RNS510 Firmware & Maps Info Thread

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740GLE

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The preset jump on the 510 annoys me. I found the easiest way to jump screens is to use the left/right buttons on the left side of the steering wheel.

Also, not being a smart-phone guy, I sometimes listen to CDs. The 315 could hold six, the 510... one.

yeah but 510 has a HD that can store your CD's/MP3s, but again 315 has an SD slot as well, so kinda mute, unless you enjoy CDs over MP3s.
 

740GLE

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OK. That brings up a good question. If you press the left/right button on the steering wheel, does it advance through them? One thing I hate on the RNS315 is that when you set up 6 presets for XM or FM radio (remember, you cannot mix presets BANDS) e.g. channels 2,3,5,7,8,12 and use the left/right steering wheel controls, it will go to 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, then 6 and so on. It ignores the presets. What about on the RNS510 with the wheel controls?

And you/someone said you can mix XM and FM and AM in presets, correct? Is there a long lag time when you go from say FM to XM?

Thanks

Frank in Michigan

510 can mix bands, presets 1-6 can be XM FM or AM, but yes there is a good 2-3 second delay (maybe it's actually 1-2) between switching bands.
 

740GLE

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The reason to go to the RNS510 is the larger screen and better Nav. I hate the small backup view and how limited the Nav is. I read you have more options with the RNS510.

As for the BT, I do want streaming so I will make sure to get something that was made in 2012 or later.

And regarding aftermarket, I have found a number of units but there have been so many negative reviews of them, even the higher priced Kenwoods. It would be nice to get Android Auto but not at the expense of losing the ability to use all the steering wheel controls and see stuff in the center DIC. If you have first-hand experience with a non-OEM head that works great and integrates well at a price below $750, I would consider it - just let me know which one. I would like to still have the 'speak a command' option for phone calls (like on the 315) and to have the ability to play music but have directions 'speak over' it when a turn is coming up.

Finally, I don't know about the snappyness of the 315 relative to the 510. All I care is that the Nav tells me to turn before I pass the street/exit :) Hopefully, the "E" and above units will do that.

Thanks for the reply!

Frank in Michigan
It'd all depend on the price point, the MIL picked up a Mini with a Kenwood aftermarket unit in it, it was a little old but still had carplay, it had all steering wheel controls, but had to run a second XM antenna as the stock connector was a no go.

I agree that OEM does have a decent polish of it, but other than a larger screen the laggyness of the 510 takes away from the additional features that we personally never use, maybe you will all depends on you're uses.
 

roni024

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OK. That brings up a good question. If you press the left/right button on the steering wheel, does it advance through them?
The left/right buttons will work through your presets. However, if you press the 'Tune' button on the touchscreen, your left/right buttons will now act as a seek function until you stop seeking for some time (maybe 10 seconds?).
 

FMinMI

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It'd all depend on the price point, the MIL picked up a Mini with a Kenwood aftermarket unit in it, it was a little old but still had carplay, it had all steering wheel controls, but had to run a second XM antenna as the stock connector was a no go.

I agree that OEM does have a decent polish of it, but other than a larger screen the laggyness of the 510 takes away from the additional features that we personally never use, maybe you will all depends on you're uses.
I see a lot of inexpensive ones on eBay but I am not even going to consider any after market ones unless someone has one and has positive feedback on it in a VW.

Anyone have any positive reviews???

That is what I was looking for. Plus I want it to be plug and play, not having cut a bunch of wires. Some say they are plug and play but the cables in the pictures look nothing like those that plug into the back of the RNS315.

Thanks

Frank in Michigan
 

FMinMI

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9w7 Bluetooth module part number

Does anyone know the difference between the two 9w7 BT modules - part numbers 7P6035730F and 1K8035730D? I am going to need to purchase one once I get a RNS-510 and don't want to have a mismatch issue where it won't work.

Thanks.

Frank in Michigan
 

740GLE

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typically last digit is usually a rev, nothing major but a tweak.
 

FMinMI

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typically last digit is usually a rev, nothing major but a tweak.
But in the two part numbers I listed above there is a big difference in the starting number/letters. That is what I was concerned about....

Thanks

Frank in Michigan
 

740GLE

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Sorry, I quickly looked at the last digits.

I did a quick search here (you can do one too) and it shows the 1K8 as being the 9W2 module that doesn't stream BT audio (same on I had in my 2010 Jetta)

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=368499&highlight=1K8035730D

Looks like you'd want 7P60 which others have sold here as being a bonnified 9W7 which will give you all the goodies.
 

FMinMI

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FMinMI

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OK. So I just won an eBay auction for a RNS510, version G and also bought a 9w7 [FONT=&quot]7P6035730F BT module. I assume I will need a cable harness to go from the BT to the radio. Does anyone know what part number that would be? Or what the pinout is?

Thanks

Frank in Michigan [/FONT]
 

kurtisk

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I have a 2015 Passat TDI SEL and the rns 510 has started having an issue (started after I had the windows tinted, hmmm). It seems the hard drive is not booting up when I turn the car on: will display "system starting..." (or similar) for a long time, will show a screen for radio, sound, phone, & setup; the media will display "system starting..." indefinitely (although it will play BT or SD or CD audio); pressing Nav or Map will ask for the map DVD to be inserted. If I do the <+>+* reboot, the system will restart and everything works as normal, the maps and nav work, the HDD music will play. But if I turn off the car, it will not work next time, has to be rebooted again. Any ideas why? Was it the window guys? Can it be repaired? Thanks

Bonus question: why will my voice dial from the steering wheel only dial the first person in my phone book? e.g., "call hamburger helper on mobile phone' produces "do you want to call annie appleseed?" (have iphone 6s with ios 11.xx)

kurtisk

BTW, I have tried reset to factory settings. Deleting and reinstalling phones.
 
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IndyTom12

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I have a 2015 Passat TDI SEL and the rns 510 has started having an issue (started after I had the windows tinted, hmmm). It seems the hard drive is not booting up when I turn the car on: will display "system starting..." (or similar) for a long time, will show a screen for radio, sound, phone, & setup; the media will display "system starting..." indefinitely (although it will play BT or SD or CD audio); pressing Nav or Map will ask for the map DVD to be inserted. If I do the <+>+* reboot, the system will restart and everything works as normal, the maps and nav work, the HDD music will play. But if I turn off the car, it will not work next time, has to be rebooted again. Any ideas why? Was it the window guys? Can it be repaired? Thanks

Bonus question: why will my voice dial from the steering wheel only dial the first person in my phone book? e.g., "call hamburger helper on mobile phone' produces "do you want to call annie appleseed?" (have iphone 6s with ios 11.xx)

kurtisk

BTW, I have tried reset to factory settings. Deleting and reinstalling phones.
Sounds about right for the worst ever Radio/Nav system of any car I have ever owned. If it does work it takes forever to start up and using the NAV is like watching paint dry or the grass grow. Not sure if your Window Tint guy is responsible. Not sure why he would be since unless the window tint is electrical in nature and he had to pull on some wires to install it. I suppose it is possible that while inside the car he accidentally turned and with his foot hit a sensitive spot which caused the Crappy RNS510 to self destruct. If so he probably did you a favor. Junk the Piece of Crap and get yourself a real Radio that actually works.
 

FMinMI

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Sounds about right for the worst ever Radio/Nav system of any car I have ever owned. If it does work it takes forever to start up and using the NAV is like watching paint dry or the grass grow. Not sure if your Window Tint guy is responsible. Not sure why he would be since unless the window tint is electrical in nature and he had to pull on some wires to install it. I suppose it is possible that while inside the car he accidentally turned and with his foot hit a sensitive spot which caused the Crappy RNS510 to self destruct. If so he probably did you a favor. Junk the Piece of Crap and get yourself a real Radio that actually works.
You are not making me feel good about my recent RNS-510 purchase :) Just out of curiosity, do you know what version you have (A,B,C,...)? I believe they have made a number of improvements since 2009. And you can update the hardware on some of the earlier ones to make it run faster...

Frank in Michigan
 

IndyTom12

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You are not making me feel good about my recent RNS-510 purchase :) Just out of curiosity, do you know what version you have (A,B,C,...)? I believe they have made a number of improvements since 2009. And you can update the hardware on some of the earlier ones to make it run faster...

