Clear calls on your Brummstadt unit

Mic not clear on calls?

Watch this part from 0:00

Your Brummstadt unit has a tiny built-in mic, the little hole in the glass. It sits low in the dash, close to the fan and the vents, a long way from your mouth. The little external mic sits up near your head, so your voice gets there first, not the fan or the road.

Two names you will see: Factory Setting is the menu where the mic settings live, and mic gain is how loud you sound to the person you are calling.

Have ready

• Your phone, paired with the unit by Bluetooth, for a test call at the end.
• The little external mic.
• About ten minutes. Watch the video once, then start again and follow along.

Where should the mic go?

Watch this part from 1:01

Do the fitting with the ignition off. The car's own roof mic usually isn't connected to your Brummstadt unit, so use the little external mic.

1. Best spot: the top of the driver's pillar, or the roof lining right beside the visor. Not on the visor itself, it flips down.
2. Point the opening at your mouth, keep the foam on, and keep it off air vents and speakers.
3. If the pillar trim says SRS or airbag, nothing goes on that trim: no clip, no tape, no cable, and don't prise it off. Use the roof lining beside the visor instead.
4. Hold the mic with the clip that came with it, or a small tie, so it can't dangle or rattle. Lay the lead along the route first, to check it reaches.
5. Run the cable under the dash, up behind the rubber door seal, and tuck it in along the front edge of the roof lining. Tie it to the car's own wiring, never to anything airbag, leave a little slack, and keep it well away from the pedals and the steering column.
6. Behind the unit, the plug goes into the lead marked MIC, not the AUX lead, and it pushes in until it seats.

How do I know the mic is plugged in properly?

Watch this part from 2:53

An easy test, and you don't need to pull the unit out. Best done before the dash trim goes back on.

1. Park up and turn the key to accessory so the screen is on. These menus are for when you are stopped.
2. Open a voice recorder app (not the dash cam one) and start recording. Tap the little mic, then tap the hole in the glass, and play it back.
3. If the little mic sounds loud and clear, it is plugged in and working.
4. No recorder app on your unit? Ring a friend over Bluetooth, hold the little mic to your mouth, then speak toward the hole in the glass, and ask which one sounds clearer.

What does mic gain do?

Watch this part from 3:33

Mic gain is how loud you sound to the person you are calling. It lives in Factory Setting, under Customized Setting. Screens look a bit different from unit to unit, depending on the software and the theme, so go by the names.

1. Open your apps and tap CarSetting, then System Settings, bottom right.
2. This list also has Factory Reset. That one wipes your apps and settings, so leave it alone. Tap Factory Setting, the last one in the list, then the Factory Setting button.
3. Enter the code 16176699 and tap Confirm. All eight digits open the whole menu, mic settings included.
4. On the left, swipe up until you see Customized Setting and tap it. Gain Setting is your music and radio volume, not the mic.
5. On the right, swipe up until you see mic gain. Take a photo of the page first, so you can always put it back.
6. Tap mic gain and set it to 7. On most units, 7 is the highest. If your unit also has a bt mic gain row, set that to 7 too. Leave everything else on this page as it is.
7. Keep swiping up on the right, nearly to the bottom, and look for External Mic. Only tick it once the mic is plugged in. If the box is empty, give it a tick. No External Mic row? Then your unit doesn't need it, mic gain does the job.
8. Tap Save, the last word at the top right, just once. The unit saves and restarts by itself: you see the Brummstadt logo, then your home screen. Give your phone a moment to connect again.

How do I test the mic?

Watch this part from 6:07

1. Ring someone over Bluetooth from the unit, and just talk normally from your seat.
2. If you mostly call through CarPlay or Android Auto, test that too. If only that call sounds poor, check on your phone's call screen that the audio is going through the car.
3. If they hear you less clearly, or not at all, put the mic settings back from your photo, untick External Mic if you ticked it, tap Save, and test again.

Still muffled, hissing or echoing?

Watch this part from 7:03

1. The plug: pushed right in. If you need to, ease the unit forward with the ignition off, then do the tap test.
2. The spot: opening at your mouth, off the vents, close to you.
3. Noise: fine when you are parked but bad on the road? That is usually wind, the fan or the vents, not a faulty mic. Windows up, fan down a notch.
4. Callers hear hiss, or say you are too loud? Try mic gain one step lower. An echo? Turn the call volume down a little.
5. Still muffled after all that? Hold the mic right at your mouth for a test call. Clear means it just needs a better spot. Still bad? Plug it into a laptop or a phone with a mic socket. If it is quiet there too, the mic is faulty and needs replacing.