Review of the BMW 12.3" Android Multimedia System - AvinUSA | BMW 3 Series (E92, N54, 335i, etc.)

[@jbdraco]

Did you have to cut the dash? I am looking for an option that does not require dash cutting but still looks factory if you aren’t staring at the back of the device

[@fixitcolton]

I did, but it wasn't too bad. Here is the entire tutorial, step by step: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jouWcnWbg652hsk The only way to do that is to permanently mount something on a spot that can be replaced, like a trim panel. There are 10" units, but they are slow compared to this one. I have some in other cars that are good enough, but they don't look factory like this.

[@Gnaw85]

is that screen too big sitting in the middle of the dash? Do you happen to have POV from the driver seat looking at the screen? Thanks for making the video!

[@fixitcolton]

Hey, thanks! It is definitely not too big. Surprisingly, I don't have that perspective, lol... I guess I could try to do a short in the upcoming week month. I will try to remember when I'm with that car next. I'm actually doing something else like this in one of my other cars, and I'm wishing that it was this 12.3" size because anything else seems so small now. It's pretty much a perfect dimension, in my opinion. Because it's rectangular and not square, it is much more subtle than you'd think. The unit below is never touched anymore, but I use it for gauges 🤣

[@Gnaw85]

@@fixitcolton Gotcha, a short would be super awesome! I'm struggling to decide if I want to go with the 12.3 or the 10.5 haha

[@fixitcolton]

I will try to get to my 335i this weekend and take a quick short. Are you also putting it in an E90 series? If so, the 10.5" (at least the ones I've seen) will sit further back and be recessed a bit. It will be smaller and further back. It may cause reach issues and impact driving safety. This one sits in front of the dash and much closer. This also creates less viewing blockage. You don't have to struggle to see text or reach to input things, such as quick replies on Android Auto. This was also a large reason I got the 12.3", so you may want to check exactly where the 10" will align on the dash with its custom mounting bracket.

[@Boss81ish]

Been waiting on this.

[@fixitcolton]

Haha, yea... I still didn't finalize the connection to my controller. However, I solved all the rest and just posted this since it's been collecting dust. Good luck on yours

[@cuyunamike]

I just ordered the Xtrons 12.3” unit. Been going back and forth between this and the 10.25”.

[@fixitcolton]

I think you'll appreciate the 12.3 and the mounting location when you consistently use it. Good luck with it!

[@cuyunamike]

Does yours have an FM/AM Tuner?

[@fixitcolton]

That is a good question. I am currently out of the country, but I will double check when I return. I am 99% sure it does not have the analog function. On my model, there is no port for bridging or even taking the FM/AM antenna from the factory. That looks like a barrel connector. It may have digital radio though (DAB). They offer a DAB+ adapter (USB) for non-North Americans as an additional charge. If you're in the USA, it may be built in already (free). I will check when I return, later this month. I did see an app, in the app drawer, labeled "DAB-Z." This appears to be an Android app that allows digital tuners. If this comes pre-installed on the North American version, I believe the DAB adapter is built in. Therefore, you'll have digital radio. You will be installing this to work along side of your OEM unit below. Your OEM unit will have the analog FM/AM tuner still. This unit just accesses the 3.5mm aux port, and acts as another source of audio to your OEM system. This is why they probably left that out. However, I will be upgrading to the newest model when I return. I will update if it somehow includes an analog adapter or ties in to the OEM somehow. Just an FYI, my OEM system is replaced with another Android unit. This does have the FM/AM analog tuner ability and does take the barrel antenna connector from the OEM, if this caused any confusion. I am sorry, I do not use the tuner at all, so I'm a bit vague on every little detail. Though, I do believe this is an accurate assessment. Good luck

[@Brian-jv8iy]

if this is a KSW unit, i'd recommend installing KSW toolkit and disabling default button assignments and default apps so they never start. There is iDrive launcher that looks like CIC/iD4 and iD7 launcher that looks like MGU, both are indefinitely better. If it is a KSW unit, you could also install an oem idrive controller, add some chip you'd code so the rotation is supported and gain tilt/dpad

[@Brian-jv8iy]

looks like a ksw unit

[@fixitcolton]

Thanks for the info. I'm actually going to swap it soon for an even newer model, but I'll look into the launcher. Thanks

[@supremeseams]

im looking to put this into my e90 which has the cic nav unit. im swapping the dash out for the single hump and my car already has the idrive controller. youre saying i need to code the stock idrive controller to work like stock with this unit?

[@fixitcolton]

Hey, I don't know if you were asking the poster of the comment. Either way, no... you don't have to do anything. Your OEM iDrive controller (if you have OEM navigation/iDrive) will work. It's all plug and play. It will be recognized via the main harness integration that gets placed in between. He was referring to more advanced stuff if you want to fully customize this system, assuming the chip and build of it is the one supported by the custom software. You don't need to mess with that at all. Good luck

[@nikolaikraus]

Very nice review, thank you. How did you manage to have Android Auto in 1080p?

