DIY Carplay/Android Auto Carsara Install and Setup Tips

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by wahooooman

My only worry with this unit compared to the Bimmertech is compatibility with future iPhones and softwares... Thoughts ?

Bimmertech doesn't write their own software. Everyone is buying this from some Chinese ODM who is building these boxes on the same GPLink Architecture.

Carplay itself is an interface spec defined by Apple. Because the phone is easier to update than the millions of cars on the road, it would probably take a rather substantial change for Apple/Google to modify that interface and "Require" an update on the car side. I certainly wouldn't say thats impossible, but for $200 you are likely to get 4+ years of usage out of this thing before Apple comes up with "Carplay 2" and some fancy new Ultra HDR 3D interface that requires them to redo it and break backwards compatibility.

Long story short - I certainly wouldn't spend $400+ more just because you think you'll have some forward compatibility.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by e92335drew

No I went without the iDrive cable connection as it was pointed out not needed. Did my first drive as the cars been parked as I'm working from home with the covid situation. Everything seems to work just fine, iDrive works fine etc... I just get this error on the iDrive and a couple lights on the dash from it.

If it's lighting up errors I would investigate it then. This could be due to a wire that got pinched or damaged when squeezing everything back together, a bad connection somewhere in the harness, or something else.

If you wanted to rule it out I'd consider first just loosening the CIC and checking for any squashed or torn cables.

If that doesn't clear the codes, disconnect the Carplay box and plug everything (without completely reassembling/screwing back in) back into the CIC. I had to do this a few weeks back when chasing my own error codes and as long as you mark which cable went where, you don't actually have to remove the box and it doesn't take very long.

If the codes clear when the Carsara is disconnected then you may need to try to rule out a faulty harness or damaged wire.

[e92335drew]

Cyberdemon you deserve a sponsorship from Carsara haha!


I disconnected my negative terminal let it sit a few seconds and reconnected. Electronic error gone. Went for a cruise to test this unit, turned down the alter volume so maps weren’t so loud, wish that also controlled Siri responses as it’s way too loud. Still not clear why the volume needs to be so loud in comparison to radio volume.


Time to play with some eq settings. I applied the Malek settings to my idrive eq but I’m confused if that would also apply to the CarPlay and I should leave it flat or if that is separate from the head unit settings.

[wahooooman]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Bimmertech doesn't write their own software. Everyone is buying this from some Chinese ODM who is building these boxes on the same GPLink Architecture.

Carplay itself is an interface spec defined by Apple. Because the phone is easier to update than the millions of cars on the road, it would probably take a rather substantial change for Apple/Google to modify that interface and "Require" an update on the car side. I certainly wouldn't say thats impossible, but for $200 you are likely to get 4+ years of usage out of this thing before Apple comes up with "Carplay 2" and some fancy new Ultra HDR 3D interface that requires them to redo it and break backwards compatibility.

Long story short - I certainly wouldn't spend $400+ more just because you think you'll have some forward compatibility.

This is very insightful thanks !!

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by e92335drew

Cyberdemon you deserve a sponsorship from Carsara haha!


I disconnected my negative terminal let it sit a few seconds and reconnected. Electronic error gone. Went for a cruise to test this unit, turned down the alter volume so maps weren’t so loud, wish that also controlled Siri responses as it’s way too loud. Still not clear why the volume needs to be so loud in comparison to radio volume.


Time to play with some eq settings. I applied the Malek settings to my idrive eq but I’m confused if that would also apply to the CarPlay and I should leave it flat or if that is separate from the head unit settings.

The Carplay EQ is seperate. Set your iDrive EQ to something that sounds good to you for your other sources (if you ever plan to use them again) and then adjust the Carsara EQ, it needs some boost for sure.

I tried Maleks settings as a default but in my experience, I found them very tinny. As I mentioned in a few posts back before, everyone has different ears and different hearing sensitivity. "Flat" for you won't necessarily be flat for someone else. (high pitched sounds are the first to go when you get older, so it wouldn't surprise me if older folks prefer more of a treble boost).

[PACarGuy]

Originally Posted by e92335drew

Has anyone dealt with electronic error messages after the install? Now that I've reinstalled my dash and reconnected the hazard switch, I was hoping that it would clear. However, it seems to stick in protool after clearing out my codes.

KOMBI - Cluster
E107 Raw Error: CAN BUS OFF

If I scan with Carly, I get a recurring CAN and LVDS error (as I did with an earlier Kremersino Carplay unit), but everything works fine and there's no CEL on the car.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by wahooooman

My only worry with this unit compared to the Bimmertech is compatibility with future iPhones and softwares... Thoughts ?

