8.9" CarPlay Screen Upgrade for BMW 3 Series E90 E91 E92 E93 & 5 Series E60 E61 (2008-2013 CIC) – Wireless CarPlay Android Auto Touchscreen, Head Unit Retrofit, OEM iDrive Retained, AUX Audio

***Update***. I’m Still loving it in November 2025, and I am now adding a front view camera. Before purchasing the camera, I reached out to their tech-support via What’s App, and they gave me the specs for what type of new camera I should get. I did have some trouble at first with the back up camera, But with their tech-support, I realized I had purchased the wrong camera type (AHD 720P is required). I returned the one I had and purchased the correct camera type. Plug…Play…success! The same spec goes for the front camera. I was fortunate enough to find one…on Amazon, of course, which is small enough to be mounted just beneath the lower edge of my front bumper. I’ll drill a hole under the bumper edge, run the wiring up and through the space behind the front grill, route through the engine compartment and through the firewall. This operation will only require the removal of the new CarPlay unit itself (two screws….simple removal). The unit is already equipped with a connection point for the front camera. After the install was completed, I purchased some split wire loom to contain and dress up the wiring for the backup camera that runs through the trunk area. If I’m going to tear my car apart and run wiring through the exposed trunk cargo area, I might as well make it look professional. ************** I’ve been using this unit now for 5 months, and I have to say it is still perfectly suited to updating an older vehicle to have a modern infotainment system. It works perfectly. It boots up right away every time I start the car, and makes road trips, or even local driving very pleasant. This review might be a bit long, but it may help someone who is considering this product. First: It works perfectly! The hardest part of this project was getting the dashboard apart to get the wiring harness in. All cars are different, of course, and mine is a 2012 BMW 335i. The existing factory display needed to be removed, the Heat/AC control panel needed to be removed, the woodgrain trim panel running horizontally across the dash had to be removed, and the existing radio needed to be pulled out as well. You will need to remove the center console finish trim panel, which is a pain. The car needs to be turned on (engine not running, but key in and ignition switch pressed) so you can move the shift lever toward you into the Sport shift mode. The radio will not come out unless you do this. All of this is shown on any one of a number of YouTube videos, but a set of nylon pry bars (designed for just this task) easily pries each dash trim panel out of its friction fitting. The display is held by two screws. Once these pieces are all removed, it's simply the process of following the steps in the manual, removing the wiring harness from the back of the radio, removing the fiber optic cable from the radio, and reinstalling them into the new provided wiring harness. Its fiddly work, but if you take your time, don't be too brutish with the removal of cabling connectors, it will be fine. Once you get everything installed, WAIT BEFORE REINSTALLING the dash panels, etc. Turn the car on, look to be sure the new display powers up, link your phone by BT, try the radio, yada, yada, yada. Be certain everything works before you stuff all the wiring harness cabling back in....if everything works, then gently but firmly push the radio back into its slot. It may take some pressure (remember...you've inserted a larger wiring harness behind the existing radio) but be gentle and firm and it should go ok. Then...after the radio is in... try everything's functionality again. Be sure you didn't crush something or knock the connector loose pushing the radio in. Once that is confirmed, replace the trim panels, face plates, HVAC control unit, etc. Setting the unit up to work with your specific car stereo is another small project to undertake. At first, the sound that was being produced was really not good. Lots of echo and so forth. I discovered, by the process of elimination, that the Graphic Equalizer in the new unit was fighting with the Graphic Equalizer in the factory stereo installed in my car (Harmon Kardon High Quality stereo), so I opted to synch my phone to the car and use the new units Bluetooth channel to connect to the car. Now...the sound only comes through the car and it blows me away! I did not use the AUX option. Some other cars might be different. Take the time, sit in the car, and walk through all the menu options until you get it right. The tech support these guys offer is excellent, and if you're having a problem, they will walk you through the steps to solve it. I can't say enough about them. I'm still having trouble with my aftermarket backup camera, but it's a wiring problem on my part....not this unit. I'll figure it out. but, they provided Awesome customer service! Bottom line is this: This has taken my 2012 luxury car, manufactured prior to the introduction of high-tech conveniences in all cars, and brought it up to the current standard of infotainment. I would buy this unit again in a heartbeat!

2011 335i . Followed instructions for Oem I-drive resolution setting. Tried and checked wiring/connections few times , same result. CarPlay screen works fine , but when switching screens to BMW I-drive interface screen is cropped and flickering. Also audio quality is horrible . Hopefully i just had a bad unit

This is a two month review of this head unit in my 2009 BMW 335i. Overall, it has exceeded my expectations. The sound is better. The screen quality is better and the wireless CarPlay is amazing. I also use the screen paired with a midtier Amazon reverse camera as well and it works great. I would recommend this head unit above the $400 plus Xtrons unit. See below for important notes. Installation notes: The instructions are decent. They have been translated so some things do not make a lot of sense, or are incorrect. One thing to note is, if you have a CIC system the instructions tell you to disconnect a ground wire on the harness. This is incorrect. Do not do this. Keep the ground connection attached otherwise the sound will be distorted. Ask me how I know. You can choose to take more time on installation and have a professional finish where you cannot tell it is not factory. I chose this option and I am pleasantly surprised. For the resolution, I chose the 1080 x 800 resolution or something like that for my CIC system so that the screen functions with the old BMW interface correctly. If the wrong resolution is selected, then the screen will be all buggy when you’re trying to go to the old BMW interface. Reverse camera notes: There is a supplied RCA cable with an attached supplemental power wire that is crucial for the camera to work as it should. One end of the power wire connects to the “reverse cam pwr” wire on the back of the wiring harness for the screen. The other end connects to the power wire from the reverse camera in the trunk. Any ground in the trunk can be chosen for the reverse camera. Once the settings are adjusted to your liking, the reverse camera is excellent and a great upgrade for a 2009 in modern day. (The reverse camera is very high quality but it has a few raindrops on the lens in the photos.) I hope this review was helpful for someone in need!

Good android head unit , has a quality display screen and was reasonably easy to install , android auto works well and Idrive cic works well , this is a really good upgrade for the older gen BMWs and brings my car up to the current modern day , im not sure how well it will do in cold weather yet but the touch screen works well and is responsive overall a good budget upgrade . Thanks