Always wondered how it’s would look like if I installed another after market screen. I replaced my stock head unit with an eonon(the full touch screen no buttons) but it’s so low I wanted to add one like yours on the top. Maybe I’ll do it too

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Haha yes, that was my exact issue too. It is too low and not angled enough to interact with comfortably. I was using a tablet to view the gauges as well. Having maps and Spotify nearly eye level is a game changer. It's also significantly safer when glancing over because your eyes are still partially on the road. This unit also does more than my Eonon and is much faster. I can't remember what I did before it 🤣. I'm going to post the full review this month to give some little tips I've used and some minor things I've encountered. That should help some people make a decision to buy or pass.

@nelq8186

Жыл бұрын

@@fixitcolton yeah man, i wanted to run two screens like yours lol. but so far I've never seen anyone do it on here. Do you use the new top one more and just not use the other one anymore? or both? got carplay on mine thats why

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

I definitely had the same sentiment. I pretty much never touch the bottom screen after one click when I start the car. The new one is in SUCH a better location. It's a better size, it has better functionality, etc. I run gauges on the bottom, and that is really convenient. You can get creative too. You can use them both separately for separate things (if you want). I look at it as less redundant than you'd assume. It's just upgrading with the times since the bottom one is old software and the top is new, as far as the OS. The bottom one is still lightyears better than the factory deck, but you can just consider it your factory deck now, lol. In most cases, I think it's worth it if you have the extra cash.

I just finished installing it with the help of your video! Thank you I do find the head unit unresponsive and slow compared to some I had in other car. Is it just me? Also the wireless CarPlay sometimes lags and cut part of sound. Do yours do it too?

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hey Théo! Thank you for the comment. I’m truly, very happy that this helped someone, lol. You’re the first, so that is awesome 🙃. It is certainly a leap of faith to cut open the dash of your nice car. Hats off to you, good job. As far as the unit itself. Did you buy it from AvinUSA? I think different regions have different offerings. I, undoubtedly, got the best spec’d unit I could which was the Android 11 with 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM / SIM CARD / SNAPDRAGON PROCESSOR. It was a $40 premium, but well worth it. Not all 12.3” Android units will be made the same. I’d wager there are many variants from many sellers (especially foreign). That’s another reason I went with this company. I have to say that my unit is FAST. It is, by far, the fastest car system I’ve ever had. It’s faster than the OEM stuff on some cars. The response time is lightning, the loading time is minimal from a cold boot, and even the Android Auto connection is automatic and rapid. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with CarPlay. I am unsure what form of connection it relies on. I would assume it's Bluetooth sensed and then takes over your wifi and connects via that. However, if you’re having drops, it may be Bluetooth error. Try to pay attention and track what you're doing when lag/drops occur and see if there's a pattern or trend. There are so many factors here from your phone model, the unit model, the app build, the OS, etc. Without having more information, I’d say the only fix I can think of right now is to use it wired. You may get better variables that way. If you’re phone is newer, make sure you’re on the lates iOS and the app is updated. These companies break their “auto” apps bimonthly, lol. A/B test it on another car if you can, even with an OEM CarPlay unit. This way you can, potentially, rule out your phone, app, or OS as the issue. Also consider if the 12.3” unit is expedient on all other things or simply Apple things. You may have to do some trial and error tests to eliminate factors. With all that being said, I do have some issues time to time with the wireless AA. I am currently working with the company to address software bugs in their system and go from there. I am mainly suffering from call issues. When the calls come in, it seems to disrupt (permanently) the connection forcing me to restart the unit. This may be an Android Auto bug though, so I cannot pin it on any one entity, yet. I know Apple is pretty locked down, but if you’re able, try to roll back to older versions of CarPlay, if the newer one is the issue (after testing). That has solved Android issues for me in the past. All in all, the head unit is very responsive though, it never lags or freezes. The only occurrence of any hiccup is the AA connection when calls cause issues. Don’t forget, you can always swap the units if they're faulty. Maybe you can upgrade if you're still within the return window, or maybe it is software based. Sometimes it's best to work with the seller. Hope that helps you out. Good luck with it!