Car manufactures besides Tesla don't bother to update their software. I doubt they'll make iPhones that require manufacturers to actually update their software to keep CarPlay functionality. That's kind of the point of CarPlay really, it's running off your phone basically and doesn't rely on the car software or hardware as long as it's compatible.

[GTiceman]

Went in today and tried to recode. Only option I have is the aux_hu and making active seemed to have no change. I unplugged the aux and got no sound. I did however take the time to pull out the unused iDrive harness and the camera harness as I'm not using that. 09 build.

[Siajoon]

is the usb that hands out In the video just used in the case that you want to directly connect your phone instead of pairing it via bluetooth?

[GTiceman]

Originally Posted by Siajoon

is the usb that hands out In the video just used in the case that you want to directly connect your phone instead of pairing it via bluetooth?

Yes, it is if you don't want to use wireless AA/CarPlay. For AA you pair via BT but it uses WiFi for the actually AA, not sure how CarPlay works

I actually removed that harness entirely today

[bighindu79]

Originally Posted by GTiceman

Yes, it is if you don't want to use wireless AA/CarPlay. For AA you pair via BT but it uses WiFi for the actually AA, not sure how CarPlay works

I actually removed that harness entirely today

the USB is also used for any firmware/software updates from the manufacturer.

[Smeargle]

anyone tested any backup cameras on amazon besides the one in the op(which are out of stock besides one missing hardware)?

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by Smeargle

anyone tested any backup cameras on amazon besides the one in the op(which are out of stock besides one missing hardware)?

Try this one, looks like the exact same camera I used but under a different brand name:

https://www.amazon.com/Trunk-Handle-...dp/B06WRN2CW3/

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Smeargle

anyone tested any backup cameras on amazon besides the one in the op(which are out of stock besides one missing hardware)?

The GreenYi camera from Aliexpress still shows as available to me. If you don't want to wait, the other options on Amazon are lower resolution but will still work OK. Just keep in mind I tested 4 cameras and those were the two I recommended, the others (including the cheaper ones on Amazon) had more sensitive issues with power supply and would likely require a relay adding to the install complexity.

[Smeargle]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

The GreenYi camera from Aliexpress still shows as available to me. If you don't want to wait, the other options on Amazon are lower resolution but will still work OK. Just keep in mind I tested 4 cameras and those were the two I recommended, the others (including the cheaper ones on Amazon) had more sensitive issues with power supply and would likely require a relay adding to the install complexity.

The price wasn't the issue I just didn't want to wait, but I see this amazon link in the OP actually has new ones for sale it just defaults to saying they only have a used one. Thanks.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

The GreenYi camera from Aliexpress still shows as available to me. If you don't want to wait, the other options on Amazon are lower resolution but will still work OK. Just keep in mind I tested 4 cameras and those were the two I recommended, the others (including the cheaper ones on Amazon) had more sensitive issues with power supply and would likely require a relay adding to the install complexity.

I don't see how anything over 480P would be beneficial on the CIC display, and even if it were one of the reviews on Amazon for the 720P HD cam calls out that it's actually 480P and no better quality than the cheaper options.

As far as power sensitivity goes, based on the mixed reviews I suspect all of these Chinese no-name cams have a relatively high DOA/failure rate, whether you spend $25 or $70. I think the need for a relay is completely independent of which specific camera you use. That is based on whether the Carsara can provide a switched 12V signal in reverse (DCT) or not (6MT).

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

I don't see how anything over 480P would be beneficial on the CIC display, and even if it were one of the reviews on Amazon for the 720P HD cam calls out that it's actually 480P and no better quality than the cheaper options.

As far as power sensitivity goes, based on the mixed reviews I suspect all of these Chinese no-name cams have a relatively high DOA/failure rate, whether you spend $25 or $70. I think the need for a relay is completely independent of which specific camera you use. That is based on whether the Carsara can provide a switched 12V signal in reverse (DCT) or not (6MT).

On paper I agree, but the line resolution of these cameras is only part of the equation, there were various optics combinations and different sensors, which also played into what the overall quality, low light performance, FOV etc was. I bench tested 4 different cameras on a small 720P screen and then tested two in the car itself.

One of the cameras I tested had noticeable scanning even on a stable bench power supply - so I don't know if that camera was just defective off the bat or a relay would have helped.

