New OEM-Style Screen Upgrade for Z4 (2003–2008 models)

[Z4LauncherMan]

I've installed my CarPodGo in this exact position, turning off the centre vents. I'm yet to have an issue feeling too hot or cold relying solely on the outside & footwell vents! Our cabins are so tiny anyway.

I would be so interested in this product, however, given you seem to have used the CarPodGo screen (which retails at less than $300) - an extra $800+ for a 3D printed bezel & camera mount feels very toppy.

I don't believe CarPodGo does Android Auto, so imagine it's not the exact same.

But I also think the price from a consumer's point of view is very high.

I do see the entrepreneur's point of view. They would want to recover the cost of development, the production costs per unit for quality parts in a low-volume run must be high, plus there has to be a profit to make the whole exercise worthwhile. But us consumers still have to see value in it or we won't buy. Add 20% VAT to those dollar prices and it's an even harder sell over here.

CarPodGo does support android auto - moreover the link OP provided actually stated they’ve used a CarPodGo.

I agree OP definitely deserves reward/profit for their work. I just think $8-900 is always going to be difficult to justify to consumers.

I should add, the tiered pricing is also a huge put off. I’d already included the cost of the CarPodGo camera kit in my costs.

I bought a different camera mount to mount exactly like OP has designed but I had to do some small cutting to the bumper to fit whereas I assume OP’s uses the existing license plate light holes. $1200 for both mounts is *gulp* a lot.

Thanks for your reply! What do you think the kit should cost? I am trying to figure out pricing. There are alot of custom made high temp resistant parts that are not cheap to producte in the kits. Also remember there is custom harneses for power and audio as well as brackets, etc. Everything is plug and play, no cutting or drilling. I utilized the rear license plate lights to allow for wiring and have a cutome made bezel that is also high temp rated. Thanks!

 

[pvr]

Regarding pricing - I spent about £450 for the carphonics system and just about to spend £600 for the Abarth to get that sorted with CarPlay. That is right at the top end of what it is worth to me.

Note you have to add custom charges to a US import as well.

 

[Z4LauncherMan]

Regarding pricing - I spent about £450 for the carphonics system and just about to spend £600 for the Abarth to get that sorted with CarPlay. That is right at the top end of what it is worth to me.

Note you have to add custom charges to a US import as well.

Thats good to know. With your carphonics system, did it include a screen and package? Or was it just a retrofit that uses the original nav screen? Thanks

 

[pvr]

Original screen but modified TV tuner (oem unit).

 

[futureZ4buyer]

This looks really nice. I am pro carplay and stuff, but only OEM+ style. The way you did it is the only acceptable way for me, but I am not sure I would trade my two vents in the middle. Looks miles better than original screen.

Price is high but I would maybe pay if I needed it. Keep in mind that in the rest of the Europe good E85 Z4 is 9k+ eur so I look differently at the posted price.

EDIT: I thought that the price 800$, not 1200$. That is too much even for me (meaning I am a person willing to throw money for car stuff). I would price it at 600-800$ if possible of course. Problem is that even if it costs 800$, importing to my country with free shipping would be 1056$ when you include taxes.
Maybe your best bet is to focus on the US market.
And I forgot, good luck!

I am currently using Bluemusic plus mounted phone on magnetic stand which is removable so I don't have to look at it and to keep OEM style. Can't stand ugly aftermarket units :rofl:

 

[Ertyqway]

For comparison on pricing, an Alpine Halo11 Single DIN (ILX-F11) head unit costs $1,400 on Crutchfield, and the Halo9 costs $1,200. That's probably the relative competition for this product, so his pricing is not completely out of range. Considering it's also a custom-fit for the specific car model, that gives it a strong value proposition.

