Pioneer’s AppRadio 2 in a Volvo

[vjaneczko]

I ran the mic & GPS wires behind the glove box, up the pillar and tucked along the top edge of the window. The mic itself is clipped onto the lip of the headliner next to the overhead light. I used a wire harness adapter (P/N is listed above) so I didn’t have to cut any wires.

I've not given the backup camera much thought just yet, but I need to run two cables; one for the video signal and one for the reverse signal. I plan to run the wires down the center console, under the carpet and along the driver's side of the trunk. Pioneer say the reverse wire needs to be connected to the transmission but from what I've learned, the it only needs to be connected to the reverse light socket so that'll be easy.

[vjaneczko]

Update - a little late but better than nothing, right?

I figured out the noise problem. The radio to Volvo amp adapter cable was not wired properly. I had to crack it open and do it right. The problem was that the negative leads from the RCA jacks were connected to the chassis ground wire, which was detailed in the documentation. I fixed it and no more whine!

I also took some time to Dremmel a hole so I could have my cubby-hole.

I also purchased the "ARLiberator" app for my 'droid and its made a world of difference. It really converts your radio into the screen for your phone. Any app I have, I can use. The need to wire the parking brake is gone, so I removed the PAC module. I usually have music playing while I view my GPS or Torque. There's a few hiccups once in a while when I connect to the radio, but a heck of a lot better than the 'stock' Pioneer apps.

I still have to get around to the rear-view camera and connecting the radio to the dimmer. It can get really bright at night, especially when you're looking at an app that has a white background.

[cincys60r]

iquick question did the dash kit come with the extra ring that closes the gap between the unit and the insert. my pioneer does come with the plastic ring therefor leaving a gap.

[vjaneczko]

Sorry, but I don't remember. The picture on Amazon.com only shows the front face and none of the bits it comes with and the other pictures I took during the install don't show anything helpful.

I'm on the quest for a decent backup camera that won't look like crap when installed and I'll update this thread when I do that. Since I have to remove the headunit to do that install, I'll (hopefully remember to) take some pics and post them for clarification.

[cincys60r]

Yup - they don't know what they're talking about. It's a shame, too, because it's not complicated. The big difference between my '06 and my '97 is that you need to disconnect the battery from the '06 to ensure you don't trip the SRS warning - which happens if you disconnect the power cable from the HVAC control board. Why is the SRS tripped if the HVAC panel losses power? No clue. It's kinda stupid to have them tied together but . . .

Anyway, the work is pretty easy to do yourself, just Google it and you'll find a few write-ups with pictures to get you through it. Get the wire harness and the double-DIN bracket and you're half way there.

What year is your r?

[cincys60r]

Yup - they don't know what they're talking about. It's a shame, too, because it's not complicated. The big difference between my '06 and my '97 is that you need to disconnect the battery from the '06 to ensure you don't trip the SRS warning - which happens if you disconnect the power cable from the HVAC control board. Why is the SRS tripped if the HVAC panel losses power? No clue. It's kinda stupid to have them tied together but . . .

Anyway, the work is pretty easy to do yourself, just Google it and you'll find a few write-ups with pictures to get you through it. Get the wire harness and the double-DIN bracket and you're half way there.

What year is your r?

Just kidding saw it was an 06. I am going to install a pioneer in the next week as well. Any info or tips you could also provide.

[vjaneczko]

I'm not familiar with either of those products, but a quick search for the Crux got me this: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-jmFd0vY5M1 ... rface.html
(side note: I sure hope you didn't pay about that price - it's way too expensive. I believe at amazon.com I spent about $20 U.S. for the wiring kit and about $65 for the separate steering control module)

Seems like it's simply a kit containing two wiring harnesses and a steering wheel adapter. Focus on the gray & green harnesses. Double-check your color chart for connecting the wires properly and ensure you have a good connection between the car wire & harness wire.

How are you connecting the wires to each other? I would avoid wrapping them together and slapping some electrical tape on them - they'll come apart as the car bounces & rattles down the road after a while. An exception is any wire that's not being used; it should be wrapped in tape to make sure you don't accidentally ground anything. Instead, crimp or solder the connections to ensure a good, long-lasting connection. A multimeter should also be used to check ohms and/or voltage.

If this is your first time with car stereos, is it possible you mistook the description of the wire colors? I'm looking at them and I'm not sure what the red wire is for - what the heck is "Accessory"? Maybe that's their way of saying power from position 2 on the key, to power the radio. I'd guess that Yellow ("Constant") is 12 volt from the battery for keeping the clock & presets in memory. Orange ("Illumination") is connected to the dimmer switch and blue ("Amp Turn-on") is run to the remote for the amp, if you have one.

[larrico]

Where do you recommend to ground behind the radio? I'm also getting the whine from my RCA adapter for the amp...

[vjaneczko]

If you purchased the splitter off of eBay as I did, you'll need to open it up and rewire it. No amount of additional grounding will improve the situation. If I recall, the wires inside the harness were incorrectly wired as a ground, but they should have been wired as the negative RCA connection - or vice-versa... it was something like that. If you grab a pin-out chart of the harnesses, you'll be able to figure it out quickly. It only took a few minutes to change the harness, a lot less time than actually pulling the radio out of the car!

[vjaneczko]

One item I should mention; the app on my phone. I recently purchased "AR Unchained Reloaded" to replace "AR Liberator", which is no longer under development and doesn't work on my Note3.

Unchained is a great app, much easier than Liberator. Get it.