Peter66

Hi - has anyone upgraded their head units in a w204 to be able to use Apple Car Play? just upgraded my SL but am hooked now and thinking about how to do it for my winter driver (2012 c350 coupe)?

ChazThePhoenix

i was told a year ago that 2015 and up you could make it work, but 2014 down it would not work. I do not believe them (Dealership) but I am interested din making this work also.

I don't see why they just can't load newer software on our older systems

Peter66

thanks. came across some adapters that connect between the stock radio and the harness to it and seem to be able to switch between stock and car play / phone mirroring - some of them I have not figured out where to buy and cost but some seem to go around $500 - have not though seen any reliable reviews or found people who've done it.

just upgraded the head unit with a wireless Apple Car play Alpine head unit in my 2005 SL and it's so much better, worlds apart! now I want it also for my c350 (2012) ;-) but the double DINs won't fit in it, so need another solution.

pl626

I would not spend more than $500 for the CarPlay smartbox. I bought a wireless CarPlay smartbox for much less than $400 and have had it for a few weeks now. So far so good! It uses both wifi and BT. The wireless connections are very fast and stable and I have full functionality from COMAND retained.

Peter66

thanks - would you mind sharing which one you are using and a link where you found it? thanks much!

pl626

They have a store on aliexpress, but as with all things, caveat emptor. I've had a great experience so far, but it's only been a few weeks. But for the price I paid, I'm not too concerned if it craps out after 3 years. Check this thread for a link to their aliexpress store and another guys experience.

If you're comfortable with DIY, this is actually pretty straightforward. I had a friend's shop do my install. Be aware that you may have language barriers when dealing with support, but that's pretty much par for the course with anything these days...