I finally have some time to try and finish up stage 1 of my AVIC install. The next step is the steering wheel. As I mentioned earlier I don't want to cut the steering wheel wire so that something like PAC SWI-PS works properly. Instead I opted for the Z1 remote, the CD-SR1. I have to admit I felt this was a long shot as I don't like how it looks on the steering wheel and I was concerned that it would get in the way of normal driving.
One thing that is weird about this remote is that it has buttons on the front and the back. I can only guess that they did this to minimize the size of the remote while maximizing the number of buttons.
After trying several different positions I ended with it on the side near the head unit. It works best on this side as the remote needs line of sight to communicate with the head unit. It is an infrared red remote.
After a few days of using the remote here is what I think of it.
Pros:
- It is well integrated with the Z1
- It works well on the steering wheel (from a button press standpoint)
- The numerous buttons make it easy to access a lot of features
Cons:
- Infrared red remotes don't work in direct sunlight (very frustating)
- No backlight at night
- The two straps use to hold it in place takes away from the look of the interior
- There is no button to toggle between the navigation map and the current AV source
At the end of the day what I really want from the remote is to control the volume and navigate my music sources. This is where the remote shines. There is no mute button however when you hold one of the volume buttons the volume changes very quickly. So I am okay with volume control.
The 4-way buttons on the remote make it easy to navigate XM when in category mode. XM category mode places all the channels in a category. Pressing up or down on the 4-way cycles the categories while pressing left or right allows you to cycle the channels in the category. This is so convenient that I don't have any channels preset. Navigating iPod is easy for me because I just let the iPod randomly access all songs on it. If a song comes up that I don't want to hear I just click the track button and go to the next song.
Also the remote allows you to access voice control. Earlier I mentioned that it would be nice to have a button that toggles navigation and AV source, well with the voice control button I can click it and say "AV Screen" or "Navigation Screen" and it will go there. I can also say "iPod", "XM", or any valid source that is hooked up. Before you get too excited about this feature there is an issue with how it works.
1.You press the button
2. You wait about 2-3 seconds for the system to beep
3. Now you tell it what to do
I don't know why they put the wait in there. It should beep about 1 second after I press the button. With that said, when I am on a busy freeway it is nice to be able to keep my eyes on the road at all times and still be able to change the source.
When I get bluetooth in stage 2 of my install then I will really be happy with keeping this remote instead of trying to integrate with the steering wheel.
My last 2 steps is to properly hook up the reverse wire and get a bezel.
Oh, I purchased the remote from Tweeter.com for $19.99. For some reason if you go to their website and search for it, the website won't find it, but google does!