Upgrading stereo in VW Golf MK6

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Hi all,

Looking for expert opinions on what i can do to upgrade the stereo unit on my VW Golf MK6 (59 plate). Currently it is the bog standard CD player with radio, which is painful when most of your music is on Spotify.

I was looking at buying a £100 or so head unit from Halfords that has bluetooth or an aux in, but then I wondered if i could get a more modern Volkswagen head unit that supports AUX/Bluetooth and fit it myself. Looking on eBay it appears there are a number of units that should fit and do the job for a similar price, just wondering what people on here would recommend?

Cheers.
 
Depending on what you would spend on a VW unit, you could fit an RNS-315 bluetooth. Yes they aren't as large screened as the RNS-510, but they are more responsive (faster), will play back from SD Card, Aux, Bluetooth, as well as have DAB. I've literally just updated the maps on the wifes to the latest V9 release (late 2016). You also gain bluetooth hands free, though you will have to fit the microphone too (not that hard, took me 15 minutes).

I added one of these to the wife's Polo and replaced the standard RCD-310 the car came with. Ours is technically a SEAT branded unit, but it makes little odds, the only difference is the splash screen that comes on during ignition for a few seconds.

Linky: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-RNS315...239663?hash=item1ebeb03c2f:g:c6sAAOSwHMJYFoEs (VW Branded, though this is a NON-DAB version)

Or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-RNS3...255779?hash=item1ebf0c08a3:g:c6sAAOSwHMJYFoEs (DAB, but SEAT branded)
 
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Mk6 has aux in in the centre arm rest doesn't it?! We have a Mk6 with the most crappy RNS210 and I could have sworn we've used mp3 players through the aux in before.
 
It'll be an RCD210 (RCD=Radio CD, RNS=Radio Navigation), but yes it should have Aux. Even if it doesn't you can add aux with a few wires I seem to remember.
 
Participant said:
Mk6 has aux in in the centre arm rest doesn't it?! We have a Mk6 with the most crappy RNS210 and I could have sworn we've used mp3 players through the aux in before.
Click to expand...

Not mine - i triple checked it as i read that online too, i think its quite a basic model I own (1.4L, 3DR, 59 plate). A few of the pictures I saw show an 'AUX' section within the centre console too where it has 'ESP OFF' button etc. This is pretty much the model I have.
 
Would an RNS315 fit a mk5 seat Ibiza? I have an aftermarket dab / Bluetooth head unit fitted at the moment but if I could get one of these cheap enough, it would look a lot better, would probably function better with my stalk and would offer nav too.

It looks slightly too square for the hole in my dashboard, might just be me thinking that though. perhaps some outer casing would also be required?
 
Unfortunately not no. The hole in the dash isn't tall enough for the fascia of the RNS310/315 units.

The Touareg specific RNS510 "almost" fits, but isn't quite flush.

Surely though you could get the stalk working with the right aftermarket interface (connects2 maybe?).

If I was desperate for "built-in" nav in an Ibiza, I'd probably try an "oem-look" style unit:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DVD-Playe...733123?hash=item4ad320f803:g:cDMAAOxy0zhTPSiE
 
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RCD510 would be my recommendation, RNS has sat nav support - more pricey than the 'non-nav' equivalent.
 
nas said:
RCD510 would be my recommendation, RNS has sat nav support - more pricey than the 'non-nav' equivalent.
Click to expand...

It's not that simple though. RCD/RNS510 need external bluetooth modules as well as the radio itself, making it more expensive than just putting an RNS310/315 in the car in the first place.
 
In fairness, nav would be just a nice thing to have, not the biggest feature I was after, most importantly, Bluetooth for music and calls, dab radio and usb playback are the most important, which I already have, but with a single din head unit, something that looked nicer and more oem and functioned well is what I was thinking.

As for the stalk controls, they do sort of work now using a connects2 adaptor, volume up / down work, the clicky roller skips tracks but the top and bottom skip buttons do nothing and the function button just puts the head unit into standby.
 
Like I said then, the Android based "oem style" are usually worth a punt. Had one in the Wife's BMW E46 compact before part-ex'ing for the Polo, they work well enough, they have a decent feature set, and usually (as with the one I linked to above) they have the steering wheel control interface built in (and are usually customizable too).
 
paradigm said:
Like I said then, the Android based "oem style" are usually worth a punt. Had one in the Wife's BMW E46 compact before part-ex'ing for the Polo, they work well enough, they have a decent feature set, and usually (as with the one I linked to above) they have the steering wheel control interface built in (and are usually customizable too).
Click to expand...

Thanks, maybe I'll give one a go, I was just worried with it being quite cheap and the software built on top of Android, it would have various bugs and would require things to be messed with and updated, I wanted to avoid that if possible.
 
Some great advice there paradigm. Spot on - I own the RNS-315 in my '13 plate VW CC and was looking to upgrade to the RNS-510. read up about how its a much slower unit and requires bluetooth module as an extra etc so gave up on it.

A mate of mine had the 'rns-510' in his 09 plate CC so I took a look - it was one of these 'android' ones and I was really surprised it had USB cables and all sorts on the back of it. They also show the heating controls when you change them and support reversing cameras etc - was really surprised at how functional these units are compared to OEM versions.

Shame I can't just chuck an amp in somewhere as I wanted a bit more oomph. These OEM units mess with the sound too much when you adjust the volume.

Where did you get the SD card to update the maps for the RNS-315 from please? Mine are well out of date.
 
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Hi Guys,

came across this thread as i was going to ask the same question - I have a gold mk6 (59 plate) which has the standard unit installed and i would like to upgrade mine however there are so many different make and models out there which is very confusing.

i just need something with bluetooth and USB to use my iphone (CARPLAY will be ideal) - maybe DAB if possible. I dont relly know if i can trust the ones i have seen coming from china ? heard you have also pay extra VAT or what have you.

my budget is up to £250 - not fussed on camera or the extra gadget.

any suggestions will be great and thanks in advanced
 
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Installed a Pioneer SPH-DA120 in my Mk6 in May of this year really pleased with it.

Using the factory fitted speakers, one thing to note though if you want to retain the parking sensors displaying on the head unit & steering wheel controls you will need to also fit a 3rd party interface (mine was a connects2).

All the above is very simple to fit just plug & play.

Hope this helps

Cheers all
 
Sorry for perhaps amateur Q..
What is needed for RNS315 to RNS510 upgrade? The car in question also has Bluetooth and a reversing camera. Thanks!

Is the upgrade even worth it?
 
Worth it? Depends on how you define worth. You get split screen and 3d maps with the RNS510. The screen is bigger, and touch screen too. It is a nicer looking unit, and a bit more modern feeling.

However, if your car has the RNS315, then the BT is probably built in. So you will need to source, and fit the BT module for the RNS510. Probably an extra £100 or so on the cost of upgrade. That's probably the only extra cost really though, other than actual unit price differences.

You won't need anything else, as it will all be plug and play. Maybe a small amount of coding, but unlikely given that most of the features you find in VCDS will already be activated (such as nav and BT).

Cost to change actual units could be relatively small. If your RNS315 is a DAB version, it'll be worth a similar amount to the non-DAB RNS510, maybe £50 or so difference. If you want to keep DAB, your probably looking at between £100-150 extra.

Personally, I was looking for the RNS315 for my mk5 Golf. Got a decent deal on an RNS510 though, so went for that instead. I regret it, because of the BT issue. Mine came with a Fiscon unit, which I hate. OEM would have been much better. I do have a Parrot unit, but I hate that too. I have, ever since, been considering the "downgrade" to the RNS315, rather than forking out the extra £100 or so for OEM BT module. BUT, I'm not sure I'd be happy anymore with the non-split screen, non-3D maps now I've had them. And as I'd want a DAB unit, it's not like there would be any "cashback" with the downgrade. So it'd be loosing functionality for the BT alone. I think if I do anything to it, I will probably just go for an OEM BT module to add to the RNS.

So, with all that said, if I had the RNS315 already, I wouldn't bother with the upgrade. You could be looking at potentially spending a couple hundred quid to get a touch screen and 3D maps. Money that would probably be better spent getting an amp (line level) for the RNS315 and having a better overall sound in your car. And some people prefer the actual physical buttons on the RNS315 anyway to the touchscreen on the RNS510.
 
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