Upgrade head unit to Apple Carplay?

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
The screen on my '15 GSW is dead. Stereo still works, I can view stations in the cluster. Honestly I don't miss the screen, my GSW is an S so it doesn't do a whole lot. However, I feel I should replace it, and if I'm going to that expense I'd prefer to get one with Apple Carplay from a later MY Golf. How difficult is this, what issues will I face? Thanks.
 

Nickmk7

Well-known member
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Jan 6, 2019
Location
SoCal
TDI
Mk7.5 GTI SE DSG 2002 Jetta TDI GLS M/T

Essentially you need the glove box unit and the screen from a 2016+ Golf (car-part). You will also need a new trim bezel (AliExpress) usb in cubby cable for CarPlay (AliExpress) and to rent tools from a forum member from golfmk7. After all tools and parts are acquired you contact a programmer active on the forums over there and he will remove component protection and code to your car remotely. I’m in the middle of the process and I can help you out if you have questions, retrofitting a 8” glass screen in my 15 tdi sel.
here’s the master thread https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...o-mib2-infotainment-conversion-part-1.343701/
 

Nickmk7

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SoCal
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Mk7.5 GTI SE DSG 2002 Jetta TDI GLS M/T
Also, when I ordered parts they sent me a 6.5 inch screen from a 2017 that is CarPlay ready, I won’t be using it if you’re interested in it.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Thanks for the info and the screen offer. I have to decide whether or not getting CarPlay is worth the extra steps. At this point I'm enjoying not having anything working. Now if I could disable the rear camera so I didn't hear the emblem flipping up when I put the car in reverse...
 

hskrdu

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 17, 2003
Location
Maryland and New England
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2003 Golf GLS 4D 5M, 2015 GSW SE 6M
The screen in (her) Mk7 GSW S started to flicker 6 mos ago, and died two months later. I figured as long as I was replacing the screen, I'd upgrade to MIB2. I wouldn't use Carplay etc. much in my car, but she uses that kind of tech all the time. I did not want to invest in the priciest options associated with Eurozone Tuning (or some others), and basically decided to invest as little as possible, knowing that it was still not cheap.

My original plan was to do everything myself, but ultimately I lost interest in learning the programming and software/tech. This meant I had to turn to one of the few programmers listed at the vortex or euro Mk7 forums. I chose "Peter in Chicago" because he was US-based, had a web presence I could find, and for some instances, did not need extensive remote work via computer. His lead time was about 2 weeks, and I paid for a head unit and his time/tech work. The pricing for MIB upgrade work, with a few exceptions, seems to be hidden across all the providers, and I'm sure someone smarter than me can explain why.


For her GSW S:

1) MIB2 6.5" compatible screen, P/N 3G0919605H. $99 from Ebay.
2) OE VW Aux In / USB unit which replaces the VW MDI plug at in the center console. P/N 5G0035222E. $40 from VW.
3) OE VW Aux In / USB wires for the above plug, $45 from Ebay.
4) MIB2 Radio Head Unit P/N 3Q0035876B (there are other options). Bundled with the MIB2 programming.

Notes:
a) I already had radio keys, trim tools, VCDS, and a wires to pull cables from the glove box to the center console.

b) Many versions of the MIB2 screen are available from Ebay / parts places, but I was using "Peter in Chicago," and didn't want to send him a head unit for programming. This meant he sent me the HU already programmed for her car and options.

c) The 6.5" screen is (I think) the smallest MIB2 upgrade screen. Most people seem to want the larger ones, but we've found the 6.5 to be fine, and it doesn't require a new plastic radio trim surround, as it fits in the space from the existing trim. I also couldn't find the plastic "brushed aluminum" trim (that comes with the TDI S) for the larger size screens.

Work:
This was DIY, and it took me about four hours with stopping to take pictures for yet another how-to thread that I don't have time to complete. Almost everything is "easy" interior / trim work, with the "hardest" part usually finagling the wiring, and pulling it all through from top to bottom. Like almost every DIY thread that I find on the internet, not a single one is comprehensive, and you'll need to piece together several how-to's ahead of time in order to reduce annoying delays. Corey seems like he has already done some Mk7 interior stuff, so maybe you'll have more help than I did.