Frank in Michigan
Well, I have one of the last 2015 Passat TDI SEL Premiums ever made. Bought it new last year after they gimped it with new software and released them for sale. I couldn't believe how second rate the so called Premium Fender Stereo/Nav System was compared to my 2010 Nissan Altima SL. There is no comparison. I did research the matter at length when I first was pissed off at that thing and did find out that I did have the second to the last newest hardware release of the unit with the second to the last firmware update available for this unit. I did upgrade the maps in hope it would fix the horrible slow system but that was 99 dollars I could have flushed down the toilette and would have been more satisfied. I pretty much gave up after that and only use the unit as a Poor excuse of a radio and a back up camera that takes forever to start up. I should have kept my 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid. That car was tons more fun to drive and a lot faster than this slow poke Diesel and the gas mileage is nothing like it should be. Horrible car all around. The Tech is definitely lacking behind several years compared to most other imports. Not sure what Radio you are replacing it with but don't put it aside too far. The RNS510 will frustrate you.
 

tadawson

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I can't argue with what IndyTom sees, but my experience with the RNS differs. I get the camera in 3 to 5 seconds, NAV works well, although entry is a bit slow, since it trys to be predictive and goes to the database for each keystroke. It ain't great, but it hardly makes it unusable either. Regarding the sound, that is pretty subjective. I work in pro audio, and find the system decent . . . and a lot of the stuff that folks like these days absolutely horrific (Bose come to mind . . .). The subwoofer is a little flabby, but OK for a stock system, but if you want the huge "Chunga" bass overload, this isn't the system for you. It's pretty decently balanced. I was going to run my analyzer on my system a year or so ago to see exactly how accurate it is, but never got to it, and interest seems to have waned.

All I can say is give one a listen, and see if you like it. Tastes vary . . .

- TIm
 

FMinMI

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I can't argue with what IndyTom sees, but my experience with the RNS differs. I get the camera in 3 to 5 seconds, NAV works well, although entry is a bit slow, since it trys to be predictive and goes to the database for each keystroke. It ain't great, but it hardly makes it unusable either. Regarding the sound, that is pretty subjective. I work in pro audio, and find the system decent . . . and a lot of the stuff that folks like these days absolutely horrific (Bose come to mind . . .). The subwoofer is a little flabby, but OK for a stock system, but if you want the huge "Chunga" bass overload, this isn't the system for you. It's pretty decently balanced. I was going to run my analyzer on my system a year or so ago to see exactly how accurate it is, but never got to it, and interest seems to have waned.

All I can say is give one a listen, and see if you like it. Tastes vary . . .

- TIm
What I want is a bigger screen than the RNS315 plus the integration with the DIC, steering wheel controls, etc. I know there are aftermarket radios with more power, Android auto, etc. I read the reviews. There are complaints about interface issues, no nav (requires plugging in phone) or poor nav, frozen screens , etc. Not one after market radio had decent reviews regarding being able to use all the steering wheel controls and the DIC.

I don't care if the radio audio is 'fantastic'; just that it plays decent.

It would be nice to 'speak' an address to the NAV but I don't use it that often so as long as it tells me to turn BEFORE I pass the street I am find with a clumsy entry system.

I do want to stream music via BT like I currently do with the RNS315. And I want all the steering wheel controls to work correctly.

Thus the reason for buying a 510, which is coming today, along with the 9w7 BT module. I'd like to upgrade from the 3696 firmware to the 4366 as folks say it works better. But no one seems to know / have a link as to where to get it (someone on eBay is selling a copy for $70!).

Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I plan to keep the RNS315 and if I don't like the 510, I can always sell it again on eBay! They seem to always be a market for them.

Frank in Michigan
 

tadawson

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Based on what you just said, I think you will be happy. The integration with the car is good, and if you get bored, you can always turn the speech recognition on in VCDS. Not sure you can speak it an address, but other stuff works once you figure out the vocabulary it wants . . . .

Not sure I'd call the entry "clumsy" as much as just "slow'. It presents only the next keys that match what it sees in it's database, and updates every keystroke, and that's where the delay comes from. The net result is that once you get stuff entered, it has the destination, as opposed to waiting out a (potentially) lengthy search and then wading through results as is the case with my stand alone Garmin in the other car . . .
 