@theoforest6463

Жыл бұрын

@@fixitcolton thank you for the detailed answer! As you probably know the instruction included are not really helpful so you were a great help! I did bought it from AVINUSA and I also opted for the highest North America version! It is by no mean slow but I expected much faster from this price range. I used to have a cheap 300$ CarPlay head unit that was way faster. Could you send me a video of boot time to compare it to mine? I did tried using it wired but there’s still a good amount of delay, I might have to spend more to get the dongle. Support isn’t really useful from my experience.. Thanks again

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hey, yea there were no instructions, lol...at least for mine. So you got the Android 11 with 6GB RAM? I will try to get a boot video up in a few days. I'm not near that car right now. The boot time isn't stellar, but it's pretty good. I was pretty impressed with the response time of apps and general movement on the system. We may have different references as what is fast or slow though, lol. Its performance is equivalent to a mid level tablet and its price point is on par with a budget - mid tier Android phone, so it feels about the right to me. The price point is marginally high, sure, but it has some cool stuff to offer, and it is certainly better integrated than my last one. I paid the slightly higher pricing due to the custom retrofit and it blending in with the car so well. That alone was worth it for me. I get it though. I was assuming from boot time that you meant the unit being fully off to turning on, but are you referring to CarPlay connecting? I don't have an Apple phone to test CarPlay at all, but I can demonstrate an Android Auto connection. Just off-hand, I would guess that, from a cold start, the unit takes 15-25 seconds to boot. Without me touching a thing, my phone's bluetooth kicks on and it automatically connects the Android Auto within seconds. Only if I am reversing will it interfere with the ZLink, but only momentarily. It's quite rapid. I am working on a full review, but still waiting for the company to sort out something in the software. It probably won't be out until early February, even though most of the review video is done. I will try to add in some boot time stuff if I cannot get a boot video up in a few. I may just make a short on it though. I will also try to see if anyone I know has an iphone so I can test CarPlay and help you compare.

@theoforest6463

Жыл бұрын

@@fixitcolton Hey! Yes I have the android 11 6GB version! It really feel like a 100 buck tablet a few years old in therm or lag and responsiveness wich is weird. And by boot time I mean when I press start button and until the unit is usable. That take about 40 sec and then CarPlay over Bluetooth takes between 15 and a minutes to connect. Wich issue are you having with the software ? Thank you!

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Ah ok, it seems we have the same model. I think my boot time is probably a little less than that, and my Android Auto connects in about 15 seconds. I am having issues with my controller interfacing after trying to update. I had to reset/update some stuff because of a bluetooth calling issue within the phone to unit connection. I believe it'll be sorted out soon.

Great video, thanks. When using Apple Carplay/Andorid Auto, is there a way to run other online apps (installed on tablet rather than your phone) by using your phone's data connection? Thanks in advance

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hi, thank you for the comment, I appreciate it! I rushed and missed the full drift of your question, so let me add to my previous statement. If you use this with WIRELESS Android Auto, it will inhibit your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection on your phone. Wireless AA streams over Wi-fi in order to have higher bandwidth, which is cool for lossless music, etc. Therefore, you cannot use data via tethering or hotspot when wireless AA is working. The other functions and apps on the tablet/car system will not receive data via Android Auto’s data stream. You also cannot turn on the tablet’s/car system’s Wi-Fi toggle while AA is WIRELESSLY connected. For example, opening KZread in the app drawer will have no internet connection while wireless Android Auto is conjointly open. The only way around this at the moment, that I know of, is to use WIRED Android Auto. You must sever (permanently) the setup and connection for wireless AA, or else it will automatically connect each time your Bluetooth is on near the car. Then, you plug in the wired AA. Once that’s done, and AA is connected and working, then you can do other things. For example, you can use your mobile hotspot, turn on the Wi-Fi on the tablet/car system and use background apps this way, such as WhatsApp or KZread. If you don’t have mobile hotspot on your plan, you can try the app “Netshare” but it’s no longer supported, therefore it’s hit or miss. You can also buy a separate 4G SIM card and install it directly in this tablet/car system so it has its own data separate from the phone. Lastly, there may be a way of accessing AA’s data outside of the app when it’s connected to the tablet (via developer options or beta builds) but I don’t know of it, nor have time to search that. However, I also doubt that would be possible because then Google would be contributing to mobile hot spotting phones that don’t actually pay for mobile hotspots. For example, in Android 11, Google sneakily removed the ability of phones to naturally hotspot. They added a check which verifies you pay your carrier (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) to actually have hotspot on your plan. Before Android 11, you could turn on the toggle for hotspot and it would work. If you had unlimited data, you’d be able to hotspot without the $10 or so premium per month, granted data would still bottleneck at around 20GB per month. Point being, Google secretly implemented this to hurt its users, therefore they do not support hotspot without extra payments (plans). I highly doubt that this entire thing is possible by other developer options or coded means via AA. I hope that info helps.

