Want to upgrade to NBT EVO or AVINUSA - Please Share opinion

[CUD]

I want to upgrade my old CIC on my M3 E93 to something more current. My original thought was to add a combox but by the time I do that with all the coding etc I will be at 1000 dollars. I was wondering what people are suggesting and what their experience is in the complete NBT EVO or AVINUSA upgrade. I have read all the messages in this board but I was wondering if someone recently had the same decision to make and what they have chosen in the end and what their experience has been.

Anyone in the Bay Area that has the NBT EVO / Conversion done? Seems it's quiet a procedure to do it. Would love to have functioning car play.


Thank you for everyone that is sharing their NBT EVO / AVINUSA experience or any other NAV upgrade options. Open to suggestions!

I am keeping my car for a long time that's why it's time for a electronics upgrade!

[amrazM]

Nbt evo without question, if you wants seamless intergration pay the cost and get it from bimmerretrofit as they’ll supply remote coding as well.

[Redd]

Well it depends on how you use your iDrive really. If you use Google Maps or Waze a lot, it's really nice to be able to run it native on your iDrive. Or maybe there's a specific NBT feature that you absolutely need to have?

[CUD]

I would love to have apple car play at minimum. Of course an apple play or mirror feature would be nice too so I can mirror my iPhone screen onto the Idrive screen.

[Redd]

Screen mirroring is available with the AVIN unit, and Apple CarPlay is supported with an optional dongle I think. Personally, I love that my unit runs Android natively and I can load any app I want without needing to rely on my phone or drain my phone battery.

[Ginlaan]

love my avin 8.1 unit. i use android auto in connection with headunit reloaded and connect either through wifi or most of the time through the usb connection. works ok wifi with headunit but can be lagged at times so most of the time i just use usb connection.

[InnerBlueSkies]

Originally Posted by Ginlaan

love my avin 8.1 unit. i use android auto in connection with headunit reloaded and connect either through wifi or most of the time through the usb connection. works ok wifi with headunit but can be lagged at times so most of the time i just use usb connection.

I like that unit. When you play the radio does it go through the factory system. My hesitation has been what I understood everything is piped through AUX.

[Ginlaan]

Its piped through the AUX system and for me that is just fine. i notice no difference between my logic 7 system and the aux system.

[CUD]

I had the same concern that the audio quality of the AVINUSA 8.1 through the aux port is just subpar. However if people can chime in of the latest AVINUSA 8.1 audio quality through the cars aux port that will really helps. I love the idea, concept and the cost of the AVINUSA. It is just so much more affordable than going the full NBT EVO / or a combox retrofit Route that still does not give you all the option that this unit gives including the touchscreen screen feature.

Again I appreciate everyone's feedback and input on this!

[yidgyi]

Avin audio bluetooth aux quality is trash. Just hold the home button until you're back on the default iDrive screen and play music via USB. Thats what I do and the quality is back.

[Scrippy]

If someone had an option for NBTevo besides Bimmerretroshit I would do it but I had a very unpleasant combox experience through them and will never use them again. I purchased a combox telematic and an iPhone 4s. This allows for movies with complete I drive control. I then hooked an Apple TV into a HDMI to composite converter and fed this into the CIC fbas and coded TV option. The Apple TV allows mirroring when on the phones hotspot at no data cost. I have since removed the Apple TV for a Roku which operates faster and streams way better of the phones hotspot. Just a lil food for thought.

[CUD]

Thats an interesting approach to add Apple play or roku. Hmmmm 🤔 thanks for sharing. 🙏👍

[Nickco43]

I have had every radio / navigation single system from the pro radio to an NBT Evo. All of the NBT Evo kits out there are not complete and are not a proper retrofits. I made a dev thread on E90 post when me and a few others went into great detail about putting in these systems into the E90. I put in a matched us evo + atm pair, F01 logic 7 amp, F36 Logic 7 subs and I am now putting in a F15 Icam backup camera in next week. I have full connected drive services working and even the phone app. I spent a bit over $3,000 on my full retrofit and I did everything by myself. Is it worth it? Hell yes. Do not put some Micky mouse Apple TV or Avin unit in your nice m3.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1569776

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I have had every radio / navigation single system from the pro radio to an NBT Evo. All of the NBT Evo kits out there are not complete and are not a proper retrofits. I made a dev thread on E90 post when me and a few others went into great detail about putting in these systems into the E90. I put in a matched us evo + atm pair, F01 logic 7 amp, F36 Logic 7 subs and I am now putting in a F15 Icam backup camera in next week. I have full connected drive services working and even the phone app. I spent a bit over $3,000 on my full retrofit and I did everything by myself. Is it worth it? Hell yes. Do not put some Micky mouse Apple TV or Avin unit in your nice m3.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1569776

I'm down to do this but I have a few questions. Does your air pressure register for each tire in idrive? Do you have all MDM features still available in idrive? I've been told these still do not work on E9X with NBT.

