CarPlay Unit ? Is this Sh&t?

[maw1124]

Yeah, Jeff Bechtel is why I went with them and have been with them this long. One, he's great sales and support. Less well known is how involved he has been in evolving the product. Yes the buttons are a let down but the volume knob, stealth fitment and sound quality mean I rarely use them. Set it and forget it music as far as I'm concerned. My criticism of the N7 Pro and newer is you can no longer turn the screen off like you could on old models by holding the Mute button (which was quietly my favorite feature). People REALLY didn't know it wasn't OE with the screen off.

"Is this the factory sound system?!?!" Me, sheepishly: "No, not by a long shot. Just looks like it."

maw

[oceansize]

I'll add Dynavin to this list. Better than the "direct from china" crowd in all ways (sound quality, installation, customer service, all of it), closer to the "alpine/sony/pioneer" crowd, but PnP and easy to install. You'll pay a premium though -- Sony/Pioneer pricing.

maw

I went with a Dynavin D9 in my base Mustang GT. Its nice, install was easy in terms of having the proper harnesses and all that. The one criticism is the buttons, it is a fair one. If they could just make those look a bit more sophisticated I would be down.

Your support comment is spot on. Dude called me on Saturday to help as I ran into a snag on boot.

[maw1124]

3 options for aftermarket imo

direct from china units (eonon/avin/alibaba) - cheap and very integrated looking, hardware is meh, you should be well versed in 12v wiring and tinkering/troubleshooting software as customer service is simply non-existent

tried and true aftermarket options (alpine/pioneer double dins and tablets etc) - not cheap, difficult to install/integrate cleanly into the E46, but SQ will be excellent and you'll end up with a quality/reliable/proven sound system that's actually worth building out

homegrown enthusiast options (bluebus/carphonics) - well priced, well integrated, arguably limited due to using ancient E46 hardware, but worth it to do your own research to see if you'll be happy with the end product

I'll add Dynavin to this list. Better than the "direct from china" crowd in all ways (sound quality, installation, customer service, all of it), closer to the "alpine/sony/pioneer" crowd, but PnP and easy to install. You'll pay a premium though -- Sony/Pioneer pricing.

maw

[Kcalhoun27]

fwiw, enfig cafe stereo has plug and play harnesses for the big aftermarket brands. ive put 3 stereos in my car so far and none were particularly tough, but the enfig stuff was by far the easiest to make work. they are very easy to work with, they backed the product and I am happy with it. that said, not having a volume knob is the worst imo, and if I could get alpine HU quality with a knob instead of buttons id. be in heaven. those android units are not my jam and I wouldn't buy another one with your money

[karter16]

Interesting - yeah I was talking to Ted about that and no specific timeline unfortunately. I guess that one you listed would support iPhone 17pro ? Or only android?

Yep supports both CarPlay and Android Auto or whatever it's called. The specific model I've had has been really good with carplay (I currently have an iPhone 16 Pro).

[LeeForst]

Mine is the IX8246BHL which it seems they don't sell any more. Looks like the closest current (Android 14) equivalent is this one: XTRONS BMW/Rover/MG | Qualcomm 665| Android 14 | Octa Core | 8GB RAM &256GB ROM | HDMI Output | IQ8446BH - Official Store

Note that I can't vouch for it as it's not the exact model I have.

Also worth noting that there is some discussion on the bluebus thread I think about future efforts to support carplay and replacement screens. I realise doesn't help you right now, but thought I'd point it out.

Interesting - yeah I was talking to Ted about that and no specific timeline unfortunately. I guess that one you listed would support iPhone 17pro ? Or only android?

[jono]

I recently bought and installed this and it’s been great. Plug and play and is super smooth.

https://a.co/d/07aROh7R

[YYZ-M3]

I have the Eonon E46X6S and it’s great for CarPlay (Waze). I’m no audiophile but sound is comparable to stock in my opinion.

[samthejam]

If you sell your bluebus... lmk haha

[oceansize]

Its not difficult to integrate Sony, I used Enfig and the list of Sony's are at the bottom of this page. His kits come with all the harnesses, USB plugs, etc. Super clean and easy installation.

https://enfigcarstereo.com/bmw-3-series-1999-2006-e46-radio-replacement-parts/

[usdmej]

3 options for aftermarket imo


direct from china units (eonon/avin/alibaba) - cheap and very integrated looking, hardware is meh, you should be well versed in 12v wiring and tinkering/troubleshooting software as customer service is simply non-existent

tried and true aftermarket options (alpine/pioneer double dins and tablets etc) - not cheap, difficult to install/integrate cleanly into the E46, but SQ will be excellent and you'll end up with a quality/reliable/proven sound system that's actually worth building out

homegrown enthusiast options (bluebus/carphonics) - well priced, well integrated, arguably limited due to using ancient E46 hardware, but worth it to do your own research to see if you'll be happy with the end product

[karter16]

Interesting - I was paging thru the post but do you have the direct link for this ? If you guys went with it and it seems to be plug and play , I’d jump on it. Thanks so much

Mine is the IX8246BHL which it seems they don't sell any more. Looks like the closest current (Android 14) equivalent is this one: XTRONS BMW/Rover/MG | Qualcomm 665| Android 14 | Octa Core | 8GB RAM &256GB ROM | HDMI Output | IQ8446BH - Official Store

Note that I can't vouch for it as it's not the exact model I have.

Also worth noting that there is some discussion on the bluebus thread I think about future efforts to support carplay and replacement screens. I realise doesn't help you right now, but thought I'd point it out.

[LeeForst]

Karter16, Bry5on and Obioban all have this 8.8" Xtrons:

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/member-build-journals/269-karter16-s-silbergrau-e46-m3-journal?p=266545#post266545

While it does not look identical to the factory unit like the Avin 4, screen size and button layout are more functional.

Interesting - I was paging thru the post but do you have the direct link for this ? If you guys went with it and it seems to be plug and play , I’d jump on it. Thanks so much

[Slideways]

Karter16, Bry5on and Obioban all have this 8.8" Xtrons:

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/member-build-journals/269-karter16-s-silbergrau-e46-m3-journal?p=266545#post266545

While it does not look identical to the factory unit like the Avin 4, screen size and button layout are more functional.

[LeeForst]

I have Bluebus which is nice but has my OEM nav screen replaced once and have a pixel loss “slash” out of nowhere and really don’t want to have it replaced again if this is going to keep happening. Is this worth it or awful quality - wanted to see if anyone had used it :

https://europremiumparts.com/products/carplay-android-auto-retrofit-kit-for-bmw-3-series-and-m3-e46-1998-to-2005?variant=61025716765002&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21405160226&gbraid=0AAAAAopr533zR9aMQsagdHu8lwO_dxQyY&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqPLOBhCiARIsAKRMPZrR5FmoehcmoSyBzVNy2K4fVEVBKpVmNwNtheUGoGmRIh6AIHYg8yMaAoJ1EALw_wcB