#Mr12volt 

Hi Knight Rider Redux thank you for the feedback! Do you have any setting for the EQ on the iDrive or on the interface?

Still playing around with the sound settings, though not an expert at all in eq settings either tbh.

I see. If you see further improvement with the EQ settings, please kindly let me know how to do it 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you very much UnStupified! It has been 3 months since the installation of this interface. I have no complaint about it except the heat of my iPhone. This is due to the wireless connection between the interface and the phone. The phone becomes hot and charging stops. (I haven't done the wireless charging pad installation so I'm using original Apple cable to charge the phone.) But I think that's mainly Apple's problem. FYI, when you take screenshot while using CarPlay, the phone also captures the CArPlay screen. I believe the phone is using a lot of CPU resource for generating the graphics for CarPlay. And that may be the reason for heating.

Hi Brian thank you for the comment. Please come back and share with us about how you like it! Happy DIY!

Thank you very much, Kali! I'm happy that you like it. See you soon!

Hello hk, thank you very much for your comments! Really appreciated. Do you mean the cover I removed in this video (8:29) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IJ6yIDaAMP4.htmlsi=CFU9oAymtglc3_KC&t=509 ? Ii's really a good idea! I'm gonna try it out!

謝謝您！很榮幸能被肯定。我會繼續創作豐富的內容給大家！

Hi Kevin thank you for the comments! What audio system do you have? If you have the equalizer feature, maybe some tuning can help! By the way, I find using BT connection makes the phone hot compared to using USB connection. Do you have similar situation?

@@funcarsgoodpeople I have spent hours trying to get the equalizer sound good. Bluetooth just sounds better/clearer and is louder. I have the S752 Individual Audio and the newer Bluetooth audio codecs. I've never tried the USB connection because the BMW CIC apps always interfered with Pandora.

Thanks Ke vin for the feedback. I had HiFi and Logic 7 on the E90 before and now I have S752 too, so I know their difference. S752 audio should sound best. If the audio is not satisfying, there may be something wrong with the accessory cables or codecs 🤔

Hi Dave thank you too for the feedback! Android headunits are very popular here in Taiwan but my friends have been complaining a lot about their quality and performance. I’m satisfied with Mr12volt despite that I haven’t solved the sound quality issue I mentioned in the video. I hope this is not going to bother you and you will enjoy the convenience!

Thank you for your comment, D765LT4! I'm happy you like it 🤩

Hi BalanBro thank you very much for the tip! I looked up in GoogleMaps but there weren't such setting available :( I'm happy there's a solution anyway! Cheers!😀

Hello Barry thank you for the comments! It’s my pleasure! I completely have no experience on Mercedes but I’m very happy to hear that you’re completing your own DIY! You are also very welcomed to share the tips and your findings about installation for the Mercedes 🤗

@@funcarsgoodpeople thank you. I am going to photograph or video as much as I can mostly to make sure I put everything back in its proper place . Besides getting all the connections correct , the wood trim around the unit is my one of my biggest concerns as I have to make sure I don’t damage or crack it as I doubt I could even find a replacement and if so it would be very expensive. I’ll just take my time and figure it out . My car already has a rear camera but I would like to add a front camera in the grill but not sure what would be a good camera and how to secure and wire it without removing too much . Have you installed the wireless charging pad? Curious about that .. Thanks again .

Hi Barry trust me you will be good at disassembling and assembling the trims in a short time. The car makers have a logical way of putting everything together so it shouldn’t be super difficult 🤗 To install the camera, you can look at how modern cars do to have an idea about where to position it. I see there are a lot of aftermarket light kits for Mercedes so maybe the front emblem can be a good choice? And for the wireless charger, it still pending 😅 I want to install it and film the video at somewhere with good lighting. But now I am doing another project at the basement with the engine opened so the car cannot be driven. Will keep you updated in this reply!

@@funcarsgoodpeople thank you. They are shipping the box today and I should have it to install this weekend. I’ll try and do some research on a front camera as well in the meantime . Thank you for being so quick and kind to answer me. All the best !

