[dalv]

Hi, I just came upon this website:

www.navtool.com/chevrolet-volt-2011-2015-smartphone-mirroring-category.aspx

Has anyone tried it? Is it possible to add CarPlay to a Volt 2015 that way?

 

[Steverino]

Looks interesting. They claim plug&play, no wire cutting.

Simply unplug factory connector from the screen controller, plug in a male connector of supplied HAGRY plug and play harness into the screen controller, and plug in factory connector into the female connector of supplied HAGRY plug and play harness. The installation is really that simple.

No picture or videos of the install process. Where is the screen controller? What must be disassembled to get to it? To me, that lack of detail is a drawback, as is the $549 price, plus the $132 Apple (or Android) mirroring kit that seems to be needed.

 

[camaroz1985]

I asked them what was needed to just add CarPlay, and they said the smartphone mirroring kit is not needed, just the Navtool.

Also found a demo on youtube on the MyLink system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrv0bfC2g4

Looks like it works well, uses the touch screen for all functions. Also on the navtool website now you can get a 10% off code. So $495 is the true cost just for CarPlay (or to add cameras).

I emailed them asking about install instructions, and if it really is as easy as it looks (they show a youtube video installing on an SS), then I'm going to pull the trigger.

 

[Starsky661]

This does look interesting. I don't have an iPhone so I would not use CarPlay, but I noticed they sell a screen mirroring kit that may work with my phone and android auto.

 

[camaroz1985]

This does look interesting. I don't have an iPhone so I would not use CarPlay, but I noticed they sell a screen mirroring kit that may work with my phone and android auto.

I have been talking with the company to try to get more details. No mirroring kit is needed for CarPlay or Android Auto to work and they are both built into the Navtool 4.0. The mirroring kit is only needed for things that don't work in CarPlay or Android Auto (like Netflix or Youtube, etc.), which aren't of interest to me (especially now that it has been announced that Waze is coming to CarPlay).

They don't have a detailed instruction or demo video for our cars, but I was assured it is plug and play. I told them I was willing to buy one and do an install and demo video (I have both an iPhone and and Android phone to do the demo), and asked if in exchange they would be willing to do a group buy for our forum. They said they would offer 20% off if we had 10 or more orders. Anyone interested?

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the company and am only trying to do this because there seems to be some interest. There is nothing in it for me, in fact I would be paying more than those in the group buy.

 

[MoveAlong]

Very interested in this, thanks for the heads up! Would love to see this actually working on a Gen 1 before jumping in myself. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[black12volt]

Where do we install this at? States at screen controller but where is that located?

 

[robhouston]

So is that 20% off the special $495 price, or the regular $549 price? In other words, just under $400 or about $439?

Thanks for finding this and researching it! Like others, I'd like some installation details.

 

[Jagcrp]

I would be interested.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[ethicaldesign]

I would be very interested in this at the 20% off. Count me in! I contacted them as well to confirm it supports Android Auto as only Carplay is advertised. They confirmed it does have Android Auto.

 

[emg77]

Seems like a lot of money to me for a system (Android Auto) that always seems half baked when I use it in my wife's Acadia. I have a suction cup to the left my steering wheel that has wireless charging in it. I use a program called Car Home Ultra and have it auto start upon connection to the bluetooth in the Volt. It gives me a simplified interface and I just use my GPS and music on that screen. Also (at least on the 2014 and newer) if you press and hold the phone/talk button on the steering wheel, it will open the google assistant and you can use voice commands to text, make calls, etc. I can do a lot with this setup and it only cost about $30 for the mount.

 

[ethicaldesign]

Seems like a lot of money to me for a system (Android Auto) that always seems half baked when I use it in my wife's Acadia. I have a suction cup to the left my steering wheel that has wireless charging in it. I use a program called Car Home Ultra and have it auto start upon connection to the bluetooth in the Volt. It gives me a simplified interface and I just use my GPS and music on that screen. Also (at least on the 2014 and newer) if you press and hold the phone/talk button on the steering wheel, it will open the google assistant and you can use voice commands to text, make calls, etc. I can do a lot with this setup and it only cost about $30 for the mount.

