friend paired their phone and there was NO STATIC present....i'm also gonna upgrade with a laptop tomorrow the software of the bluetooth module itself...so I think i'm good with the Bluetooth part..and that issue was totally seperate from the high pitch light whine.

I guess at this point as I said, i'm just wondering whether I should live with this or look into it further...any thoughts?

[drozzy]

Originally Posted by cornerbax Drozzy, Here is the thing....the Noise is NOT really that loud. only at ZERO volume can I really hear it... ...but with any kind of volume on, I don't hear it at all. I'm perfectly fine with it. The unit sounds GREAT ... ...i'm wondering what the general consensus would be at this point? ...any thoughts?

Feels like you just convinced everybody that the situation was/is manageable. Including yourself.

If you don't go ahead and plan on doing the HU swap as I suggested, my contribution to this thread will be put on hold.

[killa101]

Well if you don't think it is that bad then you could live with it for a little while. In my experience these types of whines tend to get worse with time. This may not be the case but if it is then I would make sure to bring it back to the shop if it does. You do have a 1 year warranty on the head unit and a reputable shop should warranty their work for a long time.

Personally, unless it is a VERY small noise I would think it is not acceptable for the shop. But if you are okay with it to the point it does not bother you daily then I would try to live with it for a while.

[Platemail]

Make sure the RCAs are't ran to the rear of the car with the power wire near 5them, that will leak a whine too.

go to radioshack and buy a "ground loop isolator"

theyre like 5 bucks and it should help

[sub sonic]

i've noticed a lot of people having issues with getting sudden alternator noise with their pioneer headunit. if you suddenly get alternator noise, you probably popped the microfuse inside the deck thanks to a poor ground. with a pioneer you MUST ground the chassis of the headunit to the chassis of your vehicle. same with the main ground. if you don't, you will pop that microfuse that's less than half the size of an eyelash. with this fuse popped the headunit tries to seek a ground through the rca's. this can wear out your speakers a lot faster than they should because of constant flutter. any authorized pioneer benchtech can fix this problem in less than an hour if he can get right to it. just taking a couple extra steps during the install will save a lot of headaches later on.

in defense for pioneer, i agree they make a beautiful deck at a great value.

[TO-3]

Originally Posted by Platemail go to radioshack and buy a "ground loop isolator" theyre like 5 bucks and it should help

Not to pull teeth, but this is only a band-aid. A line-filter should never be part of a final system. A bad ground can always be resolved as long as it is superficial to the electronics.