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I have, and I swear im the only one or few on mbworld that has done it. Rocking here is crappy apple maps with Google play music streaming in the bg
i installed on my Eclass, and the support was excellent. Now I'm doing it on my gl450 this weekend. Got in my 2nd box today. Check my post history for photos.
2013-2016 GLs have NTG 4.5, and this box works perfectly.
This is the exact answer I was looking for. Thank you so very much for posting. I am purchasing one today. Thank you again for your response.
Yeah, let me know if you need any pointers. For me, it was a lot of amazon deliveries for trim removal tools and torx bit sets. A lot of installers won't touch it with a 10 foot pole because unichip is unproven and new. Personally, I think it's pretty awesome. It was weird and unnerving to buy from China via paypal and support/ordering done via WhatsApp. But the people I've been working with there are awesome. As weird as it sounds, some US companies can learn a thing or 2 about customer service from these guys.
Yeah, let me know if you need any pointers. For me, it was a lot of amazon deliveries for trim removal tools and torx bit sets. A lot of installers won't touch it with a 10 foot pole because unichip is unproven and new. Personally, I think it's pretty awesome. It was weird and unnerving to buy from China via paypal and support/ordering done via WhatsApp. But the people I've been working with there are awesome. As weird as it sounds, some US companies can learn a thing or 2 about customer service from these guys.
You are correct in saying that purchasing this device from China is a little unnerving, but with your feedback, I decided to bite the bullet.
Does accessing CarPlay from the Command unit require more steps than it does for a car that comes with CarPlay from the factory?
Where there extra steps in setting the AUX input to receive the signal from the Unichip unit?
Does Google Maps/Waze work on this until through CarPlay. A video that UniChip send me shows someone using Google Maps.
You are correct in saying that purchasing this device from China is a little unnerving, but with your feedback, I decided to bite the bullet.
Does accessing CarPlay from the Command unit require more steps than it does for a car that comes with CarPlay from the factory?
Where there extra steps in setting the AUX input to receive the signal from the Unichip unit?
Does Google Maps/Waze work on this until through CarPlay. A video that UniChip send me shows someone using Google Maps.
Thanks for your help!
Yes, it does. But, in my mind, it's easier. The audio input needs to be set to "Aux" to work, but beyond that, it's just holding down the "C" on the COMAND control for 2 seconds or so to switch in and out. If you're using the iPhone for the phone, then everything can be done In carplay. If you have a 2nd phone (I also have a pixel 2, as I'm waiting for AA support later this year), then the Bluetooth can be controlled via the phone buttons still.
The Aux input is overridden in the "T" harness that is included, and some programming. If you purchased it via WhatsApp with the rep, she actually ran back and forth with the Engineering teams as I was doing the setups, and has detailed instructions of what needs to be set in the COMAND engineering menu system.
Google maps and waze doesn't work on carplay. They support what's on carplay, which is apple maps. the Unichip video is incorrectly calling apple maps google maps. Google maps doesn't even work in China as it's banned. That said, this list is a good list of current supported apps on carplay.
You can do google maps and waze if you jailbreak it. latest jailbreak methods, which are just one click methods now. Waze on carplay (I have yet to try, but might this weekend, since I like waze a lot for finding where the ...ahem...cops are)
Yes, it does. But, in my mind, it's easier. The audio input needs to be set to "Aux" to work, but beyond that, it's just holding down the "C" on the COMAND control for 2 seconds or so to switch in and out. If you're using the iPhone for the phone, then everything can be done In carplay. If you have a 2nd phone (I also have a pixel 2, as I'm waiting for AA support later this year), then the Bluetooth can be controlled via the phone buttons still.
The Aux input is overridden in the "T" harness that is included, and some programming. If you purchased it via WhatsApp with the rep, she actually ran back and forth with the Engineering teams as I was doing the setups, and has detailed instructions of what needs to be set in the COMAND engineering menu system.
Google maps and waze doesn't work on carplay. They support what's on carplay, which is apple maps. the Unichip video is incorrectly calling apple maps google maps. Google maps doesn't even work in China as it's banned. That said, this list is a good list of current supported apps on carplay.
You can do google maps and waze if you jailbreak it. latest jailbreak methods, which are just one click methods now. Waze on carplay (I have yet to try, but might this weekend, since I like waze a lot for finding where the ...ahem...cops are)
I did not purchase through the WhatsApp. I just was communicating via email back and forth, then paid via PayPal. I do have to say... the response I got from the rep each time I emailed came within 5 minutes of sending my email.
