My DCI problem is fixed. The DCI was never broken, actually, the wired plug that goes into the Sony HU wasn't properly seated. That connector is a bit finicky, but once I got it oriented correctly, all the Dash functions worked perfectly!

That was an odd symptom to see that a non-fully seated connector cause that dash controls to work, but not in an expected manner.

My thanks go out to modifry, who quickly responded to my e-mail and diagnosed the problem successfully. He is really a class act for standing behind his product so well and providing this type of customer service. He gets kudos from me on that!

NOW . . . I get to enjoy my new stereo setup as God intended it for the S2K driver! I'm off to Cali for a 10-day road trip with tunes at my fingertips.