Is Android Auto worth it for $200 install fee? Mazda

biggles

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It will probably be a little bit more money than that, I sent an email to the dealer today asking for an estimate. Mazda is offering to upgrade the car infotainment systems (aka, car stereos) on older model years for a fee. This is for a 2017 Mazda 3 hatchback. The idea of having gps screen showing up on the car system rather than the Android phone is appealing. By the way, I heard it is free on 2018 models just in case there are any 2018 Mazda car owners reading this.
 
Absolutely! My wife has a 2018 CX-5 and we can't wait to get it done. I have AA and Apple Carplay on my Impreza, and it's invaluable. In fact, I MUCH prefer AA over Carplay.
 
Mazdatweaks works beautifully. The official upgrade also replaces the USB hub, which gives more power to your phone allowing it to charge while connected. But strangely, the official Android Auto update doesn't have touchscreen input. Even when stopped. But it sounds like you can run the AIO tweak to enable touchscreen with the official update.
 
I love Android auto and it was one of the requirements when i was car hunting this last weekend. $200 is steep for what SHOULD be a free update but it is probably worth it.
 
Apparently my dealership's customer service person gave my wife a number to call, and if we bitched enough they'd make it free. We're leasing, so I'm not modifying firmware.
 
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I prefer Anker and Choetech personally. I did some testing for Choetech in the past, they've always been a good value.
 
I got a 6 port charger from choetech and it was running hot as, like I could cook an egg on to of it. It's like a frigging fire hazard. Luckily Amazon took it back without charge.
 
AA is awesome. When I look for new car, if it doesn't have AA, I stop looking at other features. I'd say $200 is worthy.
 
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