Upgrading a car’s infotainment system can be a game-changer, offering features like CarPlay for seamless smartphone integration. This post delves into a personal experience upgrading a Fiat 124 Spider’s system to firmware version 70.00.100, focusing on encountered touchscreen issues and CarPlay compatibility.
The upgrade process, using the serial method from 59.00.563 to 70.00.100, was relatively smooth, thanks to resources from the Mazda AOI community. Post-upgrade, the system boasted the v70 FIAT AIO Tweak with options like touchscreen functionality while moving and a rotating background. Initial tests were successful, with CarPlay activation and navigation functioning as expected.
However, after three weeks of driving, intermittent problems surfaced. The Mazda logo briefly appeared before the Abarth animation on startup, and the touchscreen would become unresponsive after 5-10 minutes of driving. System control remained accessible via the command wheel and Siri voice commands through the steering wheel. Notably, the touchscreen issue seemed to accelerate when CarPlay was active. The system did not experience complete CMU freezes.
Troubleshooting steps included unpairing the phone to isolate potential Bluetooth conflicts, as initial CarPlay crashes were followed by phone contact updates. While a new USB cable seemed to resolve the crashing issue, the touchscreen problem persisted. Disabling Bluetooth in the car settings and performing a Bluetooth forget on the phone led to the car identifying itself as “Mazda” instead of “124 Spider” upon re-pairing.
Despite these challenges, core functionalities like Fiat Navigation and CarPlay remained operational. The primary concerns remain the intermittent touchscreen unresponsiveness and the change in Bluetooth identification.
Several questions arise: Is the touchscreen instability while moving a common issue with the 70.00.100 firmware? Are there solutions or workarounds to address this? Does the order of applying tweaks after the firmware update impact stability? Could reinstalling the tweaks, potentially prioritizing the V70 FIAT tweaks last, offer a fix? Finally, what might cause the car to revert to a Mazda Bluetooth identification after the troubleshooting steps?
While the upgrade has brought significant improvements, resolving the touchscreen issue is crucial for optimal usability. Further investigation and potential solutions are being explored to ensure a fully functional and reliable infotainment experience.
Any insights or suggestions regarding these issues, particularly concerning firmware version 70.00.100 and its interaction with the Fiat 124 Spider’s system, would be greatly appreciated. Experience with similar upgrades or troubleshooting techniques could prove invaluable in resolving these remaining challenges.
