What's the best way to add CarPlay to a car that doesn't have it?

[HaiHoai]

Hey folks,
I recently bought a used car (2015 Audi A5) and love everything about it—except the lack of Apple CarPlay. I've been looking into ways to retrofit CarPlay without replacing the whole infotainment system or spending a fortune at the dealership.
There seem to be a few options:

1. Wireless CarPlay dongles/adapters
2. Aftermarket screens (Android-based or Linux-based)

Has anyone here done a successful upgrade?
Ideally, I'd want:

• Wireless CarPlay
• Steering wheel button support
• Keep my factory backup camera & parking sensors
• Minimal dashboard surgery

Appreciate any insights or experiences!

 

[MCKLMT]

You can ask to your car manufacturer if he can enable CarPlay on your existing device.

 

[scubachap]

We looked at this for a Mazda MX5, in the end we just got a car audio place to just replace the standard audio unit with an aftermarket one. Do now have a couple of unobtrusive cables to plug the phone into (it’s a wired one) but everything else works well (steering controls etc). Well worth doing IMO.

 

[VanHah]

I think it really depends on the condition and quality of your original screen and system.
For example, I have a 2011 BMW Z4 E89 — the original screen had low resolution and limited functionality, so I replaced it with a high-res CarPlay touchscreen. On the other hand, my wife’s 2013 Lexus GS already had a nice 12.3" OEM screen with a solid factory system, just no CarPlay. In her case, I installed a CarPlay box instead, which integrates wirelessly without replacing anything.
Both solutions cost a bit over $300 each, and I’m really happy with how both upgrades turned out. Wireless CarPlay works great, and the installs were relatively straightforward.
If anyone’s interested, I got both products from CarpuTech: https://www.carputech.com

 

[ApAx]

A third option, which I did with my 2014 VW:

Dash-mount your phone with a vent clip holder or something similar and connect audio to car bluetooth. You don't have to modify anything with your infotainment, and can still use your cameras and sensors. The steering wheel bluetooth controls can still be used for calling and music.

 

[VanHah]

A third option, which I did with my 2014 VW:

Dash-mount your phone with a vent clip holder or something similar and connect audio to car bluetooth. You don't have to modify anything with your infotainment, and can still use your cameras and sensors. The steering wheel bluetooth controls can still be used for calling and music.

That works, but CarPlay offers more than just Bluetooth music and calls — like real-time navigation, traffic updates, and direct access to apps like Maps, Waze, Spotify, and Messages right on the screen. It's a much smoother experience overall.

 

[ApAx]

That works, but CarPlay offers more than just Bluetooth music and calls — like real-time navigation, traffic updates, and direct access to apps like Maps, Waze, Spotify, and Messages right on the screen. It's a much smoother experience overall.

I definitely agree, just offering an economical alternative. $300 to replicate the same features already available on the phone screen with a $20 dash mount seems a bit extreme for a car that's already 10 years old. The full functionality of the phone and all its apps is available the same way. Bluetooth patches the audio through the car sound system just the same.

 

[avro707]

I replaced the OEM satnav unit (and climate control panel as well) with a third party replacement option. This was designed to fit and has CarPlay.

It uses a cable connection to the phone but I’m happy with that. I have tried wireless CarPlay adapters but they have all been terrible, slow and frequent lockups. Just completely unusable. Last one I had got thrown out.

The replacement unit also does Android auto but I don’t use an Android phone so no idea how that works.

Mainly I use Waze for navigation and knowing traffic conditions.

 

[HaiHoai]

You can ask to your car manufacturer if he can enable CarPlay on your existing device.

I guess they probably can, but the price is likely not cheap.

 

[HaiHoai]

We looked at this for a Mazda MX5, in the end we just got a car audio place to just replace the standard audio unit with an aftermarket one. Do now have a couple of unobtrusive cables to plug the phone into (it’s a wired one) but everything else works well (steering controls etc). Well worth doing IMO.

Thanks for the info! Replacing the whole unit sounds like a clean solution. Did you lose any factory features or have to deal with any compatibility issues?

 

[HaiHoai]

I think it really depends on the condition and quality of your original screen and system.
For example, I have a 2011 BMW Z4 E89 — the original screen had low resolution and limited functionality, so I replaced it with a high-res CarPlay touchscreen. On the other hand, my wife’s 2013 Lexus GS already had a nice 12.3" OEM screen with a solid factory system, just no CarPlay. In her case, I installed a CarPlay box instead, which integrates wirelessly without replacing anything.
Both solutions cost a bit over $300 each, and I’m really happy with how both upgrades turned out. Wireless CarPlay works great, and the installs were relatively straightforward.
If anyone’s interested, I got both products from CarpuTech: https://www.carputech.com

Thanks for the recommendation! I checked out carputech and found they actually offer two good options for my Audi A5 — a CarPlay module for $300, and an 8.8" Android touchscreen that fits into the original screen slot for $469.99.
If I had to choose between the two, I’d definitely prefer spending a bit more for the larger HD touchscreen with more features. I’ll still look around a bit more, but if I don’t find a better option, I think I’ll go for their 8.8" screen.

 

[HaiHoai]

I replaced the OEM satnav unit (and climate control panel as well) with a third party replacement option. This was designed to fit and has CarPlay.

It uses a cable connection to the phone but I’m happy with that. I have tried wireless CarPlay adapters but they have all been terrible, slow and frequent lockups. Just completely unusable. Last one I had got thrown out.

The replacement unit also does Android auto but I don’t use an Android phone so no idea how that works.

Mainly I use Waze for navigation and knowing traffic conditions.

Appreciate you sharing your experience! Sounds like a very practical upgrade. I’ve heard similar things about wireless adapters being unreliable, so a wired setup might actually be the better route.

 

[avro707]

The original audio/sat-nav was an OEM Blaupunkt unit which was ancient, so the upgrade has been so worth it. I have replacement cigarette lighter/ash-tray unit that replaces one storage slot which I could try converting to a USB connector, then I can make the USB connection to CarPlay look a lot cleaner.

I don't smoke so I don't care about not having a cigarette lighter. The car didn't come with one anyway, it was an option. I have also the smokers package for the rear seats which is handy for connecting another power adaptor. I might also try to convert that to USB charger.

Problem is getting the cigarette lighter sockets out of the trim piece, it's made to be assembled once, and not disassembled and re-assembled.

 

[scubachap]

Thanks for the info! Replacing the whole unit sounds like a clean solution. Did you lose any factory features or have to deal with any compatibility issues?

No - all was smooth. The MX5 that we have is quite an ‘analogue’ car. There weren’t a lot of features to lose! It was replacing a radio/CD unit as my partner had got sick of cradles / mounts etc and shouting at the phone in hands free etc.

We went to a car audio shop and asked - they said they’d done a few MX5s before so we just went ahead. It’s a relatively basic Road Angel unit. In addition to the fitting cost you’ll also might also need an appropriate blanking plate with button holes to replace the existing radio fascia plate. We got them to supply it but they were available on eBay.

It’s all good but when in car play mode it’s a bit washed out but perfectly readable (the screen when not actually in car play is fine). I looked it all up and it does seem to be a common issue with a lot of units and sounds car play (software interpretation?) related. It might be worth getting a better unit if you’re particular about that. We’re still happy with it as we wanted to keep costs down.