Which stereo?

[sambo101]

Wow great info in this post!

Will the 330G plug and play with a 2005 mk5?

I am very interested in getting one now.....

I "believe" so - that's what sold it to me, with inbuilt Bluetooth and aux/usb/sd etc so that there is no splicing or additional purchases.

CANBUS upgrade is needed for older models like my 56 I believe

Thanks, what CANBUS upgrade does it require?

[PatchySan]

Received mine yesterday, all fitted up last night. Perfect condition. Not sure if i got the wrong Fakra cable but i had to leave one aerial unplugged but radio reception is fine. The only downside it seems is that i have lost volume control on the steering wheel. Any ideas if this can be rectified? It's no massive problem just a little niggle. The advantages of bluetooth and phone calls easily out weigh it. Very happy!!

You probably got the FAKRA cable that was designed for the MK6 Golfs (Double White if I recall?), ideally you need one that is split to fit both wires in properly like this one. But if it's working fine for now just test to see how it goes, obviously if it gets a bit scratchy then get the cable that I linked.

For the steering wheel controls you probably need to upgrade the module to that of the MK6 version as this has been noted from users of the RCN210. The part number for that is 1K0 953 549 CH (this is backwards compatible with the MK5) and hopefully this should solve your volume control issues on the MFSW.

Thanks, what CANBUS upgrade does it require?

Anything that is 7N0 907 530 is safe to go to prevent battery drain. You can find these for about £20 but will require coding on your vehicle.

[blueislander80]

Mine arrived yesterday, not fitted yet but checked it and it looks to be brand new etc. Can't wait to get it running!

Is the CANBUS for a 56 plate located near the pedals or something? Did I read that wrong?

[trackep]

Honestly i would fit it yourself and save on the labour costs. Just have your phone handy and google it if you get stuck. My car is 2009 ED30. It has been left overnight and all day at work and the battery hasn't gone flat.......so i'm hoping i'm safe haha. Again Patchysan invaluable input and help thank you. Just ordered the fakra lead you linked, yeah i just left one plug loose and the reception has been fine but i would rather have it all connected. Steering module hard to change? will that need coding or anything? Thanks again for your help. I only have evening picture at the minute so doesn't show much, buts it a OE unit and fits and feels 100% OE

[Jonnyed30]

Hi just a quick question about the rcd330 would my 2008 edition 30 need the gateway updating or would it be fine.

[4ndy]

Hi just a quick question about the rcd330 would my 2008 edition 30 need the gateway updating or would it be fine.

You'll be fine  Ive done 2007 with "K" gateway,rcd510DAB and all is good

[Jonnyed30]

Cool cheers mate I didn't wanna have to be messing about with gateways. Seems a lot of hassle

[Mark_DF05]

Do these work with mfsw and mfd? Thinking about getting one to replace my rcd510 as a cheaper option to buying the necessary Bluetooth modules.

[GTi-Tecnix]

Ahh I see. That is why my old battery had died completely when I had installed one of these stereos I bought from China for my MK5 GTI . It was a mystery especially when it was draining my new Bosch battery that I had replaced with the old one! My mechanic has now fitted the live from the stereo direct into the fuse box- to fix this issue of significant power loss/drainage in my MK5 GTI. But I notice the battery is still a bit weak when starting her up  . Do I need to get a Canbus Gateway instead do you think to be on the safe side with the new battery- its going through the mills in this tough weather at the minute? 

Depends on how much you want to spend and what features do you want.

Bare minimum is to upgrade the Canbus Gateway otherwise you will experience Battery Drain with these OEM units. You can get the 7K0 907 530 canbus gateways for about £20 uncoded or about £30-40 precoded.

Most people tend to upgrade to the European RCD510 or RNS510 stereos but it will need the additonal Bluetooth module should you want BT stream and have telephony. It also does not include any USB/AUX options by default, you will need to purchase additional wiring through where the ESP buttons are. And to make things more complicated not all RCD510/RNS510 have DAB. You can tell by looking at the back of the unit, if it has a black port then the unit has DAB. All in all the RCD510/RNS510 while one of the most aesthetically pleasing is also one of the most expensive OEM options you can buy - you'll be looking around £500+ for all the options fitted in.



The next option is the RNS310/RNS315, similar to the RNS510 but has a smaller screen. But the real ace in its sleeve is that it has Bluetooth as standard so you can do telephone (with the optional mic) and audio streaming out of the box, it also has an AUX port on the front so no need to purchase any additional wiring too. But again be sure to check that is has DAB as not all RNS310/RNS315 units have this. These units can cost around £200-350 ish.



If you're not bothered about DAB then you have a few more options open to you. If you're looking for an OEM unit with lots of connectivity at the lowest possible price then you can't go wrong with the RCN210. Lots of features built in for the money, Bluetooth + Mic Built-In (Telephone and A2DP Stream), CD Player, AUX, SD Card, USB and iPod Control out of the box, these units can be had and fitted for no more than £50 (I had this for a few months and its been superb). The only minor complication is that it uses the ISO interface rather than the quad lock so it needs an adaptor and additional CAN wiring from the Air Con unit to get it all working.



If you want something a bit more upmarket and has a touchscreen then you can opt for the RCD330G. It has a nice updated MIB interface similar to those from the MK7 Golf and like the RCN210 has all the essentials out of the box. The RCD 330G can be had for around £100 and uses the existing Quad Lock Canbus cable. If you don't need the CD Player and fancy the bigger screen (6.5" vs 5.0") then you can opt for the RCD 330G PLUS which is what I have now, expect an extra premium of £80 on top of the standard model for this version however.



