Adding Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to an Older Car

Your car runs great, but the radio is stuck in the past. A new head unit with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is one of the most useful upgrades we do, and here is exactly what goes into it.

It is more than just the radio

The receiver is the part you see. Behind it there are usually three or four other parts that make it look and work like it came from the factory.

A dash kit fills the opening and matches the shape of your dash. A wiring harness adapter plugs into the factory connector, so we do not cut your car's wires. An antenna adapter connects the factory antenna to the new radio. Skip any of these and you get gaps, rattles, or a radio that loses its settings every time you shut the car off.

Steering wheel controls and factory features

If your car has volume and track buttons on the wheel, you want to keep them. A steering wheel control interface translates those button signals so the new radio understands them. On many cars that module also keeps things like the factory chimes, the backup sensors, or the factory amp working.

Some cars have a factory amplified system. Those need a specific interface, or the new radio will sound thin or not play at all. This is why we always ask you to tell us the year, make and model, plus the trim level. Two cars that look the same can be wired very differently.

Double-DIN or floating screen

Double-DIN means a radio opening about 4 inches tall. If your car has one, a standard double-DIN unit like the Alpine iLX-W770 or the Pioneer DMH-W3000NEX usually drops in with a kit. Both do wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, so your phone connects when you start the car.

Floating-screen units like the Alpine Halo9 iLX-F509 mount a big 9-inch screen on an arm in front of a single-DIN chassis. They are a great way to get a large screen into a car that only has a small radio slot. The catch is that the screen can block vents, the hazard button, or controls on some dashes. We check your dash in person before we recommend one.

Add a backup camera while the dash is open

Almost every CarPlay receiver has a camera input. A plate-mount camera like the Kenwood CMOS-230LP1 runs a wire from the rear of the car to the radio and a reverse trigger wire tells the screen to switch over when you shift into reverse.

Doing it at the same time as the radio saves labor, because the dash is already apart. If your car already has a factory camera, there is often an adapter that keeps it working with the new screen.

How we handle it at the shop

Tony and the install team do this work in our own bay, often the same day. Gear bought and installed here gets lifetime labor plus the manufacturer warranty. If you already bought a radio somewhere else, bring it in and we will give you an estimate for installing it.

Call (323) 944-7844 or text (213) 674-9042 with your year, make and model, and we will tell you which parts your car needs. Se habla español.