BMW X5 E53 Full Android GPS Navigation System

[hunds02]

Originally Posted by X5only

This unit looks incredibly factory! It also looks like Dynavin but not quite- it seems its face is curved (convex) whereas pictures of Dynavin on X5 I've seen are flat. The convex face makes it perfectly match the shape of the dash.

How is its radio reception compared to OEM radio? Is it always clear and solid even for the weak stations or when you're in low laying areas?

I love the look of it, there are other better head units like pioneer, but you will have a huge plastic bezel which kills the stock look. To answer your question, it seems like radio reception is a tad bit better. Although I wouldn't expect it to be since it connects to the factory antenna from the radio tuner. Its all about how you secure that cable so it doesn't move a lot during travel. Audio quality has definitely improved, which in effect makes the radio sound better. Obviously you will still get static when in a garage or other obstructed areas. Max volume is also increased, I have yet to turn it all the way up, too loud for me. But there is no distortion with loud volume. I also have had the BSW speakers installed about 6 years ago. I bet aftermarket speakers would sound amazing with this head unit.

Feel free to ask me any questions about this head unit and I will try to answer as soon as possible. I am not a vendor, promoter, sponsor etc... Just a happy customer.

[X5only]

Originally Posted by hunds02

.......Obviously you will still get static when in a garage or other obstructed areas. ......

Did the OEM radio also get static in a garage and obstructed areas? It seems this unit has dual radio tuner like OEM radio. Can the start up logo be changed to BMW logo? How is the Bluetooth? Does Bluetooth automatically connect to the phone once setup or do you have to do it every time you want to use it?

[hunds02]

Originally Posted by X5only

Did the OEM radio also get static in a garage and obstructed areas? It seems this unit has dual radio tuner like OEM radio. Can the start up logo be changed to BMW logo? How is the Bluetooth? Does Bluetooth automatically connect to the phone once setup or do you have to do it every time you want to use it?

If I drove through an underground or multi-story parking garage my radio would be 100% static, that was for the OEM radio. Haven't been in one since my new unit, but I imagine it would be the same. I am not sure if you can change the boot logo, this is a pure android device, so I imagine if you are good with android you might be able to. Bluetooth is good, the other day I was walking to my car while talking on the phone, once I started the engine the phone call transferred to my car speakers. I was amazed by how fast this happened. So yes, it automatically connects. The thing is you have to manually sync your contacts every time. I spoke to the seller/developer, Tommy, and he said this was due to privacy reasons so kids/wife/valet etc.. would not see your contacts. So what I do is the first thing after I turn the engine on is I go to Bluetooth and sync contacts then exit to home screen. That way when you get a call or call someone minutes later, the names will show up. If you don't do this, then when you get a call the number will show with "unknown" as the name.

You can also stream audio via Bluetooth. I tested this by playing spotify on my phone then going to BT Music and started playing right away. Quality is good and there was no/minimal skips.

[hunds02]

So far still pleased with this unit, there def. is a learning curve when using an android head unit such as how many apps to keep open etc... Still loving it and glad I bought it!

I am selling the old factory equipment if anyone is interested, (see signature), I am taking offers. Please no low ballers

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by hunds02

So far still pleased with this unit, there def. is a learning curve when using an android head unit such as how many apps to keep open etc... Still loving it and glad I bought it!

I am selling the old factory equipment if anyone is interested, (see signature), I am taking offers. Please no low ballers

aren't FOR SALE ads reserved for "fare paying" passengers?

[hunds02]

Yes they are, which I will be paying for in the next day or two. I'd figure I mention it here since it's relevant to the topic. I've been a premium member for 2 or 3 years, not like I'm trying to take advantage of the forum

[TerminatorX5]

no biggy dude...

[mfinity]

So you've had the AVIN unit now for over a month - any followup commentary? I'm terribly interested in it - actually just waiting until monday to submit the order.

How's the glare?
Bugs issues?
BT streaming work?
Pandora and other android apps work ok?

Anything else to share?

Thanks!

[hunds02]

Originally Posted by mfinity

So you've had the AVIN unit now for over a month - any followup commentary? I'm terribly interested in it - actually just waiting until monday to submit the order.

How's the glare?
Bugs issues?
BT streaming work?
Pandora and other android apps work ok?

Anything else to share?

Thanks!

The glare is a little bit better than OE Navigation - Contrast and brightness is improved, however the angle of the screen makes it susceptible to glare. Closing the sunroof shade helps a lot.

