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Retrofit Apple CarPlay/Android Auto on 2015 S550 4Matic
Hi Guys,
I work from home before covid - full-time and I think staring at the computer screens is killing my social life. P1 issues, War Room/ Troubleshooting and Meetings all day! The new death star! LOL. I miss going out and enjoying the summer!
Current Car config:
OEM Configurations: 2015 S550 4matic --> 3D High End Sound, AMG styling, Rear seat entertainment package . All options. Available
Installed AfterMarket parts/modifications
1. OEM tuning
2. JBSpeed Carbon Fiber AMG Spoiler
3. S65 Black grill from Chris - The Swedish Guy!
4. Painted Black Rims and Red Brakes caliper
Project Plans:
I've decided to keep my car for the next few years and upgrade it as a side project. Myself, Wify and the Kids love going on a Jolly ride like twice a week since the pandemic started. So I have decided to add the following.
1. Retrofit Aftermarket Apple carplay/ android Auto -- From an OEM vendor in Seoul South Korea *******
2. Brabus - Like diffuser and AMG exhaust Tips -- From a vendor in China -- Full Carbon Fiber - I'm trying to become US distributor as well. LOL.
3. Carbon Fiber Mirror Cover
4. Muffler Delete - Car is too quite
This post will address all the installation guide for the Apple car Play!
Note: I DID not buy the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto from Aliexpress for obvious reasons - A lot of them are lacking the proper OEM integration. The one from South korea vendor will also involved OEM voice and 360 camera. They going to send me USB drive loaded with Flash files that will update the mercedes unit.
Wish me luck -- will post Update soon!
Last edited by ephico2real; Oct 5, 2020 at 08:35 PM.
Reason: Fixes car model
It'd be great to understand your experience installing it and if you notice any quirks operating it
Completed:
I installed it yesterday with the help of one of my best friend. He has a 2018 S560 as well. We both decided to spend our Saturday together.
Duration: 6 to 8 hours. WHY? First time installer and my car has rear seat climate and entertainment. Very tough to take apart. Tools: Torx screen drivers get 15, 20, 25 and 30. Trim removal kit with pointed tools: This is must. I bought one on Amazon. It contain everything you will ever need. Youtube: IMHO. I found 2 videos that helped me. I can share it if anyone cares to know. You need to watch this videos over and over. Gain confidence and find a friend who is willing to be a friend on a Saturday. Lol.
My experience: it was simple installation to be honest. Plug and play.
Difficulty: post installation and keeping the device in a safe area in the car. There are lot of wires and we decided to store on the passenger side foot wall.
The major challenge or issues is taking apart the car itself and hiding all the extra wires. The back of the default radio is very tight.
Note: Avoid buying the Ali express brand. My seller supplied 2 flashing files. It was a perfect oem integration. No wire cutting, no external mic. Oem camera work and mic too. Partly supported oem control buttons. Switching between benz and carplay with ease.
Mercedes Benz : I now understand why this S550 are so damn expensive. They are well built guys from an electrical and computer integration standpoint. I also give kudos to the developers of these aftermarket media boxes. Why? Understanding the car complicated CAN bus and creating a nearly perfect integration with DSPs and software is not an easy fit. Screen scrolling with oem button and software is very fast.
Verdict: second best car decision ever and worth every penny. The first is buying an S550 fully loaded at 40% the MSRP.
I think the Apple carplay is very well integrated versus the android auto. The wired connection is stable and the device graphics is very good IMHO. Apple carplay worked in both wireless and wired. Android worked well with wired. The maps on both work well. Google voice and siri worked well. I am very impressed. The music is better on Android with Dolby atmos enabled when compared to the iPhone. Well I've always like playing music using my bluetooth android anyway because of Dolby sound vs using my wife's iphone.
Issues: wireless connection drop sometimes and call voice is not as clear when compared to the original oem. iPhone. I am satisfied 😎. I think they improve the software. Auto connect.
