996 PCM Stereo options

Just recently brought a 996 Turbo and it has the original PCM Stereo Nav and Telephone unit. I am keen to keep it original as possible but wondered what the options might be for a replacement or something to get apple car play onboard. Thanks

Check out this thread for the Sadocom PCCM clone. https://911uk.com/porsche/aliexpress-996-pccm-style-head-unit.123329/ I have one in mine along with BOSE, Audiocontrol line driver and wireless charging pad... works great with carplay and has all the punch of the original PCM.

You could go pccm+ but it’s an expensive upgrade but it keeps the factory look. I’ve done the switch and it’s way better than the old technology but you could get something similar for less it just depends on how original you want to keep it

I have a genuine PCCM+ in my 4S. My opinion is if you have a 996.1 then get the clone, the PCCM+ is nice, but for its price it should have more support from Porsche and there’s nothing special for you in the genuine PCCM+. Your turbo is a 996.2 however so there’s a few bonuses over the clone for you. PCCM+ comes with a most fibre optic converter, there’s cheap stereo ones for sale for around £50 but if you like the sound in your car or have bose for the cheap head unit you will want one with 6 inputs which will run you around £200 just for the box. You already have GPS in your car, the real PCCM+ will let you plug the original antenna straight in the back while the cheap unit has a different connection I believe. The real PCCM also has dash integration, your radio station/song name/who’s calling will show on your instrument clusters centre screen. Similarly when you use the TomTom maps on the PCCM+ your navigation directions also show on this screen. Could be wrong about this one but the cheap ones I’ve seen have red backlighting rather than the OEM amber but this may just be the one I’ve seen, others may have correct lighting. If you just spent turbo money then maybe go for the PCCM+, the PCM’s still sell on eBay around £400 so selling the original will make the price hurt a little less

Thanks for the advice. As you say having just purchased the car, the PCCM+ does seem like the right option so i may have to put up with the old unit for a while. I have the old telephone plumbed in as well so need to get that removed cleanly for now just to tidy up and have somewhere to mount my phone.

How retro does that look with the phone. As for phone mount check the ones out on eBay that attach around the hazard switch

Coincidentally regarding phone mounting I’m going to shamelessly plug my own eBay shop if that’s allowed? I sell a replacement part for cars with the phone kit so you can use the space to mount a mobile phone. https://ebay.io/m/QVkQHS Here’s how it looks.

Looks good

I like the look of that, but your shop link says its unsafe.

Unsafe? it's just an eBay listing, maybe something is picking up the shortened link I got from the app, here's the same listing as a full link copied from my browser rather than a shortened one. maybe that's it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267683674416?mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

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A few corrections on the clones: 1. There's support for the fiber optic connections they just cost a bit extra from the same seller 2. GPS antenna connection is the same 3. Backlighting is fully controllable RGB, you can make it any colour you want. Also to note, the actual units (regardless of the porsche fascia) are FYT with a whole forum for support ( https://xdaforums.com/f/fyt-android-head-units.12445/ ) and if you get a top of the range one 7870 it will be more responsive than the PCCM+. I'm not sure I would call them cheap at nearly half a grand for the top of the range ones, it's just the PCCM+ which is obscenely overpriced for what it is

Interesting to note, when I searched the GPS connection on the back wasn't Faker so guessing there are inconsistencies in who's selling what version or have changed. Guessing the one I saw wasn't set up correctly in that case as had red illumination. Do the clones offer the instrument cluster integration? Also do they have an option for an interface menu like the Porsche one? from what I see they have a very non OEM android head unit look to the interface which I'm really not a fan of. Obscenely overpriced I guess is subjective for an OEM head unit, it's still far cheaper than any head unit upgrades were on any of their vehicles when new. Do you have a link for the 7870 one you mentioned with MOST adapter? I'm struggling to find a listing for one.