[@fixitcolton]

Hey, thank you for the kind words! Well, I got lucky and the Android Auto "Coolwalk" version released right before I published this video. It allowed the application to fill the entire screen (widen the platform) and keep the resolution sharp. This screen is actually (1920x720p), yet is very sharp. Prior to Coolwalk, there was a toggle button in the Z-link app that simply said "HD" lol. You can only see this if you open Z-link but have no phone connected. Then you'll see a settings gear icon. However, my observation was that the button didn't change anything. If you use 'wireless' AA to connect to the screen, you'll get a zoomed in, less sharp image of AA. It was decent, it wasn't bad. However, if you used 'wired' AA to connect to the screen, the resolution was crisp and clean. The drawback there was that it was wired and it was zoomed out to full resolution and the icons and such were marginally smaller. Of the two, I believe people would prefer wireless and bigger/fuzzier icons. Yet, Coolwalk allowed the wireless, bigger icons, AND sharp clear image. The takeaway here is that Google is constantly changing Android Auto. Android Auto is also in so many devices and each seems to have a different build, especially the foreign based stuff. Many use Z-Link as a buffer to get access to AA. There are multiple sources in the chain, and it's tough to say whether they all will or will not get nicer settings. I can tell you that this unit should be good. Now there is Android Automotive which is different than Android Auto, and that one probably has the best approach as it's at the hardware level in the cars already. That's probably only for new cars though. Good luck!

[@nikolaikraus]

@@fixitcolton Thank you for your quick response. I did not understand everything. So I've found the shift to HD in the Z-Link. If you activate HD and connect wirelessly to the cell phone, then the picture is smaller for me but the resolution is better. So you also have HD enabled and your image is full resolution, right? Is it because you have the more recent version of Android Auto on your phone?

[@fixitcolton]

Yea, so your HD toggle is working, lol. All it is doing is shrinking the image back to the original size so it's smaller yet looks sharper. Z Link, I'm assuming, expands it to true wide screen which just stretches the image, but doesn't adjust pixels. For my setup, that toggle didn't do anything. It could be my phone, my build of AA, my unit has a different software build, ZLink is a different version app, etc. Wirelessly, it was always full, wide screen and always sort of "fuzzy," but good enough. I only saw full wide, FHD when wired. The ONLY time I saw my HD toggle work was when I played with it again AFTER Coolwalk was out. It did shrink the image to a 4:3 ratio (or similar) like you're experiencing when I had the HD toggle on. However, with AA Coolwalk, the HD toggle is OFF and the wide, full image is sharp and full HD now. In summary, the HD toggle was always off for me. I only used it wirelessly. Before Coolwalk, the picture was standard quality. After Coolwalk, the picture was HD quality. This was all irrelevant to that toggle. I mention it because each person's setup is different, and you can A/B test different things to optimize for your own situation. It is possibly because the version on my phone is newer. I have an unlocked USA variant of the Samsung Z Fold 4. However, even within that exact phone line, the release calendar for Google to push updates for apps (namely AA) is all over the place. Some of us got it in January, some still don't have it. Pending your phone type, if Android, you can sideload the actual Google Coolwalk AA APK. Just make sure to get a stable build, and make sure it's from Google and not some questionable site. Worst case, you delete that, go to the Play Store, and re download your original AA. Use your discretion. Hope that helps!

[@nikolaikraus]

Thanks for the detailed information. Probably not working because of Zlink or Aa version. My version of Zlink is V5.3.24 and AA I downloaded the latest version as apk V9.7.632203. Which version do you have?

[@fixitcolton]

AA: 9.5.631864-release and Zlink: 5.3.18 What are you trying to accomplish? What exactly isn't working? Do you have the exact same unit? I'm assuming you're unhappy with the clarity over wireless when it's not full wide screen, right? Do you have Coolwalk? Maybe the screen just isn't as sharp as you think, or have you tried it wired to see the true resolution of this unit and see if you're happy with that? I guess I should've clarified your goal from the start, lol. Let me know so I can see if there's anything else I can try to help with.

[@Thomas81000]

I’m in reflexion to buy a similiar screen.. should I buy it and where 😂 Don’t you have Waze on yours ?

[@fixitcolton]

If they make a model for your car, I would just go with AvinUSA to be safe. If they don't support your car, it's hard to say. I can tell you that my original (lower) Android head unit was bought first (from Eonon) and there were 2 things about it that I was looking for specifically. I wanted a physical volume knob, and I wanted it to support some of the functionality of the car. If you have a BMW, you'll definitely want to find something with some functionality through the CANBUS. You can put Waze on this. I just don't use Waze. It really just depends how much you want to spend. You could spend $100 on Amazon and get a generic Android head unit that won't be reliable and won't be as smooth or functional. It would work though.

[@Thomas81000]

@@fixitcolton Thanks for the feedback, I also have a e90 but LCI with the CIC system. The car play screen is out of stock for the CIC system on Avin 😭 I will wait a bit

[@fixitcolton]

Oh ok, I would definitely go with AvinUSA then. I was going to try some others, but the internals are quite different on some, and the build quality really is different on no-name ones. I was pretty eager to get one of these. When I finally received mine, I procrastinated to all hell 🤣. I didn't even end up installing it for many months because it hit me how much work cutting a dash would be. On a side note, they sent me a part that was backordered (or they couldn't stock), and it ended up coming quicker than I imagined. Contact them and waitlist or something, and I bet it'll come quick. Good luck with it

[@GoalRGood]

Any idea why my Android Phone does not charging when plugged into Android Auto?

