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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Navigation, iDrive, Audio, Video, Bluetooth, Phone, Cameras, Electronics Ways to add Carplay? New Head unit or...?

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      08-23-2019, 08:18 PM   #1
haloeight
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Ways to add Carplay? New Head unit or...?

I have a 2015 m235 M performance edition with the premium Harmon Kardon system.

I'd like to add Carplay - I'm not really well versed in after market or current options so would appreciate any suggestions.

I would be open to swapping out the head unit for something from Pioneer or others but am not sure what people are going with these days. Also not sure how well these things would work on integrating functions provided by the existing iDrive system. Do you generally lose all that functionality by switching?

Any help or pointers to existing threads would be appreciated, have started to poke through past threads.

THank you
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      08-23-2019, 10:22 PM   #2
WinterIsComing
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I just put in a deposit with Steve from codemybimmer ... I have the 2015 M235 Convertible that I leased and bought off lease since I loved it so much...
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      08-24-2019, 09:16 AM   #3
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An aftermarket head unit brings all types of issues because of the integration of vehicle systems. I don't know if it's been done on any F-series BMW. I did it on my E90 but even then had to relocate the original head unit and keep it connected for certain system functions.

Your best bet is a head unit swap from an ID4 to an ID6 head unit. I ordered one of these from Steve at CodeMyBimmer and am pleased with the results (and the service ... they are excellent to deal with).

The other option is to use an MMI unit (both Bimmer-Tech and CodeMyBimmer have them) but I've read mixed reviews about the audio quality because they use the auxiliary input.
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      08-24-2019, 09:36 PM   #4
haloeight
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Thank you both for the on point responses. I'll drop Steve a line based on your recommendations.
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      08-25-2019, 07:46 AM   #5
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Get an 10" Android screen. It replaces exiting screen giving access to android apps including auto kit app (CarPlay) via a usb dongle add on. The unit also retains oem user interface if required as well as having an up to date UI similar to new idrive interface on Android side. Sound quality is equal to oem when connected thru amp but can deteriorate if connected via aux. Search in YouTube you will find plenty of content on this.
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      09-19-2019, 11:17 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evano View Post
Get an 10" Android screen. It replaces exiting screen giving access to android apps including auto kit app (CarPlay) via a usb dongle add on. The unit also retains oem user interface if required as well as having an up to date UI similar to new idrive interface on Android side. Sound quality is equal to oem when connected thru amp but can deteriorate if connected via aux. Search in YouTube you will find plenty of content on this.
Is this like the Avin product? Are they actually reliable?
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      09-20-2019, 06:17 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck View Post
An aftermarket head unit brings all types of issues because of the integration of vehicle systems. I don't know if it's been done on any F-series BMW. I did it on my E90 but even then had to relocate the original head unit and keep it connected for certain system functions.

Your best bet is a head unit swap from an ID4 to an ID6 head unit. I ordered one of these from Steve at CodeMyBimmer and am pleased with the results (and the service ... they are excellent to deal with).

The other option is to use an MMI unit (both Bimmer-Tech and CodeMyBimmer have them) but I've read mixed reviews about the audio quality because they use the auxiliary input.
+1
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      09-20-2019, 06:27 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pablo219 View Post
+1
Agreed do not go for an aftermarket solution. I reflashed my id4 to id6 because I had an NBT Evo head unit in my 2016 M2. In Australia it’s tremendously expensive to acquire an id6 headunit and spending 2k usd just for CarPlay is ridiculous. There are issues from the difference in RAM capacity but these only arise if you use BMW navigation (which I never use).

Stay OEM, it is extremely worth it.
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      11-19-2019, 12:00 AM   #9
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Greetings- I was just about to make a post and ask if this was possible. My 2016 M235i has NBT EVO but not ID6. How do I go about upgrading the software from ID4 to ID6 like you mentioned?

It seems like to me the hardware my car has installed can easily run the solution, it just needs needs the proper software installed.

Side not I actually really like the graphical user interface of my car and dont really like the window panes or square blocks the ID6 seems based off of. How do you like the GUI so far?

Quote:
Originally Posted by reisf View Post
Agreed do not go for an aftermarket solution. I reflashed my id4 to id6 because I had an NBT Evo head unit in my 2016 M2. In Australia it’s tremendously expensive to acquire an id6 headunit and spending 2k usd just for CarPlay is ridiculous. There are issues from the difference in RAM capacity but these only arise if you use BMW navigation (which I never use).