YFor me, it was a lot of amazon deliveries for trim removal tools and torx bit sets.
I just have to say THANK YOU for both the info in this thread and your blog post. I also have a GL and an E class so a device "like" this has been on my radar for quite a while.
Did you happen to keep track of what tools you had to order for installation?
I did not purchase through the WhatsApp. I just was communicating via email back and forth, then paid via PayPal. I do have to say... the response I got from the rep each time I emailed came within 5 minutes of sending my email.
The "C" button? I have a CLR button. Same thing?
Thanks...
Same difference. It's just the back navigation button it looks out for. Chat with them on their website and ask for a WhatsApp to contact for install support. It's pretty easy once once you get the hang of it, but some of the handholding there is nice for command programming.
I just have to say THANK YOU for both the info in this thread and your blog post. I also have a GL and an E class so a device "like" this has been on my radar for quite a while.
Did you happen to keep track of what tools you had to order for installation?
Unichip instructions (neither of them show where to locate the box, and in the E class, it involved some moving around. Hopefully the GL/ML has more dead space behind the dash.):
Took a bit over 1 hour. Like my e class, it required moving the optical speaker cables from the original harness to the t harness, and shutting off MOST (Rebooting, and then enabling aux) in the engineering menu. Otherwise, it took 20 minutes to install and another 40 to determine how and where to fish and run the mic and usb cables. The box resides behind the climate control panel.
Mic I ran up the a pillar and under the glovebox to where the mirror area is The USB cable I got a 3ft extension cable from Amazon (basics) and pulled it out where the climate control module meets the carpet in the passenger footwell, than ran and tucked it up to the center console. I got lazy.
Optical cable is done like this per unichip . 10 second unclip and reclip in new harness.
So basically you are removing the Fiber optic cables from the stock wiring harness and plugging them into the Unichip harness when it plugs into the back of the Command unit.
On the USB, you cannot use the factory one that is in the center console?
The Mic, I'm gonna try and get it up close to where the factory location is.
Why does it have to go through a USB cable directly to your phone? Won't this work via Bluetooth? Would a Viseeo Tune2Air work with this in order to make it wireless?
Why does it have to go through a USB cable directly to your phone? Won't this work via Bluetooth? Would a Viseeo Tune2Air work with this in order to make it wireless?
Dave, love your outside the box thinking... But doesn't Tune2Air just relay audio and not data?
I would have liked to have reported back that this has been a successful endeavor. But I cannot. This has been pretty much a nightmare. It started out great. Paid for the CarPlay solution from Unichip. It arrived from Hong Kong 2 days later. Super fast shipping. We to my local Import Auto repair shop to help with the removal of the trim so I wouldn't damage it. The shop owner was nice enough to let me watch the install. We couldn't get the unit to work. So we took video of the install so Unichip could verify the correct install. Being in Hong Kong, we couldn't communicate with them until the next day since they are 12 hrs ahead of us. I went back and forth with them for several days with different things to try to get the CarPlay box to work. In the end, after trying different processes, and downloading from 3 different emails updates for the box, nothing worked. I have sent the system back to them which they received 3 days ago. They told me prior to sending the unit back to them, once they received it they would immediately ship out a new unit. Yesterday they responded that they are out of stock until April 20th. I was more than a little pissed. So, I asked for my money to be refunded... Their response was that their engineers need to inspect the product prior to sending refund. I am now even more pissed. Any thoughts on a response.
I was really looking forward to using their product, but with my experience, I can only suggest that people stay away from UniChip.
Sorry to hear that it didn't work out in the end. I wonder if it's a box thing or a compatibility thing.
As for the refund, I would advise patience. When I worked for a company that set up China sales, we found out from our Chinese sales and marketing group that 2 way inspection is the norm in China. If you buy stuff in china, you things like Alipay and Wechat pay all hold money and don't release to the vendor until the buyer signs off on it that it's acceptable (legit). When a return happens, the money doesn't happen until the selling company receives it and makes sure that they don't have a box of rocks. The method is to prevent fraud both ways. Even here in the US, fraud rates range from 6-20% of returns at big boxes like Target and Best Buy depending on the item.
I think they are a verified paypal merchant. If it ends up being a problem, you can contact paypal directly with proof and let them handle it, but I think paypal waits a few days themselves.
Last edited by sdvictor; Mar 21, 2018 at 02:06 PM.
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