General 500x 2016 CarPlay

[Velim]

Hi,

I am currently looking at buying a Fiat 500x 2015-2017 diesel for me and my wife to share (looking at this as it sits within the cheaper road tax band in the UK).

The radio system on the 2 cars we are looking at do not have CarPlay on them (as far as I know), I’ve attached pictures of the units from both cars. Can I buy a newer circa 2019 500x radio unit which has CarPlay and replace plug and play? Or are there retrofit alternatives which anyone can recommend? Or do any of the radios I attached have CarPlay on them already?

Thanks in advance.

 

[carlosemorais]

Hi.
So I checked the connections behind the units and they are the same, so it should work the same.
What I would recommend is to buy the new unit on Ebay with return waranty, so if it doesn't work, you can just return it.
Keep us posted if you managed.

 

[martinchristov]

I've spent so much time researching this prior to my recent purchase of a 500x 2017 diesel.
I bought mine with the 6.5 inch display, not the 5 - this is important because it gives you the option to install a CarPlay hardware add-on while using your original screen. I just purchased one through the website https://eng-custom.com/
I am yet to receive it in the next days, but this seller seems the most reliable + well priced.

I lost a month and a half trying a cheaper solution - a whole multimedia replacement I bought on AliExpress - that turned out a total disaster and I returned it (still waiting for refund). Although there are many sellers of similar devices, none of them seem very reliable.

 

[rilakkoi]

I've spent so much time researching this prior to my recent purchase of a 500x 2017 diesel.
I bought mine with the 6.5 inch display, not the 5 - this is important because it gives you the option to install a CarPlay hardware add-on while using your original screen. I just purchased one through the website https://eng-custom.com/
I am yet to receive it in the next days, but this seller seems the most reliable + well priced.

I lost a month and a half trying a cheaper solution - a whole multimedia replacement I bought on AliExpress - that turned out a total disaster and I returned it (still waiting for refund). Although there are many sellers of similar devices, none of them seem very reliable.

Hi Martin,

I literally just signed up to this forum so I could ask you about the CarPlay hardware add-on that you purchased from https://shop.eng-custom.com

I just purchased a 2015 Fiat 500x Cross Plus with its standard 6.5" Uconnect infotainment and have been researching options for installing CarPlay. Obviously, there are kits you can buy but my main concern is losing any access to specific car settings via Uconnect.

What you mentioned honestly seems like the perfect solution for me. Retaining the factory screen, buttons, appearance and access to settings.

I'm based in Australia, and am baffled that I can't find anything like it here or any more information on this type of hardware. (maybe I'm not searching the right thing)

I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

- Does the hardware allow for wireless CarPlay connectivity?
- Do all of the functions as advertised on the website function as they should?
- How difficult was the installation and have you had any issues with it since?

I would love to go down this route. Many thanks for your time answering my questions!

Regards,
Khoi

 

[silvanu96]

For those with 5" and 6.5" navi , for carplay you have two options:
-First: a Chinese multimedia unit from ebay or ali...
-Second: original 7" Fiat unit , which must be written into the cars computer using a special soft ...
Both retain functions and buttons , easy to install...
Find info here on the forum.

 

[finomm]

For those with 5" and 6.5" navi , for carplay you have two options:
-First: a Chinese multimedia unit from ebay or ali...
-Second: original 7" Fiat unit , which must be written into the cars computer using a special soft ...
Both retain functions and buttons , easy to install...
Find info here on the forum.

Hi, do you have located the info for changing the 5" screen to the 7" screen for the 500x? I only found information for abarths. Thanks

 

[DoctorOpp]

I am in the process of this project right now.
Easy install.
Powers on. Android auto only, I need to get the extra USB option from a salvage yard.
Tomtom nav works.

Things that don't work...
Rear parking sensors not working
No audio.

I am hoping when we run the proxi alignment software, things will clear up.

I put the old radio back in so I have something to listen to until the 26th when I can get together with the guy with the software on his laptop.

 

[martinchristov]

Hi Martin,

I literally just signed up to this forum so I could ask you about the CarPlay hardware add-on that you purchased from https://shop.eng-custom.com

I just purchased a 2015 Fiat 500x Cross Plus with its standard 6.5" Uconnect infotainment and have been researching options for installing CarPlay. Obviously, there are kits you can buy but my main concern is losing any access to specific car settings via Uconnect.

What you mentioned honestly seems like the perfect solution for me. Retaining the factory screen, buttons, appearance and access to settings.

I'm based in Australia, and am baffled that I can't find anything like it here or any more information on this type of hardware. (maybe I'm not searching the right thing)

I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

- Does the hardware allow for wireless CarPlay connectivity?
- Do all of the functions as advertised on the website function as they should?
- How difficult was the installation and have you had any issues with it since?

I would love to go down this route. Many thanks for your time answering my questions!

Regards,
Khoi

Hey Khoi,

Sorry I've missed this message.
As it happened, the item from eng-custom took a long time to arrive, and I had to travel. They gave me a refund and seem like an honest company. Probably a good solution.

In the end however what I ended up doing is getting a screen replacement for 500x (with the volume buttons and all) from Amazon, manufacturer Erisin. Why - because it's newer, faster and bigger display.
It works very well and connects wirelessly to CarPlay / iPhone in seconds.
Overall I'm qutie happy with it. I did lose a couple of very minor features that I don't care about:
- setting for screen to remain active for 15 seconds after engine turn off
- audio beeps when doing reverse parking

Good luck!