I am sorry for creating an another topic on this, but there are quite a lot of threads and units reviewed on the forum, so I suppose we could consolidate them a bit...
Is there an unit, where everything works? With no "great, but"?
Is there an unit, that can use car's microphone and/or radio+gps antennas?
I am looking for Bosch/Harman replacement.
Thank you!

 

@J444G After @graybeardnw's experience, I gave up on this quest as I have a 2019 post-Harman unit and am using this unit full-time:


There are many others out there as well, but this one has HDMI in/out which is unique. The only thing that is missing is being able to advance songs using the steering wheel. Otherwise I can run any Android app (Torque and JBV1 most importantly), have audio alerts, and have HDMI in case you want to plug in a portable CD/DVD player. I also unplug it and use it in my other car (size of a hockey puck). The wireless CarPlay works well and calls are clear.

 

@JagCode3 thanks, I have edited the post to be more clear that I am looking for 8" replacements (bosch/harman)

 

Have not seen any product where 'everything' works.

Mine has exterior mic and no GPS extension with the car. Since i use android auto for everything the latter is not something i care about. 'everything' else works. As for radio...since i can hop back and forth between the stock system and the android system via a button, i would assume i would just use the stock system if i ever wanted the radio (i never do).

 

Roger that, @J444G I understand wanting to replace the 8 inch screen. I would love to replace my 10 inch low res OEM screen if possible.

Based on the positive reviews, I would get the Android 13 unit @Evoex and @Tracy Rominger have and DIY install it if you have a free day or two.

However, if you type in "Android 14 Jaguar F-Type" into Aliexpress you can see what is out there, including the Tesla style double DIN screen:




If you won't miss the physical AC/heat/fan controllers that is what I would get (and may just do if I have some free time - as long as I can be assured it will fit the 2019+ post Harman system).

Another option I have been looking at is float mounting a universal 13 inch DUDU7 but they do not advertise a canbus adapter for JLR. Waiting to hear back if they can make one.

 

I guess this would have to be enough, just to have the stock system + android auto for everything else. I kind of wanted to hide the phone to the armrest, and then you won't have GPS signal from the phone. With phone as a "brain" I have to put a phone holder somewhere.
@JagCode3 definitely want to go with 10", for me that is perfect, I am not into "tesla" style.

 

I've been researching these units for a while and it seems like the Merryway maybe the better choice as this brand was carried by a few North American installers. Here's the listing on AliExpress if you want to catch up on pricing and functionality https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...2usa4itemAdapt
I had purchased a unit from Witson on AliExpress and although I got everything connected properly it would never power up so I sent it back for a full refund, FYI

 

The GTA unit has a favorable review on the F Pace forum.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...r-play-286742/

I’m strongly thinking about giving it a try on my ‘17 Pace. I don’t miss CarPlay on the F Type for some strange reason but I sure do in the SUV.

Nice thing about the GTA, in a way, is no fooling around with a different display screen.

 

I have red that with all piggyback units you will lose Adaptive Dynamics Custom Configuration and that is a dealbreaker for me.

 

That was not the case with my UAD unit. All I lost was the built in NAV system, which is what it hijacks.

 

I was never interested in a larger screen than the 8" but wanted CarPlay. I would also never trust an aftermarket system entirely so I didn't want anything that completely replaces the stock system or screen or hijacks any stock features. So I went for the piggyback UAD unit and it's been pretty much flawless. In facelift cars like mine (>MY18) it doesn't even hijack any stock feature, but all stock stuff including navigation and adaptive dynamics is still there. By default the car always starts up displaying the UAD unit and CarPlay which boots and connects quicker than the stock system boots, and then you just long press the home button to switch between the UAD unit display and the stock system. I rarely do though since there's no need.

Although it's overpriced, UAD's units look like the most solid piggyback option out there.

About GPS reception, when running CarPlay I noticed that the GPS/navigation reception in google maps etc can get a bit crappy if I keep my phone in the centre cubby. If I keep it in the cup holder in front of the cubby, even with the lid closed, it's fine.

 

I have the UAD too....you only loose native nav....the rest works. It may be the best option because if the daughter unit dies...you can do things...I too worry about a problem happening with the new, non-JLR unit, and loosing functionality.