Bug issues: This is the number one problem, there are bugs! Mine had an issue where sometimes the volume could not be changed (even after rebooting). Usually a factory reboot (resets everything and erases all apps and settings) solves this, but it did not for the most recent occurence. They have never heard of this problem so they agreed to send me a brand new head unit after I send the defected one back. They have just received my head unit and will ship the new one out tomorrow! Sometimes when you have a lot of apps open the unit will lag or crash. Installing a SWAP memory partition improves this by giving the system some more RAM to use.

BT Streaming: I can confirm that BT streaming works quite well when streaming spotify through my iPhone 5.

Audio Apps: I have not tried Pandora but Spotify works well. This is based off your internet connection. The optional 3G Modem sucks, I couldn't stream one song without it buffering every 5 seconds. When I upgraded to an AT&T 4G LTE personal hotspot (AT&T Unite), the buffering stopped and I was able to stream music flawlessly. Its actually fast enough to stream Netflix!

Torque: I purchased the OBD2 Bluetooth adapter from AVIN and it worked fine. However I came across a problem a week later where the unit would not recognize the OBD2. I tried a friends OBD2 and AVIN recognized it. The owner was nice enough to let me return it for a refund. I decided to buy the OBDLink LX which is a higher quality OBD2 bluetooth unit. The cheap ones such as provided from AVIN are of the ELM327 module. If you go to torque's website they will claim that some of these cheap Chinese knock-offs will not work with Torque. I believe I was a culprit to that claim. I like the OBDLink LX because you can keep it plugged in without draining your battery, it has an auto off feature. The only downside with the AVIN regarding OBD2 functionality is that you must pair the OBD2 everytime you turn on the car!

Navigation: I have only tried Google Navigation and Waze. For some reason Google Navigation always crashes (other users have reported this) the developers are currently working on a solution. Waze has worked for me, although I believe it crashed one time. I still haven't used it a lot so I can't give an honest review on it. I tried installing Sygic but it had bugs and the screen would keep blinking, so I am sticking with Waze.

Other Issues:

I noticed that the weather on the home screen does not automatically update. You have to go and refresh everytime (ANNOYING).

Bluetooth phone connection works well, audio quality and connectivity are good. To give you an idea, I was on the phone with my friend while walking to the car, as I turned the engine on while talking, the call went instantly to car speakers (I was amazed by how fast this happened). The downside is you have to sync phonebook everytime you turn the car on, if not, any incoming call will register as unknown. I try to make a habit of syncing right when I turn the car on as it will sync in the background while using navigation or listening to radio/music. The developers said that it was designed this way for privacy reasons

To be honest, you may be upset at first as there is a learning curve with this unit. You have to change some settings and get used to the interface. I would highly recommend buying a high speed microsd card and create a 512 MB SWAP partition. This will reduce the lag but only up to a minute. You also have to understand that you should not run many apps at once. Make a habit of closing apps instead of going to home screen. A rule of thumb for me is I will not run Torque simultaneosly with Waze. But I will run Spotify with Waze or Spotify with Torque. Just not all three together or Waze with Torque. I don't mind this as if I need directions to drive somewhere I am not really going to be messing with Torque.

Audio quality is excellent, some people said they have interference but that could be related to the install. I will update my review when I get my new replacement unit. If this volume issue completely goes away with the new unit, I will be satisfied with this head unit.

About the support, Tommy (developer/owner) is very helpful and responds fast to any question you may have. If you ever need troubleshooting help or just general questions, he will be able to help you.

Check out the forum on e46fanatics.com There is a thread that is about 20 pages or so. (My user name on that forum is Dr3wX5) Tommy pointed out that there may be a software update coming soon to address the bugs in the head unit.

[mfinity]

Originally Posted by hunds02

Check out the forum on e46fanatics.com There is a thread that is about 20 pages or so. (My user name on that forum is Dr3wX5) Tommy pointed out that there may be a software update coming soon to address the bugs in the head unit.

Great write-up - thanks very much for that.

Surprised that you mentioned the glare being less of an issue on the AVIN than stock (if I read that right). The stock has a completely different LCD screen that actually benefits from sunlight - I have the same thing in my e46 m3 vert - which is why i'm so curious about it. But glad that it isn't a huge issue - that's great.

The bugs really have me concerned. I'm a techofile and fearless, but I can't stand the hassle of figidy stuff that is never fully working. I sent AVIN (tommy i'm assuming) a note with some questions, but I'll check out the e46 thread asap.

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Pete