[xander_g]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I have had every radio / navigation single system from the pro radio to an NBT Evo. All of the NBT Evo kits out there are not complete and are not a proper retrofits. I made a dev thread on E90 post when me and a few others went into great detail about putting in these systems into the E90. I put in a matched us evo + atm pair, F01 logic 7 amp, F36 Logic 7 subs and I am now putting in a F15 Icam backup camera in next week. I have full connected drive services working and even the phone app. I spent a bit over $3,000 on my full retrofit and I did everything by myself. Is it worth it? Hell yes. Do not put some Micky mouse Apple TV or Avin unit in your nice m3.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1569776

I was told that some of the functionality is lost when doing the nbt evo retrofit like the loss of xm.

It's been a while since i researched this but there are other examples beisdes loss of xm, i think it was something backup camera related as I was looking into retrofitting a camera as well.

Did you install the touch controller with your retrofit as well?

Additionally, if you have any tips or advice please share. Thanks in advance.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by xander_g

I was told that some of the functionality is lost when doing the nbt evo retrofit like the loss of xm.

It's been a while since i researched this but there are other examples beisdes loss of xm, i think it was something backup camera related as I was looking into retrofitting a camera as well.

Did you install the touch controller with your retrofit as well?

Additionally, if you have any tips or advice please share. Thanks in advance.

When you buy one of the shitty pre-made kits they use a European NBT Evo unit and an aftermarket ATM emulator. What the ATM emulator does is that it takes the farka GPS connector and converts it to oabr. I put in an OEM ATM module in my car so in addition to converting the GPS antenna signal it has a 4G sim card built in. Without a BT phone it can download the weather, news and all of the connected drive stuff. With the European units you can not use an OEM ATM in the US, they do not have sat radio and they do not have HD radio. I can pick up a entire euro Evo, screen and knob setup from my car systems dealer in Ukraine for 600 euros. They are dirt cheap and that is why the current kits use them.

I have a US unit which has fully functional sat and HD radio. The only issues are that my AM reception is almost non-existent, on boot up if you have the FM turned on at the beginning, you will hear a few seconds of static and loading CDs can be challenging. Someone is working on retrofitting the F30 antenna amp and keeping the original E90 radio amp for CA. I also believe my CD issue is from my hacked head unit cage from another project. I am sure if I cared enough, I could fix all three of those issues.

I don't have any call echo since I properly retrofitted a F01 amp. The F series cars have 8ohm subs, so the factory subs will be over powered. I bought a full F36 speaker set and retrofitted them in. There is a noticeable audio quality difference over the E90 logic 7 system. Keep in mind my car is a 2006 and the speakers are from 2018.

I put in a touch knob but not the touch ECU yet. I would not recommend it as you can easily mess up your trim modifying it for the bigger knob. The CIC knob works 100% with the NBT Evo.

Aftermarket cameras do not work with the NBT Evo. I bought an OEM Icam from a F15 and I am going to be enlarging my trunk handle hole to fit it in my trunk. It is really hard to mess the trimming up and at the end I am going to have an OEM quality backup camera.

You can do a perfect retrofit if you have the time and money. I have been asked by three people to make then NBT Evo kits. I can't even find another NBT Evo + ATM pair in the US that is reasonably priced. I think in a year or so I can start picking them up for $200-$300. I paid $90 for my NBT Next a few months ago.

I have put in CIC + Combox + backup cameras kits in other peoples cars for $1400. If I had no DIY skills I would 100% stick with the CIC. The Avins are junk, the Apple TV is junk and the current NBT Evo kits are junk.

[xander_g]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

When you buy one of the shitty pre-made kits they use a European NBT Evo unit and an aftermarket ATM emulator. What the ATM emulator does is that it takes the farka GPS connector and converts it to oabr. I put in an OEM ATM module in my car so in addition to converting the GPS antenna signal it has a 4G sim card built in. Without a BT phone it can download the weather, news and all of the connected drive stuff. With the European units you can not use an OEM ATM in the US, they do not have sat radio and they do not have HD radio. I can pick up a entire euro Evo, screen and knob setup from my car systems dealer in Ukraine for 600 euros. They are dirt cheap and that is why the current kits use them.

I have a US unit which has fully functional sat and HD radio. The only issues are that my AM reception is almost non-existent, on boot up if you have the FM turned on at the beginning, you will hear a few seconds of static and loading CDs can be challenging. Someone is working on retrofitting the F30 antenna amp and keeping the original E90 radio amp for CA. I also believe my CD issue is from my hacked head unit cage from another project. I am sure if I cared enough, I could fix all three of those issues.

I don't have any call echo since I properly retrofitted a F01 amp. The F series cars have 8ohm subs, so the factory subs will be over powered. I bought a full F36 speaker set and retrofitted them in. There is a noticeable audio quality difference over the E90 logic 7 system. Keep in mind my car is a 2006 and the speakers are from 2018.

I put in a touch knob but not the touch ECU yet. I would not recommend it as you can easily mess up your trim modifying it for the bigger knob. The CIC knob works 100% with the NBT Evo.

