Cheap Apple CarPlay: $76 Difference.. Very Different Experiences 

UPDATE: If you're looking for some cool apple carplay/android auto devices for your car that is universal and easy to setup, checkout this new video here I just uploaded. They have integrated dash cams too! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m7y6DwM8XVc.html

Bought a very similar cheap CarPlay unit on Amazon (was around $80), worked great for a few weeks (minus the occasional crash), but when playing music at around 80% volume one day it suddenly shut down and started smoking. Was not a wiring fault, one of the solder points on the board was “too large” and it started arcing, but not quite enough to blow the fuse right away, just enough to get nice and hot and start melting the board… was on day 29 of 30… was able to return it!

In terms of head units, the one that I have gotten time and time again is the Sony xavax1000, it’s a double din size screen with a single din receiver so it’s relatively light. It’s got Apple CarPlay but even without using CarPlay it’s a good stereo in itself. I’ve always had a good experience with it, and the best part is it still has a volume knob which is way more convenient than the buttons to turn it down

I have that cheap one for over a year. The CarPlay works pretty well. It glitches sometimes but you get what you pay for lol

video starts @ 22:06

As an autotech installer, I beg of you not to buy these cheap radios. If the boss is all you can afford then so be it, it will get the job done, however their quality control sucks and they are the only brand where I get customers coming back with issues. A common issue with the boss brand is randomly every few months the screen will just go black and not turn on, with the only way of resetting it is to disconnect the battery or to unplug the head unit and reconnect it. I've had multiple customers come back multiple times with the same issue. It it was me save up a little extra money and you can get a name brand radio like Sony, jvc, or pioneer for around 300 at full price. Or even better find a nice used one from a few years ago in good condition and you will have an infinitely better experience.

As a guy that comes from the world of consumer electronics, it genuinely shocks me how modular cars are. Everything is just nuts, bolts, screws, and clips. Not a drop of glue or a soldered connection in sight. Here's to hoping my world trends towards yours and not the other way around 😅

I’ve had that exact cheap radio for almost 2 years in my car and to be honest once you are used to it you can avoid the issues it has and it’s not bad

The small adapters you’re holding at 1:02 are for retaining the factory display. It is in the manual page 2. Also you were supposed to add the clips off the factory radio onto the bottom sides. They clipped onto the climate controls. That is why it was loose. Page 3 of manual. Just helpin out if you still have the vehicle and didn’t throw away clips. Or radio bezel.

I had one of those Mazda 3s when they first came out. Back in the days before you could just buy a head unit like that I put a carputer in mine. In order to retain the factory upper screen I put the stock head unit in the glove box. It was actually a pretty easy thing to do

There is so much professionalism in doing the accessories upgrade. I am yet to see someone showing this level of sophistication and professionalism with cars here in India. The accessory market is huge but lacks the sophistication and professionalism. Plastic trims are taken off with force and hence not maintaining the level of new like forever. It is imperative for people doing such jobs to arrange and incur all the necessary tools and products to provide the best service to clients. I really appreciate the level of professionalism with these guys. Good job.

I knew those bags looked familiar. The dash kits are from Metra electronics, I design those here in Holly hill Florida! 🤙🏻🤙🏻👌🏻

Boss Audio is the best budget CarPlay Unit. I had a Boss Audio headunit that wasnt working after a couple of months. Contacted them, they helped me diagnose the issue and figured out it was the actual headunit itself. They express shipped me a replacement headunit and upgraded me to a new unit because the old unit wasn't in stock. For the price, 3 year warranty and their great customer service, I recommend them to anyone looking for a BUDGET headunit.

Cant wait to have you home baby you’ll look sweet next to my N/A Hatchback 3 😭😍

Pretty sure you can fix the low sound output on the cheap one by turning the source input sensitivity up in the settings don’t turn it up too high or you will get distortion and clipping

Best radio imo for the budget is the $300 Sony XpA1000 or something it just has wired apple car play but a very good interface overall and quick, haven’t had any issues a year later

Finally someone who feeds the solder. Someone who actually knows how to solder properly. Too many just throw the damn solder on the top and “paint” it leaving a cold solder joint. I’m subscribing just because you know what tf your doing. 👍

Who smells a radio before they install it I fw ur video tho 😂

I love watching these kind of videos. Yall's dedication to making the units fit is impressive to say the least. Keep up the good work!

