996 Apple Play/Audio Upgrade from Porsche

BatKing996C4S · Jul 24, 2020

eddieterry said:
Thanks Richard. Yep the new system with apple car play etc certainly brings it up to date. I have listed the old one as it seems a shame to just bin it. I have checked with the workshop manager at Porsche Tonbridge who kindly got back to me to say:

“Glad you’re pleased with it!

If someone buys your unit they will need to have it coded by a Porsche Centre. The code they need will be like the one below, but for their own vehicle. The one below is for your vehicle as an example, however this won’t work for someone who buys your PCM they need their vehicle and the PCM.”

So added that to my listing. If it does not work out I can just refund buyer & they can chuck it.

Hope that makes sense. In short, they need to take the PCM and the car to be coded together.

Hi, I'm afraid what you've been told is not true, my past experience is the OPC don't have a clue when is comes to older cars and rattle of things they think may be the case rather than what is factual. The PCM 2.0 is plug and play no coding required, I had one in my 986, sold it and the guy who bought it plugs it in and got it all working no problem I retrofitted two different ones I bought of eBay to 996's I've had and again plug and play, finally I sold one of those PCM 2.0's on when I got my PCCM+ and the guy who bought it off me again fitted to his 996 plug and play. Only thing you need a dealer/indie or anyone with a PIWIS for is if you want to turn on the gauge cluster information on for the audio information and navigation directions if you originally had a single din radio will still function without this but you just won't have the gauge cluster info, if you are replacing a bad PCM 2.0 with a straight up replacement you won't need to code anything.

So they don't need to code the PCM and car together at the stealership, saves a few quid than an hourly rate for them to realise nothing needed doing and charge for that realisation

BatKing996C4S · Jul 24, 2020

corneg1 said:
Does anyone know how up to date the maps are with this new unit? Given that Porsche charge a hansom sum for new updates, it would be nice to know how current this release actually is.

All these posts are getting my juices flowing for this upgrade...

The maps are marked as Q2 2019 on the box.

Mattjevans said:
For what it’s worth, I was ready to spring for the maps and the installer told me not to bother, Porsche Nav is bad and you’re better off with CarPlay or Android auto

Really disagree here, the maps are TOMTOM, they are a TOMTOM interface with a Porsche looking skin to match the radio. Having tried android auto and CarPlay on mine I can't bare using them compared to the factory card which is head an shoulder above in terms of driving directions. plus with Carplay or Android Auto your instrument cluster will only read App Navigation on the screen when getting directions, while the Porsche Navigation will give you the actual directions and distances on your instrument cluster so you don't have to look down at your map. see below.

Mattjevans · Jul 24, 2020

BatKing996C4S said:
corneg1 said:

Does anyone know how up to date the maps are with this new unit? Given that Porsche charge a hansom sum for new updates, it would be nice to know how current this release actually is.

All these posts are getting my juices flowing for this upgrade...

Click to expand...

The maps are marked as Q2 2019 on the box.

Mattjevans said:

For what it’s worth, I was ready to spring for the maps and the installer told me not to bother, Porsche Nav is bad and you’re better off with CarPlay or Android auto

Click to expand...

Really disagree here, the maps are TOMTOM, they are a TOMTOM interface with a Porsche looking skin to match the radio. Having tried android auto and CarPlay on mine I can't bare using them compared to the factory card which is head an shoulder above in terms of driving directions. plus with Carplay or Android Auto your instrument cluster will only read App Navigation on the screen when getting directions, while the Porsche Navigation will give you the actual directions and distances on your instrument cluster so you don't have to look down at your map. see below.

