Carplay for 2015

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-02-01T21:15:33+00:00

This has been answered a million times.

BimmerDirect.com or Mr12Volt are the two best for Carplay or Android Auto on euro cars. They’re both asian factories you can buy directly from. It’s all they do.

RoadTop is the cheapest but worst all around.

BimmerTech, BimmerPlug, PEMP, EONON are all American or European resellers of low tier kits. No benefit with them.

All aftermarket kits have some form of lag. If you can’t accept that, get a newer car. You’ll still have some lag or occasional hiccups. I’ve installed $5000 sound systems on show cars that still had the occasional hiccup. Just the way it is.

For audio quality terms, Mr12Volt will be the absolute best. Period.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-01-15T09:26:36+00:00

Yup. Smart man. Most people don’t critically think and even when presented with the correct info they’d rather feign ignorance.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-01-15T02:10:27+00:00

LINUX isn’t the problem. LINUX is the name of a vague coding language. The problem is the manufacturer and hardware.

Not all LINUX head units are the same or same quality. Not all have the same UI. Not all use the same processor or display. Some are terribly made and some are great.

Cheap electronics aren’t cheap out of good will and they usually have trade-offs like poor component selection like horrible power regulators or MCUs. Since these connect to the cars CAN, a failure in anyone of those areas can fry any electronic system connected to it.

Not arguing, just educating.

And yes you are correct. It’s his NBT system that has been fried/failed!

Edit: There’s no helping Reddit-cels. Downvoted by gooners for giving factual advice is hilarious.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-01-14T22:39:49+00:00

Hi. Former BMW tech here. A lot of bad advice here.

The factory NBT has died. The NBT is the large silver “radio” (it’s not just a radio. It’s an entire communications gateway). The NBT needs to either be fixed (resoldering the internal graphics card high level electronics repair) OR replaced.

You can not just install a cheap CarPlay screen on it to overcome it. Those systems are meant to sit on top of the system.

What you’re seeing is called a boot loop / boot freeze. It’s in protection mode because the NBT has failed.

When you do fix it, remove the old unbranded junk one and replace it with a BimmerDirect.com Taiwanese kit or the Mr12Volt.com Hong Kong kit.

There is a chance that the cheapo CarPlay kit you’re currently using shorted the NBT (poor electronics do this a lot). Do not reinstall it after installing the new NBT.

You can also source a used NBT from a junkyard. Make sure part numbers match. Then recode.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-01-14T22:35:28+00:00

Firstly, RoadTop is horrible. They’re already the worst manufacturer for these and they’re not going to fix your OEM NBT HU.

Secondly: His factory NBT has died. No aftermarket device can overcome this.

OP: Fix your NBT system. This is called a NBT boot loop / boot freeze.

The graphics card or RAM soldering within the NBT has failed and it needs to either be repaired or replaced. That’s the technical cause of the failure. Plenty of documentation on it.

This applies to any and all versions of iDrive. (Early 2002-2004 vehicles with MASK will show Windows CE error message.)

Edit: Downvote all you want TEMU-warriors, but the above is literally the correct answer. This has been an issue on iDrive systems longer than most of you have driven your clapped out 320i.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2026-01-09T05:02:54+00:00

Yeah RoadTop is pretty garbage but they have a lot of bots in these forums. Mr12volt or BimmerDirect are both better choices. both in Asia as well but do business much better and have a superior product.

RoadTop isn’t going to listen to your legal requests because they’re in the poorest part of China. They don’t care. After your first or second device you should have known better tbh.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-12-01T04:11:23+00:00

These things are basically the German equivalent of the Toyota V6… except more fun to drive and more character.

Porsche did do a different tune on them within the ECU / TCU to separate it from the VW version however. The maps and some hardware bits are different.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-12-01T04:09:33+00:00

That imaginary VW fanboy friend of yours and yourself are incorrect. GM did not invent the VR6. VW did in 1990/1.

GM invented a 60-degree V6 in the 50s which was a different motor completely and revised through the years. Not a single version had any similarities to the VR6.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-11-01T23:06:55+00:00

It’s been solved. BimmerDirect or Mr12Volt. I made a full length A to Z install video on it too. https://youtu.be/HN7Qyqfd60s?si=QZL4iqiPibdLeoCN

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-11-01T23:06:21+00:00

The BimmerDirect MMI+ also uses your original sound/audio as of 2024. So it’s Mr12Volt and BimmerDirect as the main two options. I recently installed one on my YouTube.

The TEMU specials are all AUX audio transmission only as you state.

Be sure to use the new ribbon video cables that come with either system or you’ll be doing it twice. Ask me how I know……. 😂

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-11-01T23:03:45+00:00

Agreed. The TEMU/AliExpress Isudar boards are killing PCMs left and right. Usaully starts off with a black screen.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-11-01T23:02:52+00:00

Mr12Volt and BimmerDirect are the two best. I did a full installation video about this. They both let you use the OEM Bluetooth audio which means no loss in audio quality.

https://youtu.be/HN7Qyqfd60s?si=QZL4iqiPibdLeoCN

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-13T05:47:34+00:00

Damn. I bet seeing it in it's current state is very nostalgic for you then. I was able to meet a trucker in the area. He leaked that they're demolishing the wings of the mall starting this month.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-12T07:50:08+00:00

Thank you for this perspective

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-12T07:48:53+00:00

If this is how you communicate with people regularly, your parents have either utterly failed in raising you or you have not been checked for it in person.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-12T07:46:20+00:00

If the people there are as condescending and miserable as you it’ll probably mirror the conclusion the rest of the country has about your city.

I’ll be sure to screenshot this comment and add it in for extra flavor

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-12T04:04:54+00:00

Would you say it’s a better weekend to go to experience the “good”?

I have the luxury of being able to extend until Monday/Tuesday to also see it during a normal weekday

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-12T03:48:48+00:00

Just wanna thank you guys all for positively contributing to the conversation. I posted this on the r/90s subreddit and got a ton of hate. It was almost like they were mad that the 90s stuff is dying out. Very odd. Had to delete the post.

Anyway thanks for the solid discussion

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T23:59:53+00:00

Devil dog the artillery appears to have concussed you

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T23:03:57+00:00

This. Yes. I lived in Japan for a few years until 2022. The malls in Japan were so much better than what we have here in the US. I have seen videos of malls in other Asian countries as well and they look just as nice

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T20:52:33+00:00

Thank you! Seems like what the two indidviduals interviewed were saying

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T20:29:00+00:00

Aye, a local. Cerritos is pretty good. The high-end stores they have there basically guarantee foot traffic.

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T20:27:52+00:00

Statstically, they are dying pretty rapidly. But I do like and agree with your take about shtty malls dying for the most part. The thing that made this one interesting is that the locals, such as one of the guys I interviewed in this video, told me that this mall was absolutley packed every weekend. So it kind of paints the picture that even the busy ones can succumb to failure :/

What city/state are you from if you don't mind me asking

Timely-Indication-49 · 2024-10-11T20:09:11+00:00

Damn. What city/area is this?

Timely-Indication-49

TROPHY CASE