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Just ordered. This looks a lot easier than what I had planned!

Tim

 

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Mine already shipped. It should get here on Monday while I'm out of town.

I bought NavTool4.0, they shipped NavTool3.0, and most of the reviews on their website talk about NavTool5.0. I emailed them this morning regarding the discrepancy, but haven't heard back yet. Speculation based on a bit of reading online- the hardware is the same for all three and their software is what's used to update from 3.0 to 4.0 to 5.0... We'll see once it arrives and I try to program it.

It's not promising that their website says they have an A+ BBB rating, but the BBB actually gives them a F.

Corvette guys seem to have the most reviews. Most of them love it, but a handful have had serious issues with the company.

Tim

 

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I still use SiriusXM and actually have two subscriptions. With this, I can probably drop down to a single streaming subscription and just use it over CarPlay in whatever car I happen to be driving.

Tim

 

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Here's what I've found so far.

Mine has the 3.1 interface and no ability to update to 4.0 or 5.0, but I received an email from them saying I would receive a 5.0 unit...

It showed up programmed for a Buick Cascada. My MacBook Pro wouldn't work to update it. The software froze under the MacOS and never got beyond 0%. I rebooted and was able to get to 31% in bootcamp with Windows 10 before the interface froze. I then tried it on my work computer, and was able to get through the programming. I thought this might happen since my MBP only has USB 3.1 ports.

After programming, it shows up as a 2016-2019 Cadillac CTS, but no 2015+ CTS is listed under the drop downs as even being an option... I assume that this is a database error rather than a programming error.

The only programming option is for automatic transmission, not a manual transmission.

Tim

 

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I also had to cut that wire to prevent flashing.
There are stereo audio inputs, but they may or may not be labeled that way. Mine had no indication which was left or right and I needed to buy additional cables/adapters to connect the two harnesses (I used Kenwood 8741046 from Best Buy- the length was perfect, the extra adaptors came in handy, and so did the Y for troubleshooting). Luckily I had a set of test tones that went to the left and right channels.
I struggled to get mine to play sound, but then it just started working with no wiring changes. Not sure how or why...
I found that if the headphone jack in the center console isn't plugged in, then AUX doesn't even show as an option on my screen.
I think the iPhone DAC sounds a bit better than the one in the NavTool, but this is 100% unscientific. I'd love to do some sort of digital output from my iPhone to a JL processor in the rear.
I'm going to try to install mine without the microphone. I may regret this.

If you haven't updated yours, there was a firmware update in the last week.

I'd like to put the HDMI/USB outlet back in the rear of the center console beside the factory USB port, but right now I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get in there. I'm watching my 3 year old son, so my ability to tear things apart and pay attention has been a bit reduced...

Tim

 

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Oh, and I got HDMI mirroring to work, but I haven't checked audio during mirroring yet.

Tim

 

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I should say that I had HDMI mirroring working. Before putting everything back together, it worked perfectly. After putting everything back together, it didn't work at all. I either get a blue screen or a flashing blue screen with lines when trying HDMI and my iPhone doesn't recognize the NavTool as an output.

I did decide to install the microphone. It gave me a chance to pull my A-pillar and hide my V1 cord.

Also got the center console apart to run the HDMI and USB cables from the power socket in the cubby at the rear of the console.

Touch is sometimes a bit slow and it can miss touches every now and then.

We'll see what I think after driving with it for a few days. For now, it's very cool to see CarPlay on my screen, and the resolution/picture quality is much better than I expected.

Tim

 

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From what I can tell, this only does a few things. If you go into it knowing this, you won't be disappointed. If you expect anything else, you will. The biggest reason why is that there's one control box used for any car. Only your car's wiring adapter changes.

1. Hijacks or bypasses the digital video signal.
2. Hijacks or bypasses the touch control.
3. Overlays analog audio on top of the Aux input.

That's it. There's no brightness control. None of your other buttons do anything with it. CarPlay doesn't recognize navigation vs music vs phone volume. That's also why backing up doesn't transfer to the backup camera when using CarPlay.

From preliminary testing, I was told that their supplied microphone has horrible sound quality. People on the other end couldn't hear or understand me. I used the Bluetooth accessibility feature noted above to go back to the factory call microphone.

Tim

 

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One nice thing about this is that it doesn't seem to draw significant current when the car is shut off. I've been able to leave my car sitting for the last ~6 weeks and it started right up. Previous add-on boxes I've used have had significant power drain and often leave your battery dead after sitting that long.

Tim

 

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Ugh. In the last week, my entire center console has decided to stop working. It started with the Navtool not working and causing screen flickering after attempting to go into reverse. I just had emissions done today, so I can try the old standby of disconnecting the battery now. Will also be updating firmware in the Navtool and possibly removing it wifi that doesn't fix it. There's a good chance that my final solution will be a double DIN if I keep having issues.

Tim

 

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I opted for a Pioneer AVH4500NEX, no regrets so far.

I'm really, really thinking about that. I already have aftermarket amps and speakers, and going with an aftermarket HU would be a lot easier. I've got 2x spare double dins in my basement, but unfortunately neither does CarPlay.

The issues with the stereo and NavTool took out my battery. I dropped the car off at my storage unit for a couple of days and when I went to pick it up and work on it, it was completely dead...

Tim

 

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Have you checked your MSM for a amp draw? It can wake the radio and IC, without turning it fully on, mine pulled 4.5 amps after every 3rd key cycle, it would not draw amprage directly after killing the battery, Imitating and intermittent draw, again 3 key cycles. You could hear the nav disc player running, also the e brake light would never turn off.

GM made changes to the MSM, 3-4 different units, also the BCM had a change too!

Removed the NavTool. Now my radio and HVAC controls work. No excessive amp draw. Have a RMA and will be sending it back. Hope to have it back in a couple of weeks.

Ttim

 

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Correct. You'll have to be on AUX IN before entering CarPlay in order to hear Waze. If you select another audio source then you will not hear the alerts.

You MAY be able to use the Accessibility function on an iPhone to funnel these commands through Bluetooth. I've had that work occasionally, but not consistently.

Tim

 

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Wow. NavTool received my unit for RMA and shipped it back out the same day. That's pretty amazing. A bit less amazing is that they sent it to my old address, not my new address.

Tim

 

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My returned unit came with a version 7 test firmware. This is also available via their downloader. Funny that only Automatic transmission variants are shown, not manual trans. I haven't had the chance to re-install yet, but will try this new test firmware.

Tim

 

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I re-installed mine over lunch today,

NavTool tech support just told me that the audio wiring is now pre-wired into the harness and the RCA cables are no longer required.

It's still required to cut the wire to prevent screen flashing and to connect the camera.

My new unit also came with a resistor/shorting plug for the factory iPod RCA jack. Without it, the audio won't work. I've noticed that the overall volume is lower now during CarPlay, and it seems to be a lot more bass-heavy and a bit muffled. I'll keep listening and comparing sources to see what I think in the coming days.

Tim

 

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Confirmed, new update 7.1 corrects the reverse camera not coming on while in CarPlay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hmm... I thought mine had done this when it was first installed, but the backup camera doesn't come on in reverse now with 7.1 when CarPlay is active. After I replace my blown front tire, I'll have to do more testing. Getting tired of tearing apart the center console...

Tim

 

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With the nav tool connected can you manually select the rear camera and get the feed? Also the car has to be running for the camera to show an image. Found that out the hard way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly. If the car's not running with the trunk down and the transmission in reverse, don't expect to see an image.

Tim