Guess what: my android phone suddenly connected this evening and worked wireless.. this did not work yesterday without wired cable.
Last edited by ephico2real; Oct 4, 2020 at 08:30 PM.
Completed:
I installed it yesterday with the help of one of my best friend. He has a 2018 S560 as well. We both decided to spend our Saturday together.
Duration: 6 to 8 hours. WHY? First time installer and my car has rear seat climate and entertainment. Very tough to take apart. Tools: Torx screen drivers get 15, 20, 25 and 30. Trim removal kit with pointed tools: This is must. I bought one on Amazon. It contain everything you will ever need. Youtube: IMHO. I found 2 videos that helped me. I can share it if anyone cares to know. You need to watch this videos over and over. Gain confidence and find a friend who is willing to be a friend on a Saturday. Lol.
My experience: it was simple installation to be honest. Plug and play.
Difficulty: post installation and keeping the device in a safe area in the car. There are lot of wires and we decided to store on the passenger side foot wall.
The major challenge or issues is taking apart the car itself and hiding all the extra wires. The back of the default radio is very tight.
Note: Avoid buying the Ali express brand. My seller supplied 2 flashing files. It was a perfect oem integration. No wire cutting, no external mic. Oem camera work and mic too. Partly supported oem control buttons. Switching between benz and carplay with ease.
Mercedes Benz : I now understand why this S550 are so damn expensive. They are well built guys from an electrical and computer integration standpoint. I also give kudos to the developers of these aftermarket media boxes. Why? Understanding the car complicated CAN bus and creating a nearly perfect integration with DSPs and software is not an easy fit. Screen scrolling with oem button and software is very fast.
Verdict: second best car decision ever and worth every penny. The first is buying an S550 fully loaded at 40% the MSRP.
I think the Apple carplay is very well integrated versus the android auto. The wired connection is stable and the device graphics is very good IMHO. Apple carplay worked in both wireless and wired. Android worked well with wired. The maps on both work well. Google voice and siri worked well. I am very impressed. The music is better on Android with Dolby atmos enabled when compared to the iPhone. Well I've always like playing music using my bluetooth android anyway because of Dolby sound vs using my wife's iphone.
Issues: wireless connection drop sometimes and call voice is not as clear when compared to the original oem. iPhone. I am satisfied 😎. I think they improve the software. Auto connect.
Guess what: my android phone suddenly connected this evening and worked wireless.. this did not work yesterday without wired cable.
WoW! Nice job to see it works. My anxiety is up just looking at the photos. At least you know everything went back the way it was removed. If you let someone else do it, more than likely it would not be as neat a job.
Some Questions / Requests:
1. Can you supply the link where you purchased and amount you paid?
2. Did they have a phone number for support and did you have to call them for the 2 Flash Files and why did you need them?
3. Do you use iPhone or Android?
4. Does it support both wireless and/or Hardwired?
5. Can you test Waze while you are listening to Music via BT? Lots of aftermarket systems cannot do both.
6. Is there a lag with Waze, where do you keep your phone while driving? Usually in general, the GPS does not work well on the Phone if it is in the Center Console.
7. You mentioned you have a Fully Loaded Car. Do you have Rear Exec Seating? Can you share front display with rear Displays?
8. Do you have Split View option and does it interfere with any Factory Options / Settings...
I am seriously considering doing or having this done... Nice Job! I have a 2014 S550, all options except Fridge..
1) 2025 Maybach S580 | Cirrus Silver | White interior 2) 2023 China Blue G63 3) 2025 GLE 450e
Hey thanks for posting the detailed step by step guide for the after market carplay installation.
I just had a few follow up questions
1) could you please share the YouTube videos you're referring to? 2) did you notice any other quirks with the system since you've been using it?
I am really bad at diy things and trying to find a member in this forum in CA who has done it before who can help or a auto shop who can help but so far no luck. I have also not seen a detailed yet video to give me enough confidence that I could do it myself. Good to know that you recommended against the joyeauto system
WoW! Nice job to see it works. My anxiety is up just looking at the photos. At least you know everything went back the way it was removed. If you let someone else do it, more than likely it would not be as neat a job.
