Team-BHP
(
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Why upgrade?
My Yeti has crossed 60K kms in little more than 6 years and though I love it every bit of it including the quirkiness, lately, my heart had been itching to find a better, newer car. However, as Yetians such as shankar.balan, sheel and others repeatedly expressed in the other Yeti thread, there are very few options in Indian Market that can replace it. So, considering the versatility and practicality the yeti offers still today, and the knowledge that the resale will be too low, Head overruled Heart!
Now, having decided to keep it to munch more miles for the unforeseen future, I started researching on making my Yeti more relevant and interesting with the changes and demands of time by adding new enhancements and gadgets so that it continue to pleases me. And all these, without burning my pocket too. To sum up, the upgrades or enhancements I intend to do are under 4 departments:
A) Power Train (
to improve driveability, power surge and torque)
B) Lights (
to improve lightings especially headlights)
C) Looks and Appearance (
to improve cosmetic appearance)
D) Head-Unit (
to improve media support, Carplay, Android Auto, bluetooth and rear view camera)
The first department (A) is the performance upgrade, to better the driveability and power delivery, especially after the EA189 'fix'. So had a remap done on the TDI engine to get a boost of 30% or more BHP and Torque with Pete's stage 1 remap. The second department (B) is about improving the lighting effectiveness of the headlights. For this, I had tried 2 different LED headlights and on second try, got the perfect LED type headlight. The third department (C) is still ongoing. I will post the updates (A+B+C) on my ownership thread.
For the last department (D), the stock RCD510 has become too dated, is sluggish, touchscreen is not very responsive, UI is boring and adding upgrades such as bluetooth, USB, maps or CarPlay are expensive with additional modules. And not to miss the absence of a reverse camera option. After a long deliberation, finally decided to upgrade to RCD330g Plus (one with noname, green LED/menus with Carplay, Android Auto) + a sony CCD RVC. There ain't much options out there in OEM that integrates with Carplay, AA even if you have a limitless budget. The only drawback is I would lose radio/address book entries in maxi-dot (which is anyway, redundant and I don't use it practically). For a mere budget of ~ 20K or less in total (headunit + RVC), it's a obvious upgrade path.
Components that I bought from AliExpress: Headunit
RCD330g GREEN, NoName (6RD 035 187B) - Though it is bit expensive than the red ones by 3-4K, I wanted to preserve and match the stock green backlit of the dash. I also wanted the possibility to upgrade the firmware to support any changes to CarPlay, Android Auto in future and hence opted for the NoName variant, which runs linux OS instead of Win CE based Desay Units. Do note that, Desay based RCD330g units only support Carplay and not Android Auto. If you want Android Auto, you want to opt for the NoName units.
I got a good deal on this. I ordered the cheaper, noname green variant with carplay only. The seller (LEMON SHARK) upgraded to newer variant, one with Android Auto + Carplay, without any extra charge. Got delivered in just 15 days (Aliexpress Standard Shipping) and paid a custom duty of Rs. 1800. (HU Cost ~ Rs 15.5K)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/RCD5...AbTest=ae803_5
The headunit comes with 2 free gifts which are:
* Fakra Antenna Adapter (one with white ends)
* AV Camera Adapter (one with blue and yellow ends).
NOTE: If you want to add a camera to your unit, you will need to remove the old blue jack from the quadlock and insert this AV adapter blue jack instead. And this will connect (yellow end) with the camera.