The original stuff might be tougher/more hostile tolerant. Have no idea, but I am also one to not want to loose dynamics (or heated seats...).

 

I'd be happy to lose the native nav as the maps on mine are 10 years old now with no updates, I'd swap it for google maps for sure. So that's the UAD system?

 

Yeah I should be specific in a way that of course I am counting on losing the stock NAV.
Are you 100% sure that you can edit and save your Adaptive Dynamics profile? It has clearly be stated that you can use Dynamic mode but if you change your settings it will crash...

 

I have the UAD system and it doesn’t affect dynamic settings. I can choose any setting and it is unaffected. It only splices into the OEM nav component so the car just sees it as a sound and video input. Nothing else is affected. Has been faultless . Only thing you can’t do is skip forward or backwards with steering wheel button but you do that with on screen button or use voice command .

 

+1

Sound is set to AUX with it in place too, btw. Carplay is wireless. I forget if Android auto is also wireless. It linked to my stock rear camera properly (works fine). A new mic got added to my a pillar. It is actually a lot better sounding than stock but I left the foam on it....I like the Howard Cosel (sp?) look.
I think I bought the microphone on my own as this can really affect sound quality. There was a carplay thread on microphones....suspect you can find them at crutchfield or amazon without an issue.

Once in a blue moon it fails to mount up...99% of the time that means I need to go into the phone and bluetooth on the thing (called XXX). In a really rare event, about 2x per year, it is black. The times it fails to find my phone to auto mount is when I need to manually bluetooth...my car has remote start via the phone app and if you do that and the car is beyond bluetooth range, you get a "non mount" of the UAD device. Simple solution is go to bluetooth and connect the device manually. Rare event is to turn wife on and off on the phone too.

Once the car goes to full sleep (about 15 minutes I think), it is fine, and the "auto reconnect" stuff all seems to reboot. This is sort of ctrl-alt-delete for the device (power). Hence, why I'd not do this as my main unit for all the electronics. Carplay is a luxury. If it fails to work once in a blue moon, not a big deal. I bought my unit off aliexpress as I thought they all sort of looked the same....had a pro mobile install put it in the car for 100 dollars pre covid. Been a happy camper since. Recommend a pro installer...avoids damage, etc.

Oh, it has been fine with the upgrades on the phone to carplay. The iphone has the latest iOS and all works as it is supposed to work. That never gets mentioned.

One last thing, I have an older version now (ca 2018). I have never been brave enough to upgrade the units firmware and doing so may solve this one. In terms of steering wheel controls, I can raise and lower volume fine (in CarPlay mode) but I cannot skip tracks. What I think that means is that the steering wheel is still working with the car's native stuff and it see's "aux" only...my installer says he installed it and I trust him, but for whatever reason tracks don't work on the steering wheel. One can skip a track on the screen with an arrow or tell Siri to skip this song - so not an issue. Just wanted to let everyone know that is an issue too. Sill cheaper than buying a new car with factory CarPlay. I don't like the new headlights (mine swivel and have LED upgrades, and auto on/off...so to me the ultimate in F type headlights in terms of looks and function...that is for another thread).

 

Just to give my own personal experience with UAD. I had not stop problems with their unit, and even went as far as purchasing a second unit after over a year of issues with the original one thinking maybe mine was defective. Still was a no go. When it worked, it was great, but almost 90% of the time on starting of the car it would fail/black screen, and the unit would need restarted. Even after continued emails back and forth with UAD, it could not be figured out and the second unit did the exact same thing. Now I do have that unique year, MY18 with the 8 inch screen but also half the newer 19 hardware in the center counsel. I can only assume this is the issue and since that model makes up such a small # of F types you don’t hear much about it. I will say I’ve only ever heard of success with the earlier models annd UAD so if you don’t have the internals that mine does, and you’re ok keeping the 8 inch screen (which I would have been) then go for it. But for those few MY18 with mixed techs inside I can not recommend UAD. Sorry

 

To add onto the effectiveness of my UAD unit, it works far better than the factory system in my wife's Range Rover. In her car, she has to plug in her phone (android) and that frequently fails. In my car, android auto works wirelessly without issue. One time in the last two and half years it went a little nutty and I had no sound. It worked fine the next time I started the car and every time thereafter.