FMinMI

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Based on what you just said, I think you will be happy. The integration with the car is good, and if you get bored, you can always turn the speech recognition on in VCDS. Not sure you can speak it an address, but other stuff works once you figure out the vocabulary it wants . . . .

Not sure I'd call the entry "clumsy" as much as just "slow'. It presents only the next keys that match what it sees in it's database, and updates every keystroke, and that's where the delay comes from. The net result is that once you get stuff entered, it has the destination, as opposed to waiting out a (potentially) lengthy search and then wading through results as is the case with my stand alone Garmin in the other car . . .
When I press the microphone button on the wheel, I can say something like "Call Gina Mobile" and it works. I cannot do anything else - talking only works for call stuff, and I didn't have to do any VCDS editing.

And to enter an address my RNS315 also does the same - put in a letter, it pauses for a fraction of a second and shows only the next viable characters. So that too will be the same.

I will try and see!

Thanks for the input.

Frank in Michigan
 

tadawson

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It depends what you enable. I get a totally different set of voice capabilities by pressing the star button on the RNS itself which will navigate RNS functions, not just the phone. There are actually two places in VCDS that need to have voice activated. It's not what it could be, but more than just phone . . .

Oh, and apparently VW decided for us that they didn't want to support voice commands, so disabled them in later years, so if you have not turned them back on (or have an older car with quite old RNS firmware) you won't have them . . .

(I think the sticky at the top of this forum has details on how to re-enable . . . ).
 

FMinMI

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It depends what you enable. I get a totally different set of voice capabilities by pressing the star button on the RNS itself which will navigate RNS functions, not just the phone. There are actually two places in VCDS that need to have voice activated. It's not what it could be, but more than just phone . . .

Oh, and apparently VW decided for us that they didn't want to support voice commands, so disabled them in later years, so if you have not turned them back on (or have an older car with quite old RNS firmware) you won't have them . . .

(I think the sticky at the top of this forum has details on how to re-enable . . . ).
Just out of curiosity, do you know what version/firmware you have that allows the added voice features? Mine is the "G" version from a 2013 Passat with firmware 3696 (I am trying to find the 4366 firmware).

And also what two VDCS modules/bits you changed?

Thanks.

Frank in Michigan
 

Jetta_Pilot

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All I can say is that a $ 125.00 Garmin GPS with Lifetime map updates outperforms that RNS 510 POS in my car.
The backup camera works great though!
 

kurtisk

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Any insights about my problem?

I have a 2015 Passat TDI SEL and the rns 510 has started having an issue (started after I had the windows tinted, hmmm). It seems the hard drive is not booting up when I turn the car on: will display "system starting..." (or similar) for a long time, will show a screen for radio, sound, phone, & setup; the media will display "system starting..." indefinitely (although it will play BT or SD or CD audio); pressing Nav or Map will ask for the map DVD to be inserted. If I do the <+>+* reboot, the system will restart and everything works as normal, the maps and nav work, the HDD music will play. But if I turn off the car, it will not work next time, has to be rebooted again. Any ideas why? Was it the window guys? Can it be repaired? Thanks

Bonus question: why will my voice dial from the steering wheel only dial the first person in my phone book? e.g., "call hamburger helper on mobile phone' produces "do you want to call annie appleseed?" (have iphone 6s with ios 11.xx)

kurtisk

BTW, I have tried reset to factory settings. Deleting and reinstalling phones.
I would like to blame the tint guys, but I don't see how unless they disconnected the battery.

I reminds me of doing a warm boot on a computer. It's like the HDD doesn't start from a cold boot, but a warm boot once the system in running allows it to work. Maybe I can replace the HDD?
 

tadawson

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Just out of curiosity, do you know what version/firmware you have that allows the added voice features? Mine is the "G" version from a 2013 Passat with firmware 3696 (I am trying to find the 4366 firmware).

And also what two VDCS modules/bits you changed?

Thanks.

Frank in Michigan
It is not firmware dependent - the features have always been in the RNS510 from the beginning . . .You just need to reverse the coding that VW did to turn them off.