Interesting. Might reconsider. My dash display doesn’t say App Navigation which leads me to be a little suspicious of the install

BatKing996C4S · Jul 24, 2020

Do you have the on board computer, i.e. a second stalk on the bottom left under your indicator stalk? if so you can defiantly get it working. What radio did you have originally? These are things the original PCM 2.0 could do and if your car came with a PCM 2.0 in the car then you can just select whats on the bottom screen by pushing it up and down, like you can change the upper display as you can also see on my picture to show the name of what I'm listening to via bluetooth, on the SD card radio station name ect again with Carplay or Android Auto this only say App Audio when set. if you had a CDR23 before then you just need a dealer/indie or anyone with a PIWIS and get them to enable navigation and audio information on the instrument cluster and then you have this feature. the older cars, i.e. your digital speed readout is in the middle rather than the left then this isn't something the car can do.

Yeah Plenty of dodgy installs I've seen with these so far, there a video on youtube. this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmWw6GCp6rE

Think it's the only install video and they guy installing from JZMPorsche saying the USB box won't reach the glove compartment on RHD car which is untrue as I have done it, and the reason he thinks this way is he doesn't bother to take the frame out for the install and doesn't secure the radio in place. This is from people claiming to be Porsche specialists. He also mounts the microphone in the wrong place to avoid putting it in the correct place. Worst of all he shows near the end he has the instructions from Porsche, I've seen a copy of these and it details exactly what you need to do and seems he just ignored them.

Mattjevans · Jul 24, 2020

BatKing996C4S said:
Do you have the on board computer, i.e. a second stalk on the bottom left under your indicator stalk? if so you can defiantly get it working. What radio did you have originally? These are things the original PCM 2.0 could do and if your car came with a PCM 2.0 in the car then you can just select whats on the bottom screen by pushing it up and down, like you can change the upper display as you can also see on my picture to show the name of what I'm listening to via bluetooth, on the SD card radio station name ect again with Carplay or Android Auto this only say App Audio when set. if you had a CDR23 before then you just need a dealer/indie or anyone with a PIWIS and get them to enable navigation and audio information on the instrument cluster and then you have this feature. the older cars, i.e. your digital speed readout is in the middle rather than the left then this isn't something the car can do.

Yeah Plenty of dodgy installs I've seen with these so far, there a video on youtube. this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmWw6GCp6rE

Think it's the only install video and they guy installing from JZMPorsche saying the USB box won't reach the glove compartment on RHD car which is untrue as I have done it, and the reason he thinks this way is he doesn't bother to take the frame out for the install and doesn't secure the radio in place. This is from people claiming to be Porsche specialists. He also mounts the microphone in the wrong place to avoid putting it in the correct place. Worst of all he shows near the end he has the instructions from Porsche, I've seen a copy of these and it details exactly what you need to do and seems he just ignored them.

I had JZM do some work last year and let’s just say I was “less than impressed”.

Mine has OBC.

i had Wrighttune do mine as I wanted cruise control added. They installed it how I wanted it but maybe they didn’t know this trick. I need to get some internal parts done at an OPC later this year anyway so I guess will ask them to check the install and wiring into the computer.

eddieterry · Jul 24, 2020

Thanks very much indeed for the info - I will email the chap who has just bought it with your advice.

DaveS · Jul 25, 2020

The map SD card I purchased is from late 2019. Having my unit fitted imminently but not by OPC.

majordom · Jul 25, 2020

the new units seem to be out of stock everywhere sadly

corneg1 · Jul 26, 2020

Thanks for confirming the map status. I guess I will have to wait until availability improves. Many thanks for all the useful info.

BatKing996C4S · Jul 26, 2020

majordom said:
the new units seem to be out of stock everywhere sadly

The Units not out of stock as such, Porsche have stopped selling them until they release an update fixing a bug on the system, they will then update their existing stock and then you will be able to buy them again, someone on 911UK said their dealer quoted this is meant to be sorted for sale again in September. Once released all existing owners will have the option of recall to get theirs updated at their local Porsche OPC as Porsche didn't see it fit to simply offer something like a USB update files or something smart like that. I realised this issue and contacted Porsche customer services who said they will get in touch as soon as the update is released to book me in for an update. but naturally Porsche would rather hold stock and update them in house then recommence sale than continue selling the units then pay dealer franchises a ton of extra labour on all the recall updates.

