Alpine iLX-007 install in 997.1
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Alpine iLX-007 install in 997.1
OK, so this is my first post on 6speedonline, after reading for many years. So if I screw this up, be patient. This will be a long email...
Basically, I just installed the new Alpine iLX-007 into my 2007 C4S, obviously replacing the stock PCM head unit. The Alpine came from Del Rey Customs (thank you, Joe and Shane) together with the NavTV HUR-997 MOST interface, plus all the required fitting parts.
And I mean ALL the required parts - the Del Rey kit is amazingly complete, right now to a selection of heat shrink solder connectors, allen wrench and other needed tools. Once ordered, the kit arrived in a couple of days and took a few hours to install.
Why replace the stock PCM? The navigation on the PCM was hopelessly out of date - I live in Texas and frequently drive to Dallas and Houston for work. Half the roads I travel on these days are new and most businesses are not listed on the old nav DVD. Yes, I could have simply bought a new disk but it would be out of date in a year and I plan on keeping the car for a while.
Second reason to replace the PCM was the sound quality. I am not an audiophile but do like a good sound. And the stock PCM with Bose is not good (as has been noted many many times on this forum). My hope was that replacing the head unit, sound would improve.
Third reason is that the PCM interface is out-of-date at best and clunky at worst. I had a Bluetooth interface I installed when I got the car so I could play music from the iPhone or from an iPod under the hood. Worked OK but was recently giving me trouble. And the interface was poor - I was the only one who could actually play music.
So it was time to move on....
Why the Alpine iLX-007? I am a big Apple user, both for personal and business life. I have used an iPhone from day 1, have an extensive music collection in iTunes (which the whole family accesses) and use iPads and Macs at work. My wife is happy (therefore I am happy) since everything works together. Nothing wrong with Android in my view but we are an Apple family.
I really wanted CarPlay so I had a good interface on the screen. No need for a CD player or DVD (997 is for driving, not watching movies!) and I have never used sat radio. All I wanted was the radio (for the two stations I listen to) and access to the music on my iPhone. And since I am extremely unlikely to move away from Apple any time soon, having CarPlay in the long term is not an issue.
I have steering wheel controls and wanted to retain them. This means going with an Alpine unit (as opposed the over nice Pioneer AVICs). And since I had not need of CD/DVD, etc, the iLX-007 is a nice fit for me. It does have an AUX input to you can add media, but no CD or DVD.
And finally I wanted a unit that looked like it came with the car - this was easily accomplished with the bezel from Del Rey.
Install process and important notes - the install is easy, certainly no difficult than any other car I have worked on. I am going to try and not to repeat any obvious steps (like how to remove the PCM unit) - plenty of help out there on this subject.
And the wiring instructions that came from Del Rey are very clear, with a couple of notable exceptions:
1. Steering Wheel Controls - the HUR-997 needs a software update to allow this to work (no big deal - more on this later). The WHITE wire from the HUR connects to the headphone jack that plugs into the REMOTE input on the back of the iLX. Easy connection EXCEPT that it only works if you connect to ONLY the RED wire on the headphone jack. Strip away the wire sleeve and the screening wire. The instructions say to connect both red and white to the white HUR wire - I had only intermittent success with this. After checking voltages, etc, I realized you just need the RED wire ONLY.
2. Hissssssssss - when you update the software on the HUR, you have the option to increase the volume (Shane does a great job of explaining this in his video). The standard volume setting on the HUR unit is 078 - I raised it to 100 and connected the unit. This resulted in a faint hiss. The issue is that the Bose amp gain is too high. The easiest fix (after emailing Shane a few times) is to simply use the standard volume setting - 078. Since this is already plenty load for me, no need to change. If you need more volume, you will have to experiment with higher volume settings but remember that if you get the hiss, you have gone too high.
3. No access to the iLX Settings Menu - OK, so Alpine includes a very basic owners manual with the unit - you have to go to the web to download the full version. Did I? Of course not! Who needs instructions????
When I installed the unit, I could not get to the Settings menu - all but Audio settings were dark. Same with CarPlay navigation destination input - Siri only, no keyboard input.
