XSeries-forum

I am looking to get one of these units, anyone else interested in a group buy?

I'm interested in an android head unit for my X5 but I'm struggling to justify that the Andrive's are twice the price of these:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/16222 ... d_4_2.html

I know the Andrive's have excellent (UK) support, but at the end of the day they are both pretty much the same Chinese built hardware (except the one in my link is a much newer version of Android = 4.2 vs. 4.0.4).

Anyone know if the Andrive units will get an Android upgrade?

Buying anything that is Chinese Warehouse branded is asking for trouble.

All units like these coming from China are made using cheap electrical components. There is little if any product testing - certainly not to the standard of branded items who want to maintain a reputation, and your customer care and warranty are going to be pretty much useless when dealing with these guys.

Most of these units coming on Alibaba are made in one or two of the same factories but with different name "brands" and a different fascia. This is because when one unit gets exposed as being shit they can change the name and look and flog it on as a different brand.

Andrive and Dynavin are essentially the same unit but you pay a premium for them because you will get some level of customer service and a warranty that will stick. Still the same unit made with the same components.

Personally I was looking at the whole Dynavin/Andrive route when I wanted to change my setup but after checking out a mates Andrive I decided to go with a premium branded double din unit.

Definitely agree with Imy. The unit is an improvement on the standard but has far too many faults to be worth the money. The Android side takes forever to load and the touchscreen is hardly responsive. If I was to do it again I would have gone down the line of a Pioneer double din unit.

The Andrive unit is better than the stock BMW one. I had the TV/satnav/bluetooth/dsp/cd combination.  The TV was useless and the satnav is 12 year old technology and rubbish even with the latest software and maps. 

The Andrive unit is an improvement. It does work very well and their support is good. However, it's not perfect, so you have to decide if it's worth the money. In theory it had everything I wanted (iDrive really) if you install TomTom and Torque, but there are day to day annoyances.

Screen glare is a big problem cos of the angle it sits at in the X5. Probably fine in the E39 it was targeted at. Generally the screen just isn't bright enough or have enough punch compared to modern phone and tablets.

It takes ages for Android to load which is annoying when you just want to quickly use Tom Tom to enter a new address as you leave home.

In the cold weather, the touch screen is unresponsive and sometimes doesn't respond at all. Fine when the heater had been running while, but really annoying when you have to wait for Android to fire up and you want to use TomTom straight away.

It randomly loses its settings - particularly radio settings. Sometime it forgets the last mode it was in, so when you get back in the car you have to scroll back to the radio where it was when you left. There's no real pattern to this, it's annoyingly random.

It's not a consumer device. To get the best out of it you need to know your Android os and driver installation. I don't have a problem with this, but if you're not techie friendly, it may not be for you. Personally this is a benefit for me. A rooted Android system allows me to install and do whatever I want.

The internal microphone for the phone is hopeless. I'm looking to wire it to the old BMW one in the overhead console.

Tomtom app struggles.  The GPS supplied time is always an hour out and the speed reading and time to destination is random.  I'm running the same app on my phone and it's fine, so it has to be Andrive os version or hardware issues. It's not the end of the world, but again it's annoying.

Installation with a DSP amp requires some head scratching, but that is common to any aftermarket install.

So its not 100% but it is better than the BMW one.  I suspect the Dynavin one will have similar issues but that is generally a lower spec unit with less features. The Chinese ones will very probably be worse - they are cheap cos they use cheap components and you'll need to fix any hardware/os issues yourself. Also, Andrive do use higher spec components that the cheaper Chinese equivalents.

None of them compare to the latest BMW OEM installs. The iDrive in the 730 I had on loan last year was perfect.  The satnav was the best I've every used and worked perfectly in France and Italy. The headup display was awesome.

Would I buy it again? A definite maybe. 90% of Andrive works really well, the other 10% are annoyances.

To get this in perspective, fitting any aftermarket system and trying to get it totally integrated isn't easy. I'm currently experimenting with a £50 phablet and a Resler USB iBus interface so I know the pain of trying to make integration seamless with the iBus.

