Just wondering: how does the original system send the AC signals from the touchscreen. Is the optical fibre involved by any means?

 

Hello again, ok so I've been tinkering with my Tesla style HU all week ever since the so called professionals couldn't get it to work properly, the a/c works ok as long as I don't need to switch to demist or recirc etc then it starts buggering around, restart engine and it settles down, it is a problem I can live with but I just hate stuff that doesn't work how it should! When I say I'm a perfectionist I'm not bragging, it can be bloody annoying to me and other people! Anyway I have got the Bluetooth working for streaming and phone calls, I have to say I'm extremely impressed! The sound is excellent, so yes something has actually pleased his Lordship! 😆😆 In a couple of weeks Ill be taking her in to get front and back up cameras installed.
In the meantime I'd just love to get that little a/C glitch sorted, I have found Dennis Blackstock very helpful and he does get back to you if you email him on, jaguaruk2017@gmail.com
Cheers guys, good luck to us all ay!

 

Sorry to hear you're having issues with the new HU. I am also a bit of a perfectionist and could not tolerate taking a step backward when I'm installing something that is supposed to be an upgrade. The only things I can think of are probably something you've already checked but in the interest of due diligence, I'll mention them anyway. First, since it seems to be intermittent, have you made absolutely sure your connection integrity is confirmed? Sometimes a little slack on the cable bundles is needed to relieve stress at the connectors and I don't recall if these connectors lock in place or not. Second, and maybe this should have been first, are you %100 sure the firmware matches your model year? In my case, I have a 2004 XJR as opposed to your 2003 XJ8 so it may be like comparing apples to oranges but I do know that 2004 was the year of the model change so is there a chance your HU has the incorrect firmware for '03?

 

G,daySo! With a lot of help from Dennis Blackstock and you guys on this thread Thankyou!, I've got the HU 98% (the 2% I can live with no problem and may get sorted over time?) So basically I wound up installing it myself with Dennises help via email, he Is definitely the go to Guru for these, I am absolutely stoked and would recommend this unit to anyone, I only have the factory sound 8 speakers etc and it sounds fantastic! The hands free phone is great, maps etc brilliant, I will be getting front and reverse cameras fitted hopefully before Xmas, so yep all it needed was a lot of patience (I have to admit I am a bit hastey at times&#128518 and good help from someone who knows the units well, if you're very tech savvy yourself (I'm not) you will have no trouble I'd say.Good luck, Happy Jagging and Merry Christmas to One and All from Tropics ☺️

 

Hi Russpe, many thanks for that, Dennis showed me how to get into the Canbus settings, it was set on XJL 2012, there are several Jags there but not my model but he suggested select Ftype 2015! So I did (also tried the others that one works the best) It now works well, only issue now is if you want to switch AC off it "messes about" a bit but if I ignition off and restart it will stay off, as one needs AC is on most of time round here, it's hardly a challenge and something I can easily live with.I suppose I could chase up the appropriate Canbus unit for my model but it's not really worth it so I'm happy.
On the question of year model, yes in Europe and Australia 2003 was the change over from X308 to X350, but for some reason this didn't occur in the United States until 2004, so mine is the X350
Many Thanks for your help Russpe, Have Very Merry Christmas to You and Your Family and Happy and Prosperous New Year ☺️👍

 

You're very welcome Setter but your honorable mention of Dennis Black is more deserving. It's very interesting to know that Canbus settings are variable, since I didn't have any problems I didn't need to explore that route. I'll bet that there are some other frustrated members that would benefit from what you learned through Dennis (and me too for that matter). If you could find an easy way to share some basics I'll bet we'd all be the wiser. Merry Christmas to you and all your friends and family down under.

 

I also have the base 8 speaker system. Two questions:
1. Where did you buy the Tesla style radio from? I mean which seller?
2. Please share how you connected it.

 

Hello All,
I know this thread is a few years old, but I recently purchased and installed the Tesla unit in my car. I was inspired by my friend, neighbor and Forum member, MARQUE.
Two years ago, I watched MARQUE install his unit and he was having the intermittent AC problem. I had the same problem the other day when I installed mine. So, I set about to figure it out and find a fix. As I was troubleshooting, I was thinking that maybe the modules in the trunk might be the issue. So, I contacted the seller about it and he confirmed my suspicions, Then I unplugged all the modules and guess what....IT WORKED!!! I called MARQUE and told him. He unplugged everything, and guess what..... IT WORKED!!!
So, I suggest to anyone still having the AC problem. Just unplug modules in the trunk and you should be good..

 

I can confirm what @joeleerj Said. Took all of 5 minutes to correct this issue that we thought could be a firmware thing 😳

& Funny thing is, going back thru the thread, @ctsemicon had the answer the WHOLE time & we all missed it!.. 2 yrs of HVAC torture & all we had to do,,,,,,,,😂

That said, Dennis Black obviously did the same, but as I Said in an earlier post, he's not a big help. He just likes to show what he has, which is GREAT stuff,,,, but just not much of a help...