[@fixitcolton]

Is it with this exact unit? While this unit doesn't fast charge my phone, it maintains it pretty well. Many systems only slow charge as they output very low USB voltage. It really could be many things, and I cannot begin to speculate without details. What unit do you have and what phone? Have you tried swapping cables? Assuming you're getting wired Android Auto, it must work. Does the phone show it's charging, but still slowly dies? Perhaps you're wirelessly connected and the USB wire isn't working at all. When you connect devices to Android phones, you should have a pop up in the notifications panel to select several options. On many vehicles, Android Auto will take over as host. You may play with the different settings. Usually they're things such as "charging only," "file transfer," etc. Newer builds will say things like "file transfer/ Android Auto" which it should be on. Android Auto itself can have developer options that you can fiddle with. Sometimes length of cable can impact this or data transfer. This unit here has 2 USB ports as well, you could try swapping to the other.

[@3out907]

I’m installing mine tomorrow in a 2014 F02 750LI.

[@fixitcolton]

Nice! Good luck 🙃

[@3out907]

@@fixitcolton I cannot seem to get my music to work using the zlink for apple car play. Also…it says something about AUX doesn’t allow for steering wheel controls…Did you run into anything like that?

[@fixitcolton]

I do not have anything Apple, so I cannot help you there, sorry. However, it sounds like you have something wrong and should probably try to narrow it down to the source. Do you have music through any other app or the radio (outside of CarPlay)? If you have sound, then it probably is a handshake issue with CarPlay and Zlink. If that's the case, you may be able to contact them and ask for an update for Zlink and the related. If you don't have sound through any other source, you have something wired wrong. Process of elimination will help you. What is saying "aux doesn't allow for steering wheel controls," and what is the exact message? Aux would not allow any controls at all, true. However, the controls should be aside from the signal being sent out for sound. It almost sounds like your steering wheel controls are still going to the OEM head unit and then you're sending an aux signal from that to the new AvinUSA head unit. This would be backwards, but I don't have nearly enough information. That is just an educated guess. Your entire harness should go to the AvinUSA unit, or sit as primary in between, so all the CANBUS signals, etc. go to the AvinUSA unit first and then trickle down to the OEM. Your aux cable should "output" from the AvinUSA unit and "input" to the OEM unit. The OEM unit is now only used to connect your speakers and factory amp and nothing else. Again, I don't know this model car or what specs you have, but this could be a start. Your car is going to be different, but I'd imagine you'd still run a stereo 3.5mm aux cable from the AvinUSA unit to your factory aux in port for sound. There were 2 (3.5mm) jacks on my AvinUSA harness (one male, one female). You made sure that you used the one that is "output" right? For me, that was female. Check out the install video at about 14minutes (step 15) to compare. The steering wheel controls will be through the wiring harness. Do you have a purple CANBUS wire? Did you unplug or plug together any connections you were unsure of? Also, you may have to adjust some settings inside the factory menu whether your car had the OEM navigation (iDrive) or not. Realistically, the plug and play on this is straight forward. If there was something you were unsure of, that may be it. If you already changed factory settings, and didn't do one at a time, you may want to factory reset the unit to start fresh.

[@3out907]

I believe it is an issue between CarPlay and zlink5. I reached out to Avin and they’ve been working with me late at night to try and figure it out. It’s a weird issue I’m having and I can’t really explain it well. I know that’s no help. I really appreciate your feedback and input. I was told that since I have the NBT I don’t need to connect my AUX to have sound through CarPlay. Did you have to connect your AUX in order to get Android Auto to work?

[@fixitcolton]

Yea, I would need more information to go on. I don't need to connect anything to my phone if that's what you're implying. Android Auto works wirelessly or via usb. I think you may be confusing the 3.5mm input/output like I said earlier. If you want to input an audio source with a wired jack connection, you'll need to use an aux cable, and this would sit outside of the center console so you could access it. When installing this unit, I had to use a 3.5mm "aux" cable to connect the Avin unit to the BMW unit because the sound is coming from that and not the Avin unit. That wire sits inside the console and is never accessed. If your car doesn't require you using a 3.5mm cable to connect the two units and it does it via a harnessed connection somehow, then it probably is software. I have no idea your setup, what you installed, what harnesses you used, how you wired it, if you have fiber optics or adapters they included, etc. You didn't really answer any of the questions I wrote previously. If you need more help, you need to read that carefully and provide information.

[@SwooshLyf3]

Just use a clear wrap on it

[@fixitcolton]

I'm not sure what you're referring to. If it's the screen protector issue, I ordered a gloss one for a larger monitor and cut it by hand. It worked out much better than the "anti-glare" option. Thanks though.

[@SwooshLyf3]

@@fixitcolton like a clear piece of ppf would protect it. But sounds like you got it tho.