From memory: Remove some (or all) of the trim covering the MIB1 head unit/ glove box area. Remove MIB1 unit, remove trim at AC controls, pull Hazard switch forward and disconnect, remove radio trim surround, remove cubby, disconnect old MDI plug and remove, pull MIB1 screen out and set aside. The wiring loom needs to get sorted and the appropriate cable ends pulled down from the HU area to the center console. After this, I laid everything out, connected the HU, the screen, and the AUX plug, just to see of everything powered up. From here it is reassembly, using the MIB2 screen and HU. The annoying delays here will be shaving any plastic bumps which prevent the color-coded plugs being inserted, finding a place to best route and store extra wires (I removed the lower side center console trim, along the front pax's left leg (this takes 2 minutes and makes things much easier), and re-inserting the center cubby (also much easier when looking at how it works, while that lower side trim is removed). Some people are annoyed at the plastic trim, getting the radio back in with wires in the way, or other trim tasks with plastic (warmer is better).

Once everything is together, I did a short (less than 20 min) remote-work session with Peter in Chicago (he's not really in Chicago, but north-of), which requires a PC and downloading some software. He did some non-VCDS changes, and I did some VCDS changes, and that was it. The next day (and first time we checked) the rear view camera did not work, and a second 5 min remote session fixed that (he had inadvertently un-checked the camera option for the MIB2 brain).

I'll try to create a new album and upload my pictures, but my how-to memory is already fading. I started one day and finished the next, but if you are not taking pics, or aren't walking away every 20 minutes, it will go fairly quickly. All-in, I think I spent $1300.

More Notes:
d) The MIB2 is faster, and has some nice features, but also (to me) has some annoying aspects in how it differs from the older system.
e) She loves it, and has used it more than I, so maybe that's a more informed opinion.
f) If you can use your IDP connections to find a programmer, you should be do it all yourself via the correct software and tech.

HTH
 
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740GLE

Top Post Dawg
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Aug 19, 2009
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NH
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2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
try and source a 2018 S or newer radio, it's a bare bones and prob more of your style. I forget the make model but digging around you should find quite a bunch as people upgrade towards MIBII units.

its an AIO unit that doesn't need the glove box brains, doesn't have sirus radio but does have carplay.

I still think you'd need to deal with the component protection but the entry price point is much more wallet friendly,
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Good idea. I don't want Sirius, so that could work. I'll see what I can find, and will also talk to "Peter in Chicago" about setting it up.
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
I would be curious to know if your existing main unit wiring (in the glovebox) will reach the area behind the screen. Center stack area is a shorter distance from (most) things than the glovebox so maybe you could "pull the harness back" to that area.

Those all-in-one units are MIB II as well... but most people upgrading from them are looking to add navigation, XM, and/or want to upgrade to the 8" screen. Those folks have to buy an extension harness to relocate the main unit. I've not read of anyone going from any system (MIB I or II) to the 2018+ Mk7 "S" radio. I would expect they could be had for not too much money. They will require new trim though and I'm not sure you'll find it Golf S brushed silver.

Should you decide to go MIB II with two separate units (like you have now), you don't need new center trim if you go with the standard MIB II 6.5" screen. It fits right in, you'll just have smaller bezels on the actual screen. If you decide to go 8" matte or glossy you would need new trim though. The 8" matte screen trim is available in brushed silver. But the 8" glossy screen trim is not, as far as I know.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
The screen on my '15 GSW is dead. Stereo still works, I can view stations in the cluster. Honestly I don't miss the screen, my GSW is an S so it doesn't do a whole lot. However, I feel I should replace it, and if I'm going to that expense I'd prefer to get one with Apple Carplay from a later MY Golf. How difficult is this, what issues will I face? Thanks.
It is an adventure, and the most important part of it is that person doing the coding, find a capable one.

Now, if you haven't figure out yet, there are brands of brains, some can be unlocked, some not. I believe Panasonic are not possible, Delphi units can be coded.

I think this is reasonable:
 
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tdidieselbobny

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Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
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'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
So stock radios are nla? Just curious, I have a GSW S like Peter, it's plenty good enough for me, just in case...
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
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Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
They're not NLA. In fact, I bought one yesterday. The information provided here has been very helpful, but it also showed me that the upgrade isn't really simple and there are opportunities to run into fitment, trim, and programming obstacles with a CarPlay upgrade. The new screen from VW costs nearly $1,000, but our dealer (where IDParts buys parts and where I bought the car) offered me a replacement at dealer cost, which is about half that. So I decided to stick with what came in the car.

