NTG 4.5 CarPlay - Amazing bit of kit
Discussion
I thought I would share with you guys a wicked little purchase that is suitable for Mercedes with the NTG4.5 system, so long as you have the Becker sat nav or slot for it to go. It's a bit of a minefield out there, link to my car thread here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I'll preface this with saying I spent a day disassembling and fitting a proper Android unit - but my Merc like many others has a dead MMI port/no AUX input - There was no way to get the audio to feed into the original stereo (remember it is a screen only). There was the option of BT audio out to the original stereo but this wasn't practical on that unit as CarPlay could not function in parallel - it was either/or.
Other CarPlay units I spied at the time had the same principal. They hijacked the original screen but needed an Aux output still.
This one however is a bit different. It replaces your Becker sat nav module, so literally plug and play. How it works:
- Hit Nav button on the radio to switch to the device
- Open CarPlay app - loads your phone
- Set audio device input on car to Bluetooth
The device has two Bluetooth modules I believe , one to receive car play and the other to act as audio output meaning it is suitable for my car.
It's all controlled by the original knob and buttons like the original sat nav. Audio quality is perfect. USB input for music and videos if you don’t want to use CarPlay too which might come in handy if I’m waiting in the car. You can also fit a reversing camera to it, not sure if it will recognise the gear change or you have to do this manually not something I will be fitting.
In terms of image quality the screen is hardly award winning but text is legible and the colours are great.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I'll preface this with saying I spent a day disassembling and fitting a proper Android unit - but my Merc like many others has a dead MMI port/no AUX input - There was no way to get the audio to feed into the original stereo (remember it is a screen only). There was the option of BT audio out to the original stereo but this wasn't practical on that unit as CarPlay could not function in parallel - it was either/or.
Other CarPlay units I spied at the time had the same principal. They hijacked the original screen but needed an Aux output still.
This one however is a bit different. It replaces your Becker sat nav module, so literally plug and play. How it works:
- Hit Nav button on the radio to switch to the device
- Open CarPlay app - loads your phone
- Set audio device input on car to Bluetooth
The device has two Bluetooth modules I believe , one to receive car play and the other to act as audio output meaning it is suitable for my car.
It's all controlled by the original knob and buttons like the original sat nav. Audio quality is perfect. USB input for music and videos if you don’t want to use CarPlay too which might come in handy if I’m waiting in the car. You can also fit a reversing camera to it, not sure if it will recognise the gear change or you have to do this manually not something I will be fitting.
In terms of image quality the screen is hardly award winning but text is legible and the colours are great.
3anascooter said:
Is there a link to where you got it from ?
Looks like the same product is cheaper on eBay , but I wanted the warranty through Amazon . EBay is £168 from china £268 from the uk so amazon falls in the middle
Road Top Wireless Carplay Retrofit Kit Decoder
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K7HLJ85/ref=cm_sw_r...
AlonzoHarris said:
Would be interested in this for my wife's car, which has Comand as standard, so assume this will no be good for her car as it won't be pre-wired for the Becker module?
The instructions in the Amazon ad suggest you must have a Harman Becker slot in the glove box - I’m unfamiliar with the command system but presume it is integrated. There are alternative kits that fit behind the stereo but not sure how well they integrate and the Audio out will need aux.
The microphone button on the steering wheel is now Siri which is immensely useful vs the awful voice prompts for the previous nav
joropug said:
The instructions in the Amazon ad suggest you must have a Harman Becker slot in the glove box - I’m unfamiliar with the command system but presume it is integrated.
There are alternative kits that fit behind the stereo but not sure how well they integrate and the Audio out will need aux.
The microphone button on the steering wheel is now Siri which is immensely useful vs the awful voice prompts for the previous nav
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like a no go for me, shame as the plug and play really appeals. I'm far too cack handed to be pulling away bits of trim and fiddling around with electrics!There are alternative kits that fit behind the stereo but not sure how well they integrate and the Audio out will need aux.
The microphone button on the steering wheel is now Siri which is immensely useful vs the awful voice prompts for the previous nav
AlonzoHarris said:
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like a no go for me, shame as the plug and play really appeals. I'm far too cack handed to be pulling away bits of trim and fiddling around with electrics!
This was my previous attempt as documented in my readers cars thread , something I did not want to repeat. 
joropug said:
Looks like the same product is cheaper on eBay , but I wanted the warranty through Amazon .
