e39 M5 - Apple Car Play
Discussion
So, I have had the e39 M5 now for 2 years and 25,000 miles - it has been a fantastic car, but there are two things which let it down:
- lack of cup holders
- old stereo system
I started out by adding the intravee and an ipod - to give a little more flexibility to the audio - and decided to just not drink - problems solved! However, the time eventually came to take a little more serious approach:
the car has been in to John Kleis in Reading with the instructions to:
- remove everything connected to the audio system (tv / TM / CD multi-changer / Intravee / Sat Nav / etc.) - it all works, which has a value, so by taking it out now and storing it, if needed for the car later, it is available
- replace it with a Pioneer AVH-Z9100DAB which has the recently released wireless Apple Car Play
- make sure the install is reversible and not damaging to the car
the wireless Apple Car Play means that after your first connection with a phone via the USB cable, all subsequent connection is automatic - just get in the car and it picks back up with audio / satnav / etc. Car Play now allows Waze as of later iOS versions and this works seamlessly - for those who haven't used Car Play - it is typical iOS simplicity and works really well...
They had the car for just over 2 days (and looked after it well!) and I picked it up this afternoon. In addition to a clean install:
- there were a few other 'features' they added of their own bat:
M5 splash screen:
a velcro attached curved piece of wood covered to match the boot - to make the satnav hole visually more pleasing:
They even set the head unit lights to match the car interior - small things, but a sign of the thought they put into it...
they wrote down all the wiring they did for the car's history so that it is fully documented, and everything they did was set to be reversible...
The car needed a new amplifier to drive the two huge subwoofers in the boot, and cross-overs for the speakers:
job well done - and transformational in terms of use in the car...
and as for the cup holders - fixed at the same time, they removed the Traffic Master unit from the front and replaced it with a genuine BMW cup holder slot thing I found on ebay!
the only negative - the blanking plate (standard for the e39) is not all that high quality, but short of having one specifically made it will do - the hooded top is the 5 series version - using the flat X5 version would mean cutting away bits of car behind to fit the unit it... so I am happy with that compromise...
- lack of cup holders
- old stereo system
I started out by adding the intravee and an ipod - to give a little more flexibility to the audio - and decided to just not drink - problems solved! However, the time eventually came to take a little more serious approach:
the car has been in to John Kleis in Reading with the instructions to:
- remove everything connected to the audio system (tv / TM / CD multi-changer / Intravee / Sat Nav / etc.) - it all works, which has a value, so by taking it out now and storing it, if needed for the car later, it is available
- replace it with a Pioneer AVH-Z9100DAB which has the recently released wireless Apple Car Play
- make sure the install is reversible and not damaging to the car
the wireless Apple Car Play means that after your first connection with a phone via the USB cable, all subsequent connection is automatic - just get in the car and it picks back up with audio / satnav / etc. Car Play now allows Waze as of later iOS versions and this works seamlessly - for those who haven't used Car Play - it is typical iOS simplicity and works really well...
They had the car for just over 2 days (and looked after it well!) and I picked it up this afternoon. In addition to a clean install:
- there were a few other 'features' they added of their own bat:
M5 splash screen:
a velcro attached curved piece of wood covered to match the boot - to make the satnav hole visually more pleasing:
They even set the head unit lights to match the car interior - small things, but a sign of the thought they put into it...
they wrote down all the wiring they did for the car's history so that it is fully documented, and everything they did was set to be reversible...
The car needed a new amplifier to drive the two huge subwoofers in the boot, and cross-overs for the speakers:
job well done - and transformational in terms of use in the car...
and as for the cup holders - fixed at the same time, they removed the Traffic Master unit from the front and replaced it with a genuine BMW cup holder slot thing I found on ebay!
the only negative - the blanking plate (standard for the e39) is not all that high quality, but short of having one specifically made it will do - the hooded top is the 5 series version - using the flat X5 version would mean cutting away bits of car behind to fit the unit it... so I am happy with that compromise...
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