Android Auto screen upgrade for F48 X1

[stevesuk]

Hi all,

We have a 2017 X1 with the standard NBT 4 system and screen. It's a bit underwhelming, and having had a hire car recently with Android Auto, I've been looking at upgrades.

Seems you can either go down the route of an MMI box which uses your original screen. Or, for around the same cost, upgrade to a larger screen at the same time.

Wondered if anyone had done this?

I've been looking at https://amzn.eu/d/cvWdma0

Main requirements are to have Android Auto, whilst still being able to use the OEM features of the car (e.g. reverse camera, park assist etc).

Thanks,

Steve

[bigdom]

When I added to one of the cars, I went down the MMI route.

I didn't want/need a larger screen, I also didn't want it to be touchscreen (I have that in another car and it's always covered in finger prints), given the design, it's also a bit further away.

Anecdotal online feedback, is that MMI provides better sound quality, and screens can be laggy (I have no experience, just what i read whilst researching). Prior to upgrading the HK setup, the MMI definitely improved the sound over the OEM setup as it has a 12 band DSP.

Either option is about the same time to install, as you dismantle the same things. Easily done within a couple of hours.

[stevesuk]

Thanks. Was thinking of changing the screen, because we have the smallest one available. As I understand it, although the Linux screens are touch capable, you can still use the iDrive jog wheel (or the buttons on the steering wheel) to navigate. Linux, over Android, because if you only want to use Android Auto, you don't need a complete Android head unit, just something that can host Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

Still not sure whether to bother. Our car does support Bluetooth audio streaming, and the nav works OK (apart from being 8 years out of date). Just that I think the Android Auto experience is better.

Will post back if I end up getting one.

[bigdom]

I've never used BMW navigation since Waze became a thing, i did update one of the cars a few months ago via connected drive, but the speed limits are still not as accurate as Waze/Google maps.

Some of the cars have AA, some i just use my phone via Bluetooth, currently have a Samsung Ultra. The screen is more than enough for me, and either option allows me to stream any of my music apps.

[stevesuk]

Replying to my own thread. Eventually we decided on a Road Top 10" Linux screen, which I paid about £170 for on eBay (from Road Top).

It was a bit of a pig to install, because the head unit had no slack on the many, many wires that connect to the rear of it. We ended up having to unplug most of them (with hardly any room to unclip the connectors). Also, Road Top link to a YouTube video showing the installation process, but our car was quite different.

However, we did it after taking a couple of breaks for coffee, and to contemplate the best way forwards Probably about an hour or more of fiddling.

Once installed, all good. It boots up in a few seconds. You can default it to start in the BMW OS if you like. When you put the car in to reverse, it automatically switches to the BMW system for the parking camera. You can manually toggle between the two systems by doing a long press on the "Menu" button.

Wireless Android Auto seems to work fine. You can use the touch screen, the iDrive wheel, or the buttons on the steering wheel. It uses the car's Bluetooth for audio/calls. The screen adjusts to dark mode when the car headlights are on. It also supports wired Android Auto/Carplay., The wiring loom has a separate USB connector for this, which I ran to the glovebox. However, I doubt we'll use it.

Only minor issue is that when you switch back to the BMW OS, it only occupies a small area of the screen (we upgraded from the base spec screen, which was much smaller). However, I understand you can use Bimmercode to tell the headunit that its connected to a larger screen, so I intend to look at that.

Anyone has any questions about the system, I'd be happy to answer.