Some Questions / Requests:
1. Can you supply the link where you purchased and amount you paid?
2. Did they have a phone number for support and did you have to call them for the 2 Flash Files and why did you need them?
3. Do you use iPhone or Android?
4. Does it support both wireless and/or Hardwired?
5. Can you test Waze while you are listening to Music via BT? Lots of aftermarket systems cannot do both.
6. Is there a lag with Waze, where do you keep your phone while driving? Usually in general, the GPS does not work well on the Phone if it is in the Center Console.
7. You mentioned you have a Fully Loaded Car. Do you have Rear Exec Seating? Can you share front display with rear Displays?
8. Do you have Split View option and does it interfere with any Factory Options / Settings...
I am seriously considering doing or having this done... Nice Job! I have a 2014 S550, all options except Fridge..
1. I have all options in my car as well without the fridge. I love loud music so I was happy I got the 3d Burmester sound.
2. I actually spoke with him on skype. They initially sent me a password protected link for download.. but I convinced him to put the files in a USB drive. Once he told me the order of flashing. So I got the USB I copied it to my windows laptop. I delete the one off the USB. Flash and delete file. Copy the 2nd file from backup.
3. My wife has an iPhone and I have an android. I let her pair her iPhone with it today. I have only been testing for 1 day. I forgot to take pictures with my android.
4. I used apple maps/ Google maps and Spotify no issues.
5/6. I will test waze tomorrow and report back. Gps worked flawless IMHO no lag issues.
7. Yes fully loaded with executive settings with the front passenger seat folding.
8. I need to talk to them about rear factory screens.
Issues. The screen share doesn't work well. I got the android to work today but audio was still coming from my phone.
WoW! Nice job to see it works. My anxiety is up just looking at the photos. At least you know everything went back the way it was removed. If you let someone else do it, more than likely it would not be as neat a job.
Some Questions / Requests:
1. Can you supply the link where you purchased and amount you paid?
2. Did they have a phone number for support and did you have to call them for the 2 Flash Files and why did you need them?
3. Do you use iPhone or Android?
4. Does it support both wireless and/or Hardwired?
5. Can you test Waze while you are listening to Music via BT? Lots of aftermarket systems cannot do both.
6. Is there a lag with Waze, where do you keep your phone while driving? Usually in general, the GPS does not work well on the Phone if it is in the Center Console.
7. You mentioned you have a Fully Loaded Car. Do you have Rear Exec Seating? Can you share front display with rear Displays?
8. Do you have Split View option and does it interfere with any Factory Options / Settings...
I am seriously considering doing or having this done... Nice Job! I have a 2014 S550, all options except Fridge..
Originally Posted by utkarshseth
Hey thanks for posting the detailed step by step guide for the after market carplay installation.
I just had a few follow up questions
1) could you please share the YouTube videos you're referring to? 2) did you notice any other quirks with the system since you've been using it?
I am really bad at diy things and trying to find a member in this forum in CA who has done it before who can help or a auto shop who can help but so far no luck. I have also not seen a detailed yet video to give me enough confidence that I could do it myself. Good to know that you recommended against the joyeauto system
Disclaimer: I am not against the joyeauto system. I don't want people here to think otherwise. You feel me?.
However, I have been doing research for over 5 months. I just wanted something more oem. I found the south korea shop. They seems to have everything planned down to software flash for any car. I also think that they developed their own media systems which have now been cloned on eBay and aliexpress. The difference is essentially in their communication and overall knowledge of software flashing for various car.
I will share the link in the morning.
Encouragement: don't been scared. Just find someone - a friend that will work with you. I know how to install it now but I live in maryland. Or find a small shop that will watch the youtube videos with you and see if it is something they can follow step by step. Those bugs shops are going to charge you more.
I'm going to buy an android box for my wife GLk 350.
