CarPlay module install
02-22-2021, 04:54 AM
#102
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
The following users liked this post:
DallasDave (02-23-2021)
03-02-2021, 06:55 AM
#104
AudiWorld Junior Member
After watching videos regarding removing and replacing trim, I hired my dealer (they are not a "stealer") to install my RSNAV. After fiddling under the dash he decided the best location would be in the glove box, particularly if I had to access the unit for any reason. It takes up virtually no space in the glove box and I am extremely pleased with the result.
03-26-2021, 05:49 AM
#105
AudiWorld Member
I'd like to add my CarPlay experience to this thread on my 2014 UK spec facelift A8L.
The CarPlay unit was purchased from eWaying.com in China for 202 Euros inc free P&P.
The experience was marred when enquiring on expected delivery a week after placing the order when they said they were still waiting for a photo of the MMI 3G+ they had requested.
I forwarded them the very same email I sent when I placed the order showing the photo I had attached at the time. They shipped and it arrived in under a week.
It looks to be the very same box & contents that is shown here and identical to another device a friend of mine purchased from Germany for his RS6 so guessing they all come out of the same factory?
It looks like Ewaygps Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. own the Andream brand and have been trading since 2008 and I have no association with the Company or any of its brands other than being this one-time customer.
This is my fourth A8 in 14 years having owned a D2 S8, D3 W12, D4 pre-facelift 4.2TDi followed by my current car. I have owned VCDS for over 10 years when I used to call it VAGCOM and was purchased from Ilexa following a crappy diagnosis by a Main Dealer who decided my S8 needed a new headlamp module for £400 plus labour when all it needed was the N/S/R sensor arm moving back in to its correct position. Based on that and other such incompetent experiences with Main Dealers I do all my own maintenance using genuine parts from TPS and really spoil the car.
Well to be honest a close friend of mine who I met via another A8 Forum with much, much more experience on 8's than me maintains it and I trusted him to fit the CarPlay device as I know he has fitted these devices before including my friends RS6.
Even before we started he said to me the most difficult part on an 8 will be trying to get the 5F unit back in the dash and it took both of us, him upside down with his head in the dash holding a homemade device for catching & coaxing wires into position and me pushing the 5F for @90 minutes to get it back in the dash so my experience mirrors the others in here. I'm still not comfortable with the force I used to click the unit into place but it is what it is and it works but I still have nightmares about it!
If anyone else asks him to fit CarPlay in their A8 he is going to politely (or not so politely) decline...
Long story short I am pleased with it as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as it brings my car bang up to date and I now have Google maps back in the display after Audi disappointingly removed first Street View a few years ago and then the Google Earth overlay at the end of last year. To cap it all my Audi Online Services expired a couple of days ago and I haven't been able to get the car to create an online destination sent to the car from the Audi app here in the UK for ages now. Works when I travel through Europe (France, Netherlands, Belgium & Germany for example) just not in the UK where I live and need to use it most!
Some things I do not like about the CarPlay retrofit apart from the lack of space behind the dash are;
Although my iPod Touch with my carefully curated12,500 song library is recognised as a device in Media Sources and retains full device control I cannot hear the audio no matter what I do mirroring the experiences of others here and was completely unexpected after seeing many instances where those that should know better say it retains full factory functions. Well I can guarantee it does not! I'm not holding my breath waiting for a firmware upgrade to cure this either. Such a shame as it was an ideal music source for me.
Lack of a manual or guide of any type although I notice Dave here has the WAAKA manual so expect a PM from me soon Dave with my email address as I am guessing functionality will probably be identical at best or at least give me a clue at worst!
I see a few references to being able to reduce the Navigation volume but no definitive answer as to where this might be adjusted. The loud & distorted NAV volume affects not just one but all of the navigation apps and even though the device tells me that it can only be adjusted when Nav instructions are being spoken and I can reduce it I find when the voice has finished that the music volume is proportionately lower also. I figured there must be a way and it seems there is so any hints/tips would be appreciated and gratefully received.
Talking of volume I didn't realise how much I like & depend upon the on-screen volume display that is sadly missing in CarPlay mode. Likewise seeing the song title info in the DIS does not work with only the double circle Aux symbol letting me know I have at least chosen the correct audio input.
Also 60 seconds after turning the engine off CarPlay turns itself off reverting back to the default MMI display but with no audio as it is still set to Aux Input. Now that's annoying as I could be listening to something interesting when it shuts down.
I can't seem to get a satellite display from Apple Maps but that's probable Apple being...well Apple.
There are more but I am hoping some of these and more might be solved by reading the manual. For example what the hell is Left/Right/Top/Bottom Scrap FFS and what exactly does Alter Volume alter?
I ended up mounting the box itself close up against the bulkhead cable tied to the two thick aluminium aircon pipes running down so don't expect any overheating issues with the box! I also ended up bringing in both the USB & HDMI cables into the shelf at the top left of the glovebox where the AMI connection used to be on my D2 before being moved into the trinket tray below the armrests. I have fitted a Qi charging pad in the trinket tray but have found when the armrests are down that is enough to stop the GPS signal so my newly rediscovered Google Earth display basically get stuck in one spot. Pity.
There has been some good info in this thread not withstanding the teasing references to the Nav volume being separately adjustable with no solution that I could see from my cursory read and I'm giving a big thank those who have already trodden this path before me and written up their experiences.
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the installation but notice where people have been removing the black cloth tape we’ve been wrapping it around anything that resembles a colour-coded wire not only to give it that factory look & feel but to make things much more difficult if we ever need to trace those CarPlay wires in the future!
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
The CarPlay unit was purchased from eWaying.com in China for 202 Euros inc free P&P.
The experience was marred when enquiring on expected delivery a week after placing the order when they said they were still waiting for a photo of the MMI 3G+ they had requested.
I forwarded them the very same email I sent when I placed the order showing the photo I had attached at the time. They shipped and it arrived in under a week.
It looks to be the very same box & contents that is shown here and identical to another device a friend of mine purchased from Germany for his RS6 so guessing they all come out of the same factory?
It looks like Ewaygps Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. own the Andream brand and have been trading since 2008 and I have no association with the Company or any of its brands other than being this one-time customer.
This is my fourth A8 in 14 years having owned a D2 S8, D3 W12, D4 pre-facelift 4.2TDi followed by my current car. I have owned VCDS for over 10 years when I used to call it VAGCOM and was purchased from Ilexa following a crappy diagnosis by a Main Dealer who decided my S8 needed a new headlamp module for £400 plus labour when all it needed was the N/S/R sensor arm moving back in to its correct position. Based on that and other such incompetent experiences with Main Dealers I do all my own maintenance using genuine parts from TPS and really spoil the car.
Well to be honest a close friend of mine who I met via another A8 Forum with much, much more experience on 8's than me maintains it and I trusted him to fit the CarPlay device as I know he has fitted these devices before including my friends RS6.
Even before we started he said to me the most difficult part on an 8 will be trying to get the 5F unit back in the dash and it took both of us, him upside down with his head in the dash holding a homemade device for catching & coaxing wires into position and me pushing the 5F for @90 minutes to get it back in the dash so my experience mirrors the others in here. I'm still not comfortable with the force I used to click the unit into place but it is what it is and it works but I still have nightmares about it!
If anyone else asks him to fit CarPlay in their A8 he is going to politely (or not so politely) decline...
Long story short I am pleased with it as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as it brings my car bang up to date and I now have Google maps back in the display after Audi disappointingly removed first Street View a few years ago and then the Google Earth overlay at the end of last year. To cap it all my Audi Online Services expired a couple of days ago and I haven't been able to get the car to create an online destination sent to the car from the Audi app here in the UK for ages now. Works when I travel through Europe (France, Netherlands, Belgium & Germany for example) just not in the UK where I live and need to use it most!
Some things I do not like about the CarPlay retrofit apart from the lack of space behind the dash are;
Although my iPod Touch with my carefully curated12,500 song library is recognised as a device in Media Sources and retains full device control I cannot hear the audio no matter what I do mirroring the experiences of others here and was completely unexpected after seeing many instances where those that should know better say it retains full factory functions. Well I can guarantee it does not! I'm not holding my breath waiting for a firmware upgrade to cure this either. Such a shame as it was an ideal music source for me.
Lack of a manual or guide of any type although I notice Dave here has the WAAKA manual so expect a PM from me soon Dave with my email address as I am guessing functionality will probably be identical at best or at least give me a clue at worst!
I see a few references to being able to reduce the Navigation volume but no definitive answer as to where this might be adjusted. The loud & distorted NAV volume affects not just one but all of the navigation apps and even though the device tells me that it can only be adjusted when Nav instructions are being spoken and I can reduce it I find when the voice has finished that the music volume is proportionately lower also. I figured there must be a way and it seems there is so any hints/tips would be appreciated and gratefully received.
Talking of volume I didn't realise how much I like & depend upon the on-screen volume display that is sadly missing in CarPlay mode. Likewise seeing the song title info in the DIS does not work with only the double circle Aux symbol letting me know I have at least chosen the correct audio input.
Also 60 seconds after turning the engine off CarPlay turns itself off reverting back to the default MMI display but with no audio as it is still set to Aux Input. Now that's annoying as I could be listening to something interesting when it shuts down.
I can't seem to get a satellite display from Apple Maps but that's probable Apple being...well Apple.
There are more but I am hoping some of these and more might be solved by reading the manual. For example what the hell is Left/Right/Top/Bottom Scrap FFS and what exactly does Alter Volume alter?
I ended up mounting the box itself close up against the bulkhead cable tied to the two thick aluminium aircon pipes running down so don't expect any overheating issues with the box! I also ended up bringing in both the USB & HDMI cables into the shelf at the top left of the glovebox where the AMI connection used to be on my D2 before being moved into the trinket tray below the armrests. I have fitted a Qi charging pad in the trinket tray but have found when the armrests are down that is enough to stop the GPS signal so my newly rediscovered Google Earth display basically get stuck in one spot. Pity.