*** UPDATE - Prices have dropped dramatically with the RCD 330 PLUS making them fantastic value for money. They now can be bought for under £90 including postage from AliExpress - check out BDL Co. LTD or AIDU as verified vendors for VW OEM stuff in China. ***

Lastly there is the RCD 310 but unless you want DAB on the cheap then it's a bit barmy to choose this where there are better options! Like the RCD510 it requires additional modules for the Bluetooth and Media interface like AUX and USB so not a good value option if you want these features!



Hope this helps!

[vwpete91]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272526849091  seems very cheap and plays mp3 cds too? Are these a good radio? Might get one


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[barelyrelevant]

It's worth saying the other option is fitting something like this

http://www.dension.com/automotive/products/car-multimedia-solutions/gateway-lite-bt

Which will let you bluetooth, USB, SD card without messing around with the can etc. Less functionality than some of the head unit upgrade but certainly a lot cheaper/easier.

[Rado16v]

Hi,

I'm really sold on the idea of the RCD330G Plus, it's £80 delivered now on AliExpress which is bargain: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Free-Shipping-RCD330-RCD330G-Plus-6-5-MIB-UI-Radio-RCD510-RCN210-For-Golf-5/523203_32747017587.html

A couple of queries please, it comes with a Fakra cable (Antenna Adaptor) as seen in the pic, is this correct for the mk5 or do I need this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antenna-Aerial-Adaptor-Single-Female-Right-Angle-Z-Fakra-to-Double-Male-Z-Fakra-/121871361750

Does the AM and FM radio work correctly? Being a Chinese model, any issues here in the UK? I note the bandwidths are the same as UK from the spec.

I have a 2007 Edition 30, will I need a canbus?

Thanks in advance.

[PatchySan]

Do these work with mfsw and mfd? Thinking about getting one to replace my rcd510 as a cheaper option to buying the necessary Bluetooth modules.

It works with the MFSW but you will also need the CH steering module for it to work. It doesn't seem to work with MFD unfortunately, well not on my highline clocks anyway.

Ahh I see. That is why my old battery had died completely when I had installed one of these stereos I bought from China for my MK5 GTI . It was a mystery especially when it was draining my new Bosch battery that I had replaced with the old one! My mechanic has now fitted the live from the stereo direct into the fuse box- to fix this issue of significant power loss/drainage in my MK5 GTI. But I notice the battery is still a bit weak when starting her up  . Do I need to get a Canbus Gateway instead do you think to be on the safe side with the new battery- its going through the mills in this tough weather at the minute? 

Since your mechanic have hot-wired the stereo connections to the fuse you probably don't need the canbus upgrade at this point. I take the stereo only works with the ignition on? Since it's a new battery you probably don't need to replace it soon as the power grid should be fine though you may want a to give it a long drive to recharge back up again.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272526849091  seems very cheap and plays mp3 cds too? Are these a good radio? Might get one

The RCD 210 is a very basic unit, it doesn't offer much from the later version RCD 300/500 apart from MDI support (which is optional) but the sound quality should be slightly better. Being the same generation as the RCD 310 and RCD 510 you may need to upgrade the Canbus to prevent battery drain in the MK5 which adds to the cost. Personally I rather have the RCN 210 at this price point for the additonal features, plus I didn't experience battery drain with my ancient Revision E canbus at the time using the adapter.

Hi,

I'm really sold on the idea of the RCD330G Plus, it's £80 delivered now on AliExpress which is bargain: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Free-Shipping-RCD330-RCD330G-Plus-6-5-MIB-UI-Radio-RCD510-RCN210-For-Golf-5/523203_32747017587.html

A couple of queries please, it comes with a Fakra cable (Antenna Adaptor) as seen in the pic, is this correct for the mk5 or do I need this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antenna-Aerial-Adaptor-Single-Female-Right-Angle-Z-Fakra-to-Double-Male-Z-Fakra-/121871361750

Does the AM and FM radio work correctly? Being a Chinese model, any issues here in the UK? I note the bandwidths are the same as UK from the spec.

I have a 2007 Edition 30, will I need a canbus?

Thanks in advance.

Tricky with the Canbus, Revision K gateways are 50:50 (some are fine, some not and still drains) hence why I recommmend Revision L to be 100% sure. You can find out by looking at the label or do a VAGCOM scan which tells you which one you have.

You are correct with the aerial adapter, you need the eBay one as the supplied version is for the MK6 and not for the MK5.

AM/FM stations work fine here in the UK, had no problems tuning to the likes of Capital and Smooth FM in my car!

[malc101]

Thanks for this post, just had a good read of it and now want the RCD330G. First on the to buy list I think.

[19TW80]

Thanks for this post, just had a good read of it and now want the RCD330G. First on the to buy list I think.

I did the same and it turned up within five days to SW London from China. Unit looks spot on, although I haven't fitted it yet as I'm waiting for the aerial adapter that Patchysan recommended.

One small word of warning: I got a customs bill from TNT yesterday for £35: £15 for HMRC and an eyewatering £20 processing fee for TNT. I'm going to challenge the latter, as it's extortionate, and its not something I ever agreed to. Hopes aren't high, but I'll let you know how I got on. Anyhow, £130 for this HU is still a good price.