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Ok, now that it is all done. I am pretty happy with it. This is such a UX improvement over Bluetooth or having an old iPhone in the armrest. Audio quality is pretty good to me.
I took out an iPad and spent some time adjusting the EQ on the Carsara settings by comparing sound from the USB direct connection on the iPad to the AUX output into the armrest. I can definitely notice the hiss of the analog connection when nothing is playing and the volume is on the high end. I doubt this would go away with the headunit AUX, maybe it'll be less noticeable.
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I like my sound to be of a certain "body". I like noticeable bass (when needed) and a good "soundstage" without mids or highs beeing overly present. I wasn't able to get the audio to sound exactly the same as the iPad, but, I got the Android Auto/Carsara Audio to sound pretty good. I might try again another time, but as of now the difference was basically a little bit in maybe mid-highs. Maybe the Carsara EQ doesn't allow me to fine tune those, but the bass sounds perfect. I tested some of my favorite songs and they sound great.
My steering wheel voice button calls up Google Assistant, but only when Android Auto is on the screen. The microphone works perfectly and it understands every command.
I had to disconnect my Pixel 5's BMW Bluetooth profile so the calls would go through the Carsara. They sound great, will have to see how I sound to others.
One issue I have is that Bluetooth A2DP does not work. I tried connecting only the iPad to Bluetooth (without the USB cable connected) and I got no audio at all. Not sure why. It's not a big deal because I don't expect to be using Bluetooth anytime soon, but would be nice to fix.
Another issue is that I thought the Android Auto screen would launch on its own after starting the car, but this doesn't seem to be the case. I have to hit the Menu button for 3 seconds for the screen to appear. Autoplay of my music did not work the first few times, but was working by the last time I tried.
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