@ssingh2525

Жыл бұрын

Very helpful, thanks pal. May need to get a 4g sim for the car...but will this still allow Android Auto to work for calls with my phone etc?

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Yes, phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp, etc. will all work. Any app that is supported by Android Auto (in its tiny app section) will work with the data from your phone during connection to the car.

Hello, I wanted to ask you a question if you don't mind. In theory, for the audio on the upper screen to play, the original radio must be put in aux in mode. Do you reproduce the sound only on the lower screen? Or do you put the lower screen in aux mode so that the upper one plays?

@fixitcolton

6 ай бұрын

Hey, on my particular setup, I put the lower unit on aux mode. It actually wakes into aux mode by default. If you're running a lower unit that's Android, and it doesn't do this, you can use MacroDroid App to do some simple trigger/action protocol to accomplish this as well. My lower unit runs in aux mode in the background. I use it for gauges in the foreground. On the OEM unit, you would still do the same, but I cannot recall (it's been so long) how to switch the lower unit into aux mode or if it's automatic. You control the music and Android Auto from the 12.3" screen above. You change tracks, etc. My lower screen also has the ability to act as its own Android Auto unit, but I never use it due to location and the top one being so much better, lol. Granted, they're independent of each other. Ultimately, the lower unit is just acting as a sound processor or pre-amp to connect your 12.3" source to the speakers, and it ONLY controls the volume. I have no control over the music tracks from the lower unit interface. Note that you can control eq from the lower unit, but most people recommend setting this from the sound processor or amps directly. My upper unit (12.3") isn't wired into any speakers or amps. I also don't control any EQ from it (though you could). It's a flat/neutral audio channel that feeds into the lower unit via a 3.5mm jack. The lower unit is wired into a JBL MS-8 (I have a #short video showing this kzread.infoiagUhLcOrrE ). That sound processor (in my trunk) runs to all the speakers. It also has a built in amp if I chose to go that route. Depending on your build (or car), you may have an amp in the trunk, or your lower radio may be your amp. If your lower head unit is running the power directly to the speakers, make sure anything you replace it with has built in amplification as well. This 12.3" does not, and it is built to hook right into your OEM system and use the stock amp to power the speakers. Hope that helps 🙃

@user-cc4xk4wd9b

6 ай бұрын

Okay then your lower unit is automatically in aux and that's why the upper unit plays the sound. By saying that it runs in the background, you mean that it is not seen on the screen of the lower unit, which is in aux mode, so ugly, right? So I have the upper unit, if I mount the lower one that replaces the original radio and acts as an amplifier, would that be enough? Or would I have to install something else? Thanks for your help man, I'm quite confused and your help helps me a lot.

@fixitcolton

6 ай бұрын

Yea, it's not seen... it is ugly 🤣 Theoretically, yes. Most of these Android units are meant to be plug and play. Let me know me what car you have, I'm assuming an E90? I'm assuming it didn't come with iDrive and navigation? Also, what tier system do you have? The Logic 7 system will need an adapter to the optical on the lower unit, and you'll lose the center channel (If I remember right). If you have Hifi/Premium, or Base model system, you won't need to do anything else. That Eonon brand is good for the specific E90 stereos, it may be a safer bet to get the package built for the car. They will sell adapters for optical.

@user-cc4xk4wd9b

6 ай бұрын

Yo no tengo instalado nada de sistema de audio tiene el de origen y yo lo único que quiero es poner la pantalla inferior y la superior y que suene la música de la superior

@fixitcolton

6 ай бұрын

Ok, todo lo que tienes que hacer es conectar el superior al puerto auxiliar del auto en el reposabrazos.

Hey i just did this on my 2007 e90 with idrive. I ran all my cables right but I ended up getting a battery light, abs and dtc light on screen. My car is acting funky and was restart looping my idrive CCC bow. You have any advice on why that could of been happening? I even tried charging my battery and swapping out the alternator. But it worked good for like 6 hours then after driving to get food with my girl it just died out SMH.. had to get my car towed home and everything. I have the Xtrons unit with ANdroid 11. im guessing they are the same just rebranded.