Hi Patrick thank you very much for the comments! Yes I am comparing the difference based on Individual Audio. I had HiFi and Logic 7 on the same E90 so I am certain about how Individual Audio should sound like. When using the Mr12volt interface, there is noticeable difference in the high frequency region. It just doesn’t sound good. I can assure you that tuning the EQ is necessary. However due to my lack of experience in car audio tuning, it sounds better but I just couldn’t make the performance satisfactory. I still recommend you give it a s shot because this product gives good user experience in overall. Especially if you use navigation and music apps a lot. And if you know how to tune EQ, maybe you can do better than me. Please come back and let us know your further comments if you have tried this interface! I’m making a video about unboxing a hydraulic car lift and using it to replace the underhood shield of M3. See you soon!

@@funcarsgoodpeople Are you saying that AUX sounds better?

Hello@@victor_h9925 yes when the EQ is set to default in both cases. This is still a puzzle to me. I have been expecting a comparable sound quality with MOST and DSP. But now it seems that the EQ of the interface is playing a major role :(

@@funcarsgoodpeople Very strange. For me this is way superior to normal AUX. I have E61 with CIC and mr12volt with Hifi speakers. Did you retrofit speaker-system?

@@victor_h9925 Thank you for the comment Victor. I have the same expectation as you do. As I mentioned in the above reply, I retrofitted Top HiFi (Logic 7), and then retrofitted again Individual Audio. All the component I used are genuine BMW. And I did the coding work correctly to have Logic 7 or Individual menus in iDrive. When I play CD, I can have the best sound quality. I think I just need help from a professional car audio tuner😂

謝謝艾迪恐龍！我也會持續努力創作內容豐富的影片給大家！歡迎嘴時回來坐坐！

Thank you Erik! I’m doing my best 🤗 come back often!

​​@@funcarsgoodpeopleI just got a 08 328i and am looking at options. This is the second video on using that module. I'm more tempted to do this then use an aftermarket radio.

Hi Erik yes I like this module too. But there are viewers reporting success, and as well as problems with the installation(in the comment area!). Please carefully read the product description and requirements. Best luck for your DIY! You are very welcome to come back anytime!

Hi DJ Joker thank you very much for this tip! I didn't know it. Surely very useful for people who use AUX inputs. However, this interface utilizes the MOST bus (fiber optics) to send sound signal to the amplifier. So I don't think modifying the AUX circuit can improve my situation. I am suspecting that the EQ of the interface is limiting the sound quality :(

Hello Ashwin thank you for the commentscomment’s too! I understand how painful it is to working in the dashboard 😂 Since the LVDS cable has an L shape, it may be stuck easily. You can try to remove the mid-range speaker in the top center of the dashboard and reach for the LDVS cable. The other approach is from the top of drivers footwell, beside the steering column. There’s also some space you can reach for the cable. I also recommend wearing gloves and sleeves to protect your hands and arms from the contaminants inside the dashboard. They can be quite irritating to your skin 😨

Hi Judicaël thank you for the message! I am always preoccupied by the thoughts of doing the projects. However I just became a new father of a two-month-old baby 🥹 so I find it impossible to do my hobby… I promise i’ll report to you about those projects! Keep in touch!

@@funcarsgoodpeople Thanks you for your quick response, may Jesus bless your baby and family and don't worry take care of them first 🙏!! I Loved your professionalism details and the vibe that's why I asked ! I'm happily waiting for others videos !!🦾 Greetings from France !

Thank you Judicaël from France! Please don’t hesitate to send me messages. Although I don’t have time for editing right now, I’m very happy to look up any information for your questions. Stay in touch!

Hi David, Thank you for the questions! The audio starts (becomes ready) automatically. It is because the iDrive plays CD automatically, and the Mr12volt interface emulates a CD in the optical drive, so the audio system automatically plays any sound from the interface. For the first time use, just select the iDrive media source as the CD, and press the iDrive Menu button to switch Mr12volt user interface (the black top menu as shown in the video) on the display. Then the interface will be the default audio source when the car is started. (The interface powers up when you unlock the car so if you use wireless connection, Carplay will be ready before you start the engine!)