 

[Darkangelv2]

Thanks for your reply! What do you think the kit should cost? I am trying to figure out pricing. There are alot of custom made high temp resistant parts that are not cheap to producte in the kits. Also remember there is custom harneses for power and audio as well as brackets, etc. Everything is plug and play, no cutting or drilling. I utilized the rear license plate lights to allow for wiring and have a cutome made bezel that is also high temp rated. Thanks!

I can honestly say i don't know what a product like this should be priced like, i just know how i perceive value.

I think the challenge i'd have justifying the current prices is my value perception.

As a potential purchaser, spending money on a tech upgrade for my car, i would guess my cash would be splitting roughly:

70% on the tech
30% on the moulds/mounts etc.

However, for this particular product, we know the price of the tech (approx $300 retail - i assume (hope!) you are getting a discount on this), the split is probably nearer:

20% on the tech
80% on the moulds/mounts etc.

As i say, i have no idea how these products are normally costed and how much small batch plastic mouldings cost, but it's the perception i'd have when shopping around for something like this.

 

[Darkangelv2]

For comparison on pricing, an Alpine Halo11 Single DIN (ILX-F11) head unit costs $1,400 on Crutchfield, and the Halo9 costs $1,200. That's probably the relative competition for this product, so his pricing is not completely out of range. Considering it's also a custom-fit for the specific car model, that gives it a strong value proposition.

Both those examples upgrade to a high end head unit - this just adds a standalone screen to the business CD unit that retails at <$300.

Agreed, this solution looks so much better

 

[Jollygiant]

I quite like it. But comes with a heavy price tag. That’s probably half the value of my car.

This....

£800 to take the centre vents and get cold hands!

I have Apple car play in my 5 Series daily and it's wonderful. The only time I listed to the radio/ bluetooth my phone in the Zed is if I'm on the motorway. The rest of the time I listen to that wonderful engine, airbox and exhaust.

But each to his own and hope the OP enjoys it.

 

[Z4LauncherMan]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to reply with tips, feedback, and suggestions—your input has been incredibly helpful as I’ve continued refining this project.

I really appreciated all the design feedback as well—hearing what worked (and what didn’t) has helped me.
A couple updates based on your input:

Please note, Pricing has been adjusted — The base kit is now available for $849.00 (USD).

Now shipping to more regions, including the UK (finally)!

If anyone has more questions, thoughts, feel free to keep the convo going. Thanks again for the support!

Thanks elfer, caius, enuff_zed, Mr Tidy, Meds, kis, jenniferlouise, ryushe, john-e89, Darkangelv2, SGRG, pvr, futureZ4buyer, Ertyqway, Darkangelv2 for all the great feedback!

 

[NaweedMustafa]

I have a question about the wiring harness. For audio does it strictly use the AUX input or it can also use the CD changer? I ask because i would also like to retain the steering wheel controls for volume and skipping. Currently using a BlueMusic module that is hooked up to the CD changer cables in the trunk space since I have the Top-Hifi variant (tried the BlueMusic BMW radio hook system but that never worked)

 

[Z4LauncherMan]

I have a question about the wiring harness. For audio does it strictly use the AUX input or it can also use the CD changer? I ask because i would also like to retain the steering wheel controls for volume and skipping. Currently using a BlueMusic module that is hooked up to the CD changer cables in the trunk space since I have the Top-Hifi variant (tried the BlueMusic BMW radio hook system but that never worked)

Its currently stricktly AUX in only. The Screen System does also have ability to connect through Bluetooth if your car already has it. Thanks!

 

[Dubbedown]

This is really nice, probably best solution offered to date. I mount my phone in the same exact spot using magnets. Nice thing with the phone is I can just yank it off whenever I’m done and the vents are still accessible. But I am really digging this large screen that doesn’t scream aftermarket.

Is there an install guide or DIY video we can review? I’m curious to see what exactly is involved to install this unit.

