[r1cero]

You can't have leather dash with dakota, only with nappa. I have the same combo, cognac dakota with sensatec(imperial blue exterior though), and that's the only option I regret not having.

It does seem durable but there is already some discoloration on the drivers seat so I will probably have to partially dye it at some point. I've read here somewhere that it is not that uncommon for cognac dakota.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by luigilauro

I guess it can sort of makes sense from a marketing/sales perspective, but it's still a bummer.

You may have the money for the optionals, but you may NOT have the money for a M550i + full optionals. Not everyone is as lucky as you Gautam :P Also, not everyone needs 500+ HPs... I would be more than content with 300, for my needs.

That's also the reason why I chose the 530e: enough range for my daily commute back & forth (~20-30km.. in theory the car can do 40-50, so a bit of a buffer there) on electric without any fuel cost, and decently powerful engine (292 hp in sport w/ electric engine support) for weekend trips.

If I wanted something more I guess even a 545e (or 540i/540d) would be enough for me. The "small M5" (aka M550i) is a bit too much :P

Believe me, I hate the way bmw does options, especially in the us. Mine is a Canadian spec. In the us spec, you need to go for an m5 even for 4-zone climate control, and it takes about twice as many options and packages to get it “loaded”. Id probably have considered a 540 if they could be optioned better. The 545e of course is not even sold here. I don’t know what the reasoning behind all of this is, but apparently it’s working for bmwna.

Originally Posted by luigilauro

You are 101% right, I know Dakota is pretty rough and nappa (and merino) are sooooo much better, but I won't for basically 3 reasons:

1) I've seen it live and I really like the orange-ish color of Dakota cognac w/ blue exterior. Nappa has no equivalent: either mocha, but it's too dark for my taste, or I have to go all the way to merino caramel/tartufo, but still not "orange/bright" as I would like it too be. Also "white/cream" nappa is not an option for p3 (see below)

2) I can't go over a certain amount, it's a company benefit, not paying for it, and therefore to add anything I would need to remove something (which I could, not everything is 100% mandatory, but still...)

3) I have small-ish kids 9/9/11 years and I need to get the coarsest, most "dirty/wear resistant" leather, and I heard from several people Dakota is the most resistant to tear & wear, compared to the finer leathers, due to being coarser, the synthetic coating, etc...

But your suggestion is 100% right, just not for my specific case (unfortunately, I tried nappa and it feels sooooo much better on your hand).

I’ve had nappa in two BMW’s and Dakota in one. If you have children, that factor alone makes Dakota the right choice imho. Dakota gets somewhat of an unfairly bad rap. It was always comfortable enough and I could be a lot more careless with it. I’ve placed suitcases, ski boots, etc shirts on the back seats with Dakota without any concern. After close to 80k miles all the seats looked and felt new. I like my ivory nappa better for sure, but it needs a lot more care. Between merino and nappa, I notice no difference in comfort.

There’s a long thread in the general section about the leather dash- which is the only North American option I don’t have- personally I’m a little jealous of the door trim, but have to really squint to see the difference with the dash.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by r1cero

Bimmercode sorts the in motion limitation

@gautam

Now I remembered, in order to have different sources front/rear at the same time, you have to set the rear to go through headphones. It can only be done via remote controller at the rear.

Still a no-go, the phone won’t allow me to use smart view while an hdmi cable is plugged in.

[r1cero]

Bummer. thanks for checking.

[luigilauro]

I checked the manuals and also was in contact with the BMW service in Italy and they confirmed that unfortunately, differently from latest X7 RSE, for the 5 series the RSE has no connection between front & back.

Basically only TV (From TV Plus optional), radio & music sources can be used front+back at the same time, but no other media source (DVD/bluray back or front, USB drive, HDMI in the back, AUX in the back, etc..) is shareable.

This is different from X7 where you can share what you plugin in HDMI-in in the back also with front screen.

So yeah, it seems the only way to have a "media player" showing up in sync both on front and back screen at the same time to entertain all passengers, is this box with CarPlay+HDMI mirroring (or a similar approach, like having a MMI box plugged in front screen, that also supports HDMI mirroring to run a cable to back HDMI input...)

[Gautam]

Another test that did not work - screen mirroring with a windows 10 laptop over miracast. Thought might have been a chance because it’s theoretically the same protocol. Both the car and laptop see each other, car authorizes the laptop, but it times out, tested with two laptops. I also WhatsApp’d the joyeauto folks with some questions, they just said mmb for bmw is still “under testing.”

I will reiterate though, Samsung galaxy tablets and phones work great for casting to either the front or the back…just not both simultaneously. If the mmb engineers are unable to deliver, one can always get 2-4 Samsung phones for cheaper…heh

[luigilauro]

Originally Posted by Gautam

Another test that did not work - screen mirroring with a windows 10 laptop over miracast. Thought might have been a chance because it’s theoretically the same protocol. Both the car and laptop see each other, car authorizes the laptop, but it times out, tested with two laptops. I also WhatsApp’d the joyeauto folks with some questions, they just said mmb for bmw is still “under testing.”

I will reiterate though, Samsung galaxy tablets and phones work great for casting to either the front or the back…just not both simultaneously. If the mmb engineers are unable to deliver, one can always get 2-4 Samsung phones for cheaper…heh

Thanks for further testing. Strange doesn't work with windows laptops because yeah, the protocol should be the same (miracast).

For BMW MMB, yeah, it's under testing but they told me in 1-2 months should be available to buy, hopefully, if nothing goes "wrong" with the testing.

For Samsung galaxy/tablets, yes it's an option, but then you need to use something to keep the video front+back in sync across multiple devices (e.g. iOS screenplay, or samsung equivalent), and this limits you to very very recent phones/tables as far as I know (S22+ if I'm not mistaken)

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by luigilauro

Thanks for further testing. Strange doesn't work with windows laptops because yeah, the protocol should be the same (miracast).

I’ve found zero examples of anyone successfully using screen mirroring with any bmw with anything other than a Samsung device. It seems like there are some other hidden restrictions.

[Sam_M550i]

Curious to see how Android Auto would work with this device. I can add BMW CarPlay if this will get me Android Auto that works with the iDrive controls to change songs, maps, ect...

[Sam_M550i]

luigilauro have you tried this device? Does it connect to the car via wireless carplay protocol?

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

luigilauro have you tried this device? Does it connect to the car via wireless carplay protocol?

It’s not out yet…we’re awaiting its release

[Sam_M550i]

Originally Posted by Gautam

It’s not out yet…we’re awaiting its release

Oh okay. My goal of this works is to use it to accomplish android auto. I first have to activate carplay via connected drive.

[luigilauro]

I'm back from vacation and pinged both vendors for news... as soon as they answer I will let you know!

[luigilauro]

Good news everyone!

The vendor is saying the updated "MMB 11" android bow, fully compatible with all recent BMWs, both ID7 and ID8, is almost ready, and even provided some screenshots/videos of the box working!!!

[Sam_M550i]

So it seems this does not required wired carplay like other devices. On another note, has anyone added carplay via connected drive?

[luigilauro]

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

So it seems this does not required wired carplay like other devices. On another note, has anyone added carplay via connected drive?

What do you mean "added CarPlay via connected drive"? By buying it on BMW connected drive store for cars that didn't have CarPlay included? I have no clue here.

[Sam_M550i]

Originally Posted by luigilauro

What do you mean "added CarPlay via connected drive"? By buying it on BMW connected drive store for cars that didn't have CarPlay included? I have no clue here.

I don't know ify car has the necessary parts or not, I'd assume it does as it is basically loaded minus carplay. Like I have mentioned the goal is to use carplay and this product we are discussing to achieve wireless Android Auto.

[luigilauro]

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

I don't know ify car has the necessary parts or not, I'd assume it does as it is basically loaded minus carplay. Like I have mentioned the goal is to use carplay and this product we are discussing to achieve wireless Android Auto.

Yes, if you have CarPlay (or can add it via connected store) to be able to see the box interface on iDrive screen, then you can access android mode, which enable wireless android auto, so yeah, should be feasible in theory.

[Sam_M550i]

Originally Posted by luigilauro

Yes, if you have CarPlay (or can add it via connected store) to be able to see the box interface on iDrive screen, then you can access android mode, which enable wireless android auto, so yeah, should be feasible in theory.

Anyone know how to tell if my car has the necessary parts for CarPlay activation?

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Sam_M550i

Anyone know how to tell if my car has the necessary parts for CarPlay activation?

Decode the vin and check if it has 6CP, Apple CarPlay preparation

[Sam_M550i]

Originally Posted by Gautam

Decode the vin and check if it has 6CP, Apple CarPlay preparation

I am not seeing that when I decode the vin yet it shows as something I can add in the connected drive store.

[Sam_M550i]

Any updates?