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hey, wow... isn't this the typical story for BMW's, lol... So, you hooked everything up and had NO lights for 6 hours? Or, did you have those 3 lights right after installing? Did you disconnect your battery during install? Did you shift your battery? If you disconnected your battery, did you disconnect the positive or negative terminal? You might've messed up or shifted the BST connector on the battery. If you didn't disconnect the battery, maybe you popped a fuse (but that would be a headache to trace and I don't think that's it). There isn't a whole lot you can do behind the scenes there that should cause that level of chaos, I feel. Maybe you have an additional decoder for the factory iDrive, maybe your unit needs to change canbus protocol settings in the deep factory menu. However, since your car has the battery light and then died, my initial reaction was your voltage regulator coincidentally started acting up (that's my intuitive thought, lol). That's a pretty cheap fix (#F00M346089). If you're still on the original, it's a good thing to replace anyhow. That thing is known to throw all sorts of electrical codes at you for no reason, simply because the terminals wore down a bit too much. I have seen E90's have the battery test good, seem fully charged, and still be the culprit though. I may have replaced the battery before the alternator. Lastly, I'm assuming you have a scanner, did you pull any codes at all? You can use "Bimmerlink" from the app store (Android) and this bluetooth dongle from Amazon (amzn.to/3PGr6ea) which is the cheapest route to pull all codes, including BMW specific. Or, just use that dongle and use "Torque" app to pull basic codes for free. That would help. At the minimum, have Autozone charge and test your battery for free. That, or take a cheap multimeter and test the battery when charged (assuming your car then turns on) and see what the voltage is when running. If you already swapped the alternator, then it's probably not that. If you charged the battery full, verified it's good and full, and it's still not turning on (no power at all) then you may have to trace back stuff further. Again, it may be the voltage regulator. It's hard to give more guesses with such limited info. Hope that helps. Good luck

Did you have the problem that when you connected everything when you turned on blinker it switched the image to the rear view camera? If so, what did you do to fix it?

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

I'm sorry, I did not have that. What exact car do you have (model, year, OEM navigation)? Also, what version of the unit did you buy (and from which brand)? That's a tough one. It could be software related if you select the wrong CANBUS (possibly). Personally, I would start right at the rear camera source. There should be only the yellow RCA plug and the red power wire. On some cars, the camera will still activate without the red wire. You can try disconnecting that to test whether it happens still. I would assume that you grabbed the turn signal wire instead of the rear backup lights wire. It depends where you grabbed the source wire from. If you pulled it from the fuse box area, make sure you got the right wire because each model has a slightly different layout. I grabbed my source in the trunk, so I was able to verify it was the reverse lights wire. If you have a multimeter or even a simple test light, you can connect that to the wire you used to connect the backup camera with. Disconnect it (temporarily) from the backup cam. Now, it should read no voltage. Then, turn on your turn signal (whichever one is causing it). If it shows voltage, you grabbed the wrong wire. If it doesn’t, then try the same thing with the reverse wire. Put your car in reverse and see if voltage shows up. If you grabbed the right wire, then you can try other things in the software. New cars have that option to see side view mirror cameras when signaling directions, so maybe that got twisted up in the harness (or if you spliced) if you have a new car. Or, again, the software is setup wrong. I don't have my BMW with me right now, but when I switch to it, I will double check my factory menu to see if there's a setting in there for this. It is possible that inside the deep factory settings, there's a toggle to signal the rear camera on turns. You can access that menu (despite whatever model or build you have) however, I think the code will be different for each brand. The AvinUSA code is 1314. Be careful to change one thing at a time and restart. If you change too much, you may mess up other things. Good luck!

hey, slight issue i bought the unit and realised it says its suitable for my car etc but i noticed that the iDrive button isnt the same size as the one i have part of my dash in my car i have the more rounded one, so does that mean i wont be able to install the iDrive Button?

