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Hello Everyone, about 3 weeks ago we brought home my wife's dream car, a 2014 S550. She absolutely loves it and so do it. I've been investing time fixing the few worn out or damaged items but also am strongly considering the Road Top (or possibly some other) CarPlay retrofit system. Thank you @ThatsMyDawg for such a great sticky write up on the process. Looks a bit challenging, but not too painful. I have two questions I hope someone can answer for me before I commit.
- I understand the the Command button is long-pressed to activate CarPlay. Does it remember last setting when the car is off or does it revert back to factory each time. If we need to press the button to activate it each time, does it at least remember what you had opened to (like Waze) last when you were using CarPlay?
- I understand it uses AUX for sound and a cable feeds down to the armrest where it attaches. Once that is plugged in, is there any other AUX configuration that ever needs to happen or does the device automatically grab that transparently always?
If anyone has any warnings I should know about, I'd greatly appreciate you sending them my way.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
The button you press and hold for a few seconds is identified with a "C" and not the power button on the COMAND module. Sometimes the car remembers and sometimes it doesn't. But that is no big deal as you just press and hold the "C" button to switch to whichever system you want.
Honestly, the system can be temperamental at times and you just need to switch to Airplane and back sometimes. Sometimes you need to forget the Bluetooth and/or network and reconnect. Other times, you may need to switch CarPlay off and on. I know that sounds like a lot, but 90% of the time everything works like it's supposed to. From what I understand, factory versions can be temperamental, as well. You do have the option for a wired connection, but I never use it. Maybe that's why I have to futz around with it 10% of the time. Considering the features and benefits of CarPlay, it is well worth it.
FWIW, I have not heard of any other competitor being any better. A lot of the problem is with CarPlay, Bluetooth, and WiFi, rather than Road Top.
Here is a copy of the Road Top User Manual, if that helps.
thank you for the comments and the manual. I’ll read through it and see if it addresses my questions about AUX. My wife needs it to be quite simple.
Regarding CarPlay being unpredictable, I have wireless CarPlay and wired in other vehicles and it is erratic in those too. I’d say 90% ish is a fair estimate with those. I blame Microsoft for this issue seeing it seems to be common with everyone I know. Severing the connection and reconnecting is my solution. Hard to do while driving though.
- I understand it uses AUX for sound and a cable feeds down to the armrest where it attaches. Once that is plugged in, is there any other AUX configuration that ever needs to happen or does the device automatically grab that transparently always?
!
I read over the documentation but I see nothing about enabling AUX. Is that simply handled automatically and there are no settings the user needs to ever touch? Can someone please answer this for me?
You enable the AUX setting in the cars current screen settings.
I'll have to look what screen, but it is very simple. Same screen where you select Bluetooth, Media, etc.
I also followed @ThatsMyDawg instructions and installed the unit in my 2014. Like @JettaRed said, it works correctly about 90-95% of the time.
Very few hiccups for me. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Having all of the same apps that I have in my phone is worth the install pucker factor.
You enable the AUX setting in the cars current screen settings.
I'll have to look what screen, but it is very simple. Same screen where you select Bluetooth, Media, etc.
I also followed @ThatsMyDawg instructions and installed the unit in my 2014. Like @JettaRed said, it works correctly about 90-95% of the time.
Very few hiccups for me. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Having all of the same apps that I have in my phone is worth the install pucker factor.
Thanks for that. Once AUX is set then do you never touch it again? If you want to use the regular car stereo, dont you need to switch it off AUX? Right now we have Sirius and it seems like that would stop working once was turn on AUX. On our other cars with CarPlay, we can listen to Sirius while also using Waze in CarPlay.
Once you set the car in AUX, it will stay in that setting. I use Pandora, Spotify or Apple Music for my music.
I don't use Sirius as I feel the sound quality is inferior. I can use Pandora listening to my music and have Apple Maps or Waze working at the same time.
You would probably have to switch out of AUX to use the Sirius satellite radio, thus not being able to use Waze simultaneously.
Once you set the car in AUX, it will stay in that setting. I use Pandora, Spotify or Apple Music for my music.
I don't use Sirius as I feel the sound quality is inferior. I can use Pandora listening to my music and have Apple Maps or Waze working at the same time.
You would probably have to switch out of AUX to use the Sirius satellite radio, thus not being able to use Waze simultaneously.
Thanks again! This is exactly what I suspected and needed to know. My wife wants her cake and eat it too. I’m afraid this model won’t work for our needs then. I need to look for one that is more transparent with the output sound so she can do both, if that exists.
I had one of these in my GL years ago and now have the SL one in my R231
I use Sirius all the time. Here's a tip:
Never go back to the MB comand system. Delete your phones from the bluetooth phone system and set the system to AUX.
Pair your phones to the Roadtop and always use that.
But you're wondering about Sirius XM right? Use the app!
There is a SXM app that works perfectly with carplay. If you log into your SXM account, you'll see a username and password for online streaming. Enter that into your app on your phone and make sure you get Sirius playing on your phone first. Then open the Sirius app on Carplay and just use that.
Works and looks way better than the original Sirius tuner. And now everything is in the Carplay system and you never need to look back. Did this for 5+ years in my GL and worked perfectly.
Bha- I agree with your comments and actually use the Sirius app on my phone regularly already. The issue is what my wife doesn’t want to screw with the process to use it in the car. She doesn’t find technology very easy and that, combined with the extra required steps to get it going, and also compared to the ease and transparency with her other car, makes this approach a non-starter for her
Given the short distances the SL will likely be driven, she really doesn’t need CarPlay maps to survive.
Slight drift but there is a known issue with iPhones and bluetooth in general. I have the same basic issue in 3 cars including a 2025 BMW. I threw a new head unit in my ancient SL55 and CarPlay works like 75% of the time. I got sick of it and set up a wired connection.
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