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My understanding is all aftermarket units have to have the circuit boards swapped out from the OEM screen. I assume since you will unlikely get this installed up here in Canada they will provide instruction on how to do this. But contacting them and querying would be advised.
If you have questions or need pics of the setup just ask.
In the end I got fed up troubleshooting the Carlink system.
I opted for the 10.25" Android Infotainment upgrade system w/ wireless carplay/android auto. Just had it installed today and it's working seamlessly. All steering wheel controls work, i can swap back and forth between the OEM system (temp controls) and the android system at will, backup camera/sensors working fine.
It was twice the price of Carlink, but worth it (imo).
Was it a straight drop-in or any mods needed to the stock console?
Based on this thread I purchased this Carplay / Android Auto unit from carlinklife and I wanted to share my experience on my 2016 Bosch system. Long story short I'm very happy to have Android Auto now, but there are a few minor issues that others have experienced - but there are work arounds!
I received the unit pretty quickly from China (less than 2 weeks), shipped directly to the UK, and I didn't have to pay any additional VAT or customs duties. Installation was straight forward.. the instructions were lacking a bit but if you've done any sort of car audio upgrade in the past its not that hard to figure out. I agree that the wiring loom should be "reversed" so that the unit can tuck in behind the center console as opposed to the side of the drive shaft tunnel.
Initially I set the dip switches to "1 on" according to the instructions. Booted the system up and everything worked fine apart from the forward / back track steering wheel controls. Vol Up / Down steering wheel controls worked fine. OEM reverse camera works as it should. I didn't notice any other issues other than the forward / back track steering wheel controls.
So I unplugged the unit and set the switches to "2 on, 6 on", same result.. no change from what I could tell.
I changed the switches to "all OFF" and had no video.
So I changed the switches back to "1 on" and that's how I left it at the moment.
Now I noticed a few more problems.. not sure if these could be fixed with the dip switches as I'm waiting on customer support to get back to me.
1. When adjusting the volume you get the OEM volume indicator box overlay that pops up on the screen, when this would happen the Android Auto video in the background goes black, then when the volume dialog goes away, about a second later the video comes back. This happens every time you adjust the volume. I was able to fix this by changing a setting on the OEM head unit side of things to disable that volume pop up box.
2. Audio quality from the AUX setting is terrible. It has a high pitch whine / buzz that increases with the engine speed - indicating a bad ground or a ground loop. This is one of the "newer" units without the dummy AUX plug.. I don't know if that would make any difference. I also don't want my audio going through 2 sets of EQ. I solved this by leaving the OEM head unit on Bluetooth and then on the new unit bypass the Audio AUX passthrough found here:https://carlinklife.com/blogs/news/h...nklife-carplay
3. With the OEM set to Bluetooth, all of the steering wheel controls work! Bad news is just like the volume control box overlay pop up, forward and back track also has a dialog pop up that blanks out the screen.. however there isn't a way to disable this pop up as far as I know.
Anyone with this unit and having steering wheel control issues - I recommend doing the AUX bypass and run bluetooth audio to the OEM head unit in the background.
If anyone has recommendations on what dip settings they recommend let me know! I've not heard anything back from customer support so far about the video blanking on overlay pop ups.
Quick update:
After receiving a firmware update from customer support, the video no longer blacks out when changing volume or skipping tracks.
I bypass the AUX "passthrough" and use bluetooth to the OEM headunit in the background and the steering wheel controls work fine. When I attempted to use AUX through the carplay module, only volume up/down worked.
So I purchased a unit from the Carlinklife folks to replace my UAD unit fornthe sole reason of wanting the steering wheel controls. I've had zero issues with the UAD system, but always bugged me that there steering wheel controls didn't function. So I received and installed the second gen system from Carlinklife. Initially everything seemed fine but no steering wheel controls. I was in the midst of troubleshooting when the unit just died...black screen, no signal. The LEDs on the box still lit up, but something was not getting signal to the screen. I pulled it all.oit and replaced my UAD unit, while troubleshooting with Carlinklife over WhatsApp. They were very helpful, sent me a replacement first gen unit with the Aux dongle. Installed and everything works as promised. No need for Bluetooth, set to Aux input and everything works seamlessly. One tiny niggle was the fact that to get to the interface tou have to click the Nav hard button, and it automatically launches Google assistant, but another press dismisses. So not a big deal.
As others have reported, the splash screen says Landrover, but I rarely see that. All in all, I'm happy.
I do have the UAD unit that I'm looking to unload for a good price. I can help install if anyone is local to Raleigh NC area.
I just purchased and installed a CarLinkLife unit for my 2016 F-type R coupe, Bosch headunit. No issues on the install and the settings on the back are 2, 3 and 6 down. All buttons on the wheel function fine, no background noises, screen functions as advertised. Could not be happier, will see how it functions as time passes.
I just purchased and installed a CarLinkLife unit for my 2016 F-type R coupe, Bosch headunit. No issues on the install and the settings on the back are 2, 3 and 6 down. All buttons on the wheel function fine, no background noises, screen functions as advertised. Could not be happier, will see how it functions as time passes.
Really Happy with mine too, the only issue I have is that if the phone is plugged into the USB, Carplay will sometimes not connect.
For Tayls and Hasso - just confirming is that the 10 inch screen or does it use the smaller screen and hard buttons on the side?
Could you share the link of the one that you used?
Am looking to do this in my 2017 SVR with Bosch system. But keep hearing different views on 'side effects' like whether steering wheel buttons still work to advance tracks on CarPlay etc
Thanks!
Hello everyone, I've just purchased the carlinklife module.
According to the information I've found here, installation took about an hour. Unfortunately, the cable is very short, and I can't properly position the module.
I'll probably have to order a new one.
But now to my problem.
My module has the two antennas and the aux connector.
I just can't get a picture. I've tried all the switch settings without success :-(
Do you have any other tips for me? It looks like this on the home screen, but when I click on it, I get a black screen.
Do you see the unit WIFI on your phone, I think it was named Kbrand or something like that? It took me a little bit to get it to connect.
Also I did find them very helpful., when I reached out to them, so make sure to give them a try.
My first unit came with the cable that was way too short and it turned out to be the incorrect version of the unit. The second unit cable was correct and all the features worked.
Hello, The Wi-Fi here is called Carplay_bf1e.
But there's no connection because a password is required.
Does a Wi-Fi connection have to be established? I've never read anything about this here?
I believe it does need to connect, as I understand it Carplay uses the wifi connection. That sounds like the problem I had, sadly I can't remember the solution. I will see if I can find my original installation sheet.
I believe it does need to connect, as I understand it Carplay uses the wifi connection. That sounds like the problem I had, sadly I can't remember the solution. I will see if I can find my original installation sheet.
This issue has been reported several times with various brands of Carplay/AA adapters. Perhaps because it was initially developed for other JLR vehicles.
Contact the seller, see if they can provide a longer harness.
I just checked and sorry to say I don't have it written down anywhere, I must have gotten it from them when I contacted them. I hope you get it figured out quickly, they were very fast getting back to me.
Hello, The Wi-Fi here is called Carplay_bf1e. But there's no connection because a password is required. Does a Wi-Fi connection have to be established? I've never read anything about this here?
Regards, Frank
PS: I've also contacted Carlinklife
Yes carplay requires Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection.
