Q5 2012 Retrofitting Carplay

[ScotCamOp]

How do folks.
Used to have an A4 avant but have sold it and after some dark times with another manufacturer I'm back in an Audi.
New to me Q5 which I picked up yesterday.
I'm looking to retrofit CarPlay and seeing a few options online, does anyone have any experience with either of these companies or an alternative I've not considered;

Audi Wireless Apple CarPlay Android Auto MMI Retrofit (Concert / Symphony (A4 A5 Q5))

Benefit from Screen Mirroring, Waze, Google Maps, Spotify, Apple Music, WhatsApp and more with our Audi Wireless Apple Carplay & Android Auto Retrofit. Compatible with most Audi's 2008-2019. We are UK Based and offer a 1 Year Guarantee. Now with HDMI Integration.

bavarian-automotive.co.uk

or

Wireless Carplay & Android Auto Retrofit for Audi 2008-2017 A3, A4, A5

Euro Style Tuning's Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto Retrofit is a complete multimedia system upgrade which brings modern standards of smartphone connectivity to your Audi The unit connects to your original Audi entertainment system and enables the functions of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto...

uk.eurostyletuning.com.au

I like that the second one there comes with the option of adding a reversing camera as part of the kit.
It doesn't say or show what the camera looks like so I'm hoping it's the type that replaces the boot handle with a built in camera instead of an ugly square box that needs to be 3m taped to the boot lid.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome...

 

[-Ju-]

I've just done it on my 2016 RSQ3 and can offer a little insight.
Firstly I picked up a used idcore kit for a good price, looked good and is one of the more expensive options.

However what you'll find with a lot of these kits and happens with the idcore, is the MMI is still being controlled in the background by the same buttons you use to control the carplay kit. That makes it very quirky at best and really frustrating!

I've now changed to the integrated automotive kit and that one disables the MMI control while using carplay. It cost me a fair chunk more, but it just works properly.

Which ever one you choose, make sure the MMI buttons work properly in carplay mode!

 

[jdp1962]

I‘m not familiar with either of those firms, but I did get a similar kit from a different supplier retrofitted into my B8.5 S4 in 2019. The install included a rear camera, in the form of a replacement boot release, so it looked OEM. It worked an absolute treat, so I would heartily recommend it. I even added a front parking camera later. If you take a look on the B8 section, you should be able to find a huge thread on the topic. The main things to look for is making sure you select the correct module to ensure compatibility with your existing MMI system.

 

[jdp1962]

I've just done it on my 2016 RSQ3 and can offer a little insight.
Firstly I picked up a used idcore kit for a good price, looked good and is one of the more expensive options.

However what you'll find with a lot of these kits and happens with the idcore, is the MMI is still being controlled in the background by the same buttons you use to control the carplay kit. That makes it very quirky at best and really frustrating!

I've now changed to the integrated automotive kit and that one disables the MMI control while using carplay. It cost me a fair chunk more, but it just works properly.

Which ever one you choose, make sure the MMI buttons work properly in carplay mode!

Mine was an Idcore, and yes, the MMI buttons still operated the host system in the background. But there is a way to minimise the effect of that. Interesting to see that there‘s a newer unit that can bypass the background control.

 

[-Ju-]

Mine was an Idcore, and yes, the MMI buttons still operated the host system in the background. But there is a way to minimise the effect of that. Interesting to see that there‘s a newer unit that can bypass the background control.

I honestly couldn't live with it minimised or not. For me it had to feel as factory as possible.
I asked the guys at Integrated Automotive before I bought it and they assured me it would disable the mmi control and work as intended

 

[ScotCamOp]

Interesting, I hadn't considered that the buttons would still be controlling the built in system, so that's something to think about.
I'll have a look around the B8 forum for the thread, cheers

 

[jdp1962]

Interesting, I hadn't considered that the buttons would still be controlling the built in system, so that's something to think about.
I'll have a look around the B8 forum for the thread, cheers

Here it is.

 

[ScotCamOp]

Brilliant, thanks for that