How much does a CarPlay installation cost in Belgium?

A CarPlay installation isn't a product: it's a part plus an adaptation to your car. Two customers can leave with the same screen and invoices that differ by a factor of two, because one drives a 2012 Clio and the other a C-Class with a factory amplifier and a manufacturer display to keep.

In practice, the scale looks like this:

• Bottom of the scale — common vehicle, standard console, entry-level screen, no special equipment to keep.
• Middle — better-quality screen, specific fascia, steering wheel control interface, sometimes a reversing camera in the same workshop visit.
• Top of the scale — premium or recent vehicle, large screen or dual-screen setup (console + instrument cluster), keeping the factory amplifier and displays, additional work such as speakers or a complete sound system.

1. The vehicle. The more recent and well equipped it is, the more interfaces are needed to lose nothing from the original.
2. The screen's size and quality. An entry-level 7-inch and a responsive 10-inch aren't in the same league.
3. The fascia. Standard or moulded specifically for your console.
4. Steering wheel controls. Keeping them requires an interface and learning each button one by one.
5. The factory amplifier and displays. Keeping them costs more than sacrificing them — but sacrificing them is usually not a good idea on a recent vehicle.
6. Dismantling time. From 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the console.
7. What you add. Reversing camera, dashcam, speakers: combining the dismantling in a single appointment costs much less than coming back.

Some of our work looks nothing like replacing a head unit. On some premium vehicles, we don't fit a screen: we replace a whole display set. Two panels — one in the centre of the console, one in place of the instrument cluster — with the same visual logic as the original, and CarPlay available on both.

We carry out this type of setup on Porsche Macans and several Mercedes models, among others. Availability depends on the model and year: tell us yours and we'll confirm what exists for your car.

The price follows, for good reasons:

• Two screens instead of one — twice the hardware, and an integration that has to work together.
• The instrument cluster — we're working on the area that shows your driving information. Careful dismantling, clean wiring, full checks before we give you the car back.
• The finish — on these cars, a one-millimetre gap or a plastic part that doesn't sit right is immediately visible. We don't hand back a premium interior with an approximate fascia.
• Workshop time — allow a full day's work, not two hours.

A good part of the gap between our price and an online listing simply comes down to what's in the box. We work with recent platforms: latest-generation processors, enough memory for the interface to stay smooth after a year, and software that still receives updates.

This isn't a spec-sheet detail. An underpowered screen takes several seconds to show CarPlay at start-up, drops out when navigation and music run at the same time, and stops evolving as soon as your phone moves to a major new version. That's exactly the hardware we're asked to replace a year after fitting — and that second installation is paid at full price.

A €120 screen on a marketplace is often sold on its own. You'll be missing the fascia, the harness, the antenna adapter and the steering wheel control interface — several dozen euros of accessories, assuming you've identified the right ones for your model.

Add that nobody checks compatibility for you, and you understand why some customers arrive at our workshop with a box and a problem rather than a bargain.

This isn't an argument against buying online: we sell online too. It's an argument for comparing like with like.

We don't give random prices, and we won't make you come in to find out. Send us three pieces of information:

• the make and model;
• the year of first registration;
• a photo of your console and current head unit.

We reply with a firm price, part and fitting included, and we also tell you when a cheaper option will do. If you book, the part is usually in stock and you drive away equipped the same day.