I have a model similar with the cheap unit, I got it for 50 bucks with reverse camera included . The screen does dims when headlight is on and can be switched off with audio in the background , but the USB connection is unstable for android auto, radio reception, speaker output is meh. The Bluetooth connection for audio out is stable, but the microphone sucks. If you just want the cheapest option, it’s alright for 50 bucks. My unit has been working for 1 years plus, without any faults, apart from the loose USB port, it’s unexpected.

The newer Atoto units are pretty good.

I have a 2007 Dodge grand caravan. I was happy with the stock radio, not that into listening to boom, boom music. Then the laws changed, Everyone wants to have access to me while on the road. I can adjust a radio but not touch a cell phone. So here I am checking out radio head units.

Man I spend a pretty penny on my radio. It was a custom fit for my 10 gen Civic. It is the XYGAV radio. It is almost perfect (bugs here and there but it is rare and easily fixed) boots up and loads into wireless CarPlay before I even start driving, screen is big and bright and also performance is super snappy. Even if CarPlay disconnects it will reconnect on its own in seconds!) The onboard amp surprising good enough to where I can run some JBL components in the front and Coaxials and the sound quality just off of the head unit alone is so good, it actually surprised me. If you actually like your car then you should spend money on a high quality radio. They can be quite expensive but think about it you interact with it all the time so don’t bother with the cheap ones. Having a high quality radio will make your car feel much more modern and up to date. The OEM radios are probably better designed and much more reliable then a cheap head unit … they are cheap for a reason

I have a Pioneer 1550NEX, a quality apple carplay radio that is very responsive and fluid despite being a resistive touch screen. A 350 dollar radio is way better than a 200 dollar radio when it comes to carplay. If you're budget is under 200, just get a single din radio or hold off a little longer and increase your budget.

All of the Chinese cheap android units are slightly different dimensions than our standard double din. I put a MaxPeedingRods head unit. The name is interesting and they normally don't work with radios, but saw some decent reviews. It had everything I wanted to put in my wifes car we had just gotten (she totaled her Pathfinder and I picked up a cheap Versa for now until Minivans are more readily available to order). This radio had wireless android auto (and CarPlay), reverse cam and front camera inputs, mounts flush (some radios actually hang out in front of the dash, awful), and it has a volume knob. It cost $159. Its bee a great radio. Very good quality screen, with custom DSP and EQ settings, it sounds fantastic even with stock speakers in the cheapest car available in the US. It hasn't had any issues in 7 months since I installed it. It has built in GPS but we just use google maps via android auto. The only knock is the internal mic on it sucks, but I added an external mic.

That’s what happens when your a newbie on car audio, you never check if parts are compatible with the vehicle until you really screwed up lmao but if you buy a name brand radio will fit no problem without modifications to the mounting bracket.

There was an aftermarket radio installed in my car by the previous owner and he had spliced directly into the main wiring harness. I had to buy and install another plug to repair the work the previous owner did.

Do not solder wire splices in a car. Solder will crack and fail from the vibrations present in a car, since wire is free to move around. Always use crimp connections, which you seal with water proof heat shrink, or self sealing crimp connections. Also stagger the splices, so you don't end up with a fat bundle.

I had to replace a cheap head unit in an 02 camry that was spliced into the wiring harness, switched to a sony xav-ax1000 and was infinitely better fit. Japanese on Japanese efficiency makes my heart happy

You guys in Tampa?

Good video, but I’d highly recommend eye protection when soldering. Not worth losing an eye for the minor inconvenience. Extra ventilation is also important to avoid the fumes..

Just a tip, from someone who does motorsports grade wiring. DO NOT SOLDER! I know this seems like the best and most secure way to join wires, but adding heat to wires decreases the resiliency of the thin strands. You might end up with wires fracturing around your solder joints in the future, especially in a car where road vibrations will just expedite failure of weakened wires. Invest in a proper set of crimpers and barrel connectors. Crimp properly, cover with glued heat-shrink. A correct crimp is STRONGER than a solder joint.

