Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful and honest review on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. We’re glad to hear you’re enjoying some of the upgrades from your 13 Pro to the 16 Pro Max, but we’re truly sorry that connectivity issues with your car have made the experience more frustrating than exciting. That’s definitely not the seamless transition we want for you. You can also complete our self- service form: https://www.att.com/get-support/?source=ILC208383817, where our experts can check on your device and make sure the device is a new one not refurbished.
We’d like to learn more about what’s happening so we can help troubleshoot and get you back to enjoying your new device without interruptions. In the meantime, If you have previously connected other devices to CarPlay, try forgetting those connections. This can sometimes resolve conflicts that prevent your iPhone from connecting. By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the connection issue between your iPhone 16 Pro Max and CarPlay. If problems persist, consider consulting your car's manual or contacting Apple Support for further assistance.