@@funcarsgoodpeople thanks for confirming! My follow up question is: does anyone know of good aftermarket screens that can replace the OEM screen and work with the mr 12 volt? Too bad they don’t offer a screen solution.

Hi David, I did searched for the aftermarket screen+interface that can integrate to the MOST bus, but so far I haven't seen one :( I'd like to have someone telling us about it too!

Hello John, I “retrofitted” OEM reverse camera to the E90 long before I installed the Mr12volt interface. I didn’t connect the camera to the interface. The two systems work independently. Please see below; The E9x did not have the option of reverse camera. But I was able to find the OEM parts and BMW guide for the retrofit. Send me an email and I’ll show you the guide. The OEM reverse camera works like a video switch which is activated by the reverse light. It took over the iDrive screen and project the image from the reverse camera. This system was available on X5, 5’ and 7’ at that time. The disadvantage is that the parking distance reminder cannot be seen on the iDrive screen anymore (but distance chimes are still available through the speaker.) The Mr12volt interface has 3 modes for any reverse camera; activation by reverse state (CAN signal,) by the parking key or by the reverse gear signal. I use the parking key and the interface will return the iDrive screen to my video switch, as shown in 34:30 . When I use reverse gear, parking key will also be activated (this is original function) and I can have reverse image back. I did not know this feature until I finished the installation. It’s a super friendly function for the DIY guys. And I’m very happy I don’t have to work on the reverse camera again 😅😅😅

Thank you! Your answer is appreciated. I remember that part of the video from the first time that I watched it now. A video about that would be great if you find time time!

Big Capybara 你好，根據您的描述，我猜您的配置如下：安卓機輸出AUX音源給iDrive主機、音響擴大機走MOST迴路。如果我誤解了，請再指正 🤗 我也稍微搜尋一下，沒有看到安卓機+螢幕+MOST光纖輸出的產品，真的蠻可惜的。 不過，最接近您的需求的應該是AUX轉MOST光纖輸出的轉換器，這樣的產品就蠻多的，例如這個www.xcarlink.co.uk/most-fiber-optic-aux-in-interface-interface-for-bmw-audi-mmi-mercedes-porsche.html 但應該需要加工一下，把您目前安卓機的音源輸出找出來（但我並沒有使用過這類裝置的經驗）。 最後，因為我們都要求音質，所以音源的類比/數位轉換次數是越少越好。如果加裝上面說的轉換器，其實是把您目前安卓機的音源又再轉換一次，難免會有失真。

Hello Sean, the external input lines are all shown in 34:12 so I don't think it's possible to connect a TV Tuner. I installed another AC&AA decoder in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-28HM0MimN70.htmlsi=OsMDrfKVLgMBKphF and this one has HDMI input so I believe using TV tuner or DVD player is possible. However, this interface does not tun on MOST loop. It's sound signal is sent via original AUX of iDrive.

Hi vDxst, I cannot find this information on the web either. I just wrote to Mr12volt, let’s see what they say! Talk to you later🤗

Thank you very much!@@funcarsgoodpeople

Hi vDxst, I wrote to Mr12volt: Hello I am installing the P-2000 MOST CCC interface. I want to know how to tell my iDrive screen is Type A or Type B. Thank you! And they replied; Stay there if it works perfect for you, its varies from one another different screen resolution. Thx So practically you can try both options and see which one works best for you 😂 I just go with the default setting

Thank you very very much!@@funcarsgoodpeople

Hi Spencer thank you for the comments! The fonts on the navigation map via original display doesn’t look clear to me. I bet you’ll be satisfied with a high res screen. And if you have the demand for video playback, high res screen is highly recommended. Let me know which one you picked!