After reading the owners manual, the parking brake MUST be set to access this menu. Still no luck...seems you have to push and release the brake pedal as well - Alpine REALLY wants to make sure you are stationary. Anyway, still no luck.
After checking the wiring, there are TWO wires from the HUR (yellow-blue and green) that need connecting to the park brake input on the iLX (yellow-blue). Once both are connected, it all worked. But remember, you need to set the parking brake and then push the brake pedal once to get access to the menu. No driving and typing with this unit!
And that was it! No other issues. All works very well.
I am happy to answer any questions anyone has. Photos following.
Basically, I just installed the new Alpine iLX-007 into my 2007 C4S, obviously replacing the stock PCM head unit. The Alpine came from Del Rey Customs (thank you, Joe and Shane) together with the NavTV HUR-997 MOST interface, plus all the required fitting parts.
And I mean ALL the required parts - the Del Rey kit is amazingly complete, right now to a selection of heat shrink solder connectors, allen wrench and other needed tools. Once ordered, the kit arrived in a couple of days and took a few hours to install.
Why replace the stock PCM? The navigation on the PCM was hopelessly out of date - I live in Texas and frequently drive to Dallas and Houston for work. Half the roads I travel on these days are new and most businesses are not listed on the old nav DVD. Yes, I could have simply bought a new disk but it would be out of date in a year and I plan on keeping the car for a while.
Second reason to replace the PCM was the sound quality. I am not an audiophile but do like a good sound. And the stock PCM with Bose is not good (as has been noted many many times on this forum). My hope was that replacing the head unit, sound would improve.
Third reason is that the PCM interface is out-of-date at best and clunky at worst. I had a Bluetooth interface I installed when I got the car so I could play music from the iPhone or from an iPod under the hood. Worked OK but was recently giving me trouble. And the interface was poor - I was the only one who could actually play music.
So it was time to move on....
Why the Alpine iLX-007? I am a big Apple user, both for personal and business life. I have used an iPhone from day 1, have an extensive music collection in iTunes (which the whole family accesses) and use iPads and Macs at work. My wife is happy (therefore I am happy) since everything works together. Nothing wrong with Android in my view but we are an Apple family.
I really wanted CarPlay so I had a good interface on the screen. No need for a CD player or DVD (997 is for driving, not watching movies!) and I have never used sat radio. All I wanted was the radio (for the two stations I listen to) and access to the music on my iPhone. And since I am extremely unlikely to move away from Apple any time soon, having CarPlay in the long term is not an issue.
I have steering wheel controls and wanted to retain them. This means going with an Alpine unit (as opposed the over nice Pioneer AVICs). And since I had not need of CD/DVD, etc, the iLX-007 is a nice fit for me. It does have an AUX input to you can add media, but no CD or DVD.
And finally I wanted a unit that looked like it came with the car - this was easily accomplished with the bezel from Del Rey.
Install process and important notes - the install is easy, certainly no difficult than any other car I have worked on. I am going to try and not to repeat any obvious steps (like how to remove the PCM unit) - plenty of help out there on this subject.
And the wiring instructions that came from Del Rey are very clear, with a couple of notable exceptions:
1. Steering Wheel Controls - the HUR-997 needs a software update to allow this to work (no big deal - more on this later). The WHITE wire from the HUR connects to the headphone jack that plugs into the REMOTE input on the back of the iLX. Easy connection EXCEPT that it only works if you connect to ONLY the RED wire on the headphone jack. Strip away the wire sleeve and the screening wire. The instructions say to connect both red and white to the white HUR wire - I had only intermittent success with this. After checking voltages, etc, I realized you just need the RED wire ONLY.
2. Hissssssssss - when you update the software on the HUR, you have the option to increase the volume (Shane does a great job of explaining this in his video). The standard volume setting on the HUR unit is 078 - I raised it to 100 and connected the unit. This resulted in a faint hiss. The issue is that the Bose amp gain is too high. The easiest fix (after emailing Shane a few times) is to simply use the standard volume setting - 078. Since this is already plenty load for me, no need to change. If you need more volume, you will have to experiment with higher volume settings but remember that if you get the hiss, you have gone too high.
