RCD310 to RCD510 help!!!!

[OUR6R]

Hi all.

I'm looking to upgrade the rcd310 in my wife's 2010 6R to a rcd510. As a newbie to the forum and VW I want to make sure I've got the right advice before I buy the components.

So

1. Do all rcd510's have GPS and is there a GPS antenna or module required or is it inbuilt?

2. Is the wiring / harness and plug set up in the 2010 6R compatible / plug'n'play with the rcd510?

3. I'll also add a Bluetooth module, is there a particular BT module for the rcd510?

4. While searching the forum I've seen people ask about the "FD" number. Is this relevant and is there an FD number I should be looking for?

Any advice is very e
welcome. Thanks in advance people.

[LukePolo]

Hey there OUR6R

1. Do all rcd510's have GPS and is there a GPS antenna or module required or is it inbuilt?
RCD510's Don't have GPS capabilities, the RNS510 does. In the event you buy the RNS510, if your car has the shark fin antenna, there will be a provision to hook the GPS up the that, otherwise, no the antenna will be external and on a wire.

2. Is the wiring / harness and plug set up in the 2010 6R compatible / plug'n'play with the rcd510?
Yes RCD310 to 510 is plug and play, you may have to do some VCDC coding or have a CANBUS mod depending on the model of your car

3. I'll also add a Bluetooth module, is there a particular BT module for the rcd510?
9W7 I believe is the bluetooth module, Depending again on the model of car, presuming you have a Polo 6R with a touch adapter? if you have a touch adapter, you already have the 9W7 Bluetooth base, all you'll need to do is code out the touch adapter. if you have no bluetooth at all, the setup is slightly more complex and will require some further hard wiring.

4. While searching the forum I've seen people ask about the "FD" number. Is this relevant and is there an FD number I should be looking for?
Not sure what an FD number is. In saying that, I know you want the Bosch variant of the RCD510, these work best with what you're trying to do.

There are heaps of threads on upgrading your 310 to a 510, also read about the touch adapter and bluetooth thingo by Illogitech.

Luke

[vdubmotorworx]

If you are looking for a RCD510 or RNS510 I might be able to help you out mate. Send me a PM if interested.

[The_Hawk]

Luke is bang on the money with all of that!

With the Polo 6R you don't have the white dot MFD, just the fixed LCD so there is no coding required. Just plug it in and off you go. The plugs are all the same across all the RCD310/RCD510/RNS510 so no issues there.
The only thing to look out for in the RCD510 is if it has the input for a reversing camera (or not) if you want to do that.

Since you say you're looking at installing bluetooth I will assume you don't already have it... (if you do, nothing changes it just keeps working the same as it did).

Which is what leads me to the BUT.

If I was starting over looking to upgrade a radio and also didn't have bluetooth I'd be seriously looking at something like this:

NEW Android OS 4 2 2 8"Large CAR DVD GPS L2 FOR Volkswagen Jetta Golf Passat EOS | eBay
*NOTE: This is just the first thing I hit, not a recommendation of that particular model or that particular seller.

These units bring radio + your choice of all the different Nav apps that work on android as well as RVC support and iPod support. Ands lets not forget you can also run things like Torque Pro (which I'd like to do):
Torque — OBD2 Performance and Diagnostics for your Vehicle
or any other android app!

I haven't used one myself (since I already have the RNS + factory bluetooth) but they look very tempting, are usually designed to look OEM and are much cheaper than the genuine VW OEM route and provide more possibilities.

Since these are shaped to fit the VW hole and look OEM you should find most will ship with a plug and play wiring harness too. But something to look for if you go down that route.

[YellowLemon]

Hi - just re: the Android radio thing. I have one of these in my Astra AH, and they are a great idea, my impression is:

CONS
- Build quality is rubbish. Cheap plastics, creaky knobs, wobbly buttons. The bad kind of 'Made in China'.
- The FM radio sound quality is woeful. The reception is fine, but the sound is tinny and sounds 'mono'. The SD card and CD sounds fine though.

PROS
- Fully integrate into steering wheel controls.
- Actual Android so you can run hacked versions of TomTom, iGo and Sygic and pick your favourite.
- Built-in Wifi! I set up a script on the Android radio to download the latest tracks from my computer every night while it's in the garage. This is cool
- Looks cool (from far away until you press a button and it squeaks)
- Touch screen is capacitive and looks good.

SUMMARY
Overall the VW system is better. Honestly the VW RNS510 and 9W7 BT is what keeps us buying VW, the wife loves the easy to use Nav system with the POIs and I love the zoom control on the right knob... so handy... neither TomTom, iGo and Sygic even come close unfortunately.