DIY Carplay/Android Auto Carsara Install and Setup Tips

[FloorBeamer]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

FWIW, these cars it's almost a requirement to have a code reader anyways so getting a Bluetooth dongle and BimmerCode or a similar app is a sub $100 investment and lots of other uses. Or plenty of people on Facebook who might be local and willing to help out. My F series was coded for a case of beer.

For me personally I take a lot of phone calls on the road and call quality and mic integration was important.

I will look into that. I have lived without it until know, but I will look into the benefits of coding.
A case of beer is always enough.. ;-)

[Bamboo123]

Hi all, sooo went out today with a clear mind and refitted everything again! ( 4th time) this time i had alot more room to play around with i actually undone the cage for the radio and slide it forward so can easy put all the cables to the side then slide back the cage! My supplier actually gave me a new update for the mmi box as well done that and wow the sound difference is amazing it has a new setting in mmi box called loudness and the difference between it being on and off is night and day its more or less the same as OEM sound IMO! while testing the mmi box again today it didnt get black/red screen however it did freeze completely once but i think it is a glitch as i was messing around with Spotify on my phone ( wasn't driving ) it carry on playing music but the mmi box screen froze had to restart the car completely and the screen unfroze thinking about it i could of maybe disconnect carplay may have work but i restarted car instead. I dont really have time to test it longer today/ this week so hopefully my issue is now fixed!

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Bamboo123

Hi all, sooo went out today with a clear mind and refitted everything again! ( 4th time) this time i had alot more room to play around with i actually undone the cage for the radio and slide it forward so can easy put all the cables to the side then slide back the cage! My supplier actually gave me a new update for the mmi box as well done that and wow the sound difference is amazing it has a new setting in mmi box called loudness and the difference between it being on and off is night and day its more or less the same as OEM sound IMO! while testing the mmi box again today it didnt get black/red screen however it did freeze completely once but i think it is a glitch as i was messing around with Spotify on my phone ( wasn't driving ) it carry on playing music but the mmi box screen froze had to restart the car completely and the screen unfroze thinking about it i could of maybe disconnect carplay may have work but i restarted car instead. I dont really have time to test it longer today/ this week so hopefully my issue is now fixed!

Which box are you using?

[Bamboo123]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Which box are you using?

I believe it is a Andream unit (brought from a UK seller) looking on this post https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1675929 it shows you all the different type of firmwares and boxes out there mine was on CHL_V1.1.2 which indicate it is a Andream Ver B unit it is now updated to CHL_v1.2.5 which i also link on that post at the last post so that it can be updated to that page. All these unit are the same just with different firmwares on them no matter if it is for F or E series etc.

It be interesting to see which firmware Carsara uses i reckon it could be a Andream unit. What is your firmware?

BTW how do you answer calls from steering wheel controll? i cant seem to get that to work

[tmntmn]

Originally Posted by Atomicteal_M3

Ive been using this one for over a year with no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/Vgate-Bluetoo..._m_rp_c_2_1_sc

Thank you!

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Bamboo123

I believe it is a Andream unit (brought from a UK seller) looking on this post https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1675929 it shows you all the different type of firmwares and boxes out there mine was on CHL_V1.1.2 which indicate it is a Andream Ver B unit it is now updated to CHL_v1.2.5 which i also link on that post at the last post so that it can be updated to that page. All these unit are the same just with different firmwares on them no matter if it is for F or E series etc.

It be interesting to see which firmware Carsara uses i reckon it could be a Andream unit. What is your firmware?

BTW how do you answer calls from steering wheel controll? i cant seem to get that to work

Ah interesting thread, lots of stuff there. I'd have to check what firmware I'm on. I know I asked some previous members for pics of their actual PCB's, so it was clear there were some variations in the boards themselves but most were still based on the same architecture.

For my box, the steering wheel controls work fine. But again we have different boxes/cars/software so YMMV.

I'd be tempted to try upgrading the firmware but I'm reminded of the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[Bamboo123]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Ah interesting thread, lots of stuff there. I'd have to check what firmware I'm on. I know I asked some previous members for pics of their actual PCB's, so it was clear there were some variations in the boards themselves but most were still based on the same architecture.

