Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead
I'd like to upgrade my standard head unit (on my 2008 57 plate Golf GT TDI) to either the R330 Plus or the R340G. However, theres so many to choose from on AliExpress, i've no idea which are genuine ones that I'd want? And also, what else would I need with it, or is it literally plug and play? Bluetooth included I assume?
Just look for ones that are selling for a reasonable price and have good rep, there are many versions but the keyfactor is this:
Is a CD Player important to you?YES- Go for the 6RD 035 187 unit with the 5.0" screen. You can tell as it's the only RCD330 unit that has an eject button and CD slot.
NOT REALLY, I CAN LIVE WITHOUT- See below...
Do you need Smartphone App Connect Functionality?NO I DON'T NEED ITGo for the 6.5" RCD330 6RD 035 187A unit, you can tell as it has the MUTE, SETUP & PHONE buttons on the right. Any Desay or Noname version is fine for this.
I HAVE AN APPLE IPHONE AND WOULD LIKE THIS FEATUREGo for the 6.5" RCD330 6RD 035 187B unit, you can tell as it has PHONE, APP & SETUP buttons on the right. Any Desay or Noname version is fine for this.
I HAVE AN ANDROID SMARTPHONE AND WOULD LIKE THIS FEATURETwo choices:1) Go for the 6.5" RCD330 PLUS 6RD 035 187B unit (PHONE, APP & SETUP buttons on the right) that is "Noname" branded. You can tell if Apple CarPlay version reads out 210.81 rather than CPL24.V1.4.3@C1 which is manufactured by Desay. Why is this important? Because you can self-upgrade the unit software to include Android Auto on Noname units to have this feature.
2) Go for the 6.5" R340G 6RF 035 187E unit (PHONE, APP & SETUP buttons on the right). This is the original Appconnect unit released directly from the factory (not firmware flashed). You may find that this is more pricey compared to a flashed B version for the same function.
NOTESThe units are plug and play to the Car's Quadlock canbus so installation is generally easy. You may need to upgrade the Canbus Gateway to avoid battery drain, look out for any 7N0 907 530 which are generally fitted on to MK6 Golf's.
If you have a MFSW (Multifunction Steering Wheel) prefitted you may find this no longer works with the new unit, you can either buy a new Steering Wheel Module or use a Canbus emulator shown
here (this also apparantly fixes the battery drain problem thus making the Canbus Gateway upgrade redundant.)
Most sellers include the radio aerial adapter for you but it doesn't hurt to ask if they can send you the split two to one FAKRA adapter just to be sure for your MK5.