Which stereo?

[Sandman]

Does anyone have the 330 plus with carplay from Aliexpress?  I would be interested to hear some real life experiences with it before taking the plunge.

Does it display the name of the (FM) radio station you are listening to?
Do the hands free features work even if you aren't in carplay mode?
Can you stream (and control from the head unit) audio from your phone over bluetooth?
Do the 3 buttons to the right of the screen being in the wrong order bother you?
Are these really brand new units removed from VW cars in china (as they are advertised as being)?

[spesh]

Cant make my mind up, the lack of external mic is worrying me as handsfree experiences with built in mic's hasnt been very good.

[19TW80]

Thanks Patchysan - massively helpful, as ever.

Hi Patchysan,

How do I know if my MFSW uses a CH module or not? Incidentally, I have the Highline cluster.

Thanks in advance.

If you have VCDS you can check the part number from the Steering Module but generally CH modules come from the MK6 Golf's so it's unlikely that it was fitted on the MK5 Golf from the factory.

[ldor1]

I would not buy one unless it had an external mic, I've had them with built in one's only and they are useless.I bought a Chinese head unit  from a UK supplier 8 months ago and it's been faultless. I changed the maps to igo8 which I preferred and fitted a nonreflective screen to it which involves removing the display from the radio.

[majillionaire]

Anyone with a Chinese RCD330G (or Plus) been able to get album artwork when playing from an SD card? I've all the artwork in the ID3 tags, and folder.jpg in all the folders, all resized to 400x400; still nothing's showing up. Any ideas?

[david85williams]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me where to buy the new RCD 330 PLUS (6RD035187B)? This is the one with Apple CarPlay.

Thanks!

[pudding]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me where to buy the new RCD 330 PLUS (6RD035187B)? This is the one with Apple CarPlay.

Thanks!

Dealer, or wait a while for all the east Europeans to smash up their Tiguans and there'll be dozens of them on ebay.   Or obviously you've got the Chinese Amazon (Aliexpress) fakery options.

[david85williams]

So are all the current RCD 330G etc from China or Aliexpress all Chinese copies?

[PatchySan]

So are all the current RCD 330G etc from China or Aliexpress all Chinese copies?

The RCD 330 is a VW OEM unit for the Chinese market (used on the Polos, Sagitar, Magotan and Santana models) so they are not fakes. Sellers on AliExpress tend strip them from genuine cars and bring them to the aftermarket. I got my RCD330 Plus from AliExpress and been using it for months without major issues. Even so if you do encounter a problem on AliExpress you do have purchase protection so you're not left to be hung dry in an event of a problem.

The CarPlay version is available but as it only came out supplies are scarce so prices are expensive for the time being, I wait a bit for prices to decrease before committing.

[Sandman]

So are all the current RCD 330G etc from China or Aliexpress all Chinese copies?

The RCD 330 is a VW OEM unit for the Chinese market (used on the Polos, Sagitar, Magotan and Santana models) so they are not fakes. Sellers on AliExpress tend strip them from genuine cars and bring them to the aftermarket. I got my RCD330 Plus from AliExpress and been using it for months without major issues. Even so if you do encounter a problem on AliExpress you do have purchase protection so you're not left to be hung dry in an event of a problem.

The CarPlay version is available but as it only came out supplies are scarce so prices are expensive for the time being, I wait a bit for prices to decrease before committing.

Some of the carplay versions for sale on Aliexpress are definitely not completely legit.  Read the description of them and you will see that the physical buttons do not operate as they should on a factory installed unit.  Some sellers also state that they are upgraded the RAM in the unit and installed a firmware upgrade to get the carplay features.
If these units worked as intended I would buy one today but they dont.

Edit: The ones for sale for about £150 seem to be as above but I see there is version that costs about £250 and the buttons seem to be the correct way around.  I would guess that the cheaper units are non-carplay models that have been hacked and custom firmware installed.

[noopets]

I'm really tempted with one of these car play versions, might wait a few week though to see if the price drops. Or If i bought the standard version do you think they are upgradable with CarPlay software at a later date?

I'm also unsure if my canbus would need upgrades on an 07 gt tdi - sorry I'm a noob to all this!

[Eddcunningham]

These RCD330's with CarPlay could be the answer I've been searching for! 

I've always wanted CarPlay in my golf. As an avid user of Spotify, I've always wanted a way to safely change songs etc, without having to manhandle my phone, but the options always seemed a bit limited. The aftermarket units from the likes of Pioneer and Alpine, whilst looking very nice, I've always thought looked out of place on the mk5 and plus, were always on the pricey side for what they are.
Now I can have an OEM solution, with all the joys of CarPlay!

So I suppose my biggest barriers are:
- which canbus do I need for an 06 gti (original canbus I'm guessing), shall I buy pre-coded, or find someone local to code for me?
- I'm pretty attached to my MFSW, but I've seen previously people saying these head units may not play nicely with the CH module in the mk5's, what's the deal with those? I have factory fitted highline display, if it makes any difference at all.
As an ever so slight aside, if I can find my CH number from VAGCOM, could I determine whether or not I'd need the diagnostic wire for cruise control? 

[spicypixel]

Anyone got a guide on what's needed to replace a RCD500 with a RCD330 Plus, is it just plug and play with some minimal VCDS coding? if so which codes.

Any idea if it works with the mk6 style rear badge reversing camera too? The kits from aliexpress all seem to bundle it with the fixed mount over the plates.
Thanks

Edit: Anyone confirm if this needs a CANBUS gateway upgrade to prevent the battery drain?

Code: [Select]

Address 19: CAN Gateway        Labels: 1K0-907-530-V2.clb
   Part No SW: 1K0 907 530 K    HW: 1K0 907 951
   Component: J533__Gateway   H04 0021 
   Revision:   H04 02    Serial number: 110207F1002062
   Coding: 3F3F034007000003
   Shop #: WSC 01279 785 00200
   VCID: 2F6DC912BEC9B73940-807A

Further more, what's the latest CAN Gateway?
Edit2: Think I've answered my own question with 7N0907530AM

[GTi-Tecnix]

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.

Yes mine now works with ignition on. Battery had died a few times with the old battery as I had to replace with a new battery, but although it is now connected with ignition key I am still noticing some delay in battery turning the car over when starting it up in the morning. It should fire straight away but lags a little  . I think these aftermarket stereos (from china) with all their copycat capabilities really drain the battery. I have driven my car without stereo on for the past three days now and I have noticed the difference in performance I am getting from my car with the full power restored in the battery. I think I should go for a genuine VW stereo, which one do you recommend?

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!

[sambo101]

Ready to pull the trigger on this today

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Free-Shipping-RCD330-RCD330G-Plus-6-5-MIB-UI-Radio-RCD510-RCN210-For-Golf-5/523203_32747017587.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.PD07Dl

Is this the correct CANBUS that I should get with it for a 2005 Mk5 GTI?

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Newest-OEM-VW-Canbus-Gateway-For-VW-Passat-B6-Jetta-5-MK5-Golf-6-MK6-Touran/523203_32298248581.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.PD07Dl

Or if someone can recommend where I can get an already coded CANBUS that would be a life saver. Thanks