Thanks to everyone for your help. It taught me that (a) an upgrade can be done; but (b) why I'm not a fan of this kind of technology in vehicles. This head unit setup really provides me with no benefits that I value, but it's a necessary expense when you own a car that incudes this kind of tech.

Makes me even happier that I insisted in getting my BMW without the NAV unit, which includes HVAC in that model. And those cost $3K.
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
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May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
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MK7 Golf S
Crazy that even dealer cost is still so high for these, although it is a captive market. Had I known I wouldn't have given one away a month back 😂. See them on used on eBay for more than I thought they were worth, but a good deal relatively speaking.

My 9.2" screen cost about the same, purchased from a dealer so definitely not at dealer price.
 

adjat84th

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI/'15 Golf TDI
The MIB2 setup I got from "Bojan" on one of the TDI facebook pages required only minimal wiring changes. No splicing or anything, just replacing one of the harness connectors from the glovebox unit over so that the USB port could be swapped. Somehow didn't have to change anything in VCDS either on my Fender system.
Sounds stupid, by honestly it was worth the upgrade to simply have the radio not turn off when shutting the car down. MIB2 stays on until you open a door like all other VWs I've owned!
 

hskrdu

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 17, 2003
Location
Maryland and New England
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 4D 5M, 2015 GSW SE 6M
They're not NLA. In fact, I bought one yesterday. The information provided here has been very helpful, but it also showed me that the upgrade isn't really simple and there are opportunities to run into fitment, trim, and programming obstacles with a CarPlay upgrade. The new screen from VW costs nearly $1,000, but our dealer (where IDParts buys parts and where I bought the car) offered me a replacement at dealer cost, which is about half that. So I decided to stick with what came in the car.

Thanks to everyone for your help. It taught me that (a) an upgrade can be done; but (b) why I'm not a fan of this kind of technology in vehicles. This head unit setup really provides me with no benefits that I value, but it's a necessary expense when you own a car that incudes this kind of tech.

Makes me even happier that I insisted in getting my BMW without the NAV unit, which includes HVAC in that model. And those cost $3K.
P- I totally understand why you went this route, especially given the cost of an upgrade. That being said, I hope my post didn't overcomplicate the install. Although I do a lot of minor mods, I'm not especilly gifted with radio/wiring like others (Scott/StealthTDI GTI), and the MIB2 took me only a few hours. I also understand not doing an upgrade based on techonolgy you won't use, and I said as much above. For others that find this post, just be aware that the replacement screens may also have have an abbreviated lifespan, which (as owners at vortex and other forums have said), meant some spent the MIB1 replacement screen cash and still ended up doing an upgrade (of some sort) later on. Hopefully yours is improved/updated in some way.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
For others that find this post, just be aware that the replacement screens may also have have an abbreviated lifespan, which (as owners at vortex and other forums have said)
I thought about this. Any screen I buy used has probably been installed for several years at this point, and I might have to deal with finding the correct replacement at some point.
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
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Location
Los Angeles
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MK7 Golf S
I don't often enough think about lifespan as I'm too busy searching out ways to burn money on the next upgrade. But new is definitely the way to go for a long term replacement. I would think any used screen is 1-1.5 years newer than yours at the most since MIB II came in 2016.

I've had the 5.8, 6.5, 6.5 with nav, 8 matte, 8 glass, and now 9.2 all touch screen in my car. I think that's all that were ever available 😂. Gave away the 5.8" but was able to sell the others, thankfully.
 

tdidieselbobny

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Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
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'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
They're not NLA. In fact, I bought one yesterday. The information provided here has been very helpful, but it also showed me that the upgrade isn't really simple and there are opportunities to run into fitment, trim, and programming obstacles with a CarPlay upgrade. The new screen from VW costs nearly $1,000, but our dealer (where IDParts buys parts and where I bought the car) offered me a replacement at dealer cost, which is about half that. So I decided to stick with what came in the car.
Can you post the part# Peter for reference? Does it have to be programmed to your car or is it plug and play?
 

pedroYUL

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MI, USA
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2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
Can you post the part# Peter for reference? Does it have to be programmed to your car or is it plug and play?
Modules that report to the CCM are not plug and play any more, they have to be paired or the CCM and the module (in this case the 5F) will complain about Component Protection.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Modules that report to the CCM are not plug and play any more, they have to be paired or the CCM and the module (in this case the 5F) will complain about Component Protection.
What tools/software are required to do this?
 

