![]() ![]() The fact that he’s busy every day of the week, updating cars from all over the US and Canada, suggests we’ve really only touched the tip of the iceberg.Sometimes fixing the problem can be as simple as unplugging your phone from the USB port and plugging it back in, or turning the car on and off again. The fact that a young man with no previous experience is able to operate one of the leading companies in the game from a coastal corner of our nation is testament to how new this whole “flashing” thing is. Most upgrades are sent back to their owners within a week. There, Cole uses a computer system that is “the equivalent of a car” to reformat or tweak the module’s programming. Owners simply remove the onboard computer module, an act that Cole says can be “as simple as replacing a cabin air filter,” and ship it to Coastal Flash’s HQ on the West Coast. Similar services by Coastal Flash’s North American competition cost US$900, but by keeping his overhead low, Cole is able to offer the CarPlay/Android Auto HMI Upgrade for almost half the price.Ĭonveniently, most flashing tasks don’t require a technician to actually lay hands on the car. According to a Mazda Canada spokesperson, the retrofit includes a hardware and software update that takes about 1.5 hours at a Mazda dealer and costs $445. Mazda, however, does.Ĭanadian Mazda owners are able to retrofit CarPlay or Auto into any Mazda that’s equipped with the Mazda Connect infotainment system, including the 2014 Mazda3, 2016 Mazda6, 2016 MX-5, 2016 CX-3, 2016 CX- CX-9. BMW and VW, two brands commonly flashed by amateurs, don’t offer any official retrofitting services at dealer centres. Other automakers require owners to bring their vehicles in for service to receive such updates.Īnd though the majority of new vehicles come with the compatibility built in, for the most part, automakers aren’t helping update the old ones. Tesla, for one, pushes regular software updates to its vehicles when they’re connected to Wifi hotspots. Some modern automakers are already using the constant-update model. You can get Apple CarPlay for your old (2018) Toyota, but not Android Auto. ![]() Google to help GM make infotainment systems more phone-like.Article content Recommended from Editorial This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ![]() Today, Coastal Flash services GM models from 2013 to 2019 exclusively, offering a range of customizations, from updating navigation system to unlocking reverse cameras to function while the vehicle is in motion to allowing for video display in motion and, most commonly, adding Apple CarPlay or Android Auto functionality. “Ten years down the road, the screen could look and act the same as a brand-new car’s”Ĭole, 26, found himself drawn into the industry when he went searching for ways to update the module on his own 2014 GMC Sierra.įinding the existing services lacking and overpriced, he decided to learn how to do it on his own, despite not having any experience in the realm. “Most people know that modern-day cars are almost more computer than car, and basically what flashing does is allows you to add things to your vehicle that weren’t there from the factory,” says Chad Cole, owner/operator of Coastal Flash in Victoria, B.C. ![]()
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