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2016 E350/W212 (NTG 5.0) Cheap CarPlay solution that is also GREAT!
I just got a very nice 2016 E350 with Pearl White exterior and brown leather interior (sport pkg with AMG 5 spoke wheels).
I IMMEDIATELY missed CarPlay and a real NAV/Map.
I read up on coding it myself as I have done a bit of that with BMW's in the past, but decided I didn't want the learning curve just to get CarPlay.
So I shopped ALL the behind the dash man in the middle options (device between stereo/head and screen). The pricing ranged from $150 to $1000.
So I took a chance on an Amazon $179 Chinesium unit that seemed to offer what I needed which was NTG 5.0 compatibility which is a little rare... Turns out the NTG 5.0 was only put in some of the 2016 W212's late in the manufacturing cycle. Most seemed to get the 4.5/4.7 units.
Long story short, IT'S BRILLIANT! Works great, interfaces perfectly, and according to the shop that installed it, seems to work exactly the same as the unit they sell for $700 (they pay $350 for that one).
It took 45 minutes to install and there are a lot very good youtube videos that walk through this install. I could have done it myself but since the shop was tinting my windows already, I paid them $100 to install it.
I guess I was lucky with my 2016 E350 4Matic wagon. The dealership updated the firmware and I used a wireless USB wireless device to connect my iPhone to it. Looks identical to what you have - cost was around $100 total.
so you didn’t actually read my post. I know TLDR. Maybe it should have been a tiktok.
I’m 54 and don’t know what tik tok is. But I was asking because no one reasonable would have had this Chinese module installed when someone could have coded this for you in 15 mins for $100 and keep everything factory
I guess you haven’t watched enough tik tok videos then…
Last edited by allroadusa; Apr 11, 2026 at 12:41 PM.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