EBay is £168 from china £268 from the uk so amazon falls in the middle
Road Top Wireless Carplay Retrofit Kit Decoder
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K7HLJ85/ref=cm_sw_r...
Many thanks for the link.....£229 it appears now so thats good. Think i am gonna go for this. One question, if you have maps (android auto or carplay) running, then does the original radio still work as well, or is it one or the other ? cheersEBay is £168 from china £268 from the uk so amazon falls in the middle
Road Top Wireless Carplay Retrofit Kit Decoder
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K7HLJ85/ref=cm_sw_r...
It behaves in the same way as your current sat nav , as in you can run any audio source behind it but display the CarPlay / nav . So yes works fine with radio.
There is definitely a slight bug with it whereby if you connect the phone and then walk away , or turn your engine on and off quickly , the CarPlay won’t reconnect.
The box seems to reset itself after a few minutes of being turned off and the connection resolves. Has happened in the following circumstances for me so avoidable :
1) put car ignition on, whilst connecting i started the engine interrupting it
2) started engine, walked away from car .
Think I might set it to not auto connect to phone to stop this, I’ve already set it up so that CarPlay doesn’t auto start.
There is definitely a slight bug with it whereby if you connect the phone and then walk away , or turn your engine on and off quickly , the CarPlay won’t reconnect.
The box seems to reset itself after a few minutes of being turned off and the connection resolves. Has happened in the following circumstances for me so avoidable :
1) put car ignition on, whilst connecting i started the engine interrupting it
2) started engine, walked away from car .
Think I might set it to not auto connect to phone to stop this, I’ve already set it up so that CarPlay doesn’t auto start.
Joropug my friend......I bought one of these following your recommendation and am very pleased with it. Simple to install - as long as you closely follow the instructions in the booklet - which i didn't to start with !
A question though....when using the sat nav function (car play/android auto) does yours provide audible instructions (turn left etc) as mine doesn't. My speaker at top of drivers side seat belt point (behind right ear) doesn't work so am wondering if it only uses that speaker for the instructions.
You able to check yours and see where the audio comes from please ?
PS ooh just realised that i may have always had the radio on at the same time, so maybe that's the issue. I will have to test it with no radio playing
A question though....when using the sat nav function (car play/android auto) does yours provide audible instructions (turn left etc) as mine doesn't. My speaker at top of drivers side seat belt point (behind right ear) doesn't work so am wondering if it only uses that speaker for the instructions.
You able to check yours and see where the audio comes from please ?
PS ooh just realised that i may have always had the radio on at the same time, so maybe that's the issue. I will have to test it with no radio playing
Edited by 3anascooter on Tuesday 22 March 17:37
Edited by 3anascooter on Tuesday 22 March 17:38
3anascooter said:
Joropug my friend......I bought one of these following your recommendation and am very pleased with it. Simple to install - as long as you closely follow the instructions in the booklet - which i didn't to start with !
A question though....when using the sat nav function (car play/android auto) does yours provide audible instructions (turn left etc) as mine doesn't. My speaker at top of drivers side seat belt point (behind right ear) doesn't work so am wondering if it only uses that speaker for the instructions.
You able to check yours and see where the audio comes from please ?
PS ooh just realised that i may have always had the radio on at the same time, so maybe that's the issue. I will have to test it with no radio playing
That will indeed be your issue ! The output of the sound relies on you being connected to the cars Bluetooth - presumably you have done this to test out Spotify or music streaming etc but if not, it’s in the booklet. A question though....when using the sat nav function (car play/android auto) does yours provide audible instructions (turn left etc) as mine doesn't. My speaker at top of drivers side seat belt point (behind right ear) doesn't work so am wondering if it only uses that speaker for the instructions.
You able to check yours and see where the audio comes from please ?
PS ooh just realised that i may have always had the radio on at the same time, so maybe that's the issue. I will have to test it with no radio playing
Edited by 3anascooter on Tuesday 22 March 17:37
Edited by 3anascooter on Tuesday 22 March 17:38
If you always listen to the radio , you could install an app on your phone such as TuneIn radio and stream digital stations instead .
Also worth noting in the devices settings menu there is a nav volume adjustment which worked well for Apple CarPlay nav - it was too loud before so I’ve turned it down.
Also if you haven’t tried it the hands free button will activate Siri/ hey Google etc and works flawlessly at least on apple .
Edited by joropug on Tuesday 22 March 19:40
Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff