Adding bluetooth to 2009 Tiggy (Red MFD+ and RCD310 with optical park)

[kai_h]

I'm looking for the best option to add bluetooth to the wife's 2009 Tiguan.
She's got the base RCD310 stereo and optical park sensors. (and the Red MFD+, not white)
She's got the Aux-in for an iPod/media player in the centre console, so doesn't need nor want A2DP audio streaming, but she does need to be able to use the steering wheel controls.

It would be good if she could see callers on the MFD and/or headunit.
Finally, it'd be great if she could have the microphone hidden in the dome light or wherever the OEM mic lives.

Will a VW OEM unit like a 9w2 or 9w3, or would she be better off with a Kufatec Fiscon or similar 3rd party unit?
If we get an OEM unit, what other wiring harnesses, microphone kits etc would I need to get with it?

Phone wise, it's got to work with an iPhone 4...

I've used the search and been reading about bluetooth options for a couple of hours now, but am almost more confused than when I started...

[Bambazonke]

I have bought a couple of these units and installed them in 2008/9 Tiguans
It will do all of the above except display the name of the caller on the MFD. comes as a complete kit but will require some coding which should not be a problem as there are plenty of people in Melbourne that have VCDS
Works great with iphone4s and my wife use to audio stream her music of her iPhone as a bonus but you will need an in car iPhone charger otherwise battery will not last long

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-V...tta-EOS-Caddy/

[kai_h]

Thank you Bambazonke for the link, however eBay is telling me the item has ended or been removed.
If I search eBay for Genuine Volkswagen Bluetooth Kit for Golf Passat Tiguan Polo Jetta EOS Caddy, it turns up a couple of kits, a 9w2 and a 9w7. I assume you're talking about the 9w2 unit?

I suppose name display isn't critical as the phone will need to be in cradle anyway.

Thanks.

[Bambazonke]

Having trouble copying links and posting them when using my iPad
The eBay seller's name is
Vw_parts_aus

Not sure if you can search eBay by seller name. The BT unit I suggest is $219 inclusive of postage

[tigger73]

It all depends on what level of functionality you want out of your BT system.

If you're happy with just using the buttons on the steering wheel to accept/end a call and volume up/down then Bambazonke's option will do the job.

If you want to get phone book functionality (so that your calls come up in the MFD) then you can go one of 3 ways:

1) Install a RCD510 head unit (you should be able to pick these up for around $300) along with BT unit that supports phone book function. Then you can run everything through your head unit.

2) Install a BT unit that supports DDP (older BT units for red MFD) and hope that it's compatible with your iphone

3) Install a newer DDP BT unit and put in an AutoPolar FIS+ which does the protocol conversion from BAP to DDP (so you can get new BT units displaying in the "old" red MFD)

To check what protocols/functions a particular bluetooth unit supports check this guide from Rosstech on Telephone Retrofitting.

To run things through your MFD you'll need a unit that is compatible with the older (red) MFD that you have. Protocol that these red displays use is DDP (white displays use BAP). If you want the phone book functionality (I find this feature really useful as I'm as sales rep on the road) then you'll need to install a BT unit which supports PBAP (phone book access profile).

Some BT units support A2DP (audio streaming), some PBAP (phone book) and some both.

Anyway, work out what you want as an end result and go from there.

I'd suggest that you'll need to purchase a newer BT unit to work with your iphone (I've heard people having issues running new phones with older BT units).

There's more information available over in this thread: BlueTooth related questions (all BT questions go in this thread only)

Good luck! I know it was a bit of a minefield when I was looking into it and ended up upgrading my BT after upgrading the head unit as the dealer had installed an older DDP BT unit even though I had a white MFD!!

[kai_h]

Wow, thanks for all the detailed info. It sure is a minefield going down this path...

Do you know if a 9w3 bluetooth module will work with a red MFD? I've read elsewhere that the "B" revision (Part #1z0 035 729b) will work with a red MFD (and then there's another version of the 9w3 that works with the white MFD)

VW Bluetooth module FAQ and how to swap or retrofit it in your Jetta, Golf, and sportwagen: 9w2, 9w3, and 9w7

Or, there's the option you mention of using the 9w7 with the a protocol converter - looks like the FIS-Link gateway is another one (that doesn't have all the extra features of the FIS+ that my wife will never use!)

[Bambazonke]

Personally I would steer clear of options 2 and 3
Option 2 it is highly unlikely that the old 9w3 unit will allow full functionality of the iphone4 it will also be expensive sourcing this type of BT unit as they appear to quite rare compared to the 9w2 and 7 units. cost?
Option 3 Has anyone attempted this? I should think this will be quite expensive $600 plus? and there is no guarantee it will work

Option 1 I have been down this road and retrofitted a 9w7 unit and a RCD510 head unit in my previous 2008 Tiguan. However it is extremely important to make sure you get the right RCD 510 Namely a Bosch unit as a Delphi does not support phone book options and secondly the FD value (assembly date) must be no earlier than mid 2011 ie FD xx11 where xx stands for the week number otherwise the phone book will be garbled as earlier units use a different communications protocol setting when communicating with the latest smartphones. The BT unit should also be of a similar vintage (assembly date) to make sure the rcd510 and BT unit "are on the same page". Expect to pay between $600 to $700 for this option and BTW your telephone button on the SW will not work because it uses the older DDP protocol.

[kai_h]

now I'm even more confused than when I started!

Don't you love it when two completely different things are called by the same name (ie, delphi and bosch RCD510's)

I'm getting close to making an executive decision that my wife doesn't need to see on the instruments who's calling and just get the simple 9w2 bluetooth. This one sounds like it's going to be the closest thing to a guarantee that it'll work, and won't involve replacing the headunit (that she really just listens to three FM stations on) with something that may or may not work... And, she'll be able to use the steering wheel controls, which is probably more important than calling number display...

Thanks so much for the benefit of your research, Bambazonke.

[tigger73]

Personally I would steer clear of options 2 and 3
Option 2 it is highly unlikely that the old 9w3 unit will allow full functionality of the iphone4 it will also be expensive sourcing this type of BT unit as they appear to quite rare compared to the 9w2 and 7 units. cost?

Agree that getting an older BT unit which is compatible with your red MFD is going to be questionable if it supports iphone4. The BT unit will predate the iphone4 by a few years. Though if you find someone else that has got this working I'd find out the exact BT model code and get that.

Option 3 Has anyone attempted this? I should think this will be quite expensive $600 plus? and there is no guarantee it will work

Yes no guarantees, however these boxes are made for this exact reason so I'd ask Autopolar for the compatible BT units and get one of these. Yes it is going to be more and probably give you similar functionality to purchasing an RCD510/BT combo.

Option 1 I have been down this road and retrofitted a 9w7 unit and a RCD510 head unit in my previous 2008 Tiguan. However it is extremely important to make sure you get the right RCD 510 Namely a Bosch unit as a Delphi does not support phone book options and secondly the FD value (assembly date) must be no earlier than mid 2011 ie FD xx11 where xx stands for the week number otherwise the phone book will be garbled as earlier units use a different communications protocol setting when communicating with the latest smartphones. The BT unit should also be of a similar vintage (assembly date) to make sure the rcd510 and BT unit "are on the same page". Expect to pay between $600 to $700 for this option and BTW your telephone button on the SW will not work because it uses the older DDP protocol.

Bambazonke is the one with the experience here as I've only done this on a 2011 Tig with white MFD.

Sounds like you may need to do some more investigation if you want to answer phone calls from the steering wheel. Looks like you may not be able to do it if you buy one of the newer BAP bluetooth units.... I can see this is going to do your head in

now I'm even more confused than when I started!

Don't you love it when two completely different things are called by the same name (ie, delphi and bosch RCD510's)

Yes there's a number of manufacturers that make the same/similar gear which is sold in different markets under the same name. It's the problem of having multiple factories around the world making the same product but sourcing parts from different component manufacturers.

I'm getting close to making an executive decision that my wife doesn't need to see on the instruments who's calling and just get the simple 9w2 bluetooth. This one sounds like it's going to be the closest thing to a guarantee that it'll work, and won't involve replacing the headunit (that she really just listens to three FM stations on) with something that may or may not work... And, she'll be able to use the steering wheel controls, which is probably more important than calling number display...

Yes if you are just putting in a BT unit then it's working out which functions are most important and what is achievable for the cost.

I'd strongly recommend finding out someone else that has red MFD and got BT working with steering wheel buttons and iphone4. Then just get that.

I'd post on the audio section of the forum to find out if anyone has this combo working.

That is going to be your cheapest option (and still keep your wife happy).

[kai_h]

I had a Red MFD and RCD300 (not 310) in my Golf 2.0TDI. I ended up installing a Kufatec Fiscon basic in that.
The unit works quite well now (after a couple of firmware updates, and as long as you're aware of it's quirks) however it was expensive (something like $700+, but the exchange rate wasn't that good when I bought it) and the support from Kufatec was *****house when I had problems with it initially, so I'm hesitant to go back to them...

The Kufatec Fiscon does has the benefit of the E-MFA function where it can display speed, fuel, oil temp and boost in the MFA. I reckon I've used it less than 20 times in 3-4 years, so it's really not worth my while paying for that either as my wife will use it precisely zero times...

Looks like the 9w2 unit is going to be the safest bet, and I'll get a cradle for her to keep the phone in so she can see who's calling, initiate new calls and use GPS on it.