adam smith

Hello community,

I got Boxster 986 2004 2 weeks ago and I love the car. I was wanting to replace radio with double din multimedia player. These are the few I have in mind as they have car play / android auto in them.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158XAV...100.html?avf=Y

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DNX...94S.html?avf=Y

But I dont see any USB port to connect my phone for car play / android auto to work. How do I get to use these features if I dont have a usb port in the dash?

AP328

I just had a Alpine ilx-107 installed which is wireless Carplay (first aftermarket head unit so equipped). It works well and the installer just routed the USB (for charging, software updates) into the cubby that is directly above the moved HVAC controls.

adam smith

How fast does the charging drop while using wireless carplay? I have an android and I think wireless android auto is not released until end of this year for non pixel phones.

Lemming

I recently installed a Pioneer AVH-2330NEX in my '98 and love it. USB comes from the back of the unit, I have it going to the cubby below. Supports both android auto and apple car play.

StephenD

Hi - can you let me know what harness was used to connect to the amplifier. I have a 2002 Boxster S and would like to do the same. Thanks, Stephen.

mikomiles

If you have the MOST fiber system in your 986 and want to add a double DIN android unit I recommend moving both the factory radio (CDR-23) and HVAC controls to the lower to console slots. Radio above AC so that an ejected CD doesn't interfere with the shift lever. Then get a MOST aux interface like the ones sold by Mr. 12v. You can find them on Ebay for about $150 USD (a lot less than the $600+ for other units by Dension or NAV-TV). This adds a stereo AUX input to the CDR-23 (along with Bluetooth, USB and SD card inputs that you don't really need depending on your android unit). It connects to the MOST loop so super clean audio and spoofs a CD changer, so if you don't have a changer in your car you'll need to have the dealership program the CDR-23 to look for one. If you have an existing changer, it will no longer be available, but no big loss since you can just rip all those CDs to MP3s and load them into your new android unit. Now your new android unit preamp L/R outs will feed into the AUX input and directly into your MOST bus. Alternately, if your android unit allows you to pair with external bluetooth speakers, you can pair that to the Mr. 12v adapter and might be able to see track data from displayed on the CDR-23 and dash display, but I haven't tested that yet.

The advantage of this setup is you will still be able to fade sound front to back using the CDR-23 controls. If you get rid of the radio, you will lose that ability. Also, if your car has dynamic volume control (turns up when it gets loud in the car) this will still happen when listening to the android unit. Finally, if you got an android unit without a disc player and for some reason in 2019 you still want to play a CD, the CD player in the CDR-23 will still work. Your whole console will be bristling with working devices and no blank pockets just like newer models.

Note: If you have the thin cup holder system just below the air vents in your car, the Metra 2DIN kit doesn't fit right. Its face is convex to match the other design where the bottom of the vents aren't flat and will stick out from the console. You'll have to spend the extra money to get the kit from Euro Motorspeed. Make sure it's the updated kit from them (it will say so on Ebay) which allows precise adjustment of the depth of the android unit so it will be flush with the bezel.

Also, so you can stream content on the go, either tether the android to your smartphone wi-fi hotspot or you can get the Harmon Spark from AT&T which plugs into your OBD port and creates a hotspot for anything in your car with unlimited data for $35 USD/Month. That unit also sends some of your car's diagnostic information to an app that you can load into the android head unit and your smartphone. Not sure if it connects to the Torque App, but it will still give you a connected car experience like new cars have.

larojas

Resurrecting old thread, but there is an official alternative from Porsche that offers (non-wireless) Apple carplay and Android Auto for 986 and other models. Check here:
https://www.porsche.com/internationa...ghlights/pccm/

...or google "PCCM Plus". It costs between $1,200 and $1,500. Because of the shape of the new head unit, it looks like it doesn't require modifications to the bracket (others require trimming pieces from the factory bracket which many people object to). I've no idea why this isn't more well known. I'm going the cheaper route as mikomiles suggests (just not retaining the CDR23) but I might bite the bullet and buy PCCM+ if that doesn't work well.


P.S. Once you're done with the conversion, you can even make it wireless for Andoid Auto if you add an AAWireless dongle (or the similar Motorola unit).

JasonGuthrie

I know this was about a 986, but I'm sure some 987 owners have similar questions or interests. My 2006, which I bought in 2021, came with an old and (then) expensive Pioneer unit from 2012. It was too dated to salvage, so I looked around for something that would look modern while offering wireless Android Auto and a large screen. I'm a bit of an audiophile, typically spending $3-7k on casual car audio systems. However, I really needed the head unit to blend in, look clean, and resemble factory as much as possible. I had previously had a good experience with a "Chinese" head unit in a GTI, so I gave this Xtrons unit a go, and I can't believe how amazing it is (no affiliation). The wireless Android Auto has been a game changer. You can always plug your phone into an outlet to charge if needed. I really love the 0-button interface. I ran a USB **** made of black brushed aluminum to the dash on the right side of the steering wheel for easy volume control (the one drawback of no buttons on your head unit). It's a great audio experience, which also allows for Bluetooth to OBDII connection, so you can review various statistics on the car, and also reset codes if/as needed.

Older Pioneer. I wanted to go black, since most head units are black, so I refurbished the buttons and painted the lower unit to match.

This is how I bought it. The gray is kind of nice, almost elegant. Maybe it will make a come back in 10 years. For now, I wanted things to match and look natural, and the black head unit was working against that.


This is how it came out overall.