Upgraded the stock head unit to Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS

yakdude01

yakdude01

New member
When I got my 97 LSC back in November, it looked great! Almost EVERYTHING I wanted.....except.

It had the stock stereo and while it does have the integrated phone, we all know those don't work (even if I had the handset) because it's analog (banned new activations since 2005).

So what to do? I needed three things. iPhone connectivity via bluetooth for both phone use and streaming. Needed a hands free microphone, since I can't use the factory one. And I also needed a backup camera. My driveway is a bit tight on space and being able to see around corners has it's advantages.

So here was my solution:



It works great! Everything I need, and nothing I don't. The backup camera is mounted just above the rear plate under the lip.

Guess I can sell that stock unit and maybe even the 10 disc cd changer in the trunk?

BTW...the install, was done by Car Toys in Frisco, TX. They did a great job making it look and sound perfect!
 
tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
It looks like a nice little upgrade! So here's my question. I cannot stand laggy touchscreens. How responsive is it? Both in reaction to touch, and how quickly/smoothly the graphics on the screen update. I'm also partial to rotary volume knobs, but I could let that go if everything else works well.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'd buy your changer for the right price, assuming it works. :)
 
yakdude01

yakdude01

New member
tixer said:
It looks like a nice little upgrade! So here's my question. I cannot stand laggy touchscreens. How responsive is it? Both in reaction to touch, and how quickly/smoothly the graphics on the screen update. I'm also partial to rotary volume knobs, but I could let that go if everything else works well.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'd buy your changer for the right price, assuming it works. :)
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The responsiveness is instant. I haven't seen any lag yet when I press one of the "buttons" on screen. There are some buttons built into the bar at the bottom of the unit, volume, tuning, mode, mute, etc.
My only complaint with some of the on screen buttons is, they can be a bit small. The phone button, favorites star, and EQ buttons are all in the same area, and it's easy to miss what you wanted.

I also have a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan with the MyGig touchscreen and the on screen buttons there are much larger and easier to use. I know Pioneer was just cramming a lot in a small space, but in reality, their screen is bigger than the one on the Caravan. Not really sure why they did stuff like that. It also has a remote control which is pretty easy to use.

On the changer. you know, I never "tested" it when the stock radio was still installed. I'll have to load up a cd or two and see what it does. Should still auto load when the magazine is loaded. I'll check that out and get back to you.
 
tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
Thanks, Kevin. It's nice that components have gotten cheap and powerful enough that manufacturers can build a unit that is suitably responsive. That gets me a lot closer to going this route myself.

Can the display be customized? I'd be happy to bury the EQ button pretty deep in the settings, if it were me. I'm something of an audio purist, so I'd either leave it totally flat, or actually make some effort to match it to the car's acoustics and leave it that way.
 
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LeoC2

New member
So does it display items such as maps and contacts from the iPhone or only the cell in bluetooth? Did it use the stock amp? Is there a USB port for charging the iPhone? I'm thinking of installing this in Moose and taking the stock unit and installing that in the El Camino which needs a radio.
 
yakdude01

yakdude01

New member
LeoC2 said:
So does it display items such as maps and contacts from the iPhone or only the cell in bluetooth? Did it use the stock amp? Is there a USB port for charging the iPhone? I'm thinking of installing this in Moose and taking the stock unit and installing that in the El Camino which needs a radio.
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Hey Leo,

You know, I've never tried using it as the nav map yet. I'll have to try that tomorrow on the way to work. As far as the contacts, yes, it downloads everything everytime it connects. They bypassed the stock amp since the new head unit has enough power to drive the speakers, and the amp was giving a popping feedback when they tried to use it. It is possible it became defective? 17 years old. No matter now, as it is, sounds great! Yes, there is an option to add a USB cable for charging your phone. I actually haven't used it much yet, but I'll be taking trip this weekend and will be using it.

I'll let you know how the nav map test goes and how the USB cable test works out.
 
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Lownslowlsc

New member
SCTBIRD1173 said:
Every gen2 should have a touch screen radio, it goes so well with the rest of the cockpit!
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I agree.

These last two threads have me wanting to upgrade from my 3200dvd to a 7" 4200 or 4300 series. But if I do that I'd want Nav too, and i'm far to cheap for that. Sigh.
 
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LeoC2

New member
If your Smartphone has nav and it can be displayed on the head unit you don't need nav. You'll always be up to date on the Smartphone and save money too.
 
yakdude01

yakdude01

New member
LeoC2 said:
If your Smartphone has nav and it can be displayed on the head unit you don't need nav. You'll always be up to date on the Smartphone and save money too.
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Hey Leo,

I finally got a chance to try out the idea of having the phone display on the Pioneer unit. It turns out that because it's my only unit, there is a disclaimer that says no video can be used during operation. Now, that being the case, there is a way around that, which I haven't tried yet. It's possible the 8500 model does it without issue? But the 5500 does not without some re-configuring.
 
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Lownslowlsc

New member
Are you talking about the video bypass? If you're having trouble i'd just go ahead and do it, they're a little under $20 on ebay.

I put mine in when I first installed it, i've utilized it twice. :)
 
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Lownslowlsc

New member
LeoC2 said:
But the display of NAV software shouldn't be affected by that would it?
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If he's getting that message using his phone then it has to be tied in together somewhere.

Yak, when it says that it can't be used "During operation" was it in gear? If so then it needs the bypass, if it shows the same message in park then i'm not sure.
 
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Gau8mechanic

New member
New here. First post so it has to be the big dumb question of the day. I read you bypassed the stock amp. Did you use the stock speakers? Just got a 97 LSC and it has either a bum radio or a bum amp. Plays only the driver side speakers. I really want to pull the stocker out and go aftermarket. Did you use the factory wiring behind the dash? If so which wire adapter harnesses did you use if you used them at all? Lots of questions. Sorry. If I could just pull the head unit only and go straight to the speakers, I'd be fine with that for now until I could afford to swap out all the speakers and add a sub.
 
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