Hi John thank you! And yes the M button and other multi-function buttons on the steering wheel all work like a charm! The AC+AA Interface fully utilizes the buttons (except the M button.) It makes the M3 very modernized :D By the way, do you mean the failure of M button as I mentioned in this video? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hIKka5dYtp0.html Well that has been fixed. Never a problem anymore ;)

@@funcarsgoodpeople thanks for your reply! I will watch the video that you linked there.

@@JohnDane Thank you for watching! Let me know if you have any question about it!

下次可以試試！分屏按鈕就在Carplay畫面最左下角 🤗

Hello José, this module emulates an original CD changer on the MOST bus so no electrical circuit is modified. So far I don’t get any fault codes with ISTA. The installation is reversible and all the original iDrive components and functions are kept. You can still use them anytime!

@@funcarsgoodpeople that sounds pretty good! Thank you very much for taking your time to answer. I will consider this upgrade in the next future. In a daily use, do you really take advantage of CarPlay to make it worth the money it costs, or could we say that CCC+MULF+DAB+IPOD, despite of being old, is enough?

Hi José, I drive about 40 minutes on highway to work. I use a lot of Siri to read and send messages (iMessage or Line). Sometimes I make phone calls. I often listen to music or podcasts and I like to ask Siri skip few minutes to skip ads. Voice assistant is very useful to me. However, using iPod and the 2010’s technology is also an enjoyable nostalgia! It depends on the media source you want to listen to. I tried to listen to CDs but soon I found that I prefer podcasts and music streaming from Spotify 🤗

Hello Semi, the top menu of the Interface will always show up first. If the device has been already paired and set up and the iphone is nearby, #Carplay will start automatically 🤗

@@funcarsgoodpeople Thank you for the quick response, I couldn't find this information anywhere. There is a big difference between having to navigate through the menus and then having to choose AA everytime I start it up or it launching automatically once paired. It more or less functions like my newer car then, this is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!

I see! I agree with you! I am happy my info helps. Thank you too for the message!

Hi inernous, I guess we can source a LVDS cable from other models that also use same type of screen. If you like electrical DIY work, the LVDS connector is also available from the net(i’ve seen it on Aliexpress). We can make any length we want. As you can guess, I hate splicing the original cable and extending it at the middle. But this could be our last choice.

What car model do you drive?

Hi@@Chris-ru6ir I'm driving pre-LCI E90, as shown in the video. I think this particular AC+AA interface will work for all CCC iDrive models.

Hello 500099, adding the AC+AA Interface directly to the network will not help. I believe there will be still no sound because not having any sound means the fiber optic network (MOST loop) is broken. One or more module on the network is malfunctional so you need to troubleshoot first. (Please refer to my video about removing the CD changer: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RhKOkYNZ65M.html ) I recommend using a OBD2 scanner to see the fault codes about MOST loop. It will be quicker and easier. If you are not able to read codes, please make sure your amplifier is also on the MOST loop to isolate the problems. You can do a rough test by bypassing a single module on the MOST loop (with a fiber optic bypass loop) at a time to see which one is broken. When there is sound coming out of the speaker, the MOST loop is recovered so you know the faulty part.

Hi Myles, I have the same question. I looked up in realoem.com and ISTA but cannot find description about this thing. I guess it is the ETC (electronic toll collection) antenna for Japanese market. Is your car imported from Japan? If not, I have to change my answer...

@@funcarsgoodpeople yes my car is a Jap import. I've wanted to remove it but I've been worried that it is something else that is important. I'll do some further inspecting and see what I can find. Thanks for your help.

Hello Karnis thank youfor the question 🤗 No the interface has its own mic as I showed you in the video. Below is the feature shown on the official website; Does Not support the integration of OEM microphones, however both BMW and Mr12volt Bluetooth can be connected at the same time. BMW will handle as HF and Mr12volt as HF/Media (as a result, BMW HF will take over Mr12volt when a call is received) I used the OEM hands-free system once. I can assure that Apple Carplay and Google Voice Assistant are way advanced than the iDrive. I don’t use iDrive HF anymore so there’s only pairing between the smartphone and the interface. By installing the additional mic on the ceiling, there seems to be no problem talking to it. Siri catches everything I said even I have a loud exhaust 😂

@@funcarsgoodpeople I skipped to the review so missed the install part. For example, if you say ok google, call XYZ, it will transfer to the phone connected to BMW and make the call?

