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After much wringing of hands and nashing of teeth I installed Apple Car Play in my 2013 SL550 today. Big shout out to ThatsMyDawg (TMD) and JettaRed for their help. If you are considering this then you need to read TMD's sticky thread very carefully. It's pretty thorough BUT here are a couple of additions:
1. Do NOT try to pry the center console cover off before taking out the screws! The order of the picture in the sticky had me prying before unscrewing and you don't want to do that.
2. When replacing the HU I needed to lift the levers on either side of where it fits. These are the two screws that TMD says to loosen but not remove. For me, to get the HU to settle in to place I had to lift the levers attached to these screws then wiggle the unit back in place.
3. For the cable that ran to the center console storage unit I drilled a hole in the back AFTER removing the rear cupholder. It worked great, see the pictures.
4. As JettaRed mentioned, the difference in sound quality is quite noticeable and, like him, I do not think I'll be installing a separate power amp now.
Everything works great, the car reads my texts, calls are crystal clear, Google, Apple and Waze maps are fantastic, music is dynamic and, the best part, I don't have to touch my phone. Best $300 I've spent in awhile.
Yeah, I mentioned after my post that I was beat and tired from the install and write up and would later go back and edit, etc. I did some edits, but didn't finish. I have since updated the picture order, so people wont't get mixed up by that center trim part.
Glad you got it done. Congrats and enjoy. One of the best parts to me is the fact that I can just say "Hey Siri, give me directions to blah, blah" and the directions will then pop up on the head unit. My wife is jealous, but I will do this install on her GLK, if we don't trade that in this summer.
Originally Posted by jrupp
After much wringing of hands and nashing of teeth I installed Apple Car Play in my 2013 SL550 today. Big shout out to ThatsMyDawg (TMD) and JettaRed for their help. If you are considering this then you need to read TMD's sticky thread very carefully. It's pretty thorough BUT here are a couple of additions:
1. Do NOT try to pry the center console cover off before taking out the screws! The order of the picture in the sticky had me prying before unscrewing and you don't want to do that.
2. When replacing the HU I needed to lift the levers on either side of where it fits. These are the two screws that TMD says to loosen but not remove. For me, to get the HU to settle in to place I had to lift the levers attached to these screws then wiggle the unit back in place.
3. For the cable that ran to the center console storage unit I drilled a hole in the back AFTER removing the rear cupholder. It worked great, see the pictures.
4. As JettaRed mentioned, the difference in sound quality is quite noticeable and, like him, I do not think I'll be installing a separate power amp now.
Everything works great, the car reads my texts, calls are crystal clear, Google, Apple and Waze maps are fantastic, music is dynamic and, the best part, I don't have to touch my phone. Best $300 I've spent in awhile.
Every
Last edited by ThatsMyDawg; May 29, 2022 at 08:08 AM.
After much wringing of hands and nashing of teeth I installed Apple Car Play in my 2013 SL550 today. Big shout out to ThatsMyDawg (TMD) and JettaRed for their help. If you are considering this then you need to read TMD's sticky thread very carefully. It's pretty thorough BUT here are a couple of additions:
1. Do NOT try to pry the center console cover off before taking out the screws! The order of the picture in the sticky had me prying before unscrewing and you don't want to do that.
2. When replacing the HU I needed to lift the levers on either side of where it fits. These are the two screws that TMD says to loosen but not remove. For me, to get the HU to settle in to place I had to lift the levers attached to these screws then wiggle the unit back in place.
3. For the cable that ran to the center console storage unit I drilled a hole in the back AFTER removing the rear cupholder. It worked great, see the pictures.
4. As JettaRed mentioned, the difference in sound quality is quite noticeable and, like him, I do not think I'll be installing a separate power amp now.
Everything works great, the car reads my texts, calls are crystal clear, Google, Apple and Waze maps are fantastic, music is dynamic and, the best part, I don't have to touch my phone. Best $300 I've spent in awhile.
Every
By difference in sound quality is it better or worse? I’m looking at installing the RoadTop in my SL because Mr12Volt and GTA Carkits are just way too expensive but I’m worried about the degradation in sound quality.
By difference in sound quality is it better or worse? I’m looking at installing the RoadTop in my SL because Mr12Volt and GTA Carkits are just way too expensive but I’m worried about the degradation in sound quality.
I’ve done it and the sound is noticeably better! I don’t know if the Road Top unit has a built-in amplifier or not, but I think it is the actual apps you use (Apple Music, SoundCloud, iHeart, etc.) that makes the difference.
Can someone explain the wire that goes back to the center console? What is it for and what is dipole with it once you get into the center console?
A little late, but did you figure this out? Did you happen to take a pic? There is a USB connection that is used for a wired connection if the Bluetooth doesn’t work. It does not seem to be powered enough to charge a phone.
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.
