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Wireless Apple Carplay Retrofit for your MK7 Golf (with MIB1 & 2)!!
- Thread starter Khanak
- Start date
Monty9120
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- United kingdom
- Car(s)
- Golf mark 7 gtd
Never seen that before
wouldn’t cost much more to just have a newer stereo fitted to be honest
wouldn’t cost much more to just have a newer stereo fitted to be honest
Can you link me please?
George Ab
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- Pacific NW
Looks like a nice solution. Downside is still have lower resolution and will be slow and missing the functionality of the MIB2. The thing that is nice is you have wireless Carplay. We do not have that with the MIB2 solution. Finding a place to put the unit will be a challenge as there is no room behind head unit, but a doable do. https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...o-mib2-infotainment-conversion-part-1.343701/
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Cuzoe
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Los Angeles
Ask for some details on how it works. They're not going to tell you everything of course but I would want more info than what's on their page. Their connection block diagram suggests their unit is directly providing output to the speakers. That is an assumption I'm making since they show separate wires for power and ground. They could be going to the quad lock for can bus only I guess, but there are easier/cheaper ways to do it than including both sides of a quad lock connector in their kit.
So going off that assumption, this system will not work if you have fender because your speakers aren't wired to the quad lock. They're wired to the fender amp which receives audio over MOST. In order for this unit to work with Fender it would need to utilize your existing aux input.
Myself and others had a discussion about a product intended to provide similar function over on TDI club. For the record, I am not suggesting these products are related, and I have no reason to believe they are, only that they advertise similar functions. We even discussed how a product like this might work. That thread:
https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/retrofitting-apple-carplay-android-auto.507746/
My opinion is that an MIB 2 retrofit can probably be done for about the same cost and will obviously be much cleaner. Even a Plug and Play MIB 2 retrofit, although more expensive, will likely provide a better experience as well.
You can already pick up wireless CarPlay dongles on Amazon. Not so much for AndroidAuto yet but there is the AA wireless indiegogo. They have thousands of units delivered already (although they are also dealing with the current industries wide supply issues).
So going off that assumption, this system will not work if you have fender because your speakers aren't wired to the quad lock. They're wired to the fender amp which receives audio over MOST. In order for this unit to work with Fender it would need to utilize your existing aux input.
Myself and others had a discussion about a product intended to provide similar function over on TDI club. For the record, I am not suggesting these products are related, and I have no reason to believe they are, only that they advertise similar functions. We even discussed how a product like this might work. That thread:
https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/retrofitting-apple-carplay-android-auto.507746/
My opinion is that an MIB 2 retrofit can probably be done for about the same cost and will obviously be much cleaner. Even a Plug and Play MIB 2 retrofit, although more expensive, will likely provide a better experience as well.
You can already pick up wireless CarPlay dongles on Amazon. Not so much for AndroidAuto yet but there is the AA wireless indiegogo. They have thousands of units delivered already (although they are also dealing with the current industries wide supply issues).
Hi there, you seem quite knowledgeable so I'm hoping we can keep this thread alive to understand if this unit will work. I also have a Canadian 2015 GTI with Fender audio/nav and 5.8" screen. I have sent your questions to that whatsapp # posted above to understand if their unit connects directly to the speakers or if can use the aux input instead.
In the posted youtube video he explains how he installed it, hope this helps everyone. This link is the time stamp to the start of the install to show what is plugging into what:
Cuzoe
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Los Angeles
So from the video I gather the following:
- Unit is the man in the middle, electrically speaking, between two things... the car and the glovebox unit, and between the glovebox unit and the screen
- Unit is intercepting a long press of the Media button on the screen (and it seems a long press of okay on the MFSW) to takeover video output to the screen, otherwise it just passes through the stock video
- Unit is using the Aux input for audio (this is, in my opinion, the only good way to do this, I like it)
So... no reason it would not work with Fender, since for all intents and purposes your car won't know it's installed. And the way it provides audio is no different from you plugging an aux cord into the jack in the cubby. I'm not a fan of big breakout harnesses and all the extra stuff that is included but I get it. I liked that they added a fuse in their power-tap so if this unit has an issue it should leave everything in your car un-harmed. As a "man in the middle" all those extra wires can be used to add additional audio/video sources. I had to slow the video down to 0.25 speed but when he first went into the interface I saw aux input, mirroring and front view so you could bring in video from a dash cam (or anything else really).