 

Whoa. This could be huge!
Say more though please? If I remember correctly the only thing in the trunk is the connection to the speakers right? Just unplug and replug that?

Or are you saying to make sure the DVD player and CD player are unplugged?

 

Unplug ALL of the peripherals, as @ctsemicon stated to us in his post from 2022 (DVD, Nav etc. {frustrating now looking back in hindsight, but I'm GLAD @joeleerj bought 1, because he ALWAYS seems to figure out whatever! Hahaha}) whatever you have back there. You'll have to pop the bolts out of course so you can get behind it to the necessary connectors, but just pull everything out (disconnect) that you see...

 

Got it. Many thanks!
My steed is in the shop right now but when it gets home I'll try it.

 

Has anyone used CarPlay or Android Auto with their Tesla screen at all?

 

thread is really old, but maybe someone with 2004-2006 Vanden Plas has some experience - is there any way to keep the screens in the back working? Is VDP some odd type that is not supported by these android devices?

 

No way to keep them working THAT I KNOW OF. I decided that passengers these days either have a phone or a tablet that they can watch essentially anything they want on, so it's non-issue. What I try to do is make sure everyone has a way to keep their device charged! The other thing that helps is to maybe have some sort of mobile wifi going. It has not been an issue AT ALL with my family.

 

Hiya, all. Yes, indeed I did disconnect and physically remove ALL the optical bus modules when I installed my Tesla-style headunit; including removing all the optical bus cables. Which would (probably) explain the lack of errors/issues others have reported. I just replaced the condensor (in front of radiator) and re-charged my AC with proper oil and 134a - at 90 degrees on 4 it will cool down to the point its freezing cold front and back.

To answer your last question, yes, I use Android Auto, primarily for Google Maps and it's up-to-date maps n traffic quite a lot. Works excellent. One annoying trait that I fixed was that Android Auto would show up not properly formatted for the large portrait mode screen. This is NOT a issue belonging to Google - It has to do with the native Carlink App that is installed on the Tesla-style units. Carlink defines the aspect ratio that Google Maps uses, and the older version that came in my headunit did not play nice with Google.

I know that others have got around this by installing some of the fancier launchers (HUR), but as I mentioned in earlier post, these have too much froo-froo visuals for me. You can see from my earlier post, I have a nice basic screen, Icons and Jaguar logo, implemented via Nova Launcher. Additionally, the use of Launcher to re-format screen to get full screen in portrait is really a crude workaround for a limitation in the older version of Carliink.

The real fix is to download the newest Carlink and sideload it via USB. You can find explicit instructions and updated app for Carlink 2.0 in the XDA Android Auto forum. I hesitate to provide more details, as there are many,many ways to mess up your headunit updating apps built in - If you are experienced enough to do this, then you will easily find the answer and the .apk file in the XDA forums. I am assuming you are using the same 7862 CPU based Tesla Head Unit; there are many people selling this unit under various (and probably fleeting) sellers. My specific one is a AOTSR, but I am pretty sure the unit and it's CANBUS I/O are all coming from one source and being resold by numerous businesses.

This said, once I uploaded and installed the newer Carlink,the Google Maps appeared full screen and utilized all the Maps enhancements in Coolwalk. In closing - I remain very happy with the large format headunit retrofit as one of the best things I've done to my XJ8. best regards....ct

 

Need to give a ThankYou to ctsemicon for the carlink update info. Now using my full screen wireless android auto.

Would also like to ask Tesla style users how well there steering wheels controls are working. Mine are intermintent. I did not use the Key 1 wire on install. So wondering if that is the issue.

 

Bucktooth, great question. When I was bench testing the Tesla-style unit, I noted that the resistance-based sensitivity of the "Key" interface sucks. While it seems OK on digital functions (band, etc.), its pretty hit or miss on the analog volume control. I implemented a really simple solution, and, it also satisfied my need for a volume control knob (being a dinosaur who still likes tactile knobs n such ).

If you look in the very lower left hand side of my previous pictures, you will note a small 10mm knob that is not stock. It is a USB volume knob I interfaced to the existing spare USB inputs on the head unit. You can find these on Amazon; search "DROK USB Volume Control". I drilled a small hole for the knob in the empty area of the head unit fascia, then replaced the huge knob supplied with a smaller 10mm unit that I had lying around.

The know is very positive and simple, and provides nice tactile feel for the volume.

 

Yeah, the volume control isn't the best. I have MUTE set up on the call button, as well as "Next & Back" with the buttons on the side, & those are flawless, but the volume is sometimes. It works REALLY good if you only set Volume UP or just Volume DOWN, but both,,,,, definitely spotty...

 

Is it REALLY that simple? This is beautiful!