danham
Veteran Member
That's correct. I even tried putting my Gen 5 iPod in disk mode and installing the updater file in its root directory. No way would the MDI recognize it as a disk.
-dan
MDI interface/stereo draining iPod battery when parked for 2 days?
- Thread starter getfast
- Start date
-dan
herbert68
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2008
- Location
- State College, PA
- TDI
- 2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
I just got out of a loaner while my Jetta was being repaired after a U-Haul truck went backwards instead forwards at the traffic light…oh well, that's another story.
The Honda Civic had aux input so I used the same iPod Classic I had in my Jetta. The iPod drained without fail every night, so I resorted to unplug it every time I didn't use it for a while! The battery drain happened in my Jetta only once, but never since the recent software upgrade.
Just goes to say, there are many variables involved in this issue.
Now I'm very happy to be back in my Jetta!
The Honda Civic had aux input so I used the same iPod Classic I had in my Jetta. The iPod drained without fail every night, so I resorted to unplug it every time I didn't use it for a while! The battery drain happened in my Jetta only once, but never since the recent software upgrade.
Just goes to say, there are many variables involved in this issue.
Now I'm very happy to be back in my Jetta!
Rickus
New member
danham
Veteran Member
Firmware download:
http://87.230.74.92/fileadmin/pdf/media_in/mdi.bin.enc
Instructions:
http://87.230.74.92/fileadmin/pdf/media_in/MDI_Kundenupdate_V1_1_20081114_MGE_2_.pdf
-dan
Rickus
New member
Thanks, Dan!
1analguy
Veteran Member
I didn't time the update process because the service manager and I were talking, but it couldn't have taken more than about a minute. Now that the iPod is working correctly and I have the USB cable, I'd like to dump all my music onto my thumb drive and try using that instead of the iPod...but I don't know how to get my music out of iTunes and onto the thumb drive in a format that my RNS-315 can deal with. Maybe some other music-handling software? Any suggestions?
herbert68
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2008
- Location
- State College, PA
- TDI
- 2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
Google is your friend, try copy music from iPod or similar, most solutions are free. Without knowing if you use a Mac or a PC it's difficult to recommend something for you. I use Senuti or Pod to Mac, works like a charm.
danham
Veteran Member
Keep in mind that copy-proteced songs won't work. Neither will songs in any format other than MP3.
There are workarounds, but for me the hassle, including the need to arrange the songs carefully in the proper directory structure on your thumb drive, far outweighed the benefits. So I put up with the shortcomings of the iPod interface in exchange for convenient access to my entire library.
-dan
1analguy
Veteran Member
All my music is ripped from CDs. How to go about file structure was one of the things I was wondering about in the move to a thumb drive or to an SDHC card...
danham
Veteran Member
UPDATE:
I haven't flashed my unit yet (don't have a cable), so day before yesterday I made sure to unplug my iPod and take it inside. Today it is stone dead, just as if I left it plugged in to the car.
This suggests to me that the MDI leaves the iPod in a state where it does not sleep.
-dan
I haven't flashed my unit yet (don't have a cable), so day before yesterday I made sure to unplug my iPod and take it inside. Today it is stone dead, just as if I left it plugged in to the car.
This suggests to me that the MDI leaves the iPod in a state where it does not sleep.
-dan
Hey Everyone,
I printed out some of the posts from danham in this thread along with the link and the links for the thumbdrive update and gave them to my service advisor to do the footwork. He got back to me in a couple days
Dealers should now have a software update through the normal scan route. It actually is now done with another update in series. Two thirty minute updates. I had mine done last week with one glitch . . . the BMC (brain?) shutdown and would not reboot. Dealer overnighted a replacement and all works now as it should.
I printed out some of the posts from danham in this thread along with the link and the links for the thumbdrive update and gave them to my service advisor to do the footwork. He got back to me in a couple days
Dealers should now have a software update through the normal scan route. It actually is now done with another update in series. Two thirty minute updates. I had mine done last week with one glitch . . . the BMC (brain?) shutdown and would not reboot. Dealer overnighted a replacement and all works now as it should.
getfast
Veteran Member
Thanks for the update. My car is going in for the 10k service in a couple weeks and this is definitely on the list. 
ClementineGTI
New member
Sorry to post to a thread multiple years old, but this was the most comprehensive posting I found on the issue with Google so I thought it made sense to post my results here too.
My situation: I have a 2010 GTI Mk6 with the USA version of the RCD-510 radio. I have an iPod Classic 5th Generation (60GB) that I leave attached to the MDI port via the Apple connector at all times. My iPod is over 7 years and has poor battery life. When left in my car overnight, the iPod will be dead when I return. Looking at the iPod screen it will say "Very low battery" and after about 5 minutes of charging, it will then be recognized by the radio and function as normal. I looked into the SD card alternative, but I couldn't live with the limitations on total file size, # of folders, and the limited # of songs that can be played on "random". Also worth noting, I told my VW dealership about the issue and was told 1. there were no updates available for my radio and 2. it was a known issue and you must disconnect your iPod/iPhone/etc every time you leave the car.