Hello@@kkarnis3791 I'll do this experiment for you. Please wait for my update!

Hello Karnis thank you for waiting. I finally had time to drive the E90. The answer to your question is YES. I paired my iPhone with iDrive via Bluetooth and paired with the AC+AA interface. I used Siri to call somebody's phone number and the AC would automatically transfer to iDrive's telephone call page. But this way, I am not sure which microphone is receiving your voice for the phone call.

@@funcarsgoodpeople so it made the call using BMW?

Hi Barry, I got your message and woke up on 3:30AM to see what I can help... JUST KIDDING! (The baby is sleeping nice so I have to use this free time for my hobby 😅 1. Air Con panel and cooler fan: I guess the cooler fan is in protection mode that it is assuming a hot climate because temperature information from the AC panel is lost. I believe that things don't break so easily but troubleshooting can be really frustrating like you said. I would isolate the possible causes as the first step. Please try to fix the connection of the AC panel. If not successful, restore all the connections to see if the car can be like before the installation. 2. Error messages: I read the official product page and think no particular coding (modifying the software configuration of onboard control modules) is necessary. BUT there may be some conflict between the modules after installation of new ones. So that's why I would disconnect the interface to see what's the cause. Before messing with the harnesses again, please try clearing all the error codes. Usually when we work on the car with the battery still connected, the car knows what modules/harnesses have been disconnected and logs that error. Sometimes the error codes stored in one module blocks the other modules from working normally, although the modules/harnesses have been correctly restored. So I recommend using a OBDII scanner to clear all the error codes (there will be hidden error codes!), reboot the car and see what still exists. 3. Take a break! You are very close to the finish line! And you are not alone! My engine is still taken apart but I hardly find time to continue the project 😭😭😭

@@funcarsgoodpeople thank you. I decided for now to remove the Mr12 Volt and put everything back the way it was. Man that was painful. Even after doing that , the AC isn’t working , the fan is definitely in overdrive and the error messages are still there . Maybe I should have tried to clear the codes but going to talk to the dealership to see if they can get the codes cleared and the AC working . Afraid to put the module back though it was nice having CarPlay

@@funcarsgoodpeople success at last !! And after removing the Mr12Volt unit and harness and putting everything back to original, the AC still was not working and the error messages were still there . Was going to bring it into a Mercedes mechanic but decided to again open everything back up, put back the Mr12Volt wiring , harness, Fiber Optic cable loop and plug in the module. Then once I saw there was still no AC and the errors were still there I decided to check the fuse for the AC. It’s under the hood and a 7.5 amp fuse. Pulled it out and yep- the fuse was bad. Replaced the fuse and that did the trick- AC working and no more error messages or problems. Thank goodness ! Buttoned everything back up and can’t wait to enjoy having CarPlay ! I chickened out on adding a front camera but I know I have the option in the future. Thanks for the encouragement!!

Wow! Thank you for the great news Barry! I’m so happy to know this! Please come back and let us know how you like CarPlay!

Hello Elmer, yes I feel that the sound quality is worse than via AUX,, not by far but a specialist will say worse for sure. I tried to tune the EQ as I did in the video. I am still not satisfied with the sound quality. It is still worse than the default EQ of the original audio system. However, my setting/tuning of the interface may be inappropriate due to my lack of experience about car audio. I am judging/tuning when the sound level is set to medium or medium to loud. Could you suggest any tool or sample for the tuning? Thank you! Carl

@@funcarsgoodpeople I don't know any adjust tool to improve sound quality. What about sound volume? It would be good to see a video on how to use iDrive with Android Auto.

