[Traveler]

Headunit Upgrade and Coding Procedure - RCD 330G to RCD 340G

First things first. A big thanks for GRaaja for his immeasurable help in getting this done. Without him it would not have been possible.

Background: I bought a Polo GT TSI in April 2017 and it came with a RCD 330G HU. A few months later VW in it's infinite wisdom and its in-numerable variants strategy introduced the Polo GT TSI Sports (The one with a blacked out roof and a rear spoiler).

It didn't stop here and in another couple of months, probably around Sep-Oct 2017 they upgraded the HU with the new Android auto / Apple Car Play version a.k.a the RCD 340.

I really felt disappointed at that time, but there was nothing I could do. The car was also new and I did not want to tamper with it in any way.

The bug nevertheless kept eating away all this time. I needed Android Auto definitely, particularly since my wife drives this car and it's very cumbersome to use the phone to navigate. I tried all sorts of Phone holders but somehow it never worked out to be comfortable. The holders would fall off in the Sun and then the cable management would be a chore, plus the Polo's windshield is not that accommodating and the outside view gets blocked if you put up the phone on it.

I inquired a couple of times from VW about the possibility of an upgrade and although it was available it was horrendously priced. At 41K plus installation it just did not make any sense. There were after market Chinese clones available on AliExpress but somehow I never felt comfortable using them.

Last year around this same time I came across Graaja's post on how he upgraded the HU to RCD 340 through an official purchase made from a VW dealer in Coimbatore. The price was around 25K. This was the point where I decided to get the same done as well.

Thanks to the lockdown, I never got around to doing it till a week back. Last week I decided to pursue this again and got in touch with Graaja who put me in touch with VW dealer he got the HU from. After a few calls and requests they agreed to ship a new unit to me. I did some final checks and confirmed that I have the right wiring harness and the Quadlock connector. Once confirmed I paid them and they shipped the unit via courier.

Now comes the interesting part.

I removed the existing unit following the instructions from various threads here on Team BHP and plugged in the new unit. It was a factory finish. So far so good. Now the moment of truth came as I switched it on and my excitement turned to despair. The unit turned on and presented with a "Anti-Theft" lock screen with a number dialpad.

Apparently it needed a 4 digit code to activate itself. This code is usually provided to owners when they take delivery. The VW VAS diagnostic system is plugged in to the car and it scans the installed Radio and searches in an online database and spews out the code. The code is then used to activate the HU and usually written in the HU Manual by hand at time of delivery.

Unfortunately I did not get the code and there was no way for me to get the code now, other than to reach out to the local VW dealer and try to cajole him into giving me the code. I did call them and as usual they said come tomorrow and it will take a couple of hours to hook up the car and get the code. Plus there was some fee they would charge.

In my impatience I tried to find ways to get this code from somewhere else (Read, the Internet), after a couple of hours I finally zeroed down to vwcodes.org as the partner of choice for this endeavour. I paid them $12.99 USD and in about two hours I had the code and it Worked !!

So now the HU was active and the Radio was on. All functions like steering controls etc were all fine. The screen was gorgeous. Now it was time to plug in my phone and fire up the App button.

So I get the USB Type C cable, plug it into my phone and press the "App" button. Lo and Behold, I get a blank screen. There are no Apps present, just a message "App Connect is not supported" staring at me.



I panicked a bit , but then I recalled my conversation with Graaja that some Long coding needs to be done to enable the Apps. So next stop was to knock on Graaja's door.

Over the next 45 minutes to an hour, Graaja and me worked over WhatsApp , sharing screenshots and communicating and in the end the result was a fully functional RCD 340 with Android Auto, Apple Car Play and Mirrorlink all enabled.

Below are the screenshots of how to do this coding in case you ever want to go this route. I will be happy to help in case you want help as well. The Great GRaaja could also be reached since he is the GOD for this !

Of-course you will need a working VCDS Cable and a laptop to do this.

Step 1:

Plug in the VCDS cable and fire up the VCDS software. You should be presented with the following Screen.



Step 2:

Click the Select Button in Screen shown in Step 1 and you will see the following screen.



Step 3:

In the Screen above Click the 56-Radio Button. You will now see the following screen.



I guess this error is displayed since the Long coding is not present on this system yet. It is un-initialized so to speak. It could also be that my VCDS software does not have the information about this. I am using a 17.x version of the software.

In any case Click on the Ok button to proceed. You will now see the following Screen.




Step 4:

In the above screen Click on the Coding-07 button. You will now see the following Screen with all entries showing a Zeros.



Now comes the Coding bit.

