New aftermarket head unit with full Golf VI MFD integration

[johnsonsabroad]

Hi all,

I found this unit on eBay - Australian seller. The seller reports that it fully integrates with the MFD, air conditioning and parking sensors in a Golf VI 103TDI etc. He has 100% positive feedback and he has reported he fits these for dealers ??

7" GPS DVD IPOD BLUETOOTH RADIO PLAYER 4 VW GOLF TIGUAN JETTA PASAT EOS | eBay

If the link doesnt work the cut & paste the item number: 140685075624

The question is, does anyone have any knowledge of these units. If all seller statements are actually true - it is a good deal. Obviously keeping in mind the old saying "if it looks too good to be true - it probably is" !

I have installed similar units in other types of vehicles with some success (not with integration however) and expect that sound quality will be average.

Any thoughts would be good if you know of this unit.

Thanks to all
Brett.

[macdub]

Hi all,

I found this unit on eBay - Australian seller. The seller reports that it fully integrates with the MFD, air conditioning and parking sensors in a Golf VI 103TDI etc. He has 100% positive feedback and he has reported he fits these for dealers ??

7" GPS DVD IPOD BLUETOOTH RADIO PLAYER 4 VW GOLF TIGUAN JETTA PASAT EOS | eBay

If the link doesnt work the cut & paste the item number: 140685075624

The question is, does anyone have any knowledge of these units. If all seller statements are actually true - it is a good deal. Obviously keeping in mind the old saying "if it looks too good to be true - it probably is" !

I have installed similar units in other types of vehicles with some success (not with integration however) and expect that sound quality will be average.

Any thoughts would be good if you know of this unit.

Thanks to all
Brett.

I just emailed the seller and he said that the unit doesn't integrate with MFD

[johnsonsabroad]

Amazing, I emailed him with the following question: Does it integrate with centre dash muti-function display, air conditioner, parking sensors on the Golf VI.


and his reply was: "hi mate, yes, it will work with the muti function display, air condition and parking sensors"
???

[macdub]

his reply was: "hi mate,
it does not support MFD, but will work with steering wheel control"
something to do with car model ????

[johnsonsabroad]

I think I will stay away from the aftermarket all together - better to look for a 2nd hand original RNS 510 me thinks.

Thanks for the info - a great help, truly.

Regards,
Brett.

[macdub]

yes i am thinking the same..will prefer RNS 510..i emailed again and he reconfirmed that it will fit in POLO GTI but won't integrate with MFD..

[DkN]

I think I will stay away from the aftermarket all together - better to look for a 2nd hand original RNS 510 me thinks.

Thanks for the info - a great help, truly.

Regards,
Brett.

Why? The aftermarket copies are often a lot more flexible than OEM and the only thing you sacrifice is usually MFD compatibility. I don't know how often you actually use the MFD for the head unit, but if steering controls still work, for me that is never. My MFD is always on fuel consumption or something else much more useful than music track listing.

As a side note, if you buy direct from the manufacturer instead of through an Australian distributor / reseller of some sort, as this ebay seller clearly is, expect the units to be $200AUD cheaper. They should be around $400 landed.

[zei20t]

the best part (to me) are the navigation prompts coming up on the MFD when youre on a journey.

RNS510 FTW

[Ryan_R]

It may advertise more features, but I bet it also has more glitches/bugs. It's running Windows CE 6.0 for crying out loud

[DkN]

Actually my dad has a similar aftermarket unit in his Audi Q5 running WinCE 6.0 and it runs great. Just don't try to run WinCE as a smartphone platform and it's snappy and stable enough.

The navigation prompts on the MFD is a nice feature but is it worth the price difference? Putting it another way would you pay $2,000 for navigation prompts as an option, or $600-$1000 even if assuming you're buying a second hand RNS510? A glance at the headunit screen surely is not that difficult. But then again, I've always been the practicality over premium type.

Don't forget all the flexibility and tinkering if you're into it, from an aftermarket unit with proper hardware. USB, custom apps, your choice of maps (iGO8, iPrimo with any custom skins you'd like, plus maps as up to date as you can be bothered finding them), add-on in-seat displays, even Wi-Fi through your phone if you're really into it. I've also seen units out there running full android honeycomb, though that's a little extreme.

[johnsonsabroad]

Thanks, good points on all sides.

Glitches/Bugs: WinCE is only used to run NAV and the previous China units that I've owned have had zero problems running iGO. You never ever see WInCE on the unit I have in the other car. So not a big issue for me.

Do I really need MFD integration??

Buy direct & save $200: I have done that before and luckily have had no problem with the unit. A warranty claim means sending the unit back to China. My preference is to send it to Sydney.

So overall it is not such a bad idea if I can live without MFD integration.

Thanks again for all the response. Has helped.

This particular unit appears on the surface as one of the better ones. Decisions, decisions....

Rgs
Brett

[Ryan_R]

The Windows thing was just a joke btw

[johnsonsabroad]

The Windows thing was just a joke btw

Ok. Thanks

[calibrated]

Have you considered a Zenec unit?

Retains all factory integration, has local warranty, local support, top quality specs.

[johnsonsabroad]

Calibrated, thanks for the info. The Zenec unit look the part with MFD integration and iGo NAV software. The price tag ($1999) is a bit hefty for me however, and would probably be more inclined to spend $1100 on an actual RNS510. Not sure I can stand up a valid business case for the RNS510 even (WAF - very low)

Cheers.