Favorite mod on that speed is those seats 🔥 I was going to upgrade the head unit on my 2013 MS3 but she threw a rod so that head unit mod is TBD 🥺

Eonon Headunit would of been sick for this, i have one in my 3. 9 Inch screen on it

Only problem I've ever had with the cheapo chinese ones is trying to use google maps natively, but android auto takes care of that. They work perfectly fine for music, videos, OBDII apps, browsing, basically anything you could want to do with a radio. they've got all the i/o you could ever need, and you can get them as low as $40. For $40 I'll deal with having to plug my phone in when i need navigation, and if it takes a shit after a few years big whoop it was $40, but my friends had the same one as me since 2019 and it's still working fine. And if you don't like the preloaded interface you can always root it and make it look however you want, there's loads of apps and android skins out there for head units. Plus the chinese ones don't have all the bullshit warnings and safety features that prevent you from using it while driving.

My questions is always how is the EQ? Ones of those had good adjustments. Crossover adjustments? How many speakers can it power? A lot of them get pretty hot powering 6 speakers

Randall seemed upset that he had to unbox and install that lmao.

Boss radio and no name radio so there made at same place 🤣 because there basically the same lol

Came for one thing saw more love this type of content guys

Doesn't solder second harness...

thank you for being honest and giving a few days later update

You should have just got one of the Mazda 3 specific head units that Joying makes. I have the 8" one and it's great, looks factory too. Steering wheel controls work, it retains the factory screen and displays info from the radio on it, and lets you control vehicle specific functions from the radio itself. Also, the Metra install kits for the 3 are horrible. The Scosche kits are better and let you retain the factory screen.

Love your vids man keep them coming Az baby

The 5th position for the HVAC controls not working is relay driven. Mine is the same. Works here and there. It’s NOT the switch cluster. I have a ‘04 GMC Envoy XL.

For cheap, i would go with atoto they work very well.

Im a professional installer, never buy cheap radios or anything sound related. They may work for a while but they will go out, and they never have the finess thats radios like sony, poineer, jvc, kenwood, and even alpine have (not a big fan of alpine radios). If you really want a good budget friendly radio. I say go for a boss or planet audio radio. They are cheap but they seem to have come along ways since they started.

I have a boss one and it works great

something that the driver will touch and probably use everyday i think its worth it to splurge a little and get a nice brand thats known for quality.

I agree with going with a single din unit. You’d get WAYYY better sound quality.

I’m just casually watching a car video & then realize y’all are driving down Gilbert right by my place I knew the roads looking familiar

My friend just bought a 2000 Accord with what’s essentially an Android tablet for a head unit. Android settings, google play store, the whole nine yards. He wants to change it but I told him to keep it, it’s gold. And an awesome conversation starter lmao. Just start playing angry birds on that shit.

Theres something great about the sound of old creaking brittle plastic that you pray wont break 😂

If you're going to have music in your videos, please make it the same volume as your voice. Besides that, great tutorial and very helpful.

lol, I got one of these Chinesium Apple car paly head units for $40 on Slamazon. Just finished crimping the wires, now I need one of those double din install kits for it. It's for my old Mitsubishi Mirage from 2001. It's just gonna be a temporary headunit until I can do something a little better like the Boss, don't need Alpine or Pioneer.

Slangin sound always has the goods. Bit of a drive but worth it

Learned my lesson with cheap touchscreen android auto crap, after a hile mine started to push the touch on it's own, turning the volume to max and changing to radio and so on... I was lucky that I could returned it and get my money back.

I've tested out this kenwood unit, its decent. I think i might opt for that one in most of my cars.

My 1997 Tj had 225k miles, and still had the stock speakers. They were blown the fuck up they just rattled with any bass at all. I was so happy when I bought new speakers for it

on the Mazda you should've been able to keep the top climate display

I have been waiting for this!

I always go with Boss Never have let me down

22:20 "this is like a windows xp computer" funny cuz technically it is its windows ce 🤣

"I always solder whenever possible"... This just introduces a weak point. Use crimp connectors whenever possible. Soldered joints like to fatigue and crack over time with vibrations. This is why you'll never see a soldered wire in any car from the factory.. Same goes for every form of motorsport etc.

I’ve actually used environmental splices. They are solder and sleeve in one.

I’ve got a boss double din head unit with Apple CarPlay, slightly different model than the one in this video, but I do love that deck, works great, looks great, sounds great. And it does not glitch !

