Can anyone share their experience with the cheap sub $200 no name carplay head units which seem to be selling everywhere online?
Last time I was looking in this space (about 4 years ago) it seemed like it was only available on brand names (Sony + Alpine + OEM). Has Apple dropped all their licensing requirements since then?
I was under the impression though that carplay had to be licensed from Apple and as part of the licensing agreement it has to meet certain criteria (eg. performance and screen size) hence the theory that the brand name products perform better. However doesn't really appear to be the case now.
In any case I'd do research into any particular one. I bet most have YouTube videos about them.
I've seen that there are ones that are made to fit certain cars, but also "floating" ones that sit above the console. I'd rather one that fits unless it meant the screen had to be tiny.
I have a sony XAV-5000. I've had it glitch up multiple times, sometimes freezing while making a droning sounds, or flat out freeze until the main power was unplugged. So I agree with others — even the brand name HU's are not flawless.
I've used sony XAV-AX1000 unit with my old car and was pretty good. I diy installed it with adaptors that are available. If you're looking for a permanent solution (not a travel unit) either spend decent amount of money or get a wireless charging mount for your phone.
I used this website to find the extra cables and adaptors you'll need for your specific car / head unit -> https://aerpro.com/ . You won't need everything unless you want every single functionality. e.g. I skipped the steering wheel button mapping as mine worked without issues through headunit's reprogram function.
Installed the Jaycar no-name brand unit into my Mrs' bunky, and she's had no issues with it so far. Was simple plug and play thankfully, didn't need a single adapter
If you don't need the head unit bit and have AUX in already you can get separate screens that do the job and just output via 3.5mm cable.
Can save some hassle getting your steering wheel controls to work properly.
Whereas I have a whole other issue with my steering wheel controls in which volume up is now mute, volume down is sometimes mute, and sometimes volume up, mute is mostly mute…
That's without throwing a new head unit into the mix.
I bought a seperate CarPlay / android auto unit from AliExpress for 80$ it works perfectly it has dual Bluetooth connection or aux / fm if you need it it just mounts to your dash https://www.podofo.com/
I’ve installed two over the last few years, one into a 2000 xtrail and one in a 2008 xtrail (with wireless CarPlay!)
Both sub $150, both worked well, it’s better to opt for a wireless version as wired is annoying if the cable is bumped and it disconnects.
The floating displays for the dashboard are also really good, but then you’ll have to figure out the microphone and audio pass through to your existing stereo which might be easy/hard
I've heard that price and brand isn't necessarily an indication of CarPlay quality. Some expensive ones with trusted brand names can perform poorly.