Retrofitting ACC to Mk7 TDI

[Cuzoe]

The -P is good up to 210 km/h while the -G is limited to 160 km/h. Unless you're going to be using adaptive cruise over 160 km/h (almost 100 mi/h) the -G is okay. I read somewhere (though I need to find it again to be sure) that if you also have the lane assist camera with the -G the limit gets pushed to 210 km/h.

Personally it's moot because I'm not using any type of cruise control at 100 mi/h, maybe 85 if I ever again have the misfortune of driving I-10 through Texas. I made that drive with my wife in her Corolla a few years ago... it has no cruise control

 

[o_a_ravi]

User Nuje - Would once again like to thank you for clearly documenting the steps. Last week I was doing the ABS replacement with ..AB module, was literally a brain surgery ., not a professional mechanic so took my own time and was able to complete it in 3 days working few hours each day.

Your instructions about getting the brake lines lined up, wiring dissection and ODIS steps came in very handy. Thanks to yourself, user Somnus and Xiago for research and details shared.

Anyways got everything to work as expected., just that some of the steps took more than one try. And few minor dissapointments like -

1. My Car is now fitted with a AB module with MK100 IPB AbS., but do not have EPB (e-parking brake). So the car will not go to complete stop and hold. The dash will beep to apply brakes. Tried both settings on ABS Long code Byte 24:

With ACC (Follow to Stop), With Front Assist, With AEB (MK100IPB)

With ACC (Stop & Go), With Front Assist, With AEB (MK100IPB)

2. Not completely satisfied with Brake bleeding, the pedal is little soft/squishy., not firm as before. There still may be some air trapped in it. Went through almost 2.5 litres of ATE SL6 LV brake fluid. Did - ODIS ABS bleeding and pump cycling, regular bleeding on all 4 wheels (2 person method). May be i need to do this again.

Is there any tip or particular sequence to be followed for the bleeding process to get rid of all the trapped air ?

 

[Nuje]

Yeah - I've had the same experience with the brakes feeling soft after the ABS pump swap. Went through the "Basic Settings" pump activation, multiple bottles of VW fluid, not seeing any bubbles, and they're still soft.

Not sure if I keep throwing fluid at it, or if I bite the bullet and take it to the dealer and tell them to fix it. (The $150 in labor buys a LOT of brake fluid, but maybe the dealer-activated ODIS does some special sequence of ABS activation that purges all the air (?)).

 

[o_a_ravi]

Yeah - I've had the same experience with the brakes feeling soft after the ABS pump swap. Went through the "Basic Settings" pump activation, multiple bottles of VW fluid, not seeing any bubbles, and they're still soft.

Not sure if I keep throwing fluid at it, or if I bite the bullet and take it to the dealer and tell them to fix it. (The $150 in labor buys a LOT of brake fluid, but maybe the dealer-activated ODIS does some special sequence of ABS activation that purges all the air (?)).

Thanks for the quick response. I am planning to do this again., using the following sequence -
1. Bleed via ODIS ABS cycle/bleeding
2. Perform Hydraulic System Bleeding procedure as the manual (attached below) suggests.

Since the fluid is brand new, may be will use clean dry catch can and recycle it back.


Hydraulic System, Post-Bleeding

Perform a post-bleeding when:

t The brake pedal travel is too long, or the so-called soft brake pedal

A second technician is required during the post-bleeding.

– Connect the Brake Charger/Bleeder Unit -VAS5234-

– Press brake pedal forcefully and hold.

– Open bleeder valve at brake caliper.

– Press brake pedal down onto stop.

– Close bleeder valve with pedal depressed.

– Release brake pedal slowly.

Note

This bleeding procedure must be performed five times per brake caliper.

Bleeding sequence:

1- Front left brake caliper

2 - Right front brake caliper

3 - Left rear brake caliper

4 - Right rear brake caliper

Note

A road test must be performed after bleeding. During this, at least one ABS regulation must be performed!

 

[Nuje]

Oh right - I do remember now reading about that procedure.
Be sure to let us know how you make out.

 

[thundershorts]

Cuzoe, all the S golf hatchs came with a Mexican windshield glass with a cloudy laminate layer and horrible distortion at the sides. side and rear glass are st gobain.

 

[JM Popaleetus]

My SEL came with the terrible Vitro glass too. When the light hits it just right, it dazzles like a fiber optic star ceiling.

I sometimes secretly pray it will crack so I have an excuse to replace it with some Saint-Gobain glass.

I’ll probably get the SKU with the triangle camera cutout to put a dashcam in even if I never retrofit the lane assist camera.

 

[JM Popaleetus]

Also, the pump-each-corner-five-times bleeding method is what I used after installing my new lines and calipers. It worked a lot better and faster than the vacuum pump I initially tried. Took about 500mL to get all four lines bled.

 

[Nuje]

Not sure if it was in this thread where I mentioned it, but I ended up with Fuyao windshield glass on my SEL/Highline, in an effort to retrofit (still in progress) the lane assist camera - and was quite blown away with how much better it was than the stock whatever that was in there before.

 

[Cuzoe]

I've been driving behind semi's on the highway. They flatly refuse to kick up any rocks and help me out. At some point I'll give up and just get a new windshield. I think I have everything needed to make an attempt at lane assist retrofit, gotta go through my boxes again, haha.

 

[o_a_ravi]

I've been driving behind semi's on the highway. They flatly refuse to kick up any rocks and help me out. At some point I'll give up and just get a new windshield. I think I have everything needed to make an attempt at lane assist retrofit, gotta go through my boxes again, haha.

Did the same, literally waited for my old windshield to crack with the combination of rock chip from the big trucks and the arizona heat. Did not go through the insurance though., took care of it out of pocket for around $ 450. Looked up the correct glass part number., found a glass installer to pick the glass from the dealer and do the install for me. He kept saying its not the right glass for my model. Told him to just install and i took care of installing the camera, rain sensors, wiring, etc.

 

[o_a_ravi]

Oh right - I do remember now reading about that procedure.
Be sure to let us know how you make out.

Just wanted to keep you posted on my rework on brake bleeding to resolve the "SPONGY BRAKE" condition. The rebleed procedure is now complete, and the pedal feels solid like when it was new.

Supplies : 2 Litres of fresh brake fluid - ATE SL6., low viscous type.
Motive (or home made version) power bleeder pump with pressure gauge.,
2 clean catch bottles with clear tubing - In my case, the fluid already in the system is 2 weeks old, so was planning to re-use some of it, if the reservoir goes empty. A second person to operate the brake pedals (makes your life easy)

Procedure / Sequence : With all 4 tires off and vehicle secured on Jack Stands, connect the power bleeder with 2 liters of new brake fluid to reservoir and maintain a positive pressure of 20 - 25 PSI through out the procedure (ODIS ABS Bleeding followed by regular bleeding)

1. Do a ABS Brake bleeding by connect the vehicle to ODIS Service., Diagnostics > 03 ABS Brakes > Guided Function > Bleed Brakes.
2. Follow the onscreen procedure from ODIS., ABS pump activates several times while bleeding the front left and right wheels.
3. ABS Bleeding also prompts you to open the rear wheel bleed screw and to push the pedals.
4. Once ODIS bleed process is complete, disconnect the computer and remove the cable.
5. Follow the regular post bleeding process., - re-fill the motive bleeder with another 2 liters (i re-used the fluid, since it is very new)
6. Wheel Sequence is - Front Right, Front Left, Rear Left and Rear Right.
7. At each wheel, bleed at least 400 - 500 ml of fluid., while pushing the pedal hard all the way to floor. Do this 5 - 6 times for each wheel.

Rear wheels were harder to push and the rate of flow seemed less compared to the fronts. I definitely got lot of air bubbles and micro bubbles due to ABS kicking in. After the procedure, the pedal is rock hard when engine is off. When engine is on, the pedal is still firm. Great improvement from the first time.

 

[JM Popaleetus]

I did a few panic stops and then rebled my brakes again with another 500mL fluid (1L total since installing new lines) and the pedal feel is definitely improved.

I'm curious if you can activate the ABS pump to push any bubbles into the reservoir via VCDS?

 

[Nuje]

I'm curious if you can activate the ABS pump to push any bubbles into the reservoir via VCDS?

I'd asked Ross-Tech on their forums if that was possible, but back when I first was going through this with my car, their response was something along the lines of the ABS module being something of a black box - not very well-documented yet. Maybe this has changed (?).

 

[Nuje]

Just wanted to keep you posted on my rework on brake bleeding to resolve the "SPONGY BRAKE" condition. The rebleed procedure is now complete, and the pedal feels solid like when it was new.

Supplies : 2 Litres of fresh brake fluid - ATE SL6., low viscous type.
Motive (or home made version) power bleeder pump with pressure gauge.,
2 clean catch bottles with clear tubing - In my case, the fluid already in the system is 2 weeks old, so was planning to re-use some of it, if the reservoir goes empty. A second person to operate the brake pedals (makes your life easy)

Procedure / Sequence : With all 4 tires off and vehicle secured on Jack Stands, connect the power bleeder with 2 liters of new brake fluid to reservoir and maintain a positive pressure of 20 - 25 PSI through out the procedure (ODIS ABS Bleeding followed by regular bleeding)

1. Do a ABS Brake bleeding by connect the vehicle to ODIS Service., Diagnostics > 03 ABS Brakes > Guided Function > Bleed Brakes.
2. Follow the onscreen procedure from ODIS., ABS pump activates several times while bleeding the front left and right wheels.
3. ABS Bleeding also prompts you to open the rear wheel bleed screw and to push the pedals.
4. Once ODIS bleed process is complete, disconnect the computer and remove the cable.
5. Follow the regular post bleeding process., - re-fill the motive bleeder with another 2 liters (i re-used the fluid, since it is very new)
6. Wheel Sequence is - Front Right, Front Left, Rear Left and Rear Right.
7. At each wheel, bleed at least 400 - 500 ml of fluid., while pushing the pedal hard all the way to floor. Do this 5 - 6 times for each wheel.

