iPhone 15 ProMax Carplay broken after software update

I have read the numerous reports of aftermarket USB-C cables breaking CarPlay, but surely it couldn't happen to me if I use Apple's own cable that came with the phone, right? Well...it did. The latest iOS refresh managed to break even something that should have been unbreakable.

CarPlay hasn't been entirely without issue on Lightning phones, but, by and large, most of the hiccups have been resolved. Sure, I have to press the "Connect" button (when it should just connect automatically) on my VW once every three connections or so, but that's a quirk I can live with (and one that's probably more VW's fault than Apple's, because the connection on my wife's Ford Fusion has basically always worked flawlessly). Once I switched to the 15, nothing has worked correctly.

• Fusion: tried a generic USB-C to USB-A cable (Apple didn't get the memo that not all cars have USB-C to USB-C), that didn't work. Bought a Belkin BoostCharge USB-C cable that Apple themselves sell, thinking that would do the trick. After all, it costs four times more than the generic, surely it's been tested and approved, right? Not so much. With the Belkin, CarPlay authorization actually came up and the SYNC module is recognized within the CarPlay settings in the phone, but nothing actually shows up on the screen. (Meanwhile, my wife's iPhone 12 works flawlessly, so it's definitely not the issue with the car.)
• VW: when I first got the phone and used the cable that came in the box, it actually worked fine. But the latest iOS (17.1 (21B5066a)) build put an end to that. The phone charges, but doesn't connect. Chatting with Apple's support has resulted in the suggestions of (1) change the phone's name and (2) reset all the network settings (which is an incredible inconvenience as it forgets all the saved wi-fi passwords on the phone, some of which are going to be pretty difficult to obtain again). Of course, neither solution has actually worked. (Meanwhile, my wife's iPhone 12...you can finish this sentence yourself.)

In Apple's infinite desire to do things its own special way, it went and broke one of the most important features the phone had. I get the desire to protect one's own intellectual property (and rake in money hand over fist charging anywhere between $20 and $40 for a cable that should cost $5), but I am not even using an aftermarket cable in the VW! This is a feature I need, daily - and if not fixed soon, this iPhone is going back to Costco and is becoming the last one I buy. I am not so wedded to Apple's ecosystem that a high-end Android phone (with a better camera, mind) won't work for me just fine.