CarPlay retrofit, great success!

[RichieZ]

Installed a carplay kit in my 911. Basically you install a computer in there, looks 100% stock and you can switch back to the OEM system by pushing the nav button. Easily doable if you've ever installed a stereo or built a comptuer.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Is it like adding on a PC to the back of the OEM head unit? Can you give a bit more information on your 911 and the product you used?

 

[RichieZ]

Is it like adding on a PC to the back of the OEM head unit? Can you give a bit more information on your 911 and the product you used?

Effectively yes. There is what i'd guess is a video board that goes into the existing OEM headunit and then another box with the processor etc. Supports carplay both wired and wireless. The great thing is everything looks stock, I used to have a boxster and put in a nice Pioneer headunit but I never liked how it looked.

The product is the joyeauto carplay kit, they make it for PCM 3.0 (987/997), PCM 3.1 (991.1) and PCM 4.0 (991.2). My car is a 2013 991 C2S so it's the PCM 3.1 kit.

At $380 it's a real bargain for anything that has the "Porsche tax"

If you have a look at this install video the guy runs through it:

Downsides of the kit:
* steering wheel button no longer works to advance songs when using the carplay unit (this is bc the audio is routed through AUX input)
* similar to above no song info on the LCD instrument cluster as it just shows AUX input

 

[manly]

Is it like adding on a PC to the back of the OEM head unit? Can you give a bit more information on your 911 and the product you used?

looks similar to Bimmer kits I've been mulling over, but in my case I'd also have to do the tricky part of installing a backup camera.

Basically, somewhere in China there is a single ODM for these units but other firms rebadge them and stamp their brand on the software. The most prominent one in the U.S. is BimmerTech MMI Prime. The off-brand one is known as Andream, but there are numerous others.

In my case, it would be for Android Auto and there's been some teething pains with these products. There's a crazy 300+ page thread on it over on BimmerPost, and some forum members went so far as hacking the firmware to improve it (this isn't easy because it's closed source and undocumented). They discovered that BimmerTech firmware could be run on any other brand, confirming the hardware is all identical. This cross-flashing was then blocked.

 

[ultimatebob]

Wow, I wish that Apple CarPlay responded that quickly on my car. I have a Sync 3 system connected to an iPhone XR, and Spotify can take 10 seconds to load.

 

[repoman0]

looks similar to Bimmer kits I've been mulling over, but in my case I'd also have to do the tricky part of installing a backup camera.

Basically, somewhere in China there is a single ODM for these units but other firms rebadge them and stamp their brand on the software. The most prominent one in the U.S. is BimmerTech MMI Prime. The off-brand one is known as Andream, but there are numerous others.

In my case, it would be for Android Auto and there's been some teething pains with these products. There's a crazy 300+ page thread on it over on BimmerPost, and some forum members went so far as hacking the firmware to improve it (this isn't easy because it's closed source and undocumented). They discovered that BimmerTech firmware could be run on any other brand, confirming the hardware is all identical. This cross-flashing was then blocked.

What generation do you have? My buddy just got an E93 M3 and I was surprised to learn that there are cheap carplay kits that integrate directly with the stock idrive system. Us E39 and E46 peasants have to either replace the whole radio and nav system with aftermarket or do without. Best we can get is a pretty nice Bluetooth setup that some guy on the forums designed and sells.

 

[RichieZ]

What generation do you have? My buddy just got an E93 M3 and I was surprised to learn that there are cheap carplay kits that integrate directly with the stock idrive system. Us E39 and E46 peasants have to either replace the whole radio and nav system with aftermarket or do without. Best we can get is a pretty nice Bluetooth setup that some guy on the forums designed and sells.

I'm pretty sure it's available for any car with iDrive? E90 and newer?

Maybe BMW has something like the official Porsche Classic Communication Management System for classic cars that keep the look and feel for $$$:

Porsche Classic

Original parts, new parts editions, and accessories for your classic Porsche vehicle. Extensive service offers and expertise on site. We take care of your dream.

www.porsche.com

 

[manly]

What generation do you have? My buddy just got an E93 M3 and I was surprised to learn that there are cheap carplay kits that integrate directly with the stock idrive system. Us E39 and E46 peasants have to either replace the whole radio and nav system with aftermarket or do without. Best we can get is a pretty nice Bluetooth setup that some guy on the forums designed and sells.

On the bright side, you actually own ultimate driving machines.

Here's the crazy thread on these boxes:

Andream MMI Box - Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto

Andream MMI Box - Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto

f30.bimmerpost.com

RichieZ is probably correct that it works on many cars with some form of infotainment/nav system, at least the German makes from the last decade (you still have to buy one compatible with your system). BMW was awfully stingy about CarPlay and didn't even bother with Android Auto, so this is a good solution for 2011-2017 cars.