Android auto on a 2015 S

aditud

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2015 GSW SE 6MT
So what is everyone paying just for the parts, without having to pay for component protection to be removed
As I was posting here my original cost went a bit up after discovering that the $30 headunit was a dud. I ended up paying $120 (shipped) on eBay for a 3Q00354844 unit (there were more, and cheaper A-version units available but there was some unintended misinformation going around on forums about them not being able to accept activation keys for AppConnect) was after the seller accepted my offer, but the unit is in pristine condition and works flawlessly. The screen (looks new, no scratches, stains or anything) I got off of eBay from Ireland (Euro spec) for $140 shipped (won the auction, was willing to spend up to $175, maybe). The amp was a great deal (considering how expensive they were on eBay) at $220 shipped directly from a junkyard in the Pacific NW and looks pristine as well. The harness was $42 from AliExpress. So, $522 for the parts alone, $593 if you include the ODIS kit (which I intend to put up for sale and hope to recover about $50 off its cost).

Definitely, not a cheap upgrade, but I agree with the others who did it: better res screen, better amp resulting in better sound quality, much faster, CarPlay... Also, it used to be a pet peeve of mine with my stock MIB1 system that it would shut down automatically after the ignition was turned off. Not anymore! Now it does that when I open the driver's door.
 

2.2TDI

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So call it around 550 US without the activation keys... Or around 300 without activation key and without amp (as I'm understanding, the amp is not a requirement for non fender systems)

300 US plus activation key cost sounds more reasonable then what I've been seeing on other forums
 

gqboy

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Jun 14, 2018
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Toronto
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2015 Golf
If it's $300 US that does sound quite reasonable. Now if only there's someone in Toronto that's willing to do it for me... lol.
 

aditud

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May 16, 2017
Location
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2015 GSW SE 6MT
So call it around 550 US without the activation keys... Or around 300 without activation key and without amp (as I'm understanding, the amp is not a requirement for non fender systems)

300 US plus activation key cost sounds more reasonable then what I've been seeing on other forums
Absolutely. If you don't need the amp, you should be able to get the headunit+screen+USB/Aux harness (all three) for around 300USD. You will still need to get the ODIS w/ full chip device (unless you already own one), and that's another 70usd or so. BTW, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to part with mine. It's good to have around in case I need more help from friends overseas. This guy (Jack) is pretty cool and yesterday he gave me the impression that he was pretty knowledgeable (and he clearly is a person with VAG access).
 

aditud

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If it's $300 US that does sound quite reasonable. Now if only there's someone in Toronto that's willing to do it for me... lol.
I drive up there once in a while. :)

But, seriously, you don't need to wait for anyone. As I kept writing, when I first saw paul_elstak's OP over a year ago I said to myself "no way can I pull that off, too much messing around with the trim and the dash and whatnot". In the end, after reading a lot about how our upgrade pioneers did, I suppose I was very well prepared for it and in the end it felt so easy. But even without that kind of preparation, I would still rate it a 2-3 out of 10 on the "easy-to-hard (delicate) DIY" scale.
 

2.2TDI

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If it's $300 US that does sound quite reasonable. Now if only there's someone in Toronto that's willing to do it for me... lol.
Yes but for us canuckers 300 US plus activation is like 2000 CAD with the exchange rate these days :D
 

2.2TDI

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Also, I don't understand why the damn CP fee is so high... It's almost as much as the display and headunit
 

jason_

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Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
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2015 s wagon dsg
Supply and demand.. The fact you have to have exclusive access to thr vw data base... Market has us by the balls... Say OK or walk way...

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 

aditud

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2015 GSW SE 6MT
Supply and demand.. The fact you have to have exclusive access to thr vw data base... Market has us by the balls... Say OK or walk way...

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
Not really. I had made a similar comment on golfmk7 and George Ab (one of the first people to do this upgrade in the US) was quick (and, it appears, right) to correct me. I didn't ask Jack if that's the case, but it's likely that he BUYS the activation key for AppConnect (all the others, for things that already attached to your VIN, are free).

Anyway, you can also think about it this way: if you did it through a dealership they would charge you to remove CP (could easily be over $100, if I remember correctly what I read on golfmk7). Then, if you want AppConnect (and I assume you do if you're contemplating this upgrade), the market price for it is around 210EUR (about $240?). So, if the NAR dealers would do this for you (and they don't; apparently VWoA wouldn't let them register these codes for the 2015 NAR Golf), you would probably pay exactly the same amount I paid Jack yesterday for the CP removal+FeCs (activation keys) install. It is also worth noting that not all NAR dealers even provide the CP removal service. Furthermore, I read about a case where they took three hours ($$$!) to remove CP, re-install the original VIN's FeC's, and then they, of course, failed to activate AppConnect.