There was a definite quality improvement for the higher resolution sensor because even though the screen is only 480P tall, it is 1280px wide and most of those cheaper sensors had only about 50% coverage, which was noticeably more blocky, especially with a wider field of view. The end result was the better sensors were sharper and had better low light performance. Sangria had done a bunch of indepdenent testing on these as well before he went with the OEM camera and he recommended those as well.

Like I suggested, I only suggested the $65 camera because it ships in two days and has a slim connector making it easier to route. But quality wise it was basically identical to the $22 GreenYI camera (which might take a month to arrive, YMMV)

[satianv]

Hi there,

Thanks to this forum and this particular write up, I have managed to get the Carsara unit successfully installed and running in my E70 CIC. Couple of things I am having issues with :

1) when I press the Park Assist button the 360 camera does not show unless I manually switch to the native BMW menu using the long menu press. Anyone with ideas on how to make this work like it does with reverse ie automatic switch

2) I don't seem to have much luck getting the Airplay mirroring working, any tricks to this. Following instructions, I do not see the device appearing in my "Screen Mirror" on the phone

Any assistance is much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by satianv

Hi there,

Thanks to this forum and this particular write up, I have managed to get the Carsara unit successfully installed and running in my E70 CIC. Couple of things I am having issues with :

1) when I press the Park Assist button the 360 camera does not show unless I manually switch to the native BMW menu using the long menu press. Anyone with ideas on how to make this work like it does with reverse ie automatic switch

2) I don't seem to have much luck getting the Airplay mirroring working, any tricks to this. Following instructions, I do not see the device appearing in my "Screen Mirror" on the phone

Any assistance is much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

1) This may not be directly supported with the Carsara box to be honest. In the case of the reverse switching, the Carsara box intercepts the reverse signal and turns on. What you are asking for is the BMW to intercept the Carsara box which is not possible with how it is connected. You may just have to switch back to BMW to accomodate that. Hitting radio or some other button should boot you out of the Carara unit without holding menu for 3 seconds that may be the only way I can think of trying.

2) Airplay Mirroring has been a pain in the ass. The only way I was able to get it working is to forget and disable carplay, forget the remembered SSID and start from scratch. Because the Box broadcasts the same SSID the phone seems to have a hard time recognizing it. I probably could play around with this more, but truth be told I only wanted to try this once when I wanted to see if I could watch football and haven't touched it since. It was such a pain the first time I just ended up using my Android device for mirroring when I needed to instead. Not a great solution, but maybe if you have time to play with it consider disconnecting Carplay from the general settings and see if Mirroring can connect.

[bighindu79]

Out of curiosity I've been using Android Auto instead of CarPlay for the past month. I am posting my experience here for any android only person considering this retrofit.

Overall, Apple's implementation is far superior in my opinion but with the recent updates to AA (i.e. AA split screen for screens 7"+) the experience is getting better.

My carsara installation:

1. Not using the iDrive harness. Connected carsara connection A to B.
2. Coded to get AUX audio through quadlock.

What I don't Like:

1. When I get in the car and start it up. AA is slower to startup compared to CarPlay. Sometimes, it would take up to a minute to startup. During this time, the iDrive screen would be pitch black. Sometimes, it would even timeout connecting and I would have to go on the phone to restart the connection. Never had any of these issues with CarPlay.
2. Once it started up, I had to hold the Menu button down to switch over to the carsara and then confirm the stupid android prompt to start AA and then the AA dashboard would show up. Again, never had to do any of this with CarPlay.
3. I can't navigate the UI with the iDrive menu,option, and back buttons. I have to use the IDrive controller wheel to navigate and select. This is the most annoying part for me as this really makes navigating cumbersome especially when you want to switch to another app or navigate within an app. Again, in CarPlay all buttons work to navigate around and makes the experience that much better.

Other than the issues mentioned above, I think AA with Carsara works just fine. I don't have any sound or mic issues. Google assist responds with the steering wheel button. AA has better wallpaper options if that's something you care about. The new split screen update looks pretty good on our 8.8" CIC screen but probably would look better with the newer wider screens. Apple's dashboard is still far superior as it uses the screen real estate more efficiently.

With that, I think I'll be going back to CarPlay as my default and keep tinkering as AA releases updates. I'll post back with any new findings.

[smokinjoe64]

Any known issues with an iPhone on the Induktiv wireless charger while simultaneously connected to USB port while using a CarPlay 'aftermarket box'?

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by smokinjoe64

Any known issues with an iPhone on the Induktiv wireless charger while simultaneously connected to USB port while using a CarPlay 'aftermarket box'?

Shouldn't be your phone circuitry handles charging not the boxes.