@fixitcolton

5 ай бұрын

I'm not sure I'm following you. I'm assuming you're talking about the iDrive controller? You purchased the unit for your car and the controller accessory, but the shape of the iDrive controller, that is mounted in the center arm rest area, doesn't line up? If you bought it from AvinUSA, they list exactly which models they support. Even within the E90 series, they have multiple models. If you have the OEM iDrive navigation system or do not is possibly what you're referring to, but you're going to have to clarify and be more specific. In a nutshell, if your controller doesn't fit... you probably cannot, or wouldn't want, to use it, lol. You can always try and figure out some solution, but it probably won't look good. I would source the right parts for your build. On a final note, if the iDrive controller is what you're referring to, and it is BARELY off in fitment, then you simply have to contact them and swap the plate. I had an issue where the year of the E90 car affected which little insert size worked. If it looks like it lines up, but it's just not going to squeeze in by a fraction of an inch, then you need to ask them for a different plate. I swapped out my plate by the 4 screws under the controller. They should send it based on your exact year.

I’m getting low sound and static from the screen could it be a bad harness , I plugged in a Bluetooth receiver and got sound so it’s not my aux

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hey, that is an annoying issue, let's see... With limited info I can only guess, but my first instinct is a ground loop. I don't know your setup, source, frequency, time, etc., but you can try isolating everything you can to test one by one. If it is the harness, that will be more difficult. You could try wiggling the speaker connection wires one by one to see if there's fluctuation, or inspect the tiny ports one by one. You can try touching a wire to the metal on the unit casing and touching the other end to a ground point to see if that lowers the noise. It is possible that it's internal in the unit (could be bad on the board), but that's not usual. If there is a rise in the pitch as the engine revs, that could be related to other electrical issues in the car, such as your alternator. Lastly, you can try to plug in a ground loop isolator if you're using the aux. I had a loop (low static) due to power running from the car to my device and to the radio, and then my device's aux to the car's system. This item eliminated it completely. amzn.to/3Npv6QE

support isn't worth the 300% markup, thank you for the vid though, not gonna replace my 10 inch with the 12, brackets are same size

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Yea, no worries. Most people aren't going to be as adept at installing and coding, etc. I just recommend it for the statistical majority who may want it, yet worry about the problems they may not be able to navigate.

When will the full review come out?

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hello, I am working on that right now. The issues that are holding it up are software based and with the company. I'm trying to get through some bugs and document how to do so, if necessary, before publishing any finalized thoughts on it.

@RandyGBH

Жыл бұрын

@@fixitcolton subbing now. Waiting to see how it goes I love a big screen but if it’s going to buggy it would be a pass. Hoping to see great results

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Cool, thank you. I can tell you now that it's 99% good. I can honestly say that it has been a big improvement over my previous setup. However, a basic feature or two are held up right now. I'm trying to sort out one that is for sure on their end, and another that is possibly due to Android Auto (an its endless bugs, lol). Luckily, I have this company working with me. I'm still waiting on responses from tech, but I will post that video asap.

Do find it to be too big? I'm trying to decide on this or the 10"

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Hey, it's actually PERFECT for the E90/92 dash. I saw a few people try to squeeze this into the F series and it didn't look good (too big, maybe) but specifically because it was off center. I think the best advice I can give you is to measure your dash. It's about 13.5" at the base (width) and about 5.5" tall. The height is negligible. However, if the width doesn't sit CENTER over the vents, then definitely do the 10". Another benefit of the 12.3" over the 10" is that it sits much closer. The 10" sits indented in the dash. It's far easier to reach the 12.3" and drive safely. It's also far easier to see things on. It will allow you to keep your eyes on the road a bit more, and keep your peripheral views less strained, lol. My old unit sat lower, and it was a pain to touch the screen at that angle. It was not fun to look down either. You should also consider how you use the system and the angles because you won't intuitively think of this, but it will affect your driving experience. This 12.3" is best suited for your line of sight and reach.

@Riley1524

Жыл бұрын

@@fixitcolton Cool, thanks! I ordered the 12.3" earlier. I plan to use a hot knife tool to cut the hole in the plastic. It's slower, but more precise and no mess. I also found an install where a guy in Germany installed a lot of these units and he mentioned to just cut a straight line, instead of the jagged edges illustrated on the template. He said it makes the units he has installed sit as intended. Thanks for the vid!

@fixitcolton

Жыл бұрын

Yea, you'll enjoy it. I love having it in this car. The initial cut with the razor was not too bad, and didn't really matter on the edges because it's all covered. I was saying that all along, the jagged edges seemed useless, lol. I'm glad to finally hear confirmation, thanks. I will mention that in the review. It would've been a piece of cake with the razor if it were just a square. Start small, go bigger if needed. I did end up getting it to sit pretty close. I adjusted the bracket as well, and it sits solidly without flex. Good luck on it!