[quote="DaveB"]
The Andrive unit is better than the stock BMW one. I had the TV/satnav/bluetooth/dsp/cd combination.  The TV was useless and the satnav is 12 year old technology and rubbish even with the latest software and maps. 

The Andrive unit is an improvement. It does work very well and their support is good. However, it's not perfect, so you have to decide if it's worth the money. In theory it had everything I wanted (iDrive really) if you install TomTom and Torque, but there are day to day annoyances.

Screen glare is a big problem cos of the angle it sits at in the X5. Probably fine in the E39 it was targeted at. Generally the screen just isn't bright enough or have enough punch compared to modern phone and tablets.

It takes ages for Android to load which is annoying when you just want to quickly use Tom Tom to enter a new address as you leave home.

In the cold weather, the touch screen is unresponsive and sometimes doesn't respond at all. Fine when the heater had been running while, but really annoying when you have to wait for Android to fire up and you want to use TomTom straight away.

It randomly loses its settings - particularly radio settings. Sometime it forgets the last mode it was in, so when you get back in the car you have to scroll back to the radio where it was when you left. There's no real pattern to this, it's annoyingly random.

It's not a consumer device. To get the best out of it you need to know your Android os and driver installation. I don't have a problem with this, but if you're not techie friendly, it may not be for you. Personally this is a benefit for me. A rooted Android system allows me to install and do whatever I want.

The internal microphone for the phone is hopeless. I'm looking to wire it to the old BMW one in the overhead console.

Tomtom app struggles.  The GPS supplied time is always an hour out and the speed reading and time to destination is random.  I'm running the same app on my phone and it's fine, so it has to be Andrive os version or hardware issues. It's not the end of the world, but again it's annoying.

Installation with a DSP amp requires some head scratching, but that is common to any aftermarket install.

So its not 100% but it is better than the BMW one.  I suspect the Dynavin one will have similar issues but that is generally a lower spec unit with less features. The Chinese ones will very probably be worse - they are cheap cos they use cheap components and you'll need to fix any hardware/os issues yourself. Also, Andrive do use higher spec components that the cheaper Chinese equivalents.

None of them compare to the latest BMW OEM installs. The iDrive in the 730 I had on loan last year was perfect.  The satnav was the best I've every used and worked perfectly in France and Italy. The headup display was awesome.

Would I buy it again? A definite maybe. 90% of Andrive works really well, the other 10% are annoyances.

To get this in perspective, fitting any aftermarket system and trying to get it totally integrated isn't easy. I'm currently experimenting with a £50 phablet and a Resler USB iBus interface so I know the pain of trying to make integration seamless with the iBus.
[/quote]

This is exactly the kind of in depth review i needed to read, thanks!

Just to add to MrMaloo's review...

It takes about 2 minutes for the Android side to boot up. Doesn't sound long, but it feels like an eternity. The GPS can then take another 30 seconds to a minute to load up. (i'm using Sygic Igo).

I too have issues with the android time and the internal mic.

I've  never been able to connect the Torque module.

Screen glare is also a pain, however, I came up with a simple "shelf" made of 5mm Aluminum painted black and inserted between the dash and the unit. Its protrudes about 10cm but is hardly visible, yet provides an excellent place for the phone/glasses and prevents most glare issues. Its also a bit of a pain at night in that turning down the brightness of the screen seems impossible. Its not an issue in built up areas with street lighting but in dark country roads, its a bit bright and the brightness controls seem to have little if any effect.

Radio reception is acceptable, but only after the blue wire was disconnected (which I found out by accident!). It is subject to interference and the digital reception is non-existent. Ideally, a new external digital compatible aerial is the way forward I think.

Email and phone messages have not been response to by Andrive support. When I've managed to catch him on by phone he's been very nice and helpful, but emails/contact form/message leaving doesn't seem to work. I received the unit with no instructions whatsoever.

