ZedZed

Yes, my Panamera has an OEM backup camera. No issues of any kind in connecting to my Android HU. Just literally plug and play.

I think a bigger distinction is whether the car is manual or automatic. Automatic cars get the turn-on signal in a different way to manual cars. In the latter, it is necessary to tap into the blue and black wire in the Rear Control Module under the left hand seat. A recent post to this effect has been included in the Guide.

Foosh

Or alternatively, HU proponents could be tolerant of folks looking for comparisons of alternatives other than replacement HUs. The title is fine.

ZedZed

Agreed, but it has morphed into a replacement HU thread, for good or for bad. I guess there are three distinct issues people starting out have:

1. Should I attempt to install Carplay or Android Auto in my car?
2. If so, should I go for an add-on board solution?
3. Or should I choose a replacement HU.

Both 2 and 3 have their own issues. With 2, you keep the old PCM, which many people (including Porsche) believe is outdated in functionality and in screen tech. There are also installation issues for DIY-ers, since the PCM has to be opened up and a rather tricky set of cables removed and reconnected. With 3, installation is incredibly easy - literally 15 minutes, involving only the removal of 4 screws and the connection of a few plugs, but the Chinese HUs are not perfect when they leave the factory and may need 'user-involvement' to get them set up properly.

In either case, professional installation can be easily arranged, but in the case of 3, isn't really required. In my case, I have installed four versions of 2 and two versions of 3 and can attest to the much greater simplicity of installation of 3.

So really, there are three thread types in an ideal world. One which discusses the overall viability of adding Carplay and AA to older vehicles, discussing the various merits and drawbacks of all the options, another thread which then helps people with the add-on solutions and their issues (they are not without issues as a look at the Isudar thread will show) and a final thread which does the same for replacement HUs.

But we have to live with an evolving situation. There are, without question, existing threads that discuss the add-on board solutions in great depth. And there is this thread which has evolved to be the go-to place for replacement HUs. There is bound to be some crossover and some overlap, but HST I think it is still worthwhile for the different discussions to stay within their own threads where possible.

This thread has, IMO, gone too far now to be closed in favor of a new, dedicated 'replacement Android HU' thread. So the best we can do is all try to rub along as best we can, but to recognise the true nature of this thread as it stands which is, without doubt, aimed at helping people who have opted for a replacement Android HU. Those wanting help with add-on board solutions have other threads where they will get better help.

ZedZed

I don't think there is any intolerance of anyone who has chosen a different path. The issue is that those wanting help with add-on board solutions can get far better help elsewhere without diluting this thread which has become the thread for replacement HUs, regardless of how it started out more than 3,000 posts ago.

This thread for example:

Isudar Carplay for PCM 3.1 - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums

This specifies Isudar, but that solution is more or less the same as the other add-on board solutions like Mr 12V, NM and so on. Joyeauto units are also catered for here because, although they also have an additional box, they still have the add-on board and installation is largely the same.

I think it would be unacceptable for the members of this thread to post about replacement HUs in that thread. Just my two cents really - I will continue to post in this thread about replacement HUs and in the other thread about Isudar (of which I do have a fair bit of experience, some good, some less so).

Foosh

Wow, really have to disagree with you on you contention that your alternative #3 (DIY HU installation) is the easy choice for a majority. This thread is a testament to that not being the case.

Professional installation is the only easy alternative for the majority. If there were a list of professional installers highly familiar with each of the HU alternatives, that would be easy, but it appears that a lack of reliable documentation from the HU sellers and manufacturers is a big problem.

It may have been simple for folks like you, Andy, and a few of the other very active members of this thread. However, problems folks have run into with HUs, and the lengths they've gone to get them corrected, which are very well documented here are precisely what made my head hurt.

ZedZed

Oh no - you are quite wrong there. Installation of the Android HUs is a matter of pulling away two pieces of trim, undoing 4 screws, removing the PCM, unplugging and replugging some wires and putting the new HU back, tightening the 4 screws and pushing back the trim items. I can do it in under 10 minutes - a total newcomer might take double that time. You are confusing installation with setup. Both of my units ZWNAV for the Panamera and Erisin for the Cayman worked right from the get-go. Setup was essentially nothing - just plug and play and install Android Auto etc.

However, installing a board-type solution is a nightmare for most people. They have to remove the PCM (as above) and then open it up. That alone is quite difficult the first time. Then they have to remove various ribbon cables and install a new circuit board. This is quite scary for newcomers. A major issue is the removal and replacement of the ribbon cables. It is easy to get them wrongly connected, leading to a blank PCM screen. Worse, it is easy to break the ribbon connectors on the PCM board. If that happens, you are really in trouble as they cannot easily be sourced or replaced. This could render the PCM bricked. Then you need to put the PCM back together, which is not easy as it is quite possible to pinch (and potentially damage) the ribbon cables. Once all that is done. thje PCM is re-installed. Then setup begins, which is not much different to that of the replacement units.

