gapa8

My wife has a 2015 E400 Convertible and I'm looking to upgrade the Head Unit for her as a Christmas Present. I would like a 10.25 or 12" High Def Display that has integrated Car Play, works with the existing COMMAND functionality Dial, Steering Wheel Buttons and Backup Camera. Doing a search of Amazon and E-bay it appears there are a MYRIAD of options but I wanted to check here to see if anyone has done this upgrade and has any recommendations or advice before I start shopping.

pl626

Personally, I'm not a fan of the oversized screens replacing the stock screen. I can't stand the Tesla interiors because of the out of proportion large screens. I also hate that the newer Mercedes interiors are more Tesla-like.

Though the larger screens are nice and having touch-screen is nice, I think the oversize screens are too out of proportion with the rest of the interior. For me, adding wireless CarPlay to my 2015 E400 Cab was the more important thing and the great part of that was the fact that there is no visible change in the dash.

I don't mind the lack of a touch screen, as the scroll wheel is much easier for me to access, plus I don't have to worry about fingerprints on the screen.

The stock display, though not HD, is fine for what it is. I don't want my eyes glued to the screen when I'm driving, so I don't need a 4k OLED in the car. That's for inside the house...

Mr. Toad

I agree 100% with everything pl626 said. I'm quite happy that my car is from the last generation of the integrated screen era. I'm currently driving a 2023 E450 Cabriolet loaner while the dealer does some work on my car, and I hate the entire screen, from instrument cluster to center stack. It's blingy and bougie and incredibly dangerous to use while driving. No thanks.

pl626

You know, it's funny, I originally bought my 2015 as a stop-gap as it was triple black, which is NOT what I wanted, plus, it didn't have the P2 package, but I needed a DD. After 3 weeks of searching for a white ext/yacht blue int A207 w/ the P2 package, I found my triple black and decided to buy it as a stop-gap solution, thinking I'd continue the search. After installing the wireless CarPlay, the search lost it's importance and I became more comfortable with my triple black baby. I had even looked at the new gen A238s, but I didn't like the exterior, especially since it lost the Bentley Bulge of the A207s. Though much of the A238 interior is nice, I just couldn't get over the dash, not just the screens, but also the round clock. I actually like the rectangular clock of the A207s.

5 years later, my dog has pretty much destroyed the rear seat, primarily the storage cover, so I've settled that this is my DD that I'll drive into the ground...

Mr. Toad

I also love the traditional clock in my car and it feels like something's missing from the loaner.

S550e

Late 2015s with the newer NTG5 can be updated and coded to unlock wired Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Completely OEM. No need for any modules, OBD dongles, or new screens. Contact a Mercedes coding specialist to see if your car has the right hardware to do it.

gapa8

S550e, How can you tell which version of NTG you have on the car? I 'thought' it was 4.5, but I'm not sure where to look? The car did come with an Apple docking cable, but it appears to be for an older Ipod/Iphone and the screen displays everything in monochrome. The backup camera is in color so I know it must have the 'ability' to do color.

nkx1

Found a video that might help you discern which version you have:

pl626

My 2015 E400 Cab w/ CarPlay on OEM screen,

Mr. Toad

A few years back, I bough the OEM smartphone integration kit and had the dealer "install" it (it's basically just a different USB port that goes in the center console storage compartment and some software programming). Mine looks just like the photo above from pl626.

gapa8

OK, I'm starting to look at options for just getting Car Play through the existing head unit. My wife's car is running NTG 4.7. When I bought it there was an I-Phone connection in there but it doesn't appear to do anything other than play music. I wanted to replace it with one of the wireless carplay devices that PL626 or others are using. What device did you purchase and how does it connect? My car doesn't have the Becker Power Slot that some of the units use.

pl626

I have a Joyeauto box. I had a trusted installer do the job, that was 5 years ago, several firmware updates, as well as iOS updates, no issues. I connect wirelessly most of the time, but use the USB when battery is low. I almost never use the COMAND menu and Sirius sounds so much better thru the CarPlay module. I can't stand the tinty sound of Sirius thru the NTG head unit.

Carlinklife

latest Carlinklife carplay kits. Compared with the Joyeauto box, it has been greatly upgraded. NTG4.5 can play YouTube. The most important is that the sound quality has been greatly improved, adding BT as the sound source.

gapa8

Can anyone vouch for the Carlinklife? I see them pop up in every single Audio upgrade popup so I know they are active, but has anyone actually used their products or their sales/support?

pl626

How is that different from the Joyeauto? Joyeauto also supports BT and plays YouTube via screen mirroring, which is how Carlink does that.

It does look like your sale pricing is pretty competitive right now...

gapa8

So I decided to Give Carlinklife a try and used the discount to buy the Wireless Car Play Adaptor for $238. Once I get it and have it installed, I'll post a bit more about the success or failure of my purchase. :-)

fatherhood

Also, looking for any recommendations. I had a RoadTop box in my '15 E350 and was only mildly impressed. It would loose BT connectivity about 30% of the time. Meaning I had to go into my phone, Samsung S22, and reestablish the connection. On about 5% of the time I had to reboot the box. Also, installing it was a PIA, because routing the cable to the Aux port required pulling apart most of the center console, my car doesn't have the Harman-Becker system. I found Mr12volt box that promises to use the fiber optic thus bypassing the Aux and creating a TV input. This should simplify the installation and provide better sound, theoretically. Does anybody have any experience using the Mr12volt box? Or have any other recommendations? I want to keep the car stock looking, so no big screens. Touch screen would be nice, but not required.

pl626

It's been almost 6 years since I had the Joyeauto CarPlay/Android Auto box installed. Still going strong, but I probably should update the firmware. My iOS is current, 17.5.1, and almost no issues with CarPlay, wireless, wired or BT. Once in a blue moon, I may have to reboot the Joyeauto, but it's rare. I seem to have more issues with my Keyless-go connectivity with my FOB despite having fresh batteries...