https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ofit-w221.html

What other aftermarket solutions are sold in the US I can try that you can say from personal experience, actually work on a C190, please?I used to test computers and yes, CarPlay itself-- for a living. Have decades of professional experience working with finicky hardware and software. I just had one of the worst experiences trying to get this to work on my C190 after giving Carputech every single bit of data they requested. What did they send?

A device with the dipswitches set wrong. So I contacted them and they told me to change them. I followed their instructions, still non functional.

The wrong Aux cable for my car. They said, just use Bluetooth, not USB (I have no audio jack). When I tried to use BT, the device hung my screen and would not respond. I would have to shut the car entirely off, then back on. Sometimes, I would shut the car off, and the infotainment screen would remain hung and on. Yes, of course I pressed the stereo button multiple times, the jog wheel, multiple times. It's them, not me.

Instructions, which I followed, that did not give me all the info I needed.

A video link set of instructions, which I followed, that also did not give all the info needed.

a device that when you turn on your stereo will never actually launch the CarPlay interface no matter how many workarounds you try. Yes, we Whatsapp'd to try to diagnose, at least twice. I sent a dozen pictures and a video or two. I spent hours on my own trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have worked it the industry long enough to know when the person who is helping me is not the top-teir engineer, and as a client, my time is being wasted.

No, none of their suggestions worked. My stereo would remain dangerously hung or in a slow, delayed state, with me having to pull over and try to get it un-hung so I could use my screen for stuff like A/C or car status.

I have removed the unit, and am returning it.

Anyone else have this experience with Carputech's gear?

 

I’ve tried many brands and now stick with Motivesupplies from The Netherlands. Their modules work well, and they have a workshop so they also can provide good support for installation related questions.

Module is most stable and connects the fastest from all I’ve tested.

 

Carsystems is the best. Crypto Auto Service in Abu Dhabi is their official partner and specializes in installation/technical support for retrofits.

Note, this is a full retrofit to the Digital Instrument Cluster, Larger Display Screen and NTG 5.5 ratio unit of the 2020 facelifted AMG GT. Not a plug and play adapter. It will run you ~$5k USD

Here is a picture of my 2019 car with the completed facelifted (notice I have the circle analog buttons, but new facelifted interior of the 2020 model)

 

From my personal experience, almost all aftermarket CarPlay solutions for the C190 in the US are unreliable. Devices like Carputech frequently arrive misconfigured, come with wrong cables, and often freeze or hang the infotainment system, exactly as you experienced. I’ve found that the only consistently working solutions are either official Mercedes updates through a dealer or professional retrofits done by specialists familiar with integrating CarPlay into the C190. Some adapters from brands like BeatSonic or ******* have worked for a few users, but only if the firmware matches perfectly. Otherwise, mass-market adapters almost always cause the same freezing and functionality issues.

 

Thanks for all the follow ups, folks. I should have followed up myself. I ended up with GTA Car Kits solution. They have the best self-install video I could find. Being in the US, I was able to buy it from Canada. They also have competent user support. I can say, I used to work at Apple testing CarPlay itself and have plenty of experience using it. This kit is not perfect. But it did work out of the box, boot up and do its limited set of functions. Besides the fact, on a 2016, of course, it will not be touch screen, I don't "freeze" per se, like I did with Carputech.

My use cases mostly are:
1] Music Playback. It is "ok". clunky as hell having to wheel/button all over the place to find the skip fwd or back a song. There is an interesting graphic slider EQ section Never seen that before ED does not work at all. Not sure what it is for? Shame. Would be cool if it worked. I can dictate to select a playlist which is a saving grace.
2] Dictation into text messages I receive as I drive. When driving in my 2018 7 series, I use this as my lifeline. Also, selecting a new message from someone to read it to me=priceless. On GTA, dictation does not work 90% of the time to fill a text field, but sometimes, it confuses itself just enough "to" work. It is clunky and almost unbearable, but I get by having to say "send a message to so and so". using the voice prompt. I've tried dictating into a field saying " we should tell Martha about it later" it then sends a message to Martha instead of sending the message to the person I was trying to reply to. distracting and potentially problematic, depending on what you said about "Martha" to the other person... :-(
3] I cannot click on a message and have it read back. I have to use voice prompt and ask "read messages from so and so". Another vital feature that is now distracting.
4] Waze= I use it constantly. And again, wheeling all over the place to get to a function and then punching the wheel is distracting and dangerous. The only saving grace is: :"mostly" if there's a hazard or police reported ahead, the default selection is the "still there" button, so you can easily slap it or wheel down one level to "not there". But not always.

