hugo_nz 166 Report post Posted August 31, 2020 Hey folks! Finally pulled the trigger and got two of these units from AliExpress for the X5 and 650i. Both cars are equipped with iDrive NBT. Installation was simple enough. Cable management was tricky due to the way the MOST cable has no play. Simply removing the MOST cable from the cable sleeve solved this. Once It had more play everything fir neatly behind the head unit. I routed the WiFi cable up along the LVDS cable and stuck the antenna to the back of the display. Package Content Installed and working The unit started right up after everything was connected. I was worried when I saw the mic and AUX connectors in the included harness, but neither of those are required since the audio is routed directly to head unit (albeit still through the aux channel) and uses the car's built-in mic. I figured that the harness is made to fit pretty much any car's hardware configuration, which is a nice touch. As with most of these units, Android Auto out of the box does not utilise the new widescreen layout. This is easily fixed with a custom firmware (Courtesy of Firefly1337 on the F30 forum). Flashing it takes a minute and comes with several tweaks, most notable of which is the widescreen Android Auto implementation. Since it uses the AUX channel the track info etc does not display on the cluster or HUD, nor do the track up/down show but you can set the unit to allow the audio wheel to navigate the display which is the next best thing. After the initial setup, the Android Auto starts up in under a minute after getting into the car. No need to connect the phone with USB. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted August 31, 2020 That looks the biz. Can you reach your sunglasses from your seat? ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) I've ordered one of these for my M4. Ordered from https://www.android-car-dvd.com/. Initially they said they couldn't ship to NZ but later came back to me saying they could... Will see how it goes. I thought about buying one of those full Android replacement head units as they're a bit more feature packed and would add a touchscreen. But they look like they can be a bigger headache with quirks and bugs. Really I just want to have Google Maps navigation on the iDrive screen, don't care for much else. Edited September 1, 2020 by Matth5 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HalfJobHarry 106 Report post Posted September 1, 2020 Looks nice! Where is the built in microphone on your model? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lord_jagganath 421 Report post Posted September 14, 2020 How do the Aliexpress units compare vs the NBT system? faster? does it still offer the same functionality? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted September 14, 2020 5 hours ago, lord_jagganath said: How do the Aliexpress units compare vs the NBT system? faster? does it still offer the same functionality? My understanding is that they're pretty much the same thing, I stand to be corrected. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sobanoodle 45 Report post Posted September 15, 2020 On 9/1/2020 at 12:16 PM, Matth5 said: Initially they said they couldn't ship to NZ but later came back to me saying they could... How much did you pay for the shipping? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted September 15, 2020 (edited) 51 minutes ago, sobanoodle said: How much did you pay for the shipping? Shipping was free. Was just charged the $245 USD. It has arrived, now I need to find time to install it. Edited September 15, 2020 by Matth5 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted September 15, 2020 I have an Android unit in my E46 I use for Android Auto - works great. Will likely switch to IPhone 12 in a few months and will run wireless carplay on it. Anyone using wireless carplay through these 3rd party units? Will also be installing one in my wifes new car shortly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sobanoodle 45 Report post Posted September 20, 2020 On 9/16/2020 at 9:20 AM, Matth5 said: Shipping was free. Was just charged the $245 USD. It has arrived, now I need to find time to install it. Cheers, ordered one too. How long did it take for yours to arrive? Did you have to pay GST? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sobanoodle 45 Report post Posted October 10, 2020 Has anyone installed a CIC version? Mine had arrived and I tried to install it today. Followed the instructions and all I get is an orange screen so clearly something is not right ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbmiester 923 Report post Posted March 13, 2021 I am also considering going down this route for the CIC unit in my X5. The whole Android through the Aux bugs me a bit so also considering a complete 10.5 inch Android conversion. Which way do you think I should go? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted March 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Herbmiester said: I am also considering going down this route for the CIC unit in my X5. The whole Android through the Aux bugs me a bit so also considering a complete 10.5 inch Android conversion. Which way do you think I should go? You could also go down the Apple-android auto CarPlay module route, I did this on the i3 and as I stream music it’s perfect, I never use the NBT anymore and the module just plugs and plays. You do use the aux input but have zero issues with it, quality does seem slightly less but not significant enough. options exist for CIC head units as well Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbmiester 923 Report post Posted March 14, 2021 Isn't the box in the first post that thing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted March 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Herbmiester said: Isn't the box in the first post that thing? Yip pretty much correct Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted March 16, 2021 On 3/14/2021 at 11:34 AM, Herbmiester said: I am also considering going down this route for the CIC unit in my X5. The whole Android through the Aux bugs me a bit so also considering a complete 10.5 inch Android conversion. Which way do you think I should go? I have an Android Headunit in the E46 (running wireless carplay ironically) but installed one of the Carplay / Android Auto devices that plug into the AMI port in our Audi A5 - I imagine they are very similar for BMW - just a box that plugs into the input and Canbus and uses the factory screen / controls etc. Its brilliant and a lot less work than changing out the whole screen (unless you want a bigger sharper touchscreen maybe) 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