View attachment 154849

That's pretty cool! I have a non mylink 2012 Volt and so I can't play music without using AUX. I've thought about one of those Alex enabled Bluetooth -> AUX devices from Amazon for music, but I'd also love to have my navigation (Waze) on my volt display simultaneously playing music.

Another thought could be to use the existing HD-LINK video interface solution with a Raspberry Pi running OpenAuto like here: https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/03/04/crankshaft-turns-raspberry-pi-3-touchscreen-android-auto-head-unit/

Just mapping the native touch of the volt display to the Pi would be a challenge.

 

[dalv]

Count me in!

Of course, it will be great if we can get more people and a better discount �� To us Canadians, even $400 US is more like a million can $.

Saying that, I came upon another option which is only $250: naviks.com/i-24075851-naviks-apple-carplay-compatible-with-any-video-device-with-video-inputs.html

However, it does look a bit dated compared to Navtools, and some say the build quality is not great.

 

[vol7ron]

Dang if this works as well as the demo I’m in. Especially once Waze hits CarPlay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ethicaldesign]

I'm a bit wary about the company though. They advertise an A+ with the BBB on their website, but I actually checked them out on BBB and they have an F. Reading some of these reviews doesn't sit well with me:

https://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/electronic-instruments/navtool-inc-in-staten-island-ny-128020/reviews-and-complaints?section=reviews&reviewtype=negative

 

[1FlyVolt]

I would like to try this out on my 15

 

[camaroz1985]

Count me in!

Of course, it will be great if we can get more people and a better discount �� To us Canadians, even $400 US is more like a million can $.

Saying that, I came upon another option which is only $250: naviks.com/i-24075851-naviks-apple-carplay-compatible-with-any-video-device-with-video-inputs.html

However, it does look a bit dated compared to Navtools, and some say the build quality is not great.

I saw that too, and yeah it doesn't look as complete or as feature packed (looks like you have to use the joystick to control it, not touch screen). Also you have to order the video interface for your car, not just the carplay unit, and those add $220, and they don't list anything for the Volt.

I am still working with NavTools to place an order for the unit to demo on my car. I will update you all when the order is placed (maybe this week, but probably the beginning of next week). I also posted this on an Apple forum, so maybe we can get our group buy numbers up faster that way.

 

[Starsky661]

I saw that too, and yeah it doesn't look as complete or as feature packed (looks like you have to use the joystick to control it, not touch screen). Also you have to order the video interface for your car, not just the carplay unit, and those add $220, and they don't list anything for the Volt.

I am still working with NavTools to place an order for the unit to demo on my car. I will update you all when the order is placed (maybe this week, but probably the beginning of next week). I also posted this on an Apple forum, so maybe we can get our group buy numbers up faster that way.

I am looking forward to your review. I travel a lot for work and when my rental car has android auto I just keep my phone plugged in and tucked away. With the stock infotainment system I'm always tempted to check my notifications. I do have the nice proclip mounting solution so maybe I can just run android auto directly on the phone, but it would be nice to have the larger screen closer to my line of sight.

 

[camaroz1985]

I have the Proclip mount as well, and it works, but like you said it would be nicer to have the phone stuff on the bigger screen higher on the dash.

 

[uchual]

Seems like a lot of money to me for a system (Android Auto) that always seems half baked when I use it in my wife's Acadia. I have a suction cup to the left my steering wheel that has wireless charging in it. I use a program called Car Home Ultra and have it auto start upon connection to the bluetooth in the Volt. It gives me a simplified interface and I just use my GPS and music on that screen. Also (at least on the 2014 and newer) if you press and hold the phone/talk button on the steering wheel, it will open the google assistant and you can use voice commands to text, make calls, etc. I can do a lot with this setup and it only cost about $30 for the mount.

View attachment 154849

+1 . I use the CarHomeUltra app and have no need for more expensive gadgetry. Keep it simple, I always say.