Aftermarket cameras do not work with the NBT Evo. I bought an OEM Icam from a F15 and I am going to be enlarging my trunk handle hole to fit it in my trunk. It is really hard to mess the trimming up and at the end I am going to have an OEM quality backup camera.

You can do a perfect retrofit if you have the time and money. I have been asked by three people to make then NBT Evo kits. I can't even find another NBT Evo + ATM pair in the US that is reasonably priced. I think in a year or so I can start picking them up for $200-$300. I paid $90 for my NBT Next a few months ago.

I have put in CIC + Combox + backup cameras kits in other peoples cars for $1400. If I had no DIY skills I would 100% stick with the CIC. The Avins are junk, the Apple TV is junk and the current NBT Evo kits are junk.

Thank you for the info. Now it makes sense: the suppliers I interacted with are using components from a different region and thus north american users are losing functionality.

I'm a big proponent of doing things the right way and don't want to install something like an avin product into my car, especially since it came stock with nbt.

I would like to keep my e92 indefinitely and the only thing that makes it feel dated is the infotainment. Ideally i would like to upgrade to nbt evo with touch screen+controller as I believe gesture control is a long way from being ready for retrofitting.

However, based on what you're saying there isn't a simple, straightforward solution on the market that would allow for full oem functionality and seamless integration which makes a properly setup retrofit a costly endeavour, correct?

[Z K]

I would not use any system that sends audio through an AUX in jack. The DACs on most aftermarket units are crap and then sending it through an analog audio connection can introduce interference. You'd want the most direct audio connection possible for the best audio quality.

I have an old CCC system and it is working fine. I don't use bluetooth - I copy music files to a USB drive and play that. If I could find a CIC on a budget, I'd upgrade to that. The key is to add functionality without ruining audio quality.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by xander_g

Thank you for the info. Now it makes sense: the suppliers I interacted with are using components from a different region and thus north american users are losing functionality.

I'm a big proponent of doing things the right way and don't want to install something like an avin product into my car, especially since it came stock with nbt.

I would like to keep my e92 indefinitely and the only thing that makes it feel dated is the infotainment. Ideally i would like to upgrade to nbt evo with touch screen+controller as I believe gesture control is a long way from being ready for retrofitting.

However, based on what you're saying there isn't a simple, straightforward solution on the market that would allow for full oem functionality and seamless integration which makes a properly setup retrofit a costly endeavour, correct?

None of the kits out their today are complete. Here is the proper part and price breakdown of what I paid. Keep in mind I have a significant dealer discount and junkyard connections. All of these parts are OEM except the emulator.

Evo + ATM $650
F01 Logic 7 Amp $350
F36 Speakers $250
Car systems emulator $500
OEM wires, antennas and trim $250
Mis wiring and soldering $100
Icam $300
Euro cic faceplate $150
NBT Next screen $200
CCC screen $50
FSC kit $100
NBT touch knob $150
Touch ECU $75

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by Z K

I would not use any system that sends audio through an AUX in jack. The DACs on most aftermarket units are crap and then sending it through an analog audio connection can introduce interference. You'd want the most direct audio connection possible for the best audio quality.

I have an old CCC system and it is working fine. I don't use bluetooth - I copy music files to a USB drive and play that. If I could find a CIC on a budget, I'd upgrade to that. The key is to add functionality without ruining audio quality.

Shameless plug:

[xander_g]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

None of the kits out their today are complete. Here is the proper part and price breakdown of what I paid. Keep in mind I have a significant dealer discount and junkyard connections. All of these parts are OEM except the emulator.

Evo + ATM $650
F01 Logic 7 Amp $350
F36 Speakers $250
Car systems emulator $500
OEM wires, antennas and trim $250
Mis wiring and soldering $100
Icam $300
Euro cic faceplate $150
NBT Next screen $200
CCC screen $50
FSC kit $100
NBT touch knob $150
Touch ECU $75

Thanks again for the info, it's is appreciated.

Those prices look beyond competitive, way better than what I've been quoted but again, you have connections to get these components and you're doing the install yourself. Personally, I don't mind turning wrenches but was never confident enough to do anything that is electrical and this extensive so DIY is out of the question for me.

Another question if you don't mind, is the upgrade from NBT to NBT EVO easier, as opposed CIC to NBT EVO due to certain NBT components being present already or does NBT EVO require an entire set of new components that are EVO specific?

[CUD]

Nickco43, thank you so much for jumping on this discussion board and sharing with us your EVO NBT setup the right way! I could not agree more with you since the other retrofits are missing basic features like xm etc that through your feedback I have learned is only available with the US north EVO unit and not the European. I am sure the members in this forum would love to hear back from you when everything is all set and done on your retrofit and also hopefully the prices are coming down and everything being available hopefully by someone in the US that does sell the right EVO NBT kits so we have the xm, 4g services. Again thank you for taking your time to share your experience with us! It was super helpful!!!