Having read many posts on this forum about adding CarPlay to the entertainment system of the L322 (I have 2012 FFRR) I would like to share my experience about the NaviPlus kit.

On YouTube there are a few obscure demos of CarPlay upgrades on the Denso Display unit that comes with the L322 MY10 (2010-2012). I contacted a few of these parties asking for the installation instructions as I wanted to assess in advance the amount of work, complexity and risk of the installation before making this hefty investment. Some only provided pricing and a payment link, others did not respond at all. NaviPlus was very responsive and sent me their installation manual. After having studied it (I am an electronics engineer) I thought I would be able to do the installation, so I accepted the challenge and ordered their kit.

After ordering NaviPlus contacted me to be absolutely sure I have the L322 with the Denso Dual Display unit, which is good as they have a kit is specifically for this unit which cannot be used for display units of earlier L322 models.

The kit arrived after a few weeks. After the summer holidays I found the time and courage to start the project. The manual contains clear photographs and brief instructions how to remove all the parts of the dashboard. A lot has to go: the all the passenger side trims, lower and upper glovebox, the air vents (left, right and top), the upper dashboard (with Airbags), etc. It took me 3-4 hours, mainly because I was very careful and often didn’t now where to find those hidden upholstery clamps and didn’t know how much force to use to remove those parts.

Then the more difficult part came. The modification of the Denso Display Unit. I then discovered the manual NaviPlus sent me earlier was not the correct one as I have the Dual Display unit. After mailing them, I immediately received the right version (great, given the time difference between AU and EU). Taking the Display unit apart is not very difficult for a trained engineer, but still requires patience and al lot of craftmanship. This is specifically the case for removing and adding the extra flexible film cables and adding an extra printed circuit board in the unit and one on the backside of the Display Unit. The manual clearly describes the steps, although the sequence of the photos provided was not logical (to me at least). Also, some photos used are from the Single View display unit, which was again very confusing to me. Reassembling the display unit required some patience and care as a lot of cables and an extra printed circuit board needed to be squeezed in the unit.

Then it became traitorous. The manual unfortunately skips a lot of steps on where to install three additional required units (the NetPlay box, the MultiMedia box and a small SWC box). Before putting the all these units under the dashboard, I wanted to test if the modification actually worked. The 3 additional units consume a hefty 300 mA, which would drain the battery rather quickly. So, the NaviPlus modification is powered by the ‘ACC’ wiring which only carries 12 V when the engine is running. I didn’t know that, so the modification did not immediately as expected as I didn’t test with a running engine. Please note you should not start the engine before reconnecting the dash airbag. So first, a partial re-assembly of the dashboard was required with reconnecting the airbag before I could start testing. When I started the engine, the Display unit’s screen turned crazy but soon displayed again the native menu, however the touch function did work anymore . So, I again needed to take apart the dash, remove the airbag connections and remove the Display Unit. Then take apart the delicate Display unit to check if I made a mistake. No fault visible. Again, installed the unit, partly assembled the dash to see if the touch function would work now. Not. . So once again I had to take apart the dash board, remove the airbag connection to eventually remove the Display Unit. Again, open the Display unit and on advice of the NaviPlus support team via WhatsApp (again very responsive), re-checked the flexible flat cable from the touch screen. Being an electronics engineer I started to check the wiring with a circuit tester and discovered that one of the flat ribbon cables provided was wrongly manufactured (two wires were swapped ). So, after repairing this, reassembled the Display Unit and reassembled the Dash, reconnected the airbag, started the engine and YES finally it worked .

As all boxes were only connected temporary, spread out over the passenger seat, I now needed to mound the 3 boxes properly somewhere under the dash. Unfortunately, the manual provided by NaviPlus does not give any advice. Worse, the cable loom supplied with the kit was wrongly tied together. So, before being able to permanently mount the boxes somewhere neatly under the dash I had to take apart the loom. Apart from that, the cables provided were also very short, so there was not much choice for placing the boxes and as the remainder of the loom was tied together with sticky tape, mounting the cables was a challenge. Another remark I have, is about the very very fragile connectors at the end of the loom. The stiff loom, short cables and delicate connectors is not a good combination.

