Keks Roadmate - CarPlay

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Tue Jul 22, 2025 6:06 pm

Thought I'd offer a positive update on a device I bought ..so last year Clive posted about a CarPlay device :

CarPlay is great.
As the Flachbau is aimed at long road trips I have put in a radio- none in any of my other Porsches.
Then I stumbled on this
https://www.keksinnovation.com/#/
A 5 inch screen that connects with phone by Bluetooth and transmits audio to the FM radio.
Full CarPlay navigation and hands free phone, can even listen to “Spikes car radio” through the speakers!
All for about £50 with mounting kit/leads etc.
For about £10 more you can even add a reversing camera!
C

Previously Ive had a rennline phone mount which I modded to have a clamp .. these rennline mounts fit to the clock and place your phone at a perfect height to see but not block your view. I still have this set up in my 1973 car as it doesn't have a radio etc so the CarPlay device would be of limited use

Anyway, for my 964 I have all the original radio fitted and I didn't want to replace it . What I did want though was car play so I could use waze and podcasts etc but without having to touch my phone . I never drive any car anywhere without waze on !

Clives link to the Keks product looked good and its was cheap enough so I ordered 2 ... one for my daughters mini and one for me . I cant deny it did take a while to arrive and I had to chase them though .

I modded my rennline phone mount back to a magnetic mount and fitted the new Keks screen to it. Ciggy lighter adapter has one cable to power the keks device and then enough usb so I can charge my phone. Phone pairs perfectly to the CarPlay device and although maybe the screen could be bigger and a bit sharper I find it great. Used in Spain this year and all worked perfectly. Full car play in a 964 without having to change anything

Long and short, I like it for what I need . Some areas could be improved like screen sharpness but that about it . It connects to the phone via wifi so you can still run bluetooth earpieces connected via bluetooth to the phone to answer the phone , listen to the podcasts or music etc

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Tue Jul 22, 2025 6:08 pm

Nine One One · Post by **Nine One One** » Tue Jul 22, 2025 7:21 pm

Does this come from Hong Kong or the UK?
States designed by people in Bristol but prices are is $ ?

https://www.keksinnovation.com/uploads/ ... al_415.pdf

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Tue Jul 22, 2025 9:01 pm

Hong Kong unfortunately

hmg66 · Post by **hmg66** » Tue Jul 22, 2025 10:58 pm

Nice solution. I’m tempted ..any pics from slightly further back for scale?

Pretty much all the latest Chinese offerings are a 7inch screen as a minimum which is too big for our cars.

Did you have any import duties etc etc to pay on top (probably not at £70)?

dean1057 · Post by **dean1057** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:47 pm

Thanks for posting James, looks good, looks ideal for the old cars, I'll get one ordered.

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 2:51 pm

hmg66 · Post by **hmg66** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 8:08 pm

Ordered:)

Just a heads up though ….the code TheAppleGeek gets a 15% discount on checkout.

£55 inc delivery. It appeals to me as the screen is not too big and it will be good for road trips on the older cars. Worth a punt at £55.

Video review here:

https://youtu.be/FvYRc5W7t5I?si=U0ZWP757of-HHXqe

anglophone1 · Post by **anglophone1** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:08 pm

So - long[ish] term review.
Just back from two week long road trips - one to CLM and one to DDK meet [West Cork Ireland is a long way from anywhere] over 2000 miles altogether.
Flachbau has a basic Continental radio [ purchased from Kirk Nunn] - first sound system in any of my four Porsches.
An under dash 70s aftermarket speaker panel provides adequate but hardly Hi- Fi sound.
The roadmate is a real game changer - thanks to Bluetooth connection with phone and FM feed into radio , you get ..................
A really good little screen.
Turn by turn directions through speakers for either Gmaps or Waze.
Music via spotify via speakers.
Podcasts ditto.
Hands free phone calls [ not great with top off on motorway but adequate driving on normal roads with top on and windows up]
In other words- 21st C technology in a 70s/80s car.
At the price I think its a no- brainer!!
C

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:39 pm

Can it Bluetooth to AirPods instead of sound output to FM?

anglophone1 · Post by **anglophone1** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:58 pm

What’s an AirPod?

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Wed Jul 23, 2025 11:08 pm

Gary71 wrote:Can it Bluetooth to AirPods instead of sound output to FM?

I Bluetooth calls , podcasts and music from it / phone yes …. Although the Waze instructions don’t come through for some reason as they stay on the fm. I’ve not tried it without the fm set up

hmg66 · Post by **hmg66** » Sat Aug 02, 2025 7:06 am

Well mine arrived yesterday so 8 days from ordering to my door £55 with a discount code. First impressions are good. Screen a bit laggy but perfectly useable..

It’s the ability to use Bluetooth and a spare FM channel to sync with your old HU that makes it stand out from the completion and this makes it versatile to sync up with older stereos as many don’t have Bluetooth functionality.

Also it’s about the size of an iPhone 15 so the perfect size without looking out of place in an old classic.

Will take some pics over the weekend and report on real world functionality.

One thing that puzzled me although I think I know the answer ?? The website states it’s been the brainchild of a British entrepreneur trying to fill a gap in the market for car enthusiasts and the website prices ,flow, packaging and box/contents are very well thought out. Great instructions and no Chinglish to be seen anywhere.

Why would they not set up a UK/EU website or at least distribution network ? Whilst I’m pretty savvy when it comes to ordering something online and did a bit of due diligence, the Hong Kong thing would be enough to put 95% of UK/EU potential purchasers off?

DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker