Head unit upgrades which would work with dynaudio

[teodeh]

My situation is that we have a MY12 Mk6 Golf R w/RCD510 and factory dynaudio amp/speakers, factory bluetooth and an ipod connector. I've owned it since new, so 7 years or so now.

We also have a MY18 Passat - speakers are nearly as good, and the head unit is so much more usable (and further integrated into the car itself - I don't imagine it would be simple to ever upgrade the head unit here!). Using apple carplay is so much on the newer passat than the golf - especially now that we can use the phone's map apps (Waze!)

I like the speakers and amp in the golf, but i've always hated the head unit. it's slow and fiddly to use - if you're in the mood for a specific album, for example, it will take 2-4 minutes of fiddling with the scroll bars if you have a lot of music on the SD card or ipod or whatever.

I have tried to do some research but have questions that I hope the forum can help with

1. If we uprade the head unit, what do I need to do to maintain a connection to the dynaudio amp/speakers - if the new head unit has pre-outs, can I assume these will be compatible (I see some sites offering kits)

2. Can/should aftermarket head units use the factory bluetooth microphone?

3. I did consider the RCD330 - but I seem to read a lot mostly negative experiences when using a dynaudio amp - this seems like it would be a good solution except for this

4. do I need to do any coding or anything if the head unit disappears?

5. do we lose any functionality if we get an aftermarket As far as I know, the head unit displays air-con status changes, but otherwise doesn't really 'do' anything in terms of car settings (vs the passat, where most things are done using the 'head unit's screen)

[Lucas_R]

You should speak to the guys at VCDS Coding and Diagnostics Sydney - Home | Facebook

[kamold]

The best OEM solution is to use a Discover Media unit. Its the same as the B8 essentially but in a 2DIN package rather than a seperate screen and head unit (minus the car settings, they are not available in PQ platform cars, only MQB)
Fully factory integration and support for Dynaudio, microphone etc. Carplay and Android auto, optional DAB etc.
Not cheap but the best solution in my opinion.

Alternatively you can use an aftermarket solution like Pioneer, Alpine etc and then use a line out converter to connect to the amp.
Not as elegent but if you prefer the aftermarket solution it will still give you great sound.

If you go aftermarket you don't need to change any coding. It may result in some faults on the gateway about missing modules but it won't affect functionality. You can then fix up the coding at some point in the future.