What it is, is theres an issue that on the instrument cluster with the SD navigation where if you set the units on the PCCM to miles not kilometers it changes to have the suffix mls which it should but the number is always the number in kilometres. so if your turn off is say 5 miles away the radio will say 5 miles but the instrument cluster will say 8mls and if you then set it to kilometres you would realise then it would change to 8kilometers and say 8km on the cluster. Funny thing is this doesn't affect anyone who doesn't want to use the TOMTOM maps and would rather use carplay or android auto or anyone with a pre MOST and OBC car so of the niche market of the PCCM+ this won't affect I think anyone with a pre 2003 996/986. I'm glad though having a 2004 996 C4S this does affect me, however the radio is perfectly useable so glad I got one before the cut off till September.

Just classic example of not thoroughly testing a product and just relying on thinking what to told it to do works. Hopefully the update fixes the issue rather than just removes the instrument cluster communication like how the solution from Porsche for the GPS rollover on the PCM2.1's was just to hide the date from the main screen, if you went into settings you could still see it thought it was the wrong date but on the main screen it was just a blank box where the date used to be.

Below a picture of when I documented the problem.

terryuk · Jul 29, 2020

I have a PanasonicAVIC-Z820DAB. Fitted by Road Radio in Crawley. Its been excellent. Not cheap but a huge improvement on the old unit. USB cables in the glove box but I haven't had to use them as Apple Play kicks in. Haven't connected to CD changer as its 21st Century and who wants to change CDs when you have everything on the phone.

billsexton · Aug 5, 2020

Hi I got an SD card in my PCCM+ box but it seems to be blank. I assume that this card is to download music on to and goes in the SD slot on the PCCM+? And the SD card for maps needs to be purchased separately and it goes in the Maps slot on the PCCM+?

Thanks in advance.

Mattjevans · Aug 5, 2020

billsexton said:
Hi I got an SD card in my PCCM+ box but it seems to be blank. I assume that this card is to download music on to and goes in the SD slot on the PCCM+? And the SD card for maps needs to be purchased separately and it goes in the Maps slot on the PCCM+?

Thanks in advance.

yes

billsexton · Aug 11, 2020

Thanks for first response. On the back of that I bought the map data SD card too. Just put it in the slot and I'm getting this message:

"sorry, igo navigation has stopped"

any ideas?

Thanks in advance again!!

DaveS · Aug 11, 2020

My unit was fitted last week. Mostly very pleased with it. My Nav SD card works fine...but struggling to copy ITunes onto my blank SD card in Media function. Googled 'how to move your ITunes onto a SD card'..followed the online advice.....Dragged my music albums over on my PC onto the card but the PCCM+ won't play them in media mode. The unit lists the individual ITunes tracks but won't play any of them.

Any ideas from the more IT literate membership out there please?

Dave S

Mattjevans · Aug 11, 2020

I’d guess it’s a DRM problem. If these are iTunes tracks you’ve downloaded as an iTunes subscriber (as opposed to bought), they will probably only play using CarPlay.

this would be the case on most devices, not specific to PCCM

billsexton · Aug 11, 2020

Hi Dave did you just put the card in the slot and switch on? Then press "Navi" and it sprung into life? Thx

DaveS · Aug 11, 2020

Yes it was just plug in & play, took a few moments to load but I have to say quite impressed with the Nav system. Maybe try a full re boot on "factory reset" in settings & try again?

Another issue to watch for if fitting one of these is the alarm system. My old PCM1 & 8bit CD Nav unit were connected to the car's alarm system. My fitter reconnected the new system & now my horn sounds once when I set the alarm on locking the car.....just like when you leave the frunk or glovebox or cubby open. According to OPC need to disconnect new unit as 996 alarm system won't recognise it.....will get there in the end.