Stay OEM, it is extremely worth it.
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      11-21-2019, 05:45 PM   #10
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I'm looking at BimmerTech's new MMI Prime add-on. It has wireless carplay now (just got refreshed this month). They have a 10% off now too. Doesn't look to hard to add on, and seems to work with all the existing system controls.

https://new.bimmer-tech.net/category...y-mmi-retrofit

Was hoping to see a review before I pulled the trigger, but it seems like the best option for adding to older cars. I have a 2014 M235i.
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      11-22-2019, 09:16 PM   #11
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Hey, Im in the same boat. just purchased a 2016 m235 and it has the old old iDrive system (doesnt even have navigation, pretty out dated for a 2016 model year car). I also want the new iDrive system with carplay. Anyone have a solution for this?
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      11-23-2019, 03:07 PM   #12
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You might consider this module instead of BimmerTech's. To me, it looks like identical unit but at a fraction of the cost. Unit is shipping from China, which I'm guessing is where BimmerTech's product is also made? Likely the same unit? I ordered it. Should have in about a week, then will install, and post results. I'm also installing a rear camera as well. All going into 2016 M235i Xdrive. I feel fairly confident since I'm ordering thru Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullins View Post
I'm looking at BimmerTech's new MMI Prime add-on. It has wireless carplay now (just got refreshed this month). They have a 10% off now too. Doesn't look to hard to add on, and seems to work with all the existing system controls.

https://new.bimmer-tech.net/category...y-mmi-retrofit

Was hoping to see a review before I pulled the trigger, but it seems like the best option for adding to older cars. I have a 2014 M235i.
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      11-26-2019, 01:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark184 View Post
You might consider this module instead of BimmerTech's. To me, it looks like identical unit but at a fraction of the cost. Unit is shipping from China, which I'm guessing is where BimmerTech's product is also made? Likely the same unit? I ordered it. Should have in about a week, then will install, and post results. I'm also installing a rear camera as well. All going into 2016 M235i Xdrive. I feel fairly confident since I'm ordering thru Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nice find! Look forward to reading your review.

Edit: I'm too impatient to wait for a review, and just ordered it so I can install it hopefully over my Xmas Break...

Last edited by Mullins; 11-26-2019 at 03:01 PM..
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      12-02-2019, 11:33 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullins View Post
Nice find! Look forward to reading your review.

Edit: I'm too impatient to wait for a review, and just ordered it so I can install it hopefully over my Xmas Break...
I received it rather quickly, and got it installed this weekend. If you have the 2 series with the HK kit installed, it's not easy to get the box installed. I had to remove the glovebox and install it to the left of it, in a cavity outside the head unit area. It all worked well once it was all connected up. So far, i have two issues. One, sometimes audio cuts out when in wireless carplay, going to troubleshoot this a bit... I put the antenna near the glove box, but perhaps it would be suited better closer to the driver. Second, callers when using carplay can hear themselves clearly, like an echo. This makes calls basically unusable at this point. I contacted the seller, and they said they are working on a fix, but no ETA.
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      12-05-2019, 12:40 PM   #15
Mark184
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullins View Post
I received it rather quickly, and got it installed this weekend. If you have the 2 series with the HK kit installed, it's not easy to get the box installed. I had to remove the glovebox and install it to the left of it, in a cavity outside the head unit area. It all worked well once it was all connected up. So far, i have two issues. One, sometimes audio cuts out when in wireless carplay, going to troubleshoot this a bit... I put the antenna near the glove box, but perhaps it would be suited better closer to the driver. Second, callers when using carplay can hear themselves clearly, like an echo. This makes calls basically unusable at this point. I contacted the seller, and they said they are working on a fix, but no ETA.
Note- I also have the HK kit installed in my 2016 F23. Installation was fairly straightforward, noting that I had the two additional wires (green and black) noted on some of the YouTube videos-- they are noted as digital feeds. They needed to be moved from the original harness block and moved to the Carlink block. Other than that, plug and play. For me, there was room for the module directly beneath the head unit, but it was indeed tricky to sneak everything back in with the additional wire harness blocks.