3. No access to the iLX Settings Menu - OK, so Alpine includes a very basic owners manual with the unit - you have to go to the web to download the full version. Did I? Of course not! Who needs instructions????
When I installed the unit, I could not get to the Settings menu - all but Audio settings were dark. Same with CarPlay navigation destination input - Siri only, no keyboard input.
After reading the owners manual, the parking brake MUST be set to access this menu. Still no luck...seems you have to push and release the brake pedal as well - Alpine REALLY wants to make sure you are stationary. Anyway, still no luck.
After checking the wiring, there are TWO wires from the HUR (yellow-blue and green) that need connecting to the park brake input on the iLX (yellow-blue). Once both are connected, it all worked. But remember, you need to set the parking brake and then push the brake pedal once to get access to the menu. No driving and typing with this unit!
And that was it! No other issues. All works very well.
I am happy to answer any questions anyone has. Photos following.
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Congrats!
What are the apps that CarPlay support so far?
(would be goo dif you can reduce the size for the photos too ;-)
What are the apps that CarPlay support so far?
(would be goo dif you can reduce the size for the photos too ;-)
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Yeah, the photos are a bit big - I will work on reducing them 
9to5mac keeps a list of CarPlay apps - a few out right now:
http://9to5mac.com/community/running...d-iphone-apps/
9to5mac keeps a list of CarPlay apps - a few out right now:
http://9to5mac.com/community/running...d-iphone-apps/
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how is this working out for you? any compromises with the install?
i have heard that potentially the rear speakers no longer produce much sound with the aftermarket HUR, is that true for your setup? Also, what functions do you lose (guidance, radio display in the center gauge i'm guessing...)?
i have heard that potentially the rear speakers no longer produce much sound with the aftermarket HUR, is that true for your setup? Also, what functions do you lose (guidance, radio display in the center gauge i'm guessing...)?
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System is working very well - very happy.
One issue I had was that the sound kept cutting in and out when the car was moving. Since I have a 6 speed, the 'reverse' cable was not connected (this is used with PDK) and I had the software set for 'Mute when reversing' - toggled this setting off and everything is fine.
I have lost the audio and nag display on the gauge cluster - not a big loss in my view. The new nav is great, especially with Siri.
Before I disconnected the old head unit, I shifted the fader to R4. With the HUR in place, I seem to get a good balance - feels like the sound is coming from right between the front seats.
One issue I had was that the sound kept cutting in and out when the car was moving. Since I have a 6 speed, the 'reverse' cable was not connected (this is used with PDK) and I had the software set for 'Mute when reversing' - toggled this setting off and everything is fine.
I have lost the audio and nag display on the gauge cluster - not a big loss in my view. The new nav is great, especially with Siri.
Before I disconnected the old head unit, I shifted the fader to R4. With the HUR in place, I seem to get a good balance - feels like the sound is coming from right between the front seats.
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Also, I adjusted the interior lights (those under the rear view mirror) to the setting I wanted before removing the PCM - setting is now fixed wight he Alpine. Other than that and the gauge display, no other changes I have noticed.
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thanks for the info! is it accurate that the ilx-007 does not have bluetooth? does your iphone need to be connected to the lightning cable for streaming and phone calls? where did you end up routing that cable to neatly connect the phone?
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You are correct the iLX-007 does NOT have Bluetooth - this is actually one of the reasons I bought it. I find BT a little annoying and unreliable. Plus it eats the battery life on a long drive. The connection in the iLX charges the iPhone as well.
I put the lightning connector in the glove box - drilled a small hole in the top to get the wire through. Works well - just drop the phone in when you get in the car.
One advantage is the quality of the phone calls - people have commented that it is clearer than my old BT set up - I think having a hard wire helps
I put the lightning connector in the glove box - drilled a small hole in the top to get the wire through. Works well - just drop the phone in when you get in the car.
One advantage is the quality of the phone calls - people have commented that it is clearer than my old BT set up - I think having a hard wire helps