A couple of years ago I brought along to the Cosford meet a brand new Andrive unit ( no instructions supplied).
We Wipped out the Hualigin system and fitted the Andrive.
No TV, No Radio, No Sat nav.
When I got home had a fiddle with it and then said sod it, refitted the Hualigin and the Andrive resides in a box somewhere, although after the recent house move have no idea where.( in attic I think) !!!!!!!!!

Lez

I fitted an Andrive to my E53, it didn't last long! Poor build quality, slow to boot & randomly scrolled through the various features. I also couldn't get Torque Pro to work with it either. Andrive support were friendly when you could catch them on the phone but as for actuall support...not great! Better off spending £600 odd quid on something far better for your car in my opinion.

Far happier with the original screen & now with Intravee fitted I'm more than happy (who needs digital tv anyway?!)

Hi Guys & Gals

I have been looking to purchase Andrive for over a year now! I have been trying to look for cheaper alternatives but the extra support from Andrive is what has won me over but may wait looks like it is about to pay off.

Andrive 3 has been released and looks even more like the OEM unit AND they have a curvier version to match  the E53 dash  :punk: :biggrin:

so far the reports are good from existing Andrive 2 owners.

I am not sure about posting links to other forums but just google andrive 3 and you will find some info.

Hope this helps.

When I get mine I will try and do a write up/video (preferred) as I have DSP so I am planning a full upgrade/replacement of the current sound system.

p.s boottime seems to be drastically reduced.

I don't have any affiliation with andrive...I just want a working touch screen head unit which looks as stock as possible

Just to mix things up a little. Has anyone checked out the Avin 2 unit from the states ? Full Android ( not win CE with android, proper capacitive touch screen, 2 second start time .....
Just thought it worth a mention

I've no link to company, but it looks like the unit we have all been waiting for
https://avinusa.com/bmw-5-series-e39-x5 ... ystem.html

[quote="biggeek"]
Hi Guys & Gals

I have been looking to purchase Andrive for over a year now! I have been trying to look for cheaper alternatives but the extra support from Andrive is what has won me over but may wait looks like it is about to pay off.

Andrive 3 has been released and looks even more like the OEM unit AND they have a curvier version to match  the E53 dash  :punk: :biggrin:

so far the reports are good from existing Andrive 2 owners.

I am not sure about posting links to other forums but just google andrive 3 and you will find some info.

Hope this helps.

When I get mine I will try and do a write up/video (preferred) as I have DSP so I am planning a full upgrade/replacement of the current sound system.

p.s boottime seems to be drastically reduced.

I don't have any affiliation with andrive...I just want a working touch screen head unit which looks as stock as possible
[/quote]


Looks fast.... is this it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hmk4Xz0-qM

I take it there is an E53 version?

Yeah that's it.

It's OS is fully android now as well.

Yes there is a e53 version but I have not seen the pictures. I am sold already but if the fascia can match the dash curve. I will be over the moon.

It still pricey when you have to get a Fakra and reverse camera that would £600-700 plus. I have crappy DSP so I have to rip that out but hopefully that a mkiv satnav and dvd play may ease the pain a bit.

[quote="Ubatoid"]
Just to mix things up a little. Has anyone checked out the Avin 2 unit from the states ? Full Android ( not win CE with android, proper capacitive touch screen, 2 second start time .....
Just thought it worth a mention

I've no link to company, but it looks like the unit we have all been waiting for
https://avinusa.com/bmw-5-series-e39-x5 ... ystem.html
[/quote]

I think the new Andrive has this beat too

specs
Pure Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
1024x600 5 Point multitouch capacitive screen
1.86Ghz Dual Core A9 Cortex CPU
1GB DDR RAM
8 GB On Board ROM
2 x SD Card slots
INSTANT BOOT UP
(10-20 seconds if the car has been left overnight)

Ooh interesting, I was put off the Andrive by the Win CE background operating system. The New A3 looks pretty good.Would like to hear some reports from anyone with this unit, Ive experienced the Hulingan before and although overall it was an excellent unit and did it all it claimed it was the little niggles that ruined the experience. Lets see what the A3 has to offer ???