The only things I don't like:

- It uses the AUX jack in the center console. Not a big deal, but when you open the console, I see the mini connector there.
- No steering wheel controls for song selections.
- I have to hit the NAV button every time I start the car to send me to the Android Auto screen. I would prefer it to just start there.

Install was pretty smooth, except the USB connector was WAY too short to reach the center console. I bought a USB extension cable.

 

Seems like you Blacks18 had some really bad luck and maybe there was something particular with your car that caused the issues since you had the same issues with two different units. I have the same system - a facelift MY18 car with the full fat ICTP with the 8" screen and the UAD unit works brilliantly for me. It has gone black and quickly rebooted a few times, but that's extremely rare. Btw, I remember getting some helpful advice from you via PM back when I was installing mine - appreciated! Anyways, from my experience I can highly recommend UAD also for facelift cars.

Doesn't matter for the OP, but the experience with the UAD unit is possibly even better with MY18/facelift cars than with older cars. No need to push the Nav button, the original navigation and everything else is still there and the car always starts in CarPlay mode. The cool thing is that the unit starts and connects wirelessly with your phone within seconds as soon as you unlock the car and power starts going to the head unit. You don't even have to hit the ignition. So CarPlay basically becomes default in the car and boots much faster than the rest of the system which you never see unless you put the car in reverse or long press the home button to switch the display to the stock functions.

Some minor things to be aware of though:
- It's honestly a bit of a PITA to install. The part within the dash is no problem but the hassle is to access the power connector underneath and behind the head unit behind the seats. In my case it helped to loosen the trim behind the driver's seat to be able to access things from the side.
- This may be unique to the MY18 version, because it doesn't just take over the stock Nav video input, but all the stock system's video goes through the UAD unit: the image quality of the stock system functions is slightly affected, like it loses a little bit of signal quality. It's probably just noticeable if you're sharp sighted and have a bit of OCD, but if anyone is into photography or image editing it's like a tiny bit of chromatic aberration or edge sharpness is added, so the stock system graphics look slightly sharper around the edges of things. It's most noticeable in satellite image view mode in the stock navigation or when using the reversing camera in low light conditions which makes the image a bit noisier than before.
- One function that doesn't work exactly as below is the screen off/stealth mode which turns off the screen and dims everything else which can be nice when driving at night. Without the UAD unit the screen shuts of completely. With the UAD unit the screen goes black but doesn't shut off and stays backlit with a line of colorful pixels along one side. Image below.
- The reverse camera obviously comes on as usual when reversing, but when only the front parking sensors are triggered you hear the sound but don't see them displayed on screen. You have to long press the home button if you want to see the graphics. This is actually a bit of an improvement for me because I rarely need to see the front parking sensor graphics and the sensors come on a bit too often - like when sitting in traffic at a red light close to the car in front.
- You have to add a ground loop isolator for the sound. Otherwise you get some light static which in all fairness basically only is noticeable when the car is completely silent. No big deal and costs a few bucks but should have been included in the kit from UAD.
- As stated, you can't use the back/forth steering wheel buttons to skip tracks. That's pretty obvious to me since the unit is completely independent of the stock system, and basically just takes over the screen output/input and feeds audio into the car (via one of the two USB ports in facelift cars). No issue at all, I use the screen and don't even have to look at it because in the split screen CarPlay view I mostly use the skip button is by the lower corner of the screen.

Apart from that CarPlay becomes the default view, two major pluses with these units, which I think applies in pre-facelift cars too:
- The built in equalizer lets you fine tune the sound and you an get better sound out of the stereo than ever possible with the stock sound settings.
- You can fine tune the UAD unit's image (brightness, contrast, saturation...) which lets you make it look perfect. In some cars with built in CarPlay the colors look a bit weird and you can't adjust it.

 

I’m so glad you’ve had nothing but a great experience with yours, and glad I could help with the install…you’re correct about getting to those power cords!! I really wanted to use the unit and felt like I did everything I could, including buying another unit…overall spending over 1g for them. Def must have been something unique to my car, oh these Jags and their occasional quirkiness lol. At the end of the day I hold no hard feelings toward UAD, although they in my opinion didn’t really go out of their way to help or make it right…but it is what it is and I eventually ended up with something that that works best for me. I did really like the UAD eq…but I ended up adding a powered sub and I’m more than content with the sound of the system, when not listening to the engine.