I don't like it more than an MIB II retrofit, but it's a good option and gives you wireless Carplay which is great. Claims to work with MIB I or MIB II screens. Those have different resolutions so I assume their is a toggle switch of some kind, or you specify your application when ordering. MIB I screen is really low resolution, 400x240. CarPlay buttons will look fine I would think, but Apple/Waze/Google maps might not look great but probably still better than factory maps (if you already have nav).
- Unit is the man in the middle, electrically speaking, between two things... the car and the glovebox unit, and between the glovebox unit and the screen
- Unit is intercepting a long press of the Media button on the screen (and it seems a long press of okay on the MFSW) to takeover video output to the screen, otherwise it just passes through the stock video
- Unit is using the Aux input for audio (this is, in my opinion, the only good way to do this, I like it)
So... no reason it would not work with Fender, since for all intents and purposes your car won't know it's installed. And the way it provides audio is no different from you plugging an aux cord into the jack in the cubby. I'm not a fan of big breakout harnesses and all the extra stuff that is included but I get it. I liked that they added a fuse in their power-tap so if this unit has an issue it should leave everything in your car un-harmed. As a "man in the middle" all those extra wires can be used to add additional audio/video sources. I had to slow the video down to 0.25 speed but when he first went into the interface I saw aux input, mirroring and front view so you could bring in video from a dash cam (or anything else really).
I don't like it more than an MIB II retrofit, but it's a good option and gives you wireless Carplay which is great. Claims to work with MIB I or MIB II screens. Those have different resolutions so I assume their is a toggle switch of some kind, or you specify your application when ordering. MIB I screen is really low resolution, 400x240. CarPlay buttons will look fine I would think, but Apple/Waze/Google maps might not look great but probably still better than factory maps (if you already have nav).
At 7:10 of the video he explains that there's dip switches at the back you need to set for the correct resolution of the screen you have so that's covered off too!
You do make a good point about the screen resolution but it seems like for me in Canada it would cost over 1k to upgrade to mib2 so being able to add this for half the price Or more is really tempting.
You do make a good point about the screen resolution but it seems like for me in Canada it would cost over 1k to upgrade to mib2 so being able to add this for half the price Or more is really tempting.
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I have used a similar style of system with a Land Rover Discovery Sport (2017 model). It worked pretty well. If they are using the AUX input, keep in mind that you can control volume by the buttons on the steering wheel, but you cant skips tracks via the steering wheel buttons.
Cuzoe
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Los Angeles
They are using ox for audio but it seems they're sniffing the CAN bus as well. At one point I think the guy in the video held the okay button on the steering wheel in order to switch the video input from the factory glove box unit to the car play unit.
If that's the case they can just as easily pull the previous/next button presses off the CAN bus.
If that's the case they can just as easily pull the previous/next button presses off the CAN bus.
I asked the seller this - they replied that the steering wheel volume buttons will work but not the others. This isn't a deal breaker for me since I don't really use the controls anyways.
However the previous youtuber also posted a video basically advising to use bluetooth audio instead of AUX to regain the controls:
Since the unit itself is running AA/carplay and not the internal head unit theoretically it should run well, the only slowdown will likely be from the 5.8" screen and how responsive it is. It might end up feeling slow because of this regardless if the unit has a good chipset in it I'm guessing
However the previous youtuber also posted a video basically advising to use bluetooth audio instead of AUX to regain the controls:
Since the unit itself is running AA/carplay and not the internal head unit theoretically it should run well, the only slowdown will likely be from the 5.8" screen and how responsive it is. It might end up feeling slow because of this regardless if the unit has a good chipset in it I'm guessing
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hotbascosauce
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- Seattle, WA
- Car(s)
- 19 GTI SE DSG W/DCC
I have something similar in my wife's 2017 Lexus NX200t w/ oem navigation. Its called GROM VL2. Basically its another android powered brain that goes between the oem brain and screen. The oem infotainment system thinks its an AUX setup. It also has wireless carplay, though its finicky to get connected. Its much easier to just connect with the cable. Its not perfect by any means. The oem system in my 19 GTI is much smoother as was my Pioneer 4200nex in my B7 A4 which was one of the first Apple Carplay aftermarket units. GROM VL2 was also stupid expensive, and it probably has the same internals as the much cheaper no name kits on Amazon and ebay to be honest. Lexus didnt get oem Carplay till 2019. Ours is paid off so I didnt mind paying to modernize it rather than trading up to a newer one for that feature soley.
https://gromaudio.com/store/vline/
https://gromaudio.com/store/vline/
The English Hacker
New member
- Location
- Markham, ON Canada
Hey Pyro, did you ever take the leap with this. I also have a Canadian GTI with MIB1.
I did not yet, my car has been in the shop for 2 months now ...i expected it back sooner lol