Edit: BTW, if you hold down the Setup (I have the ROW display) button for a few seconds you can see all the FeC's for your car. And, since they're now associated with your VIN in the VAG database, they are yours, you own them. So, there's no fishy business here (like you don't actually own them; you do, for as long as you own the car).
 
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2.2TDI

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Yea but jason_ is right to some degree... unless you hack the system and enable app connect without legit FeCs, VW has you by the balls with having to pay for original coding... 210 euros (that's around 320 CAD) for a stupid code to enable an app? that's ridiculous.

I know, i'm ranting and if I want to have app connect I gotta pay to play... i'm just thinking out loud

This reminds me of BMW batteries and how you can't change them like any other normal battery, because BMW batteries need to be programmed to the car... there's another example of being caught by the balls by the manufacture and having to shell out loads of cash for something that used to be a rather simple fix. Seems like the good old days are long gone...
 

aditud

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2015 GSW SE 6MT
Yea but jason_ is right to some degree... unless you hack the system and enable app connect without legit FeCs, VW has you by the balls with having to pay for original coding... 210 euros (that's around 320 CAD) for a stupid code to enable an app? that's ridiculous.

I know, i'm ranting and if I want to have app connect I gotta pay to play... i'm just thinking out loud

This reminds me of BMW batteries and how you can't change them like any other normal battery, because BMW batteries need to be programmed to the car... there's another example of being caught by the balls by the manufacture and having to shell out loads of cash for something that used to be a rather simple fix. Seems like the good old days are long gone...
Yeah, I see what you're saying. I thought you wondered why Jack was charging so much. My bad.

Anyway, just to play the devil's advocate here and defend VAG on this one: I think that since your car didn't come with AppConnect (so you didn't pay for it like others, who purchased the cars with the app stock), it is not totally immoral to ask someone who wants the app as a retrofit to pay for it.

On the other hand, you are most likely buying a salvage MIB2 headunit, so the original owner (of the car the unit was pulled out of) already paid for the app when he purchased the car. And now who gets the money for transferring the app to your VIN? Not the original owner or the junkyard or the eBay seller, but VAG. Just to transfer a commodity someone already paid for to a new owner. I think it would be fairer if you just had to pay a transfer fee.
 

2.2TDI

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Yeah, I see what you're saying. I thought you wondered why Jack was charging so much. My bad.

Anyway, just to play the devil's advocate here and defend VAG on this one: I think that since your car didn't come with AppConnect (so you didn't pay for it like others, who purchased the cars with the app stock), it is not totally immoral to ask someone who wants the app as a retrofit to pay for it.

On the other hand, you are most likely buying a salvage MIB2 headunit, so the original owner (of the car the unit was pulled out of) already paid for the app when he purchased the car. And now who gets the money for transferring the app to your VIN? Not the original owner or the junkyard or the eBay seller, but VAG. Just to transfer a commodity someone already paid for to a new owner. I think it would be fairer if you just had to pay a transfer fee.
Well it didn't come with it because VW didn't offer it in early MIB1 systems... From what I know, app connect came standard on all 2016+ models that had the MIB2 software, hence the cost for app connect was already integrated into the car, unlike in Europe, where app connect was and still is an extra option (aka the FeC code that costs around 210 euros)

Just to give you an idea, here's the options list for a golf in Romania... App connect costs 178 euros and they make you get the bigger composition media unit that has bluetooth, sd card, usb, etc for another 351 euros just to have app connect :rolleyes:





Why I have to activate it again when I'm already paying for the physical unit that technically already has it beats me... that's double dipping on VWs end in my eyes. Gotta pay to play unfortunately
 

aditud

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2015 GSW SE 6MT
Why I have to activate it again when I'm already paying for the physical unit that technically already has it beats me... that's double dipping on VWs end in my eyes. Gotta pay to play unfortunately
Yep, that's kinda how I see it too. That's basically what the last paragraph of my previous post says.
 

jason_

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michigan
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2015 s wagon dsg
Sales tax!

SOS was very upset when I bought my 09 for $1 for the title transfer.

Cash sale. Seller was standing next to me. She started to complain, I directed her towards him, and said "here, you tell him what you think he should of sold his vehicle for...."

Clammed that ***** up right now.


And my factory 15 unit has no hard setup button. Just soft button in the menus. How can I see FeCs?

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 
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aditud

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2015 GSW SE 6MT
And my factory 15 unit has no hard setup button. Just soft button in the menus. How can I see FeCs?

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
Sorry, it would actually be the menu button. That gets you in service mode. However, the FeC/SWaP’s won’t show unless you first use VCDS or obdeleven to activate “development mode”. So you need to do that first.

The info on long pressing “menu” to see codes is in the original George Ab thread on golmk7, there’s also a video online where the guy does that and gets into the service mode and sees the “function enabling codes (FeC, SWaP)” option. I tried that in my car and that option doesn’t show. Then I dug further and read that you need to be in developer mode to see that option. I’ll definitely try it sometime this weekend with my obdeleven.
 
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