I have a question about the wiring harness. For audio does it strictly use the AUX input or it can also use the CD changer? I ask because i would also like to retain the steering wheel controls for volume and skipping. Currently using a BlueMusic module that is hooked up to the CD changer cables in the trunk space since I have the Top-Hifi variant (tried the BlueMusic BMW radio hook system but that never worked)

Its currently stricktly AUX in only. The Screen System does also have ability to connect through Bluetooth if your car already has it. Thanks!

So does that mean we can retain mfsw controls if we connect the CarPlay unit to say BlueBus?

 

[Z4LauncherMan]

My car has mfsw and it's still works for volume buttons. Do you have any other functionality for your business cd today? My car only allows volume.

 

[pvr]

The mfsw does the next / previous track as well which still works on my CarPlay.

The mic button on the steering wheel does Siri for me now.

 

[NaweedMustafa]

My car has mfsw and it's still works for volume buttons. Do you have any other functionality for your business cd today? My car only allows volume.

Most of us have a blue music/bluebus adapter hooked up to the 6 CD changer. When paired with the smartphone, switching through "CD tracks" basically switches through songs via Bluetooth. Curious if this is the case if your unit connects to this module. I'm really leaning towards this however, this depends on how seamless it is with reconnecting to the BlueMusic module everytime I unlock and start my car.

For now it's flawless with my smartphone.
-Unlock car, BlueMusic module wakes up
-Smartphone pairs instantly
-Navigtion automatically starts up and music plays (Samsung routines configed based on bluemusic connection)

Got a business trip to the US coming up so I can save myself some shipping costs if I do consider your solution.

 

[Zulu4]

Really well done.
Very impressive design; It looks great.
Wishing you the best of luck.

 

[Z4LauncherMan]

This is really nice, probably best solution offered to date. I mount my phone in the same exact spot using magnets. Nice thing with the phone is I can just yank it off whenever I’m done and the vents are still accessible. But I am really digging this large screen that doesn’t scream aftermarket.

Is there an install guide or DIY video we can review? I’m curious to see what exactly is involved to install this unit.

I have a question about the wiring harness. For audio does it strictly use the AUX input or it can also use the CD changer? I ask because i would also like to retain the steering wheel controls for volume and skipping. Currently using a BlueMusic module that is hooked up to the CD changer cables in the trunk space since I have the Top-Hifi variant (tried the BlueMusic BMW radio hook system but that never worked)

Its currently stricktly AUX in only. The Screen System does also have ability to connect through Bluetooth if your car already has it. Thanks!

So does that mean we can retain mfsw controls if we connect the CarPlay unit to say BlueBus?

I currently do not have the install video done yet. Working on it. I can tell you its fairly easy. You take out the air vent and the radio. Disconnect radio harness, then put new provided harness inline (plug and play between old harness and oem radio). After this, you reinstall radio, install screen brackets/bezel. Lastly, make provided connections from provided harness to screen and pop screen into bezel.

 

[ryushe]

Good to see you're open for (hopefully) constructive criticism! If anything, I'm very interested specifically in your custom harness. If it's a passthrough for the old harness to the OEM radio with extra pins added/enabled (to enable aux?) this might not work for those of us that have CD changers. Ideally if I'd install one of your units it would have to eliminate the current BlueMusic BT adapter I use, which in my case plugs into the CD changer port in the trunk. Otherwise all this unit would need from what I gather is power, which could be solved in a different way, and wouldn't require a harness at all I imagine. Perhaps I'm mistaken, and this harness could eliminate the BT module and still work with CD changers?

Think I saw the same question/comment on Reddit, but you might want to think about how to deal with DSP1 and DSP2 issues as well. I have a 10 speaker mid range HiFi system without DSP, but from what I've seen connecting stuff if you DO have DSP requires some additional harness/electronics apparently.

 

[Jahmez]

As nice as it looks and fits, I wouldn't want to lose my vents. One of the things I love about the E85 is the fact that it doesn't have one of those screens. My little run about 2000 Clio has a cassette player and I love it. Would love to fit one in the Z lol.