I finally was able to find a proper location to put the 3 boxes (on top of the fuse unit behind the passengers’ glove box). By now 2 days of work had passed. The USB cable to connect my iPhone had to be routed to the central glovebox where with an extra hole, a USB socked provided with the kit was mounted. Also, this required partial disassembly of the central console with care, unfortunately this part also this was not described in the manual provided by NaviPlus.

For the audio output of the kit, NaviPlus recommends to use the AUX audio input of the L322’s audio system. Don’t connect it in parallel to the existing AUX port (the one at the rear passenger side) as that connector is short circuited when not in use (to avoid interference). Cut the wiring to the rear AUX port at the audio unit (behind the fuse unit behind the glove box) and connect it to the NaviPlus audio output instead. To enjoy the iPhone’s audio, make sure to select in the native menu ‘portable audio’ > ‘AUX’, then switch to CarPlay.

The required microphone provided with the kit also needed to be installed. Nothing was mentioned about this in NaviPlus manual either. I put it in the central unit in the ceiling where the native Bluetooth car-kit’s microphone also is mounted. Lead the wire along the windscreen and via the passenger’s A-post to the wire loom under the dashboard. Neatly and invisible mounted.

Then the re-assembly of the dashboard could start. This required the exact but reverse sequence of the disassembly of the dash with which it all started. Remember to follow exactly that sequence, otherwise you will get stuck.

The end-result however is fantastic. It works like a charm. So far, the solution is proven to be very robust, no glitches nor software bugs. What I also like is when putting the car in reverse, the Display Unit properly switches to the reverse camera, when switching back to drive, CarPlay is shown again.

Summarised:
Pros:
- Robust solution
- Leaves native functionality intact, easy switch between native menu and CarPlay
- Reverse camera remains working even during using CarPlay
- No software changes or cutting wires in the Display Unit. The modifications can be undone relatively simple.
- With the optional SWC unit you can control CarPlay with the steering wheel buttons
- All required parts provided in the kit
- The whole solutions can be stowed away under the dash, so the car’s interior remains original with no extra buttons, visible boxes or cables
- Good and responsive on-line support by NaviPlus

Cons:
- Poor installation manual (after the chapter of reassembling of the Display Unit)
- Poor user manual (have to figure out a lot yourself)
- Wrong pre-assembled wire loom
- Stiff cable loom with too short cables and very fragile cable connectors from and to Display Unit
- Faulty ribbon cable provided
- Requires experience in working with micro electronics
- Very time-consuming installation (apart from finding the faulty ribbon cable). It took me 4 days

The NaviPlus unit also supports Android Auto, which can be selected in the home menu of the kit.

I surely have forgotten more tips and tricks on how to install the kit. This peace of poetry is not meant as replacement of NaviPlus manual, only as addition to the big parts that were missing and to share my experience for those who also would like to install this kit as there is much interest on this subject on this forum.

Please note that I do not have any business relationship with NaviPlus.

Rob 2012 RR Vogue 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black
2004 Defender 110 Td5 Epsom Green, 'Alive' Chip tuned and a Warn 8274 Winch
1978 Citroen Mehari Orange Kirghise
2001 Defender 90 Td5 Softop (gone)
1992 RR Classic 300TDi 'Soft dash' Green (gone)
1989 RR Classic V8 Caspian Blue (gone)

Cracking report, kudos and well done.

Best Rich L322 3.6 TDV8 Vogue. 07MY
ML 320 7 Seat full leather etc. (The Black Pearl)

robkuijpers wrote:

Having read many posts on this forum about adding CarPlay to the entertainment system of the L322 (I have 2012 FFRR) I would like to share my experience about the NaviPlus kit.
Rob

Realise this is an old post but I'm just about to pull the trigger on this and I'm very grateful for your detailed write up, so thanks!

Have a look at the NavTool unit too, way easier to fit and the end result is excellent.

Jools, The Navtool unit is great for up to and including 2009 (I have it). Siftah's is 2012. John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

Great write-up of your installation experience & well done for solving the various issues you found ! Paul,
2001 Discovery 2 TD5, 211,000 miles & climbing
2006 FFRR TDV8 Vogue 145,000 miles & climbing
Member of Midland (Land) Rover Owners Club, www.mroc.co.uk

JoolsB wrote:

Have a look at the NavTool unit too, way easier to fit and the end result is excellent.

Weegie wrote:

Jools, The Navtool unit is great for up to and including 2009 (I have it). Siftah's is 2012.

