Hey Guys, couple things I discovered while doing the CIC retrofit on my car that I thought I would share. I haven't seen it documented anywhere else.

1. The 8.8" CCC display and 8.8" CIC display (Both Alpine) use the same TFT display/backlight assembly, there is no difference and the newer unit is not "higher resolution", it just looks that way. If you have a bad backlight, you can buy/swap the screen with the lower cost CCC version of the display. The PCBA inside the display is actually the same part, just with a few different parts populated. To swap, disconnect the 4 flex cables by lifting up on the dark tabs and then gently lifting up the cable using a small pick tool. Note the tab on the flex cable that must fit correctly into the connector. Remove the PCBA by un-twisting the aluminum tab in the middle of the PCBA and lifting off the board.

2. It's possible to swap screens between units with or without the plastic AR coated window. I prefer the window since I set my phone on the surface below the screen, yet the screen I received with the CIC retrofit had no window. If you swap, you will have one extra connector for the auto-dimming that will have nowhere to go, just tape over it with some Kapton tape and let it float inside.

3, If your car has the USB port in the center console, there is no need to add the new USB port that uses the white FAKRA connector. The car is already wired for it and it sends signals through the Quadlock connector.

4. Use some Tesa tape to wrap the old connectors into the harness so they don't rattle around. Additionally, there are sharp metal parts behind the CIC that could short to the old fan connector, so it is best to insulate the connector if leaving it unplugged. I used a female connector with no pins and plugged it in so there is no exposed conductor.

Hopefully this helps anyone that is planning to do the CIC retrofit.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I have question with the CCC & CIC display. I thought 8.8" CCC display is actually (physically) 2 split displays put together as you have no way to get NAV, TV or any available function to display on full 8.8".

Am I wrong?

 

Nope, same display, as in, the same part number on the LCD panel! I'll take some photos tomorrow to illustrate my point.

 

OMG, does this mean a CIC or NBT can plug directly into CCC screen and there's enough pixels to show everything (i.e. they're the both same resolution)?

 

According to RealOEM.com, you might be right. CCC and CIC units are listed individually where there is only 1 display for both of them.

 

did you get a chance to take those photos?