Fix #1 (Failed): I first attempted to update the MDI software using the latest file on the ( VW website). Using a USB MDI cable and a thumb drive, the update successfully installed. Unfortunately, there was no noticeable difference in the functionality of the radio and my iPod continued to die almost every night.
Fix #2 (Failed): I read that some people have fixed their problems by buying a new MDI Apple cable, so I tried this. Unfortunately there was no change, and my iPod was still dead most days.
Fix #3 (Failed): I attempted to splice a USB MDI cable with a regular Apple USB cable. This did not work.
Fix #4 (Failed): Since I now had two MDI Apple cables, I decided to try installing a diode on the power wire to attempt stopping the car from drawing power from the iPod when the car was off. However, after testing the voltage levels on the power wire on the MDI Apple cable, I was able to determine that within ~45 seconds of the car being turned off, power to the iPod was stopped (at this point the iPod would no longer show it was being charged too). But the iPod could still play music (even with the car off and key out of the ignition) if you turned the radio back on. So the installation of the diode had no impact. The power would still turn off at the same time and then trickle down to 0V over a period of a couple seconds.
Fix #5 (Working!): At this point, I figured the issue was either 1. the data wire connection is keeping the iPod awake despite the car being off or 2. the timing of when the car stops charging the ipod isn't syncing with data connection. I assumed #1 would require a programming solution, so I focused on potential issue #2. Using my old MDI Apple cable, I cut it open to expose the wires and cut the red (power) wire. I stripped the red wire on the side of the iPod connection and connected it to the red wire from a cut-open USB cable. I then plugged the USB cable into USB car charger. Because the GTI's cigarette lighter only has power when the car is on, the car will now automatically (and instantly) cut power to the iPod when the car turn's off. I've tested the solution for about a week now, and surprisingly it works! When turning on the car, the radio takes ~10 seconds to recognize the iPod (assuming because it's coming out of sleep), but it will then start playing from where it left off. Before the fix, if the iPod still had power, as soon as the car turned on, the iPod would instantly start playing (which is probably because it was already "awake".
Long term solution: Now that I know how to solve the problem, I can fairly easily wire up a "hidden" fix. This involves buying a 12v to 5v converter and tapping it into the cigarette lighter power source. The tutorial here (link) gives a good description of how to access the cigarette wires. From there all I need to do is pull out the MDI insert in the center console and connect the red MDI wire with the output of the voltage converter. To remove the MDI insert, there are 2 slots on the passenger side that you push a flat screwdriver into which releases the tabs and then you can pull it out. I had to apply a decent amount of force to remove the insert and bent one of the clips, but luckily they're metal (not plastic) so I can bend it back into shape. After reassembling everything, the install should be completely hidden and I can plug my iPod into the MDI interface with my new MDI Apple cable (the one I didn't cut open) and all will work correctly.
Hope this helps you all!
My situation: I have a 2010 GTI Mk6 with the USA version of the RCD-510 radio. I have an iPod Classic 5th Generation (60GB) that I leave attached to the MDI port via the Apple connector at all times. My iPod is over 7 years and has poor battery life. When left in my car overnight, the iPod will be dead when I return. Looking at the iPod screen it will say "Very low battery" and after about 5 minutes of charging, it will then be recognized by the radio and function as normal. I looked into the SD card alternative, but I couldn't live with the limitations on total file size, # of folders, and the limited # of songs that can be played on "random". Also worth noting, I told my VW dealership about the issue and was told 1. there were no updates available for my radio and 2. it was a known issue and you must disconnect your iPod/iPhone/etc every time you leave the car.
Fix #1 (Failed): I first attempted to update the MDI software using the latest file on the ( VW website). Using a USB MDI cable and a thumb drive, the update successfully installed. Unfortunately, there was no noticeable difference in the functionality of the radio and my iPod continued to die almost every night.
Fix #2 (Failed): I read that some people have fixed their problems by buying a new MDI Apple cable, so I tried this. Unfortunately there was no change, and my iPod was still dead most days.
Fix #3 (Failed): I attempted to splice a USB MDI cable with a regular Apple USB cable. This did not work.
Fix #4 (Failed): Since I now had two MDI Apple cables, I decided to try installing a diode on the power wire to attempt stopping the car from drawing power from the iPod when the car was off. However, after testing the voltage levels on the power wire on the MDI Apple cable, I was able to determine that within ~45 seconds of the car being turned off, power to the iPod was stopped (at this point the iPod would no longer show it was being charged too). But the iPod could still play music (even with the car off and key out of the ignition) if you turned the radio back on. So the installation of the diode had no impact. The power would still turn off at the same time and then trickle down to 0V over a period of a couple seconds.
Fix #5 (Working!
): At this point, I figured the issue was either 1. the data wire connection is keeping the iPod awake despite the car being off or 2. the timing of when the car stops charging the ipod isn't syncing with data connection. I assumed #1 would require a programming solution, so I focused on potential issue #2. Using my old MDI Apple cable, I cut it open to expose the wires and cut the red (power) wire. I stripped the red wire on the side of the iPod connection and connected it to the red wire from a cut-open USB cable. I then plugged the USB cable into USB car charger. Because the GTI's cigarette lighter only has power when the car is on, the car will now automatically (and instantly) cut power to the iPod when the car turn's off. I've tested the solution for about a week now, and surprisingly it works! When turning on the car, the radio takes ~10 seconds to recognize the iPod (assuming because it's coming out of sleep), but it will then start playing from where it left off. Before the fix, if the iPod still had power, as soon as the car turned on, the iPod would instantly start playing (which is probably because it was already "awake".Long term solution: Now that I know how to solve the problem, I can fairly easily wire up a "hidden" fix. This involves buying a 12v to 5v converter and tapping it into the cigarette lighter power source. The tutorial here (link) gives a good description of how to access the cigarette wires. From there all I need to do is pull out the MDI insert in the center console and connect the red MDI wire with the output of the voltage converter. To remove the MDI insert, there are 2 slots on the passenger side that you push a flat screwdriver into which releases the tabs and then you can pull it out. I had to apply a decent amount of force to remove the insert and bent one of the clips, but luckily they're metal (not plastic) so I can bend it back into shape. After reassembling everything, the install should be completely hidden and I can plug my iPod into the MDI interface with my new MDI Apple cable (the one I didn't cut open) and all will work correctly.
Hope this helps you all!
Last edited:
newelement
New member
I'm having this same battery drain on an iPhone 5, iPod nano 5th gen, iPod nano 3rd gen. Driving a 2013 GLI RDC-510 w/Fender audio. Has anybody had any luck getting this resolved with the dealership?
newelement
New member
I took the car to my local dealership and left it over night so they could see the issue. They did confirm the car was draining the iPod battery and told me it was normal operation. It is not normal actually. None of the other cars I have or had does this.
ClementineGTI
New member
newelement: Why are you leaving your phone in your car? If your car is a 2013, I'd assume the MDI has the latest software version. You could try it for kicks though (a data cable only costs ~$14 on eBay). My dealer told me the same thing though "draining the battery is the normal operation".
My "long term solution" did not work by the way. The MDI cable plugs directly into a circuit board within the center console. The power cable that goes into the circuit board is a constant 12V (not the 5V that is sent across the MDI cable). I tried to redirecting the power source from the constant 12V to the 12V from the cigarette lighter (so it cuts power automatically when the car is off). This did not work. Also, I think certain elements of the circuit board need constant power in order to function properly. When I opened my car I thought I could smell ozone. Not a good thing. The iPod control features seemed to get messed up too (song name wouldn't update and skipping forward/backwards froze).
My revised long term solution: Keeping things simple, I used a 12V to 5V converter from Amazon and tapped it into my cigarette lighter. I then fished the wire from the cigarette lighter to the center console using a coat hanger (easy to do if you remove the little change holder on the back of the center console below the vents). I then ran the wire up through rubber console insert and spliced the wire directly into the MDI cable. I then wrapped the spliced cable with a bunch of electrical wire and stuffed it back into the console. It looks good enough and works 100% perfectly. I leave my iPod in the car 24/7, no wires hanging out, and the iPod starts up exactly where it left off each time.
My car is a few years old, so I don't mind tweaking it. I can understand how frustrating it would be to this on a brand new vehicle though.
My "long term solution" did not work by the way. The MDI cable plugs directly into a circuit board within the center console. The power cable that goes into the circuit board is a constant 12V (not the 5V that is sent across the MDI cable). I tried to redirecting the power source from the constant 12V to the 12V from the cigarette lighter (so it cuts power automatically when the car is off). This did not work. Also, I think certain elements of the circuit board need constant power in order to function properly. When I opened my car I thought I could smell ozone. Not a good thing. The iPod control features seemed to get messed up too (song name wouldn't update and skipping forward/backwards froze).
My revised long term solution: Keeping things simple, I used a 12V to 5V converter from Amazon and tapped it into my cigarette lighter. I then fished the wire from the cigarette lighter to the center console using a coat hanger (easy to do if you remove the little change holder on the back of the center console below the vents). I then ran the wire up through rubber console insert and spliced the wire directly into the MDI cable. I then wrapped the spliced cable with a bunch of electrical wire and stuffed it back into the console. It looks good enough and works 100% perfectly. I leave my iPod in the car 24/7, no wires hanging out, and the iPod starts up exactly where it left off each time.
My car is a few years old, so I don't mind tweaking it. I can understand how frustrating it would be to this on a brand new vehicle though.