Hi Elmer do you mean the volume performance by the interface? Or how many dB was it when I evaluate the quality? My apologies I don't quite understand this question. But I can try to give more information here. I am using the Individual Audio and I had compared it with Hi-Fi and Logic 7 on the same E90 so I know how well the Individual Audio should sound. The interface does not change sound volume (as far as I can tell.) Just the quality I'm not satisfied. In addition to this, I am an iPhone user and I borrowed my friend's Android phone to test this interface. Honestly, the Android Auto user interface looks better! However the functionality is much the same to Apple CarPlay. No problem using the voice assistant for navigation, messaging and phone calls. Alright I'll find a time to play with the Android phone to see if there's anything to highlight!

Hi Mihai@@mihaidanuta6213 thank you for the suggestion! Another viewer told me I could play with the coding options in the headunit (module CAPPL of CCC) for the audio system. Maybe they are related. I will find time to do this experiment and let you know!

Hi Chris thank you for the question. Actually I removed and coded out my CD changer before this installation. I just connected everything and it works like a charm. The official instruction says a CD changer is required but this doesn’t look like the case to me. It is not difficult to code a CD changer to your iDrive to work with the interface. Please refer to my other video about coding out the CD changer. Just do it in reverse and the iDrive thinks you have a CD changer. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RhKOkYNZ65M.htmlsi=FkWUSC2aiIirygD0

Hi Carl. I‘ve installed it now (even coded the CDC to be shure) but no Carplay Interface is displayed. If I connect my iPhone to the USB cable it immediately asked if I want to start Carplay. Pressed Yes - but nothing. What did I do wrong?

Strangely it is working now (sort of). If I select the menu button it is displaying shortly the mr12volt menu, and then the display turns black. If I change to thesetting on the box to small screen, it shows and works everything normal - bit fisplayed for small screen. If I switch back on setting to big screen the on/off behaviour again.

I noticed that it actualy is displaying something on the big screen setting , but only hardly so. You can barly see the menu buttons. What can this mean?

Hello Chris, thank you for the feedback. I am happy that you did the coding successfully, but I'm also feeling how frustrated you are. It appears to me that you are encountering a problem associated with display signal, where you have checked the rest of the functions normal (with small screen.) So now, are you able to show the original iDrive screen (by pressing the iDrive Menu button?) I would try to confirm the malfunction of the interface. And if so, reporting to Mr12volt and asking for a new unit will be the best solution :(

Hi Qth, the interface works like Appletv during mirroring. Please try disconnecting the Carplay and all other WiFi, Bluetooth connection with the interface, and then join the hotspot hosted by the interface to look for the mirroring device. Let us know if you succeeded!

I've tried it all. does not connect. I tried different iPhones. some connect, some don't.@@funcarsgoodpeople

Hi Angelina, first try playing the first track of the CD. Also try pressing Menu button to switch between iDrive and Mr12volt. And do you originally have a CD changer? If not, you may have to code a CD changer to the car, so the MOST bus can recognize the Mr12volt interface. But I did not do this. The interface works directly. Let me know what you find!

Hi Angelina. Did you work it out what the problem was? I have the same issue right now. Chris

Hi Angelina, Chris @Chris-ru6ir has just solved a similar problem. I quote: "If you switch the DIP switches 4&5 about the correct display size (my display was a big one so 4&5 had to be ON) you have to switch them both(!) together or less than 2 seconds in between." Please see if this helps!

Hi Two-one, How about pressing the iDrive Menu button on the center console? You can also assign the iDrive “mute” shortcut to the multifunction switch on the steering wheel. When pressed, the original iDrive can be switched. Let me know how it works!

@@funcarsgoodpeople the mute button dosent work, and i can not switch to the Idrive sytsem, i select the Idrive B (Ccc) version, but still dosent work

@@funcarsgoodpeople i found the problem, reselution was to high

Thank you for the feedback! Could you share again your iDrive version (screen size) and the DIP switch setting for all the viewers? Appreciated!