Well this post is completely unrelated to photography but recently I managed to get a good look at various car mods around and found this particularly interesting for those of you who drive a Volkswagen car (namely the Polo, Golf, Scirocco, Jetta and Passat). Of course, this mod falls under the category of “In Car Entertainment” or ICE for short.
Just to give a little background and put this into context, the RCD series is basically the head unit for Volkswagen cars.
The image above basically sums what I am about to speak about or review. Now in Malaysia, the Golf GTI, Golf TSI, Polo and Scirocco 1.4 TSI comes with this head unit as standard. Its a great unit, it reads CD, for some models, it shows the parking sensors and provide you with information especially if you are going to reverse into something or someone.
Now, here comes the poison. Introducing the RCD 510.
This head unit is vastly different especially in terms of looks which relies on touch screen technology. Other added extras would be the SD card slot and there is an optional bluetooth connectivity kit which allows you to pair your handphone with it and make calls using the Multi Function Display (MFD) or via the controls on your steering wheel.
Here are some of the key changes you would see in terms of graphics that is shown when using the RCD 510 in place of the RCD 310.
Image above shows the welcome screen when you turn on the head unit.
This is when you use either a USB thumbdrive to plug in to the system. The RCD 510 will display the song title, artist and the album name. Volume and song selection controls from the steering wheel is also available.
This shows the air conditioner controls. As dual controls have been selected, so there are two images depicting the air flow as well as the temperature of the respective areas. Of course this does not replace the control buttons which are still located below the head unit.
This is how the parking sensor will look like. There are two zones, front and rear. When you are rather close to an object it will flash out in orange as shown above. When you are VERY CLOSE, then a bright red will appear. The RCD 510 is also smart enough to identify if your car is a Golf or if it is a Scirocco. The display shown for the Scirocco is different than the one above because the current Golf TSI’s sold here in Malaysia at this time, includes the “Light & Sound” package which also features a front sensor.
Note that the following images were not taken by me. I swiped this off my friend’s page. If you are interested in getting the RCD 510, do check out his page here and here or just Google “Ryou’s Modshop” and you will find it
This is how the Bluetooth integration kit would look like once it has been set up.
This is how it will look like from the Multi Function Display (MFD).
The RCD 510 comes standard in the Passat CC and Scirocco 2.0 here in Malaysia so if you go to any of the VW showrooms, you will see this head unit on those models.
So when are you getting yours?
Got it already, where did you think I took this photo from?
Gotten it already, where do you think these images come from?
Well most of them anyway
Mark, how about the VW warranty?
No warranty for the VW RCD510 unless you purchase it directly from VW or their authorised dealers.
Sorry. I am actually asking about the wiring waranty of the whole car. I wanted to upgrade but was told by the SA that the wiring of the whole car will be void after i upgrade, even if i do it in VW.
It also depends on your relationship with your SC agent. I still keep the RCD310 in case of any issues
Hi,
Nice site. Love photography and love Golf!
Can you tell me if the RCD510 comes with RCA jacks for Amps? Do they have it on the standard model RCD310(?)
Thanks!
To be honest I am not too sure because when I look at the rear end of the unit, the jack there is more of a VW type jack. Its like a 20-pin connector there.
how much did you get the unit for?
I got it for RM2400, go to Facebook and search for a page called "Ryou's modshop". The guy does it at that price
How much will the RCD 510 cost?
It can cost now from RM2300 to RM2500 depending on which unit you get and where you get it from
Wow that's far cheaper than the price VW quoted for me. 10k plus.. any shops you can recommend?
Check out (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryous-Modshop/291216724900) or search for "Ryou's Modshop" on Facebook. All the details are there
Thanks for the info ! By the way since i am new to VW.. are there any other place where we can service our VW car? or should i stick with VW dealer service?
Hi Amir,
Since you have the 5 years warranty, stick to the official VW service centers
Otherwise they will find fault to not grant you any warranty claims
[...] your car. Whenever you park your car, you get a display on your head unit, which in my case is the RCD 510. Note that the original head unit you would receive with your cars would be the RCD [...]