Would I do it again? Probably not. I would litlerally hold out and just buy a later model GTS with CarPlay native.

 

That looks great!!! Your profile states that you are in Virginia. Did you get the installation done in VA too? If so, could you share which shop you had used for the installation?

 

I installed a NAVIK system. It has been flawless. It’s not cheap but this car is worth it.

 

I initially had the work done in California, however there are two DMV shops that I’ve worked with on related stuff and I’m sure could do it if asked. It is about a 10 hour job beginning to end for a savvy shop/technician doing it the first time.

1) Prestige Auto Design (Manassas, VA)
2) White Oak Auto Service (Maryland)

I’m quite familiar with the in/outs of this retrofit myself as I have taken apart and reinstalled these components on my GTR to troubleshoot various stuff following a botched repair job from Mercedes of Arlington.

 

Thank you for the information. I will be checking them out!

 

Sorry, I only noticed this post because of someone else's share. In fact, regarding the installation of the CarPlay module, the CarPlay box for the Mercedes NTG5.0 system is already quite well-developed and stable.

As for whether the wrong product was sent: as long as the power cable matches, the product is likely correct. There are two key points to note:

1. Make sure to use the correct DIP settings during installation. Incorrect DIP settings can cause issues such as screen freezes, black screens, and incorrect resolution displays. It's recommended to try all the DIP settings provided by the seller until the correct one is found. Each time you change the DIP setting, you need to unplug and reinsert the power cable to reset the box's data. Some car models have more unique systems, so it requires a bit more patience to test several DIP settings
2. Audio issues should only be considered after the CarPlay interface appears. There are typically two ways for CarPlay to output audio: Bluetooth or AUX. Most people opt for Bluetooth audio. During the testing process, the primary focus is on whether the CarPlay interface appears. Even if Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are not connected at this point, you can switch systems by long-pressing certain buttons until the CarPlay system shows up. Only after successfully establishing a connection with the phone should you address audio issues.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to discuss CarPlay installation and related issues here.

 

yeah... no....blaming the customer for not trying hard enough or not working with the "technical support" well enough. "thanks for the feedback" was the only proper response. "We will try harder" is the proper response.
I used to be a career software tester for Apple. I know when I am in bad hands, with both hardware and software support.
If you read my thread thoroughly, you would know I tried all the things you mentioned. The people in China I dealt with got every aspect of identifying my car, identifying the gear and accessories needed, and then got wrong identifying what it would
take to fix the issue. Rather than suggest I did not try hard enough or understand your byzantine setup which would be beyond even a professional installer (unless they lucked out and happened to get the correct configuration in the first place), you can take my "bug report" I wrote for you company, which cost me hundreds of $$ and tens of hours, not to mention scratches on my center console from needing to pull the wretched device in and out over and over,
and you can take that feedback and try to fix your issues.
Never again.

 

Yes, you're right. The sellers should think more for their customers, but the time difference is one of our struggles, and it's a challenge for all Chinese sellers. So clearly, if we had a technical support department set up in the US, it would be much better. Additionally, we need to consider the special characteristics of some systems. In most cases, customers can use the product by following the DIP settings we provide. For some special cases, they may need to adjust the DIP slightly, and for more complex ones, they may need to try a few different DIP settings. I carefully read your post, and I believe our customer service team should have confirmed the DIP settings with you from the start, rather than focusing on issues like Bluetooth audio. As long as the DIP is not set correctly, everything else will have problems. So while having a good product is important, strong technical support in problem-solving is especially crucial.