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I don't think Owtosin UIS7870 Android 13 12G+256G Car Radio GPS Autoradio Navigation Player For Porsche 911 996 Boxster 986 Auto CarPlay Audio - AliExpress 34 Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com I don't believe you can have the middle dash screen display navigation, no. The launcher is customisable between 2-3 options out of the box and you can also install nova launcher and get the homescreen looking like you want it, can also set up your boot up logo and video to what you want, or even install a different OS. For example I have a porsche logo with a speed yellow background boot-up image to match my car, porscha font, have customised the physical buttons to launch Spotify and Waze, and the main screen is very minimal with just an angled porsche crest. I'm running DuduOS which is great in terms of settings and layout when I do need go into menus etc. Sadocom is the most well known seller but I wouldn't recommend him, better to buy from owtosin. Someone might correct me but I think owtosin is the original merchant that developed the fascia with the help of a rennlist member as well.

Understood. just a few things I noticed that may worth taking into account when comparing the two. Looking at the linked clone, what they show as a MOST adapter here is one of the basic stereo ones that just take in 2 channels and crudely control volume by increasing and decreasing gain and letting the ADC in the box convert this to an acceptable MOST signal. the PCCM+ one offers stereo plus comms to directly communicate with the amp, essentially it sends a left and right signals to MOST transceiver at a set level to maintain audio quality and the comms lines tell the amplifier the comms for volume, balance, fader and subwoofer control separately. This is why the clone isn't capable of adjusting fader, it just interprets the two RCA signals but has no was to communicate forwards and backwards or perform any other more complex communications with the amp. The more expensive MOST boxes for aftermarket units I mentioned offer the 6 channels to simulate the comms control for front to back for fader control but even then they are lacking direct comms so rely on interpreting the channels and in any case this unit only looks to offer stereo out so wouldn't be compatible with a 6 channel adapter Also the GPS for the original PCM's connect via a FAKRA connector, not the plug used for the antenna in the kit (10) which is an SMA screw, so unlike the PCCM+ you can't just directly plug in your factory fitted antenna and instead need to use theirs, another aftermarket one or buy an adapter. The radio antenna plug (8) also is an issue if you had a factory PCM. Radios like the CDR23 use a DIN antenna like the one in the clone but PCM's also had FAKRA connectors for this like the GPS, the PCCM+ rather has a FAKRA plug on the Stereo. The clone also looks to be missing an AM/FM booster bypass and AM/FM/DAB booster and splitter box, without this the factory booster will attenuate DAB frequencies giving poorer reception from the factory antenna in the window. The PCCM+ has who adapter depending on your setup. one is to bypass a PCCM+ booster with diversity and another is a long adapter to bypass a CDR booster and give you a FAKRA connector on the end. I'm not so sure the clone unit would be more responsive the the PCCM+ despite having a quicker processor as the PCCM+ has a very basic optimised OEM radio style interface with no bells and whistles but it as a result is very fluid as with most stereo's you get in new cars though I imagine most people are going to be using android auto or CarPlay most of the time anyway so this isn't too relevant. The other thing to note is the included adapters, the PCCM+ kit has extras to ensure you can fit it to any 996 while the clone may leave someone less familiar with stereo installation franticly searching for why their radio isn't working if it's missing adapters. Like the PCCM+ includes a fibre optic loop to bypass a CD changer if you have one fitted. Both units are perfectly great options and don't get me wrong, for the money the clone seems like fantastic value and offers extras like back up camera integration and the option to add a SIM card that you don't get with the PCCM+ and for most people it's probably the correct option. But for sound quality and an OEM style experience in terms of connections, menu's and instrument cluster integration, the PCCM+ is my unit of choice but I agree it comes at an elevated cost which won't make sense for many 9x6 gen cars. I wouldn't buy one for my old Boxster but for a 4S or Turbo the price isn't extortionate relative to the overall cost of the car it is going in to maintain a factory feel with modern functions

The antenna adapter comes in the box. I stand corrected on the GPS connection, yes it is a FAKRA, so you can either replace the OEM puck at the top of the dashboard (30 minutes) or buy an adapter for 7.99. Not familiar with the fiber optic setup apart from knowing it's a different ISO harness and a lot more involved than the pictured box. If you are really considering either you can watch the clone install videos by rennline where they go over it. Personally for a turbo I would be buying a better than OEM quality aftermarket amp and speakers anyway and still come in at a lower price than the Porsche pccm+ alone. Don't forget to buy an extra dongle if you want wireless carplay when you go with the £1,562 Porsche option.