Fascia Trim
The original bolero (RCD 510) have a wider trim fascia that don't fit with RCD330g. Hence you need this trim too. (Cost ~ Rs. 1500)
NOTE: My Yeti comes with Auto AC. The above trim is for Yeti with Auto AC. If you have manual AC, the trim is slightly different.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Faci...65843c00vJadD7 Rear Camera
HD Sony CCD - The Headunit sellers also sell camera kit (AV one). However, the camera kit sold by them are expensive and picture quality is questionable for the camera. I bought a much better quality sony CCD rear camera at cheaper price from this seller (store: wskyfook) (cost ~ Rs 2K)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/for-...43244c4dVZc5u6 Delay Timer
This is required to induce a 10 sec delay into the RVC (for non-OEM cameras). (Cost ~ Rs 200)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-...43244c4dVZc5u6
Total Cost (HU + Camera + Delay timer + Fascia + custom duty) :
Rs. 21K Installation
Having read many RCD330 threads on TBHP, VWVortex.com and Youtube, I got the confidence of installing it on my own. And hardly it was a 5 mins job. My Yeti being the top variant (elegance) have the supported CAN gateway version (and hence supports OPS, MFSW). The quadlock socket of the stock RCD510 is also the same that is used in RCD330g plus. So, it is just a plug and play job. All you need to do is remove the original trim with a plastic removal trim kit (or with a expired/old credit cards) to avoid leaving scratches.
Once the trim is removed, you will need to again remove the inner rectangular trim that surrounds the HU, to expose 4 T-20 screws.
After a simple swap of RCD330g:
First time start:
Radio:
Media:
You can change the source to SD card, USB, BT Audio or Aux.
Phone:
Supports Voice operation too. Incoming call is shown in MFD (Maxi-Dot) too, but I can't seem to make the steering button (right side) work to accept the call. Possibly some options in VCDS that I need to look at. For now, had to accept the call from the HU.
App:
The HU supports Android Auto, Apple Carplay and MirrorLink. I had tried Android Auto (Samsung Galaxy s7 edge) and Carplay (iPhone SE) and works seamlessly.
Carplay:
CarPlay > Google Maps
And yes, Apple Carplay finally supports Google maps and that makes expensive inbuilt/dedicated GPS redundant and useless.
You can pinch the screen in the HU to zoom in and out. However, voice commands via Siri don't get directed to Google maps, but to Apple maps which is unsupported in India. So, what you get is a message 'Not available'.
CarPlay > Phone
CarPlay > Music
CarPlay > Messages
Siri can read the new/unread messages for you.
With Android phone, you have the option of connecting either via Android Auto or Mirror Link:
Android Auto > Landing page
Android Auto > Maps
Choice of either Google maps or Waze.
Android Auto > Phone
Android Auto > Music
Setup:
Connecting Rear View Camera to HU
This is perhaps the only complex part of the installation and took a greater part of time. I took help from a neighbourhood accessory store to install this. RCD330g supports connection with any aftermarket AV camera which is excellent as OEM (RGB) cameras are very expensive. Just remember to get a decent one. I got a sony CCD one for around Rs 2K. The camera came with 5 or 6 metres cable.
Connection diagram (courtesy from Aliexpress seller):
Just wiring the camera cable from dashboard to rear took a good 2 hours, ripping off plastic trims on dash, sides, trunk and rear. And then as per the diagram above, we connected E and F to reversing lamp using Crimp Locks to avoid slicing/cutting of wires. Power to the camera is delivered from ACC (cabin fuse box). The head unit already comes enabled with VCDS coding, so if you don't have VCDS cable, no worries :)
Picture quality is simply fantastic, so is the wide angle.
You can even adjust the picture/video brightness, contrast and Hue.
Lastly, by default the camera don't show the guiding lines. To show the lines, you need to cut the small wire in the camera unit.
Optical Parking System (Park Assist)
I won't have gone for RCD330g unit if it didn't support the park assist (OPS) of my car. Many had reported their OPS don't work on RCD330g and that was possibly due to older or lower variant CAN Gateway. Mine was higher one (7N0 907 530 H) and hence no need to upgrade my CAN gateway. Only then I ordered the head unit.
I got Jetta as the OPS image. With VCDS, I tried changing to Skoda Yeti, but all I can get was the Polo (hatch). And for now, it is good enough for me.
To switch to camera, click the small button on the top left corner.