Had the cheap Amazon radio for almost 2 years now. There are QC issues with soldering and the harness connector. Has the connector fry on me and had to basically install new pins. After that is works pretty much fine

A little triggered you didn't use the oem usb cutout directly to the right of the hole you drilled. They literally sell the one that fits this with usb and aux plugs

uhhh i have a O8 Mazdaspeed 3 why did you guys remove the Upper LCD. The speed 3 has digital AC controls. You need the upper LCD to see whats going on. The radio / clock segment will not function anymore but youll still have AC information.

Gotta get some new Mazdaspeed jet tags on the site

They need to bring back the volume knob ...

I got a similar though not identical BOSS CarPlay unit almost 2 years ago. I believe it was the cheapest unit Best Buy sold at the time. Within seven months, the voice activation button broke. The warranty proved to be useless because they wanted me to return the broken unit to them before they would send me a new one. I don’t have the skill to remove a CarPlay unit from my dashboard, much less to install it again when they send me the replacement. That’s why I went to Best Buy in the first place. So screw BOSS. I’m still able to use it because fortunately CarPlay has a voice activation button on the screen as well but if I had to do it over again, I would spend extra money to get something better from a more reputable company.

But do the steering wheel controls work?

Pay your camera guy more . This is good quality

I wish I could get a cheap one, but my Element has a factory sub and so far I think only brand-name head units will have the correct input.

Can you guys do a video of stereo replacement on 2011 Chevy equinox not touchscreen to apple car play head unit there is no video on RU-vid of it

Can't ship any of your merchandise to Canada?

i feel you on no radio my ford escape radio just died and i kept on running it for 2 years before switching it for a GTI lol

when you solder, do you just match wire colors? you didn't really go into detail.

Bombastic side eye

“Oh we’re chilling” 🤙🏾😂

I just want a car play stereo with a dvd player

When the text overlay stated "going to local car stereo shop" did anyone else brain immediately hear a commercial guy voice say "Audio Express, Home home home of the $1 install!"?????

I see cheap carplay head units all the time on classifieds. I asked car audio people what's wrong with them. Don't they work? And they're like yeah, they work, but they suck. I never got too many details. But basically the cheaper units are slow, finicky with connections, and freeze up a lot. But even the cheaper Pioneers these days have issues (because China bought them). Stick to a name brand and you'll probably be much happier. You can get an nice unit for $200-300. If not, just get a regular name brand unit without a touch screen for like $100.

Does upgrading to a new Apple car play radio deactivate any functions that exist? Like navigation, pcs , lighting controls, locking controls, etc. Will I be able to control all in same in new head unit with out loosing features that already exist? Thank you for your video. Oh I have a 2014 Toyota Avalon limited. Thanks

saying Boss is a highend is telling a rotten banana is still good

I agree with the single Din option. Get a good phone mount and you should be golden. I got a gooseneck one that bolts along with the seat of the car so its really sturdy and a lot more comfortable

“I always solder my head units”….then proceeds to use splices on the cables 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

so now you have no idea what the air-con is set to? the top screen is what diplays all that.

my dad has a bad taste with boss headunits, he told me to never buy them and ill take my dads advice. it apparently burned up on the week of the install so he went to get a kenwood excelon with nav installed and it lasted a lifetime. only reason I replaced it atter I got the car was to get a bigger screen. i tried a cheap chinese one for a while but after a while in the cold it kept blinking and restarting so I ended up buying a expensive 10inch stereo. morale of the story is to not buy cheap stereos. P.S both boss and kenwood where installed at a local shop that has installed our alarms systems also and they have lasted for years, one of them is still working 100% after 17 years! so I know it was the stereo and not the install.

That song sounds like Young Jeezy😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Man I miss my speed it screwed me out of thousands but i loved that car

Does the first guy have his own channel? Would like to see more of what he's doing

my mother tried to get one of those cheap garbage radios from amazon and although the screen was brighter (albeit WASHED OUT colors) i was able to swap her to a sony instead, but BOSS audio?? I just threw up alitttle, I know alot of people were buying those because nothing else was available so hopefully they've gotten better over the years.

you should check out dynavin, but they only do bmw and vw

Nice Arizona locals. Slanging sound and tint!

No startup times???? Touchscreen response?????

I bought a CarPlay touchscreen radio for my 2014 VW tiguan on Amazon for $400, and mine looks VW genuine.

where can i purchase a new cover for fitting a carplay unit in a 2008 honda jazz

relatable content

Apple CarPlay and android auto should honestly be standard in vehicles at this point