[scanspeak]

The HVAC surround from an E90 with I-drive will fit with a bit of trimming.





Made some filler pieces from 1.6mm aluminium.

[PORTMOODY]

nice looking good.

[jimbo270791]

Looks good, what was the part number for the iDrive HVAC

[scanspeak]

Originally Posted by jimbo270791

looks good, what was the part number for the idrive hvac

64116956736. BMW wants >$100 for that piece of plastic so find a used one.

[Eturnulrs704]

Glad to see your making the best of a challenging situation.. I'm here for all the pics. Good luck bro..

[Eturnulrs704]

Originally Posted by PORTMOODY

I think I understand why you did it this way. You wanted it flush inside the recess. If you can make a faceplate then, you're good. Did that metal frame come with your fascia?

I see where you're headed... Might be a better look n fit with some and plastics and filler.. would look OEM.... Kinda like this without the HVAC relocation.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by Eturnulrs704

I see where you're headed... Might be a better look n fit with some and plastics and filler.. would look OEM.... Kinda like this without the HVAC relocation.

I really like that idea with the HVAC. The cigarette lighter is fairly useless anyways. I could fit a much larger screen in that space this way. Is there a post related to this pic with more info?

[scanspeak]

That's a really nice job though he sacrifices some width for depth. It's also very deep in the dash. Would be good to see how it's mounted.
I have the day off work tomorrow so should have mine finished and we can compare.

[Eturnulrs704]

Originally Posted by PORTMOODY

I really like that idea with the HVAC. The cigarette lighter is fairly useless anyways. I could fit a much larger screen in that space this way. Is there a post related to this pic with more info?

Yes there is.. but you gotta gimme til tomorrow to find it.. it's on my other phone... I will be sure to get it to you tomorrow around noon.

[scanspeak]

The main problem is that it is not reversible - you will have to cut into the centre console since the HVAC unit is wider than the cigarette lighter recess.
So a wrap or paint of your trim will be necessary.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

The main problem is that it is not reversible - you will have to cut into the centre console since the HVAC unit is wider than the cigarette lighter recess.
So a wrap or paint of your trim will be necessary.

true, but a center trim is not that expensive. Could buy a spare and do this. It's pretty easily reversible. Still doesn't solve the issue of the viewing angle. I really dislike having to look down when they're mounted low in that space. Joying has a rotating head unit that would fit really nice though in that space.

[scanspeak]

Fitted neodymium magnets on the back on the HVAC which will secure it to the tabs on the steel frame.






Display "ears" glued in place.




Matt screen protector fitted







Cut out some plastic that was interfering with the display connector.

[scanspeak]

Finally installed at last. Not quite OEM-level but pretty happy with how it turned out.











All seems to work so far (though there's a lot to learn) except for the steering wheel controls.

[PORTMOODY]

you might have the can connections on the back of the unit plugged in wrong. I believe you need to connect can in and can out but from factory they have it plugged in differently. Double check that. Looks amazing. I'd give you an A+. Joying is just now releasing new units with better screens and the zlink app looks like it supports side by side dashboard view for carplay. You car is a beauty though. What model is it?

[scanspeak]

Thanks. Yes I spoke to Joying and they suggested I connect CANIN and CANOUT together.
This model does support split screen, I've just got to figure out how to use it.
I heard about the new models though I don't intend to update anytime soon. I'm hoping that the big Japanese manufacturers release widescreen models someday which would be tempting.
Car is a 2007 325i (Msport).

[dan4081]

Great job....looks really good!!!!

[scanspeak]

The steering wheel control is now fixed using the above recommendations.
Initial impressions are good , screen is nice and clear, it connected to my phone hotspot OK, played Youtube OK, reverse-beep sounds OK, managed to get z-link working for wireless carplay which was nice, and sound is clear after a quick tune. Goes moderately loud (using the inbuilt amps driving my focal speakers), enough for my ears.
Being an Iphone user, I'm not a fan of the fussy, complicated android interface which is not particularly intuitive. Will take a while to get comfortable with it and to fully tune the DSP.
At some stage I will be replacing the metal display ears with a stronger 1-piece back plate and installing a wireless charger below in the cigarette charger recess.

[scanspeak]

After a couple of weeks of getting to know the Joying a few issues have become apparent. In particular connecting via WiFi to my phone's hotspot is very hit and miss (apparently a common bug), and powering on the unit in the morning can take anything from 10 seconds to many minutes. Not sure if this is my specific unit or the product in general. Talking to Joying at the moment for solutions.
Anyone else experiencing similar issues with Chinese head units?

[scanspeak]

Figured out how to get the Joying Wi-Fi to connect to my phone hotspot consistently.
Turn off the phone hotspot and wifi, then turn them on. The Joying then finds the network and connects within about 10 seconds. Not ideal but I can live with it.
The power issue is still under investigation.

[Eturnulrs704]

Can't lie it looks great. Good job brother. I still haven't found the phone the has the info for the mods but I'm searching.

[scanspeak]

Joying has advised me that I need to connect the yellow battery wire to the fuse box which is not really a surprise.

[chadw77]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

Joying has advised me that I need to connect the yellow battery wire to the fuse box which is not really a surprise.

It needs to be connected to a constant power. Either to a fuse that stays on or run it back to the battery. The power at the harness does to sleep after 30 minutes.