Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
Adding Android-based LCD for carplay - D3 without OEM NAV
Hi all.
Being this my first post, I would like to first say that I am amazed and grateful that such a forum exists. It's a real fountain of knowledge and experience and hats off to you all.
I am a fresh first-time deep-end diver into the Land Rover Disco 3 world.
Just bought my 08' D3 with 110K miles (170K Km) and so far I am enjoying it while extremely suspicious about when and where it will fail me and/or leave me stranded
My D3 did not come with OEM nav screen, and I want to add navigation, carplay and reverse camera capabilities.
Should I just change the head unit or transplant a screen instead of the storage cubby I got today?
Thanks!
28th Jan 2023 1:48 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10360
Go for aftermarket double din, if you have a single cd unit.
If you have an amp under the seat, it’s more of a head ache.
See basic radio replacement thread, a few down
28th Jan 2023 2:57 pm
Dashdash
Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
Thanks.
Unfortunately I do have the Harmen-Kardon system and amp, so hard way it is :/
Can you or anyone else point me In the direction of how to do it?
Another option considered: as I have a storage cubby where the OEM screen would be, I can fit a 7inch head unit there and hijack the original head-unit's AUX input to stream audio from the new LCD unit.
Seems to me like the shortest and easiest way to solve this issue, no?
Cheers
28th Jan 2023 5:17 pm
480GT
Member Since: 18 Apr 2022
Location: Oxford
Posts: 43
Presumably something like this if you don't have a nav screen at the moment, audio fed into the existing aux or directly into the head unit:
Will need some adjustment to the H-trim I believe. If you've got the HK system (and thus the MOST bus) probably worth leaving the current head unit as is.D3 2005 HSE
GAP IID
28th Jan 2023 7:33 pm
ruben D3 Decade
Member Since: 26 Sep 2006
Location: ASTURIAS
Posts: 2382
Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
Yhe, I figured I better get something cheap and that has carplay and a reverse camera and do some retrofitting into the cubby and get it over with.
I'll have to be creative with tapping into the existing AUX wiring and draw 12V from the wires that the existing head unit uses.
Here goes nothing...
Thanks everyone!
28th Jan 2023 8:31 pm
DiscoKick
Member Since: 19 Jun 2021
Location: London
Posts: 80
I saw a great YouTube video on this;
Looks very cool!!
28th Jan 2023 9:52 pm
loanrangie
Member Since: 18 Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 599
480GT wrote:
Presumably something like this if you don't have a nav screen at the moment, audio fed into the existing aux or directly into the head unit:
Will need some adjustment to the H-trim I believe. If you've got the HK system (and thus the MOST bus) probably worth leaving the current head unit as is.
The specs are quite good on these now, just reading the add and it doesn't have a radio tuner built in so if you have a working head unit it may be ideal.
29th Jan 2023 7:32 am
Dashdash
Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
Thanks for he advice.
As I said in my original post: I don’t have a factory OEM LCD screen in my D3.
That means that the wonderful LR Time video is not exactly what I need but it has very useful information that I will happily use.
I went for a cheaper but highly rated unit from ATOTO through Amazon and not AliExpress.
I prefer to deal with Amazon here in SpIn in case anything goes wrong with the product. Their local service is fast and efficient.
Will update this post as I go along with the build.
Cheers all
29th Jan 2023 8:08 am
loanrangie
Member Since: 18 Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 599
So the xonrich would be a better fit since you arent losing the 4x4 info or sat nav, you have the HK system which means you'll need to ditch the factory amp.
29th Jan 2023 8:26 am
Dashdash
Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
So... Success(ish)!
Studied my electronics diagram for the HK system, found a great post about finding switch-triggered wire (tapping to the green wire that goes into the cigarrette lighter next to the ashtray), picked up some courage and went to work.
A few hours later I got this ATOTO 7 inch unit with wireless Android Auto and Carplay working.
Audio is played through the original head unit in AUX mode (the ATOTO output is wired directly to the AUX input loom in the HK head unit).
Two more steps to go:
1. Find a way to mount the head unit inside the existing cubby without cutting the cubby from the original dash. Really want to avoid it. I must say that at the moment it's just jammed into the cubby and it holds surprisingly well
2. Install reverse camera. I hope it'll be a challenge I can face, being an unexperienced newbie and all...
My thanks to all the repliers and this forum in general.
3rd Feb 2023 10:23 pm
DiscoKick
Member Since: 19 Jun 2021
Location: London
Posts: 80
Fantastic, looks great!!
Really makes me want to do the same
3rd Feb 2023 10:50 pm
Dashdash
Member Since: 15 Jan 2023
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 23
Thanks @Lawis
Today I installed the reverse camera.
Mounted it on the roof plastic trim next to the rear boot light. Ran the wires through the trim to the right side of the car, piggybacked the reverse tail light for power, continued with the plastic trim on the side of the boot and there to the floor sill trim to the fuse box (LHD car) and then to the head unit.
All works well.
S-U-C-C-E-S-S!!!
Credit goes to this forum's members and it's wonderful 'Search' feature that made it all possible
4th Feb 2023 8:29 pm
stalkem
Member Since: 20 Feb 2024
Location: New York
Posts: 4
Nice work. I did something similar. I used a cheap 7" screen from Amazon (Aphqua) and a camera that replaced the stock license plate lamp. I did have the factory nav/offroad screen, but I removed that (adding in the fiber loop for the M.O.S.T. system) in favor of some easy upgrade tech.
I did modify the factory screen trim to fit the screen behind it, but it gives it a clean finish. Since yours doesn't have the factory screen, I guess you won't have that to use while integrating the screen into that spot.
I still need to splice in the 12V power, but for now, it's just plugged into the aux power port, but it uses the same logic that it will play through the aux. I just put up another post about some aux input interference on the radio. I had it before I started any of this project, but I ended up cutting the aux cable and adding in a new terminal... which does work, but produces the same interference issues. Did you run into any issues like that?
I do have a coverlay dash cover to clean up that dash too. I was just trying to wrap up this part of the project first.
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