Nuje

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Dealer-level tools are required for removing Component Protection. Even getting the radio code on Mk4 OEM radio/stereo now requires a connection to VW's network.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
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There are plenty of people out there who can do this via remote computer connection. However, the end user (you) would still require having VAS5054a (similar to VCDS OBD2 dongle) hardware - good clones available on (th)ebay or Aliexpress for ~$50.
 

MattRabbit

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Nov 12, 1999
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Orlando, FL, USA
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2015 Golf SE TDI, 2014 Beetle TDI, 1981 Rabbit Diesel
I did the upgrade to MIB2 around 8 months ago. It was the best upgrade I've done to the car, bar none. Total cost for all parts and reprogramming the unit was around $420. Install wasn't too bad (aside from routing the USB/Aux cable, that was *fun*). You have to get the VAS5054A adapter and D-Link Network->USB adapter from someone and then have it programmed by someone with the know-how (I've found several people online who can do it).

I do have an extra 6.5" MIB2 Nav screen if anyone needs it (I'd let it go for a reasonable price). The Nav screens do work in the non-nav cars, the nav button just doesn't do anything.

Then again, if you were happy with MIB1, getting another screen is a lot less headache (though not as modernized!).
 

Nuje

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You have to get the VAS5054A adapter and D-Link Network->USB adapter from someone and then have it programmed by someone with the know-how
I didn't need the D-Link adapter (D-Link DUB-E100) for the remote programming I had done; instead, I was given a virtual machine to run (using VMware Player or VMware Fusion(Mac)) that had ODIS-S and ODIS-E pre-installed.
My understanding of the process was that the remote programmer person used Flexihub (also included on the virtual machine) to use my VAS50504 as if it was attache to his/her computer; and then the fallback was using TeamViewer to take over the virtual machine on my computer and use the pre-installed versions of ODIS on the VM on my computer.
 

bmwM5power

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Rochester NY
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15 GSW TDI S 6MT 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI SE 6MT 15 GOLF TDI SEL DSG
420? not too bad, from what ive seen some people paid 1000-1500 for an upgrade depending on the screen
 

Nuje

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Yeah - that looks like a good deal. Mind sharing what parts and services you used and from where you sourced them?
 

pedroYUL

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Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
My parts list:

Main unit: going out 5G0035844 (MIB1, Panasonic), going in 3Q0035844B (MIB2, Delphi). Ebay for $125
Screen: out 5G0919605H, in 3G0919605H. Ebay for $100
USB jack: removed the MDI, routed and connected 5G0 035 222 E. Ebay for $49
D-Link DUB-E100 (the black one): Groovesland for $36.56
Online help from Brazil (only 1h difference): $80...I only recommend you go with this guy if you are pretty proficient yourself as he might not be able to get every single detail (adaptations) completed.

I did buy VCP, but you don't need it if you already have VCDS. No need for VAS tool or ODIS with this Brazilian guy.

Total $390.56, I say I did not too shabby

Skype: lord_wesker

I do have to say that the Component Protection fault remains, I can see it using VCDS in both the Gateway and the MIB2 unit, but the fault doesn't impede function at all.

Also, there was at least another adaptation needed to get rid of fault 1555 Check Software Version Management. I recommend downloading XaGiCo guide, the fix is there plus much much more...all you have to do is calculate the new value for this adaptation IDE02502-Confirmation of installation change in 5F

1. Use this website http://xor.pw/
2. Add current adaptation value in First Input I INPUT (hex b16)
3. Add value 51666 in Second Input II INPUT (dec b10)
4. Click Calculate XOR
5. Add the result as new value for the adaptation channel (hex b16)
6. Clear errors
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
It's great that the price for this kind of upgrade has come down so much in the three years since I got mine - literally 20% of what my final cost was.
(Granted, i got the largest 8" display which was an additional cost, but if you're good with sticking with the smaller one, it alleviates the need to replace the bezel / vent surround).
 

brownnugen

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
Charleston, SC
TDI
2015 GSW TDI, 2011 JSW TDI & 2018 Atlas 2.0T S
I just experienced the flickering display today and think I need to go ahead and upgrade my radio for one compatible with Apple Carplay. Has anything changed with the procedure of upgrading since this was last active?
 
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