[Woogie]

Since I was tearing apart the dash to add lighted steering wheel controls, I figured it was time to replace the stock radio. Picked up a Pioneer Appradio 3. With my rooted Android and the Appradio Unchained app, I have full mirroring and can run any app straight from the head unit. I'm quite a happy camper.

I ran the Bluetooth microphone up through the A pillar trim. I had originally planned to run the wire under the trim over the gauges, but I ended up running it under the steering wheel. I could not get the vent trim piece off even after yanking on that bastard and prying on it every which way with a trim stick for almost an hour. I hope I never have to replace the gauge cluster because I'm sure it will break before it comes off.

I ran the wire for the GPS over the glove box and out under the passenger side A pillar trim. It comes with a little magnetic pad you're supposed to stick to the dash to make it lay flat, but there was a warning it might leave a mark so I didn't use it. It seems to get reception just fine this way, and since the cord is wedged between two trim pieces it sure isn't going anywhere.

Only thing left is to tear apart the trim in the back so I can get to the Bluetooth control module and regain the use of the Bluetooth buttons on the steering wheel. I have the idea of using one of them to launch the voice command function on the phone.

 

[robj80]

that is awesome. Something I have always wanted to do.

 

[Woogie]

It is quite an amazing upgrade if you have a compatible phone. It's so awesome not having to fumble for the phone when selecting music or using the GPS. Not cheap, though. I did all the work myself and ended up spending around $450.

Head unit - $320
Steering wheel control adapter - $50
Pioneer MHL/HDMI adapter - $60
Parking brake bypass - $12
Various connectors, heat shrink tubing and other odds and ends - $10

The Appradio 3 comes in two versions, one with a DVD/CD player and one without. The one with the drive is a lot easier to find, but it's about $80 more. I didn't need it so I ordered the one without the drive through Crutchfield (one of the few vendors that carry it) so I didn't have to pay extra for the wiring harness and antenna adapter. You can find generic MHL/HDMI adapters for a lot less, but I've heard of people having issues with the video when using generics so I paid for the official version.

If you're interested, the app was created by a guy on the XDA forums, and there's a huge thread on it here:

[MOD] AppRadio Unchained - Full mirorring for Pioneer AppRadio 2 and 3 - xda-developers

 

[rstolz]

very nice, and props on the clean install

 

[SilverV]

Really cool, this is going to be huge in a few years when Apple, Microsoft and others start rolling out their in car mirroring systems.

It's the future, nice setup.

 

[ADOversa]

Is there an app for mirroring the iPhone too? I have an appradio2 and wasn't thrilled with it. What upgrades are there with the 3?

How did you bypass the parking brake… switch or relay?

 

[Woogie]

Woah, don't know how I missed the last reply. Sorry about not responding sooner.

Appradio 2 and 3 have identical capabilities except for the 3 supporting audio over Bluetooth. To be honest, I rarely use the built-in radio functions unless I'm going on a really quick trip where I don't want to bother with connecting the cable. Other than that, it's all mirroring.

I used a relay I bought off eBay to bypass the parking brake cutoff.

As far as I know, there is no mirroring app for the iPhone with 100% functionality. From what I understand, the main problem is getting the head unit to pass touch commands back to the device. AppRadio Unchained uses Bluetooth to do this. I know ARU supports the AR2, so you may want to look into that if you get an Android device.

After having used it a few months, I still love it but I will say if I could go back I would have bought the more expensive unit with the DVD/CD player and adjustable LCD. Dust is getting in and settling on the corners of the screen under the glass. It's not noticeable when there's an image on the screen, but I can see it when the screen is off and I'm concerned it may become a problem. I've bought some material to cover the ventilation holes that I hope won't prevent heat dissipation, but I haven't gotten around to installing it yet. The adjustable LCD has the screen as a separate piece, so I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have that problem.