For my box, the steering wheel controls work fine. But again we have different boxes/cars/software so YMMV.

I'd be tempted to try upgrading the firmware but I'm reminded of the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Yes, i believe all the boxes are the same, What button is it to answer calls?

Yeah smart move i only update as the seller told me to but wow this new feature is pretty amazing.

yeah found out the firmware verison and we can check the website and see if it is Andream base

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Bamboo123

Yes, i believe all the boxes are the same, What button is it to answer calls?

Yeah smart move i only update as the seller told me to but wow this new feature is pretty amazing.

yeah found out the firmware verison and we can check the website and see if it is Andream base

Here's the build information. I do see that I have that loudness setting. Toggling it didn't seem to make any noticeable difference to me? Maybe its more applicable at higher volumes.

[Bamboo123]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Here's the build information. I do see that I have that loudness setting. Toggling it didn't seem to make any noticeable difference to me? Maybe its more applicable at higher volumes.

interesting, mines different my loudness setting has 400, 800, 400+, 800+

looking at your cust verison number and comparing the post it seems like yours is a Andream unit this is pulled from the other thread

'Andream B-Version [2] [CICHL] [GEMINI_PACK.BIN]
Note: There are two B-Versions for 'CICHL'. Their updates are not compatible with each other.
v3.1.0.2.gpe.c.hl (PIN: 2863) (Not cross compatible)'

so yours is V3.0.0.0 gpe.c.hl and on that thread they have v3.1.0.2.gpe.c.hl

i mean as you said if it works just leave it i will be testing mine when i got a bit more time but yes seems like they have done alot of software updates since as mines and im pretty impress not going lie with this new feature lets just hope its stable and after redoing all the cables my mmi box holds up!

p.s did try use the search function on that thread but its awful cant pin point who shared the update and check changelogs on v3.1.0.2.gpe.c.hl

[alwaysgoing]

Mine is:
CUST v3.1.0.5.gpe.c.hl
MCU 20.12.1.16

Not sure what changes...

[Bamboo123]

well this is annoying thought my box was all working after redoing and software update but nope i still get random red screen reboots pretty annoying thought i fixed my problem. I guess im going ask the seller to send me a brand new box/harness and try for the 5th time taking it all apart again. I hope i havnt damaged the OEM harness

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Bamboo123

well this is annoying thought my box was all working after redoing and software update but nope i still get random red screen reboots pretty annoying thought i fixed my problem. I guess im going ask the seller to send me a brand new box/harness and try for the 5th time taking it all apart again. I hope i havnt damaged the OEM harness

If your iDrive is working you should be fine with the original harness. Sounds like for whatever reason your power cable is unhappy. Hopefully not too painful to swap and reconnect everything but certainly a pain in the ass to have to yank everything apart. I've already had to do that 3X when I fried my iDrive controller and refused to believe it.

[Bamboo123]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

If your iDrive is working you should be fine with the original harness. Sounds like for whatever reason your power cable is unhappy. Hopefully not too painful to swap and reconnect everything but certainly a pain in the ass to have to yank everything apart. I've already had to do that 3X when I fried my iDrive controller and refused to believe it.

Yeah fingers cross, my vendor is sending another unit and cables out to me so just swap them over and return back but this will be my 5th time taking it apart again just pretty annoying and waste of time! However i do love it when it is working

[drwankel]

Ugh. I want to use audio through the quadlock, but want to keep my USB ports functional. Wish there was a way.

[smokinjoe64]

Originally Posted by Bamboo123

Yeah fingers cross, my vendor is sending another unit and cables out to me so just swap them over and return back but this will be my 5th time taking it apart again just pretty annoying and waste of time! However i do love it when it is working

Geez! so may issues and bugs across 'brands' noted in these threads.
I hate re-do's and seemingly infinite troubleshooting hours.

Curious if the pricier Bimmer-Tech MMI is more reliable?
I'm inclined to pay ~$200 more for better support, less hassles. "time value of money" so-to-speak.

...comments/thoughts?

