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-   -   Added Apple CarPlay with Bimmertech MMI to my BMW 3-Series (G20) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/244780-added-apple-carplay-bimmertech-mmi-my-bmw-3-series-g20.html)

Hi Itwasntme,
Apologies in advance about hijacking your thread but i guess this post makes more sense here than in the regular G20 thread.
So added Apple Carplay to the sport variant with Bimmertech MMI. Total time taken for installation was 1 hour. I was surprised at the seamless integration and the ease at which the installation can be done. As some other members had pointed in their posts, various MMI units are available in the market but i was more comfortable with the Bimmertech option even though it's almost twice the cost at around $600 for the unit plus whatever one pays for installation.
Pros :-
1) wireless apple Carplay and Android auto both.
2) seamless integration with the Idrive controller and the steering wheel controller.
3) Siri integration
4) Carplay activates as soon as one enters the car without the need to activate it or press any buttons.
5) Fullscreen google maps navigation
Cons :-
1) High cost of the unit, cheaper options are available in plenty but was not sure about their reliability.
2) Lack of touchscreen support which was not a dealbreaker for me. Carplay can be fully used with the Idrive controller as well as the steering wheel controllers.

Quite happy with the performance of the unit and with the analogue dials and now with Carplay activated, i would say the Sport Variant is now totally upto date.:cool:

Super glad to hear this! If you're comfortable, post the relevant installer details etc. here or PM me. Unsure if I will go for it, but always good to know there is a way out. I am an Android guy but wifey is iOS, so both will be happy including the wireless bit too :-).

On another note, discovered the joy of using the 'tilt' sunroof function in mild rain. BLR is chilly enough to avoid AC usage, but it's not feasible to keep the windows even open partially to enjoy the rainy sound and 'aroma'.

Discovered that the tilt feature works well to ventilate the car, and keeps the rain out as long as you don't drive / brake rashly :-).

Well the MMI unit from Bimmertech i ordered myself from their website and it was delivered within 3 days by DHL and i had to pay a custom duty of 1100/- which was negligible.
It came with a manual which had the exact installation steps for my car and i got the installation done by Upshift Autos in Chattarpur in Delhi.
The owner is very helpful and installation was done within an hour.
I would recommend getting it done by any car accessories guy since they would have the relevant trim tools etc which is very important.
i would say GO FOR IT. There are no downsides since it is completely reversible.
also that 'Tilt' feature is something i never noticed!! Will check it out today lol:

Hey heltersketer

I have a 330i sport and am looking to get this bimmertech Mmi upgrade.
Can you confirm if aux activation coding is needed when I order from their site?

Thanks

Hey yes! Aux port needs to be activated by coding since the MMI unit uses that for its functioning. I got it done by my installer itself and not by Bimmertech since they were charging 100 dollars which was too much according to me.

Thanks for sharing, helterskelter! Moving your post out to a new thread so other G20 owners benefit from the same. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google. Will add to homepage later this week :thumbs up.

@ BHPians, if you should spot any good post in an existing thread that deserves its own new thread, please report the post and we'll move it out for greater visibility.

Thank you!

Thanks GTO for making it into a new thread.

Congratulations on the successful retrofit!
Please do share pictures of the display in day time, would really help get an idea of the display and the final look. Thanks!

From what I can understand ,the original iDrive display has not been changed. Only an box has been placed between the headunit and the display which can work on its own to run the display or just have the normal iDrive running.

That's interesting, I wish there was something like this for my F10 LCI.

I just have couple of questions - how does the Carplay MMI Prime function in respect to iDrive. Is there a button to enable / disable it?

Also - do you see any risk towards warranty based on this? Would it be detected if we disable it before sending for service/warranty repairs?

Btw - much appreciate you putting this information out here. I've been waiting for 11 months after buying 330i sport as Carplay is the only feature i missed from top models.

1) So let's say someone whose phone is not paired to the MMI enters the car, the native Idrive screen will start as it is doing in your car right now, however since my phone is paired to the MMI, when i enter the car the CarPlay automatically starts. You can flip between the Carplay and the native Idrive by pressing the Home button on your gearbox console. Hope this helps.

2) I really cannot answer to the warranty part but unless you are ready to go through six years of warranty without Carplay, then this is the only decent option since there is no slicing of any wire and its completely plug and play and if there is ever any warranty issue, then you can simply disconnect the box or just take it out. Well like i explained before, if they start my car in the service center, the native Idrive screen will pop up since their phone would not be paired to the MMI.

No problem Bud. Yeah it was frustrating for me too since this was the only feature which one missed but i highly recommend Bimmertech and their service.

Yes the native Idrive screen is the same, only the MMI unit has been placed between the headunit and the display. We can flip between the Carplay or the Idrive by pressing the home button on the gearbox console.

You should visit the Bimmertech website and enter your VIN and check. They have the MMI prime box for a lot of older Idrives like CIC etc.

Can you please share a link to the product or hardware that was used?

Yes it is available . It was available before on aliexpress . You have to sure of your idrive system whether its CIC or NBT. It was around 20k plus shipping around 1.5k inr.