Ah, I thought they were doing something for later models.

I don’t think they do instructions, there is a good how to video which covered pretty much everything though. It was probably the first time I’ve soldered anything in 25 years, but it seems to work ok.

I did look at the unit described above, but the write ups I’ve seen made it a bit too daunting for me.

Well done to anyone who has done it

Hi all,
I finally managed to do it myself. I must specify that I’m not an expert in micro-electronics. Although I agree it’s very time consuming it just looks very fine at the end. SO i think it’s definitely worth it. Had to figure a lot myself but it all makes sense at the end, almost.
As I said everything works fine except the black box of the wheel controller that make the whole system bug when plugged in. I mailed Naviplus that send me some pictures but it still looks unclear to me. If you have further information I do not want to cut and wire the wrong cable somewhere else and make the whole system unusable just for this.
Let me know what are your thoughts

Thanks by advance for your help !

Hi, I don't know how satisfied you are with NaviPlus services but for me it is one of the worst experiences. Apart from the fact that they sent me the installation sketch from another car model, it is also very difficult for them to contact someone to help you because the time zone difference is not to our advantage to those in the UK. But going to the real part even after all the settings have been made I am totally dissatisfied, one of the problems is charging the phone while connecting to NAVIPLUS, the old phone managed to charge but the new one I did NOT. The second problem is that every time after receiving a phone call the installed radio application no longer works, the phone must be reconnected. Regarding the quality of the system, my opinion is that the one who sells them buys them further from China and they are not of the best quality, it is not something that would have been specially designed for this job. There would be many problems but some can be overlooked, and as a conclusion about the contact person who will be available to you when you buy the system, he is not the nicest person, I had some subsequent problems and I asked to provide me with other new parts, as the old ones had been damaged due to the very narrow place where you can place this system. Read the messages but do not respond to this request. In any case, I am very dissatisfied, now I realize that I had better spend more money on something that is really worth the money. I hope I was not mean but believe me I got very nervous with this system, If I were financially willing for the moment to change it with a better one I will give it for free to someone or throw it directly in the basket of garbage.

JoolsB wrote:

Have a look at the NavTool unit too, way easier to fit and the end result is excellent.

Yeah, the key difference with this (NaviPlus) is that it retains the steering wheel controls, whereas the NavTool seems to need an additional joystick stuck somewhere - I *really* want to keep the install as clean as possible so it looks totally original.

(The additional microphone is probably the only giveaway and that should be easy enough to hide!)

I figure, in for a penny in for a pound, hoping I can fudge my way through the install without breaking anything

Speaking of the extra microphone ... mine doesn't work anymore. I thought that the microphone sent by them broke and I bought another of a better quality but it seems to be the problem in the Naviplus system because during the call I cannot be heard by the other person. For this I connected to the original system of the car and now when I am called both symbols appear on the screen (naviplus and the original one). I asked if I needed to make any changes to the settings or why my microphone couldn't work anymore but I didn't get any answer.

Your phone should probably not be attached to the cars original Bluetooth when it’s connected to CarPlay.

When a call is in progress you should have an option on the phone as to which audio device is being used for the call - you’ll probably want that set to CarPlay and then the audio should be coming out of the car (via the aux setting on the original radio) with the microphone being the one attached to the NaviPlus device.

Obviously I don’t have the unit yet, so I am guessing somewhat, but that would be my expectation!

(Thinking about it, it maybe is possible to use the original microphone and connect that directly to the naviplus and save having to run another cable - did anyone try that?)

It worked perfectly until one day when I could no longer be heard by the other person. So clearly something is wrong. Normally you do not have to make any settings related to this job as long as it is connected to the system. I really wasn't connected to the car system until it broke down, now I'm connected to it via Bluetooth because I have no other solution.

Yes, totally agree that if it works one day it should work the next, however, my experience with iOS and the iPhone is that it’s not always the case.

Currently, for example, when using Waze with the iPhone I can not get it to play audio via Bluetooth and insists on playing audio from its internal speaker, no matter how it’s configured.

This doesn’t explain your situation, just making an example that the phones OS itself isn’t perfect and so sometimes you have to experiment and/or reset things to get them to work!

Have you tried using Siri with the phone connected? That would help you test if the microphone is working?