Step 5:

Copy 0E000440010000 and paste it in the first text box with "1)" ,see the Screenshot below.



Now close this window and you will see the following Screen.



Now Click the "Do it" button and you should see the following Screen.


Click Yes to accept the values and you should see a "Coding Accepted" message.



Congratulations, you have done it! Your system should now be firmly bedded in with the car. Android Auto, Car Play and Mirrorlink Apps will now be available if you press the "App" Button.

Before you proceed further, close VCDS properly and then Reboot the HU by pressing the Power / Volume Know for about 10 seconds. The system will reboot and then you try plugging in your phone and pressing the App button.

Some Screenshots of the new RCD 340 HU with App's enabled and running Android Auto








NOTE: The Long Coding done above enables both the Apps and the Reverse Camera Module. If you do not have the Reverse Camera then the Code is slightly different.

If you want to disable the Reverse Camera then the code is
0E000400010000 , use this code in Step 5 if you want only the Apps to be enabled but do not have the Reverse Camera Installed.

See the Screenshot below for Long Coding without Reverse Camera but with Apps enabled.



Last but not the least, All Good Looking Screenshots are courtesy of GRaaja and all the bad looking ones are from me!

[Vinay23]

Hey guys,

I am on the lookout for an automatic hatch and I was able to find a 2018 Polo GT TSi in great condition. The car has clocked 28K kilometers. I drove the car and it felt pretty good.

Here are my observations from my short drive:

• The steering felt eerily light (For reference, I drive a 2011 Swift diesel) and I could hear clicking sounds from the steering while taking U-Turns and while negotiating turns.
• I could hear slight metallic almost creaky sounds from the rear. Could it be an issue with the dampers?
• When I tried dialing up the fan speed on the ACC, it took a while to increase the blower speed and to reflect the change in the ACC.
• While turning off the AC and turning it on, I heard a clicking sound from the engine bay. Is this normal?

I have requested the dealer to get the car checked at VW A.S.S and I will be accompanying them to the service center. Please let me know if there's anything else I should look out for specifically.

Cheers,
Vinay

[yesyeswe]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

Hey guys,


I have requested the dealer to get the car checked at VW A.S.S and I will be accompanying them to the service center. Please let me know if there's anything else I should look out for specifically.

Cheers,
Vinay

Polo having a lighter steering than a swift is really suspicious, moreover the sounds it's making is another bad sign that something is wrong. The vehicle being in warranty is a good thing though, you should even get the extended warranty if you get this vehicle .

After getting the car checked from the service center you should make another visit to a local garage with a good reputation and get their assessment as well. Local garages put in more effort as compared to company service centers in my case and experience.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

Hey guys,

I

I have requested the dealer to get the car checked at VW A.S.S and I will be accompanying them to the service center. Please let me know if there's anything else I should look out for specifically.

Cheers,
Vinay

I have a Polo GT TSI 2017 with about 15k on the odometer. I have always found the steering to be quite heavy. No way it's light than the Swift. The turning click sound could be from front axles.

Get the car checked thoroughly.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

I have requested the dealer to get the car checked at VW A.S.S and I will be accompanying them to the service center. Please let me know if there's anything else I should look out for specifically.

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

After getting the car checked from the service center you should make another visit to a local garage with a good reputation and get their assessment as well. Local garages put in more effort as compared to company service centers in my case and experience.

Previous owner of my Polo was happy to take the car, and me, to Ignite Garage in Nilankari to have it checked out. If you are anywhere near, Ragav, the owner, is very straight and reliable.

[MileCruncher]

I have 2018 Sep GT TSI done just under 20K. Couple of days back the ABS light came up on the dashboard. Quite surprised that ABS sensor would go kaput so soon.

Is this normal for Polo GT?

[Vinay23]

Hey guys,

We went ahead with the purchase and took delivery of the Polo yesterday. The car is an absolute hoot to drive and is quite the looker in this shade.

Here's a pic of our current garage. We'll be selling off the swift soon.




Here's the update w.r.t my previous post.

The steering felt eerily light (For reference, I drive a 2011 Swift diesel) and I could hear clicking sounds from the steering while taking U-Turns and while negotiating turns.

The car's steering doesn't feel incredibly light anymore- it weighs up quite well while driving within the city. In retrospect, I feel I may have felt the Polo's steering was eerily light because I was used to driving the swift's hydraulic (real heavy) steering.

I could hear slight metallic almost creaky sounds from the rear. Could it be an issue with the dampers?