Rear wheels were harder to push and the rate of flow seemed less compared to the fronts. I definitely got lot of air bubbles and micro bubbles due to ABS kicking in. After the procedure, the pedal is rock hard when engine is off. When engine is on, the pedal is still firm. Great improvement from the first time.

This is great detail - much thanks for providing the step-by-step!

 

[o_a_ravi]

I did a few panic stops and then rebled my brakes again with another 500mL fluid (1L total since installing new lines) and the pedal feel is definitely improved.

I'm curious if you can activate the ABS pump to push any bubbles into the reservoir via VCDS?

I like the idea of activating the abs and pushing the bubbles in to reservoir., that would be really cool. But doing this twice., my observation is after running the abs pumps., the air (from the abs) is pushed downstream., and the most visible place is front right caliper., where the bubbles come out like a froth or microbubbles (due to agitation from the pump).

 

[o_a_ravi]

This is great detail - much thanks for providing the step-by-step!

No problem.

Another learning is never do this job without a second person assisting with the pushing the pedal..!

In my case (or if someone is attempting it single handed), i was doing this all alone late night, so the family was deep sleeping., the power bleeder with ~25 psi maintained a positive pressure on the system. So with the bleeder screw opened and the tube attached., the fluid always came out and would not suck the air back in.

Sequence for pumping will be -

1. With catch bottle attached., slightly open the beleeder screw., fluid will start oozing out to the bottle.
2. Run to the pedal, push it all the way to the floor., dont release it.
3. Jam a wooden stick or a breaker bar between the pedal (while pushed all the way in) and support the rod/stick to the lower part of the seat.
4. Go back to the bleeder screw, tighten it back.
repeat this sequence 5-6 times for each wheels.

Thats around 40~50 times of running between the wheel and the brake pedal . There is a reason why they call this as 2 person job.

 

[kyle_h]

Love reading these threads!! Where y'all getting your ODIS hookups?

 

[Nuje]

I get help from a guy in Finland; pm me if you have a VAS5054 and are needing some remote work done and I can pass along his contact info.

 

[marianowadel]

Nice job! I'm looking to get ACC retrofitted, but my mk7 doesn't come with it. I saw these guys doing it:

, but I'm a bit worried about some comments. Can someone share pictures of their original front radar mounting? A couple pictures from the sides would be awesome, since it seems the radar is tilted 12° upwards. Thanks!

 

[Nuje]

Paging Dr. @Cuzoe....
(My car came with Front Assist so already had radar mount up front.)

 

[marianowadel]

Appreciate you @Nuje! Original mount will do too. I need to see in what position and angle the radar is originally mounted.

 

[Cuzoe]

@marianowadel I unfortunately do not have any pictures from the sides. I bought the crash bar with the mount when I did the retrofit. My car had no front assist, I have no welding/fabrication skills and I didn't want to deal with any trouble from improper mounting location/angle.

The part number for the crash bar, at least for the NAR Mk7s, is 5GM807109AC. It was about $350 brand new when I bought it, a little over 3 years ago.

 

[marianowadel]

Thanks a lot @Cuzoe - Yeah, that price tag is kinda prohibitive for me. But I agree it can be dangerous to mess with the mounting, especially given the speeds at which this thing is used. I'll do some more digging.

 

[Cuzoe]

Thanks a lot @Cuzoe - Yeah, that price tag is kinda prohibitive for me. But I agree it can be dangerous to mess with the mounting, especially given the speeds at which this thing is used. I'll do some more digging.

Initially I ordered one on eBay, seemed to ship from Asian market somewhere. Everything about looked correct except that it was shorter (front to back) than my crash bar... https://golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/cuzoes-2015-golf-tdi-s-journal.373961/post-7500004

As you can imagine I did not use it, so be careful there if you go that route. The seller did issue a refund and did not ask me to send it back, thankfully

 

[Nuje]

These cars have been on the roads now for almost a decade, and the same basic structure was used in the AllTrack for at least a few years as well.
I don't know what it's like in Argentina, but here at least, you can sometimes go into a scrapyard and pull the parts you want. Or at the very least, see if they have a car spec'd with the front assist / front radar in the lower bumper and ask them to pull the crash bar for you. Probably a lot cheaper than buying new.

 

[jason_]

@Nuje @Cuzoe

After, if ever finished, gonna auction them off?

 

[Nuje]

After, if ever finished...

I fail to understand the central conceit of this question.
I get the feeling this car is going to be my Ship of Odysseus - replacing parts as they wear (or as I deem them in "need" of replacement), to the point where there's a "new" (or at least different) car hiding in there.

 

[Cuzoe]

@Nuje @Cuzoe

After, if ever finished, gonna auction them off?

I don't imagine there's any way I would ever sell. But entertaining that hypothetical I don't know if I will ever finish. The hatch is filled with things that *need" be installed.

 

[jason_]

Honestly this is a project I'd love to endure myself, but living in Michigan where the average unibody vehicle will barely outlive its first 10 years, it would be a vehicle I'd work on, then basically never drive it anywhere, especially as a daily right behind the county truck spreading salt, or sliding through the blue globs of ice melt at every intersection. There's many nooks,crannies, crevices that a wash wont reach without disassembly.