There has been some good info in this thread not withstanding the teasing references to the Nav volume being separately adjustable with no solution that I could see from my cursory read and I'm giving a big thank those who have already trodden this path before me and written up their experiences.
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the installation but notice where people have been removing the black cloth tape we’ve been wrapping it around anything that resembles a colour-coded wire not only to give it that factory look & feel but to make things much more difficult if we ever need to trace those CarPlay wires in the future!
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
Last edited by GlynH; 03-26-2021 at 07:52 AM.
03-26-2021, 06:21 AM
#106
After using this for a while, it's a real hassle and slow for short trips; i.e. drive to go pickup food and hop back in the car, short trips, etc. Sometimes I'll have to reinitialize CarPlay for it to resume.
So I basically use it for navigation and Google Earth for 99% of the time, and leave my audio source elsewhere (built-in SD card slot). It's much faster to resume your last audio source. Which really makes sense; the Carplay unit has to initialize and then connect with the Carplay app on your phone.
Long car rides (30+ min) I do use it fully and enjoy the built-in EQ. But to the poster before me - you don't realize how much you miss the on screen volume display and instrument cluster / HUD volume displays.
Still though, for $275 bucks it adds WAZE and Google Earth and real-time traffic information, no matter how long it took my hands to heal from bleeding from getting it mounted (silly me did it by myself to avoid a "wife-argument". After 18 years of marriage I know when to and not to bring her in... - it's still worth it.
So I basically use it for navigation and Google Earth for 99% of the time, and leave my audio source elsewhere (built-in SD card slot). It's much faster to resume your last audio source. Which really makes sense; the Carplay unit has to initialize and then connect with the Carplay app on your phone.
Long car rides (30+ min) I do use it fully and enjoy the built-in EQ. But to the poster before me - you don't realize how much you miss the on screen volume display and instrument cluster / HUD volume displays.
Still though, for $275 bucks it adds WAZE and Google Earth and real-time traffic information, no matter how long it took my hands to heal from bleeding from getting it mounted (silly me did it by myself to avoid a "wife-argument". After 18 years of marriage I know when to and not to bring her in...
- it's still worth it.
The following 3 users liked this post by Shield:
03-26-2021, 06:50 AM
#107
AudiWorld Senior Member
Wow, you guys are definitely on track with summing up the experience. I HATE having to restart the music every time I get in the car, plus it takes several steps. You mention the screen volume display, I miss it too!
On the plus side I LOVE the Google Earth map with all the detail. It looks great. I also love the EQ and the way the music sounds via Sirius XM or Pandora (through the CarPlay unit). A quick tip, make sure you select the higher quality music option in each of your telephone's apps. It makes a huge difference.
On the plus side I LOVE the Google Earth map with all the detail. It looks great. I also love the EQ and the way the music sounds via Sirius XM or Pandora (through the CarPlay unit). A quick tip, make sure you select the higher quality music option in each of your telephone's apps. It makes a huge difference.
03-26-2021, 07:24 AM
#108
Another challenge I've had is phone calls when using the AUX as the audio source. Sometimes the big round button press won't hang up a call; I have to do it on the steering wheel. No idea why.
The good news for using other audio sources with the WAKAA set on Google earth - you can still do voice input (meaning the microphone still works in that mode) for searches. Thank goodness. I just turn the volume down.
Again, long road trips when I know I won't be stopping for a while - I switch to AUX input. Short runs, in and outs - the built-in SD card reader resume time compared to: WAKAA unit boot up, phone sync with Carplay, switch to USB/Media in the WAKAA unit, etc. Just too slow.
The good news for using other audio sources with the WAKAA set on Google earth - you can still do voice input (meaning the microphone still works in that mode) for searches. Thank goodness. I just turn the volume down.
Again, long road trips when I know I won't be stopping for a while - I switch to AUX input. Short runs, in and outs - the built-in SD card reader resume time compared to: WAKAA unit boot up, phone sync with Carplay, switch to USB/Media in the WAKAA unit, etc. Just too slow.
03-26-2021, 10:11 AM
#109
AudiWorld Member
Just wanted to say thanks very much Dave for the manual.
My favourite line has to be;
After the installation is complete, it is best to lock the car for a few minutes to turn it on, wait until the running test is normal, then restore the car
Don't you just love manuals written in Chinglish?
Have a great weekend all!
Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
My favourite line has to be;
After the installation is complete, it is best to lock the car for a few minutes to turn it on, wait until the running test is normal, then restore the car
Don't you just love manuals written in Chinglish?
Have a great weekend all!
Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
The following 3 users liked this post by GlynH:
03-26-2021, 02:56 PM
#110
AudiWorld Senior Member
Did you get the NAV volume sorted? That was a real pain for me until I figured it out.