[Bamboo123]

Originally Posted by smokinjoe64

Geez! so may issues and bugs across 'brands' noted in these threads.
I hate re-do's and seemingly infinite troubleshooting hours.

Curious if the pricier Bimmer-Tech MMI is more reliable?
I'm inclined to pay ~$200 more for better support, less hassles. "time value of money" so-to-speak.

...comments/thoughts?

If im honest whatever you buy you have the chance to get a faulty item even brand new cars will have faults, yeah i admit it can be very annoying but it is what it is i guess!

if im honest im pretty sure they all came from china just rebranded, you might be better of buying from Amazon if your worried then you can return easier for another unit

[mrvedit]

First, my thanks to CyperDemon for starting this thread, which is a bit more manageable that the previous 1800+ post thread on this subject.

I'm ready to order the Carsara for my 2013 M3, but don't know if I need the 4-pin or 6-pin LVDS. Anyone know? The website says to check on 2013 models.

The AliExpress website shows "US $221.40 - 291.00"; is there an option I'm missing for the $291 price?
Also, the backup Camera sounds interesting, but is not currently available on Amazon.
Any other sources?
And yes, I'm comfortable coding and already have BimmerCode.
My primary uses will be listening to Pandora and using Waze; hopefully it works similar to the CarPlay on my 2017 BMWs.
Thanks.

[Atomicteal_M3]

Originally Posted by mrvedit

First, my thanks to CyperDemon for starting this thread, which is a bit more manageable that the previous 1800+ post thread on this subject.

I'm ready to order the Carsara for my 2013 M3, but don't know if I need the 4-pin or 6-pin LVDS. Anyone know? The website says to check on 2013 models.

The AliExpress website shows "US $221.40 - 291.00"; is there an option I'm missing for the $291 price?
Also, the backup Camera sounds interesting, but is not currently available on Amazon.
Any other sources?
And yes, I'm comfortable coding and already have BimmerCode.
My primary uses will be listening to Pandora and using Waze; hopefully it works similar to the CarPlay on my 2017 BMWs.
Thanks.

4 pin

[mrvedit]

So, knowing its a 2013 M3 is not enough?
The car is in storage till mid-April and I was hoping to order before then.
Guess I would order one of each; still reasonable price.
Thanks.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by mrvedit

So, knowing its a 2013 M3 is not enough?
The car is in storage till mid-April and I was hoping to order before then.
Guess I would order one of each; still reasonable price.
Thanks.

The answer above is correct. Your car is a CIC unit and has a 4 pin.

Remember that the F30 sedan was released in 2012 so a 2013 3 series "Sedan" would have the 6 pin NBT unit.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by smokinjoe64

Geez! so may issues and bugs across 'brands' noted in these threads.
I hate re-do's and seemingly infinite troubleshooting hours.

Curious if the pricier Bimmer-Tech MMI is more reliable?
I'm inclined to pay ~$200 more for better support, less hassles. "time value of money" so-to-speak.

...comments/thoughts?

It's basically the exact same unit with slight variations in software. Whether or not people are having faults in the wiring harness (or damaging the wiring harnesses during installation, because it's very easy to smash the CIC unit into the wires and potentially pinch/damage the thin gauge cables).

The Bimmertech unit is $400+ more and doesn't support wireless Android auto like the Carsara.

For me, once the box is up and running I had no issues. My reinstalls were related to me changing my battery and frying my iDrive controller and even though the Carsara box wasn't related, I removed it because it interfered with the diagnostics and I needed to rule it out.

If the $400 is worth it for tech support then sure, but ultimately if you have a problem you're going to be stuck reinstalling it anyways. Once the harnesses are wired, it's not a terribly complex install. Most of the difficulty is in running the wiring for the microphone pigtail and the backup camera. Removing the Carsara box itself and the main wiring harness is probably a 15 minute job if you've done it once.

[mrvedit]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

The answer above is correct. Your car is a CIC unit and has a 4 pin.

Remember that the F30 sedan was released in 2012 so a 2013 3 series "Sedan" would have the 6 pin NBT unit.

Thank you! Besides the cars in my signature I also have two 2011 E90s which my daughters drive. Plan to install this in all of them, including the backup camera.