If camera is installed and when you reverse, the camera is shown by default. OPS sound is active in camera mode too. To switch back to OPS, click the OPS button on the bottom right corner.
Upgrade to RCD330g plus from RCD510 Positives: - Very Responsive touch screen and easy to use.
- Very bright screen (there is a setting for screen brightness too).
- Sound quality at par or better than RCD510.
- Ample volume range
- Inbuilt bluetooth and USB.
- Seamless pairing of phones.
- CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirrorlink.
- Use Google maps or waze for Navigation.
- Excellent voice operation (Siri is awesome).
- VW OEM headunit and hence retains almost all existing operations/features.
- Individual sound/volume settings for Bluetooth, Media, Siri, Aux.
- Firmware upgradable.
- Rear Camera support.
- Lastly, affordable pricing.
Negatives: - Climatronics information not shown in Headunit
- Radio and contact information/address book not shown in MFD (Maxidot)
- Only one USB port, and hence if you use CarPlay, you won't be able to use USB drive to listen to songs. Using the SD card would be a better option here.
- USB port is located at front and that may spoil the aesthetic for many.
The positives far outweigh the negatives and I would definitely suggest others to consider this head-unit.
Great thread!
I too will shortly commence a search to upgrade my RCD 320 with clunky bluetooth to something with Android Auto, probably the same unit as yours for my Polo.
The immediate question that arises for me is that how does one find out which CAN BUS Gateway is installed in the car? I like OPS, but I don't think I would bother with a camera for a car the size of a Polo.
Thanks for the nice write up!
For the 3rd -ve above, you can probably use one of
these :)
I had time to play around the RCD330g headunit more yesterday and I can confirm the followings:
* The functionality of the steering wheel controls with the headunit remains the same as it was before with the RCD510 bolero unit. I can play next song, previous song, pause, increase volume, decrease volume, mute, change source and sub-sources (eg., USB to SD to Aux to Radio and Carplay and so on).
* If phone is paired to the headunit via bluetooth, incoming call information is displayed in MFD but no button in the steering wheel functions to receive it. However, if you use carplay and receive incoming call, the steering button works to receive the call.
How to show camera guide lines
If your camera does not show guide lines, just cut or disconnect the small white wire attached to the camera's cable. To hide the guide lines, connect/join both the white wires.
Connecting the camera to the reversing light
Using crimp locks, connect the camera/time delay relay box to the reverse light.
And today I got delivery of the Headunit Fascia trim and now my install is complete, with OEM like fit and finish.
A night time view with green backlit of the headunit blending seamlessly with the dash
Radio stations and shortcuts
that is a fantastic DIY! I have a friend with the same Yeti as yours and this is certainly catching his fancy.
Off topic, you mentioned paying extra customs duty for the aliexpress purchase. I'm wondering if a parcel is held by customs, how do they contact the end-user or the seller and how is the payment made? I have lost a lot of deliveries from aliexpress and I've assumed them to be held by customs but never been contacted for payments. Plus, the easy refunds on aliexpress has always forced myself to go that way rather than dig deeper into the missing parcels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemedico
(Post 4490408)
that is a fantastic DIY! I have a friend with the same Yeti as yours and this is certainly catching his fancy.
Off topic, you mentioned paying extra customs duty for the aliexpress purchase. I'm wondering if a parcel is held by customs, how do they contact the end-user or the seller and how is the payment made? I have lost a lot of deliveries from aliexpress and I've assumed them to be held by customs but never been contacted for payments. Plus, the easy refunds on aliexpress has always forced myself to go that way rather than dig deeper into the missing parcels.
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It is usually the smaller packets without tracking that go missing. I find that Yanwen Economic Air Mail parcels tend to get lost the most, but that is just personal experience. Try using China Post or similar for better results.
The larger shipments are usually have a tracking number, which is why they don't go "missing". These days, the customs payment is taken by the postman delivering the parcel.