I also had the dropout on the wireless option. I notified the seller, and they sent me a link to a firmware update that significantly helped. Still a bit of dropout every now and then, but not too bad, and if I'm on a longer trip, it's worth plugging into the USB plug from the module, for charge and audio input.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this module. I will be adding a rear camera as soon as I receive it.
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      12-05-2019, 08:27 PM   #16
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Hi guys;
Does the amazon unit you bought differ to the units being talked about here? -> https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...linkit&page=10
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      12-06-2019, 12:08 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oooseun View Post
Hi guys;
Does the amazon unit you bought differ to the units being talked about here? -> https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...linkit&page=10
Million dollar question! The Carlink unit I purchased thru Amazon "looks" identical to the Bimmertech unit, minus the Bimmertech logos on the outside. The hookup is identical. But I haven't heard from anyone with a Bimmertech MMI in how it operates.

At 1/4 the cost of the Bimmertech unit, I'm more than pleased with the Carlink unit. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a "you get what you pay for" in the future. But right now, it's operating great!
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      12-08-2019, 02:18 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark184 View Post
Million dollar question! The Carlink unit I purchased thru Amazon "looks" identical to the Bimmertech unit, minus the Bimmertech logos on the outside. The hookup is identical. But I haven't heard from anyone with a Bimmertech MMI in how it operates.

At 1/4 the cost of the Bimmertech unit, I'm more than pleased with the Carlink unit. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a "you get what you pay for" in the future. But right now, it's operating great!
great! thanks!
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      12-17-2019, 12:59 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark184 View Post
Note- I also have the HK kit installed in my 2016 F23. Installation was fairly straightforward, noting that I had the two additional wires (green and black) noted on some of the YouTube videos-- they are noted as digital feeds. They needed to be moved from the original harness block and moved to the Carlink block. Other than that, plug and play. For me, there was room for the module directly beneath the head unit, but it was indeed tricky to sneak everything back in with the additional wire harness blocks.

I also had the dropout on the wireless option. I notified the seller, and they sent me a link to a firmware update that significantly helped. Still a bit of dropout every now and then, but not too bad, and if I'm on a longer trip, it's worth plugging into the USB plug from the module, for charge and audio input.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this module. I will be adding a rear camera as soon as I receive it.

Yup, had to move the optical cables over. I did get the "advanced" software from the seller, which unlocked some microphone options which after playing around did kill most of the feedback people were hearing on the other end of the call. It did seem to reduce some of the audio drop out. I have noticed that the Siri voice for Nav/Texting, etc, is rather quiet and does not seem independently adjustable from the music volume, not sure how to fix that yet.
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      12-19-2019, 12:12 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark184 View Post
Million dollar question! The Carlink unit I purchased thru Amazon "looks" identical to the Bimmertech unit, minus the Bimmertech logos on the outside. The hookup is identical. But I haven't heard from anyone with a Bimmertech MMI in how it operates.

At 1/4 the cost of the Bimmertech unit, I'm more than pleased with the Carlink unit. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a "you get what you pay for" in the future. But right now, it's operating great!
Have the new BimmerTech with wireless (had the old but that had a GPS error). You put the BMW headunit to Aux Input , connect your phone and you are all set.
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      12-30-2019, 09:45 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullins View Post
I received it rather quickly, and got it installed this weekend. If you have the 2 series with the HK kit installed, it's not easy to get the box installed. I had to remove the glovebox and install it to the left of it, in a cavity outside the head unit area. It all worked well once it was all connected up. So far, i have two issues. One, sometimes audio cuts out when in wireless carplay, going to troubleshoot this a bit... I put the antenna near the glove box, but perhaps it would be suited better closer to the driver. Second, callers when using carplay can hear themselves clearly, like an echo. This makes calls basically unusable at this point. I contacted the seller, and they said they are working on a fix, but no ETA.
Any updates on the fix? I am quite interested in this however the echo feedback when in a call is what I fear too. My wife has the 2019 MINI JCW with the upgraded MiniConnected with wireless CarPlay. She complains that the audio feed during the call has a lag. Both ends will have a momentary lag while in call and feels like those satellite feeds you see on TV where it's got a minor pause before speaking and it's annoying. CarPlay has since been turned off. Also, the music app does not display the Album Art while playing music through CarPlay where the BMW/Mini Connected player does.
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      01-04-2020, 08:06 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oooseun View Post
great! thanks!

Alright! So i ordered this unit on amazon and gave it a try myself.

IT Worked!.
I gotta say i'm really impressed. I was browsing the old forums and this guy spent $1800 to achieve the same thing. i got mine (on sale at the time) for $230. There are some kinks and i haven't tried making a call, but that'll come later.

I've had it for a day, installed it myself (which is not easy, but don't be dissuaded). More info coming later, maybe a youtube video!
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