As I say, installation of the hardware is incredibly easy with the replacement HUs. It is the add-on board solutions that need professional help, as you yourself have testified. I can well understand why you chose pro installation for the add-on board, but you would not have needed it for the replacement HUs. There are total noobs in the thread who have commented that they did it under half an hour.

As for documentation, that has now been resolved and a comprehensive guide has been produced for download. The Guide goes much further than any manufacturer's instructions ever do.

Again, almost nobody has had a problem with installation of the unit.

Most of the difficulties reported in the thread have been user error or lack of knowledge of Android (eg with Apple users). The CHSTEK unit which is now the favoured unit has had quite a few teething troubles, and in some cases has need support intervention and new firmware from the sellers, but they have all been resolved now I believe and are all now documented in the Guide recently produced for download.

Having done two installations of the Isudar/Mr 12V etc solutions I would not recommend DIY installation of those for most people. It is too easy to make a serious error which can brick the PCM. On the other hand, it is impossible to damage the PCM when using a replacement HU as the original PCM is not touched at all - once it has been removed it can be safely stored in case anyone wants to put their car back to stock. But honestly, literally almost anybody can install a replacement HU.

Foosh

Right, having read this entire thread, getting it plugged in and the trim pieces back on are the easy part, and only the beginning of the head-hurting problems described here.

ZedZed

With the add-on board solutions, getting it plugged in is the HARD part.

The entire point of this thread is to help people once they have their units installed. Of course, if you read about every problem, they can seem daunting. But not every user has every problem. And many of the issues discussed are refinements, not deal-breakers. Some are just matters of procedure, easily solved when you know how. In almost all cases, 95% of everything works right away. If you look at the Isudar thread, there are close to 2,000 pages of problems and solutions for all sorts of issues. None of these solutions is DIY perfect. As I said before, the reason people like Roman exist is because installing those types of solutions can be very, very tricky for DIY-ers.

Whatever the merits of the Isudar-style solution, installing them is a nightmare. Which is why you didn't attempt it.

Foosh

Right again, I didn't attempt it because I knew there was an experienced pro available to me a couple of hours drive away. It would be nice to see a similar seller/installer option available for all of these Chinese-manufactured HUs, so that all the problems experienced by so many here could be avoided.

My impressions after so much reading here, is that following the supplied installation instructions aren't sufficient to avoid these problems.

ZedZed

Maybe it's a question of two kinds of people: one who can 'have a go' and enjoys it, and the other who prefers to leave it to somebody else and pay for it. Neither route is right or wrong. It's like the way some change their own oil. An easy job. Others prefer to pay a dealer to do it for them. Both have their merits. In this thread, maybe we are more 'change our own oil' types and in the Mr 12V thread (is there one?) they are 'take it to the dealer' types. It's good that all types are catered for and that we have the choices we do.

Foosh

Right once again. There are many tasks I enjoy doing myself when it comes to cars, but trouble-shooting electronics is not one of them. I've been doing all routine self-servicing of my dozens of vehicles for at least 4 decades.

ZedZed

A four-hour trip, plus an hour wait? Even with the various issues, I haven't spent anywhere near 5 hours on either of my two installations. I guess the add-on board solutions do need less sorting out later. They are very simple and only do one thing: provide Carplay/AA. The replacement HUs have way more options, benefits and advantages, so I guess there is this added layer of complexity. But once sorted, the latter do bring our cars bang up to date, with all of the features found in the latest Porsches' infotainment. If you don't need or want these featurs or benefits, I can totally get that - but a lot of us do.

Foosh

You don't like driving? I do, it's my main source of meditation and relaxation. It was a great back-roads adventure for my installation.

It wasn't a "4-hour trip, plus an hour wait." It was a couple of 2-hour back-roads drives on a beautiful day, with a 1-hour stop for a great breakfast.

ZedZed

See - there you go. I'm different - I prefer fixing electronics to replacing a drop link. We are all different, thankfully, and there's room for us all. (I do know how to replace drop links and do routine servicing and have the tools etc - but these days I prefer to pay someone else for most jobs. I guess the older I get the lazier I get )

ZedZed

I love driving. Most of my vacations are long road trips throughout Europe - usually a couple of thousand miles or more in all. Next year we are planning to drive to Norway, Denmark and Sweden, just for a change. This was a major factor in getting my Panamera after a series of 5 or 6 911s of various types. It's just so much easier in a Panamera - more luggage space, smoother ride and so on. My wife would take the Cayman everywhere if I would go along with it - but as exciting as it is, there's not much room for luggage for an extended trip, and while the naturally aspirated engine howls gloriously to the red line, after 1,000 miles it gets old.

What I was trying to say in that last post is that you spent 5 hours on the installation and I spent less than that. I agree that your 5 hours would be fantastic fun in a 911 Turbo S!