I turned an old phone into a permanent Android Auto device, and my main phone never connects to the car anymore

The nature and privilege of my job mean I have countless phones lying around, so I figured it made sense to leave an older Android device in my vehicle as a dedicated Android Auto device.

After that, I configured Android Auto the same way I do on every device, including my Pixel 11 Pro.

This means that I removed several apps from Android Auto's launcher by navigating to Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto > Customize Launcher.

Lastly, I set Start Android Auto Automatically to Always on my phone and in my car, and also turned on Start Android Auto While Locked.

What does using a dedicated Android Auto phone really change?