5.0 out of 5 stars Far, far better than I expected!

a. · 12 June 2024

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Being a proud new owner of a slightly outdated Mercedes C-Class I needed to modernise the interior. And being a tech guy, it had to be a big touch screen that runs Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Phones on mounts are really a thing of the past!After searching high and low on the internet, I came across this Road Top Linux display. In fact, it was one of the cheapest displays I could find. It was only a couple of quid more expensive than one of those CarPlay boxes which plug in between your display and dashboard controls. I opted to spend that little bit extra and get the option which included a larger display, and touchscreen. There’s nothing worse than trying to use CarPlay/Android Auto with a dial.The package arrived very quickly, the very next day in fact. And I wasted no time in going out to the car and getting it fitted.The installation was super easy. Probably one of the easiest car radio installs I have done. If you aren’t familiar with how to do this, there are an abundance of YouTube videos on how to do this, as well as that, there are also QR codes in the guide book that comes with the radio. You really cannot mess this up. It’s like baking a cake. Follow the instructions and you’ll be a-okay.This radio came with 2 wires. One wire converts the original screens signal so that the new screen can display your original radios output, and the other wire plugs in between the original radio and the original quad lock connector. This basically feeds power, sound, canbus and everything else needed for the new radio to function. It’s best if you tuck these wires up through the vent apertures in the middle where the display will end up fitted.One thing I was worried about, was the need for an AUX adapter. Well this radio doesn’t come with one. But don’t fear, there are settings in the audio menu to route audio back through the cars original Bluetooth. And this has worked flawlessly with Apple CarPlay. Doing this does mean that there will be no sound if you were to plug a usb stick into the Road Top unit and play music or videos from it. You can get around this by purchasing an AUX activator, or if you have a copy of DTS Monaco, etc. you can code that in yourself. otherwise, for my use case, the Bluetooth option works perfectly.Other units on the market have Wi-Fi and GPS antennas that you need to plug in, route somewhere, and then hide all the excess wiring for. This one appears to have the Wi-Fi antenna built into the display. So less wiring to worry about. This unit also came with an additional speaker. I generally don’t like the quality of the sound that do come from these little speakers, I didn’t want to try and find a home for it and it’s wiring, so I left it in the box. This hasn’t caused me any issues in terms of functionality. They usually are useless anyways.As for the software/UI. Quick and snappy. It starts up almost immediately, with no performance issues. CarPlay loads up seconds after the display has booted. Again, most units on the market come with a version of Android which has been modified to work/look good in a car. I have found from my past experiences that these can end up being buggy and slow. I don’t foresee this ever being an issue with this Linux based unit.Sound quality, well, I am using the cars original Bluetooth for audio… so it’s as good as stock. If I do decide to activate AUX at a later date, I will be sure to report back my findings.As for the display, it is indeed very nice to look at. Sharp, crisp, and bright. It’s also 1920*720, so it’s somewhere between HD and FullHD. One of the best aftermarket displays I have had the joy to look at.Update: 1 year in, and this unit has been totally bomb proof! I am glad to see that others have followed my review and took their chance with this. This is hands down the best I have had!Totally recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars Massive improvement of the stock unit

N. · 14 October 2024

The only other review here, at time of writing, persuaded me to buy this.I should have done it years ago, although I'm not sure how long this has been available.This is leagues ahead of the oem unit in all respects.It's quick, pairs quickly and everything works instantly. plus it's bigger and better resolution.It's very easy to install, the Merc is beautifully engineered in this respect. Two screws hold on the entire middle panel. The only tricky bit is feeding then cable up past the air ventsNote that if you have fibre option connection (which I did, but it doesn't look like fibre optics) you need to remove that connector and connect it to the back of the new wiring harness. If you don't the radio won't work.Couple of points.You can have android Auto or have it mirror your phone's screen. You cannot easily flick between these two options it's a multi step process to change. Android auto is the better of the two but there are less Android Auto apps. Screen mirror would be good if you are parked up and wanted to watch a movie or something but for everything else just use Auto.I have run a cable from one of the two USB leads attached to this screen into the cupholder area. It just means it's much quicker to connect to Android Auto, although the wireless works well, especially if you have more than one user. The cable means it will connect to the phone on the cable rather than just the last phone it was connected to. It will also charge it, albeit slowly.All the standard Merc settings and screens are available to you at the touch of a button and the reversing camera still works just fine. Phone works fine. Steering wheel controls still workThe only thing I can find that doesn't function as it did is the big knob that used to let you skip to the next track in the centre console no longer does that. There is a big button on the screen for that but it's not quite as convenient. God only knows why Mercedes chose anywhere other than the steering wheel for this function is beyond me though.In summary this is so much better then the, almost unusable, Merc screen which sometimes took 3-4 minutes to skip a track or change a radio station or decide that it wasn't going to play anything at all.

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad purchase

D.F. · 27 March 2025

Bought 2 of these, both now faulty. Impossible to get hold of the seller and Bolo won’t get involved after a month. Waste of money.