The specifics to tweak are in a sticky at the top of this section of TDIClub. It's been so long, I don't honestly remember what I tweaked, just that it was in two places, and two items . . .

From that sticky:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=359505 Is the thread, and for the NAV stuff, this is the coding (and when I did this with my VCDS, all the fields were called out by name - no need to go fishing for bits and bytes . . . ):

These are the steps within VCDS software to add Navigation voice commands back in
(Remember to have car doors closed and unlocked before you start):

1. SELECT
2. 37 NAVIGATION
3. CODING - 07
4. LONG CODING HELPER
5. Highlight BYTE 7
6. Remove check from BIT 1
7. ESC out from this screen
8. DO IT!
9. Exit out of VCDS software

After you are through, I would recommend that you re-boot the Nav unit:

Press and hold these three button at the top of the Nav unit until it reboots.
Should take about 15 seconds:

< > and star button (far right of DVD slot)

- TIm
 
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tadawson

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All I can say is that a $ 125.00 Garmin GPS with Lifetime map updates outperforms that RNS 510 POS in my car.
The backup camera works great though!
Not in terms of integration into the car it won't. I leave my Garmin at home for that very reason . . .
 

tadawson

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I would like to blame the tint guys, but I don't see how unless they disconnected the battery.

I reminds me of doing a warm boot on a computer. It's like the HDD doesn't start from a cold boot, but a warm boot once the system in running allows it to work. Maybe I can replace the HDD?
Might be an iPhone thing . . . On my Android, I can voice dial any of close to 1 hundred . . .
- Tim
 

FMinMI

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It is not firmware dependent - the features have always been in the RNS510 from the beginning . . .You just need to reverse the coding that VW did to turn them off.

The specifics to tweak are in a sticky at the top of this section of TDIClub. It's been so long, I don't honestly remember what I tweaked, just that it was in two places, and two items . . .

From that sticky:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=359505 Is the thread, and for the NAV stuff, this is the coding (and when I did this with my VCDS, all the fields were called out by name - no need to go fishing for bits and bytes . . . ):

These are the steps within VCDS software to add Navigation voice commands back in
(Remember to have car doors closed and unlocked before you start):

1. SELECT
2. 37 NAVIGATION
3. CODING - 07
4. LONG CODING HELPER
5. Highlight BYTE 7
6. Remove check from BIT 1
7. ESC out from this screen
8. DO IT!
9. Exit out of VCDS software

After you are through, I would recommend that you re-boot the Nav unit:

Press and hold these three button at the top of the Nav unit until it reboots.
Should take about 15 seconds:

< > and star button (far right of DVD slot)

- TIm
Thanks Tim. When I get it, I will definitely make this mod. Have a small issue with the radio I was looking at.

Frank in Michigan
 

tadawson

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Yeah, if you have a TDI, VCDS is pretty much a mandatory if you do your own work. In the NMS Passat, there are also some neat features that can be turned on that were never offered by VW in the US, but which work great . . . gotta love international and multi-brand/model parts and firmware!

- Tim
 
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740GLE

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I do want to stream music via BT like I currently do with the RNS315. And I want all the steering wheel controls to work correctly.

Thus the reason for buying a 510, which is coming today, along with the 9w7 BT module. I'd like to upgrade from the 3696 firmware to the 4366 as folks say it works better. But no one seems to know / have a link as to where to get it (someone on eBay is selling a copy for $70!).

hate to burst your bubble, if you can already stream bt music, you already have the 9w7, no need to buy another one. I stated this way back on 4/24.
 

FMinMI

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hate to burst your bubble, if you can already stream bt music, you already have the 9w7, no need to buy another one. I stated this way back on 4/24.
Hi. Some misunderstanding in reading my last post. Yes, I can stream BT music with the 'old' RNS315. That is something that I want to continue to do when I swap to the RNS510. The RNS315 has all the electronics built into the head. There is no 'outside' module, thus the reason for me to buy a 9w7. There are many posts in multiple forums that state you must add this module if you going from the 315 to the 510.

Seems so stupid to not put this small amount of circuitry in the radio right from the start.

Cheers.

Frank in Michigan
 
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