In some cases they may send you a letter asking you for some documents etc. and to come and visit them instead, but that last happened to me 10 years ago.
If you have VCDS cable, perform an auto-scan and check the section '19 - CAN Gateway' and you should be able see it. Mine is '7N0 907 530 H' and if you have that same or higher, it should work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Viraat13
(Post 4490206)
The immediate question that arises for me is that how does one find out which CAN BUS Gateway is installed in the car? I like OPS, but I don't think I would bother with a camera for a car the size of a Polo.
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Nice thread. I had changed my useless head unit to the RCD 330 about a year or so ago and it's been working great. Wish I had picked up this instead.
On the LED lights, can you share your experience. Was planning to get some for my jetta, but have heard mixed reviews on the Chinese lights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iTNerd
(Post 4490546)
If you have VCDS cable, perform an auto-scan and check the section '19 - CAN Gateway' and you should be able see it. Mine is '7N0 907 530 H' and if you have that same or higher, it should work.
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Slightly OT: I have a VCDS cable, but that works with Windows 7. I don't have access to a Windows 7 laptop any longer, so I'm trying to figure out which cable will work for Windows 10. Any leads?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mav2000
(Post 4490585)
On the LED lights, can you share your experience. Was planning to get some for my jetta, but have heard mixed reviews on the Chinese lights.
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@iTNerd - Agree, even I would like to explore this. Is there a separate thread in the works? :D
I had changed/upgraded all possible incandescent bulbs in my Yeti to LEDs without any CANBUS errors - from headlights H4, to Fog light H7, to DRL P13W, to W5W parking lights, to rear indicator/brake/reverse P21Ws, to C5W interior festoon ones and even added an additional LED DRL on the front. My journey to LED upgrade would altogether require a new thread and I will post them either in my ownership thread or in the lighting section.
For now, just for the headlight, I found the perfect one in this popular youtube video '15 Brands LED Headlight Bulb Shoot-Out! Which one's the best?' from Headlight Revolution -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQF5ESBHLrw&t=603s. Seek forward to 9.00 minutes of the video and this one (Supernova v.3) with the Philips lumileds came a good second in their test. I got the same one albiet with a different name (TC-X, a russian seller) from AliExpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-Se...27424c4dZQn5p3 Quote:
Originally Posted by mav2000
(Post 4490585)
On the LED lights, can you share your experience. Was planning to get some for my jetta, but have heard mixed reviews on the Chinese lights.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Viraat13
(Post 4490797)
@iTNerd - Agree, even I would like to explore this. Is there a separate thread in the works? :D
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It's simply superb!!!! A much needed upgrade to bring it upto speed with modern times. I will consider this upgrade myself. I have a lot of aesthetic upgrades lined up as well. I'm gonna hold on to the Yeti as even today it still manages to look quiet unique and this was before the world was SUV crazy. It clearly was way ahead of its time. The Yeti is a perfect sleeper if you get a performance upgrade.
It's been a week with the new head-unit and the Yeti experience is totally on a different level and is just awesome! The carplay/Android Auto integration is something I like the most and no wonder many with high-end VW units such as RNS510 (columbus) who ditch to upgrade (or downgrade) to RCD330g plus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by autoskooll
(Post 4492016)
It's simply superb!!!! A much needed upgrade to bring it upto speed with modern times. I will consider this upgrade myself. I have a lot of aesthetic upgrades lined up as well. I'm gonna hold on to the Yeti as even today it still manages to look quiet unique and this was before the world was SUV crazy. It clearly was way ahead of its time. The Yeti is a perfect sleeper if you get a performance upgrade.
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Great, go for it, you won't regret it. With upgrade like this, the myth of the Yeti will live on well in the future.
This is a nice upgrade and I am one of them who is looking for an upgrade and this really helps in making the right choice. Also, eagerly looking forward to your A+B+C updates as well. Thank you!
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