FYI: there is also a Canadian shop named 4x4shop. They have a similar product.They do excellent work and they always install for free. But you have to drive to canada. I wanted to go there b4 as a road trip. But those northern village country closed down the border with us in the US. Lol..
Last edited by ephico2real; Oct 5, 2020 at 02:14 AM.
1) 2025 Maybach S580 | Cirrus Silver | White interior 2) 2023 China Blue G63 3) 2025 GLE 450e
Thanks again. Just some follow up questions
1. What did you mean by "Partly supported oem control buttons."
2. When you press the speech button on the steering wheel, does it activate the Google assistant/Siri?. Just wondering if it supports voice actions like "navigate to..." "What's the weather.."
3. What's the use of the flashfiles on USB? Do we have to overwrite the OEM software on the car? What does the new software look like?
I am mentally preparing myself to do it. Thanks again for the encouragement.
1) 2025 Maybach S580 | Cirrus Silver | White interior 2) 2023 China Blue G63 3) 2025 GLE 450e
One follow up - the second video shows mic installation. I am imagining you didn't have to do that since you've mentioned there is no external mic involved?
How do you activate the carplay functionality? Does it automatically show up when you connect your iPhone?
How do you switch to OEM controls like climate and phone calls?
One follow up - the second video shows mic installation. I am imagining you didn't have to do that since you've mentioned there is no external mic involved?
How do you activate the carplay functionality? Does it automatically show up when you connect your iPhone?
How do you switch to OEM controls like climate and phone calls?
Yes. Oem mic - my car has the aux enabled by default so I didn't have to use any aux cables. So when you order you have to tell them your car specs by skype..
I used the car return button on the console or touch pad. Seamlessly switching. You have to switch to control oem stuffs.
1. What did you mean by "Partly supported oem control buttons."
2. When you press the speech button on the steering wheel, does it activate the Google assistant/Siri?. Just wondering if it supports voice actions like "navigate to..." "What's the weather.."
3. What's the use of the flashfiles on USB? Do we have to overwrite the OEM software on the car? What does the new software look like?
I am mentally preparing myself to do it. Thanks again for the encouragement.
1. I'm trying to explain that you cannot control the oem stuff like climate control etc and have it pop up on the screen while using the system. The only button you need is volume and circular dial pad. You have to exit the media system in order to see the reaction on the screen. The default back or return button works for switching by hold pressing it for 4 secs. Note. Factory button worked for their intended purposes. You just won't see it on the screen.
2. pressing the speech button result in factory mic. It doesn't control the aftermarket media. That is a sad one. I will ask them for reasons. Just saying a hey siri or hey Google works for me. No issues. I don't have to press any physical button. I think my voice was pickup by the phone automatically and not the device but it worked flawlessly. I think you need those new iPhone or Android phone that do not need you pressing any key to activate Google voice or siri. I have a Samsung Galaxy note s20 ultra.
3. The use of the flashes is to program the device to work with your kind of car and control. I don't think it is flashing the factory onboard system. My theory is that the product is generic for various car. There is tiny dip switch. They asked me to on 6 and 8 for W222 S550 then flash.
Last edited by ephico2real; Oct 6, 2020 at 12:15 AM.
Waze, Spotify and android auto worked. The issue is that it asked me to open the waze app on my phone first. So I disconnected. Open waze and reconnected my cable. Spotify audio was working . Waze and spotify Waze working. Spotify album cover
1) 2025 Maybach S580 | Cirrus Silver | White interior 2) 2023 China Blue G63 3) 2025 GLE 450e
Could you please share the product link where you bought it from?
Should I just go ahead and buy it or contact them first and tell them what I need for my car?
2018 GLS550 & 2015 S550 gone but not forgotten: 2001 S500, 2006 ML500, 2010 S550 & 2014 GL550
I appreciate your quick responses to my PM's, but one last question. For your sound, did you use a usb to aux plug ir is your sound from the CarPlay completely wireless?
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