I sat in the backseat of the car for a change while my dad drove and I was able to notice crashing sounds coming from the suspension. I am quite sure that the suspension is shot. I'll probably get them changed with Sachs parts sometime soon.

When I tried dialing up the fan speed on the ACC, it took a while to increase the blower speed and to reflect the change in the ACC.

This was new to me: after turning on the car, the ACC takes a while to turn on and takes its own sweet time to adjust the blower speed. I remember adjusting the speed right after I turned on the car and it refused to go up for a second. Although this isn't a major issue, is this normal with the ACC in Polos?

While turning off the AC and turning it on, I heard a clicking sound from the engine bay. Is this normal?

The click sound while turning the AC on and off is prominent. While reading up about this issue online, I was able to find a thread that said it could be due to the compressor's worn clutch. Here's a link to the article. Will have to get this checked.


There are a few other things I was able to notice from my drive yesterday:

• Theres a hissing sound coming from the dashboard-windshield intersection region while accelerating, and I don't think this is the sound of the turbo spooling either. While turbos have a distinct whistling sound, this sounds a lot like air escaping. This time I was able to find a post on it on our own forum. Will have to get this checked as well.

Originally Posted by Jebs

If you hear this hissing sound only while the acceleration, it would be turbo hose pipe leakage only. Just check whether you're getting this sound on the low rpms (below turbo spooling), then you can easily figure it out. I've experienced the similar Ford Fiesta TDCi and the hose was replaced after pushing them to change only that. They were asking me to change the entire turbo setup for the same.

• While indicating to the left and turning the steering to the left, I'm able to hear a slight click sound coming from the indicator stalk region. It comes up again while taking multiple turns on the steering i.e while taking a sharp left.
  Again, googled up the issue and was able to find a thread where an Australian spec polo had the same issue. Attaching the link.

Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany the dealer to the service center. However, I did pass on my issues to them and the ASS gave the car a clean bill of health. With the aforementioned issues cropping up, I plan on giving the car elsewhere to a reputable garage like IgNite and getting it thoroughly checked.

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

Polo having a lighter steering than a swift is really suspicious, moreover the sounds it's making is another bad sign that something is wrong. The vehicle being in warranty is a good thing though, you should even get the extended warranty if you get this vehicle .

After getting the car checked from the service center you should make another visit to a local garage with a good reputation and get their assessment as well. Local garages put in more effort as compared to company service centers in my case and experience.

I am at a crossroads with extended warranties. On one hand, I plan on making a few mods to the car like switching to Sachs and upgrading the headlights (although it is possible that these might void the warranty, I'm not completely sure) and on the other hand, an extended warranty would mean that the DSG is covered under it and I wouldn't have to worry too much about it.

Originally Posted by Traveler

I have a Polo GT TSI 2017 with about 15k on the odometer. I have always found the steering to be quite heavy. No way it's light than the Swift. The turning click sound could be from front axles.

Get the car checked thoroughly.

I'm confident that it's not from the front axles as the sound comes up only while indicating and making a turn. Will get them checked anyway.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Previous owner of my Polo was happy to take the car, and me, to Ignite Garage in Nilankari to have it checked out. If you are anywhere near, Ragav, the owner, is very straight and reliable.

I do plan on taking the car there. I'll probably take the car there sometime next week.

Thank you for your replies

Cheers,
Vinay

[SLK]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

The car's steering doesn't feel incredibly light anymore- it weighs up quite well while driving within the city. In retrospect, I feel I may have felt the Polo's steering was eerily light because I was used to driving the swift's hydraulic (real heavy) steering.

Polo's steering is fairly heavy, specially if you are running 195s. I had a Ritz diesel once and with 165 tyres its steering was ok, but got very heavy with 185s. So yes, Maruti diesel with 185s is heavy and inconvenient (and I think it is a EPS not hydraulic).

In contrast, my Octavia's steering is super light and convenient at parking speeds.

Originally Posted by Vinay23

This was new to me: after turning on the car, the ACC takes a while to turn on and takes its own sweet time to adjust the blower speed. I remember adjusting the speed right after I turned on the car and it refused to go up for a second. Although this isn't a major issue, is this normal with the ACC in Polos?

Yes, it often takes time to respond as it is an actual thinking system! In my experience these VW ACCs are so much better than Maruti and Chevy i.e. control the temp and fan speed much better.

There is a way to reset the ACC, that may speed up things for you if its exceptionally slow. Just search online on how to reset.

Originally Posted by Vinay23

The click sound while turning the AC on and off is prominent. While reading up about this issue online, I was able to find a thread that said it could be due to the compressor's worn clutch.

Many cars make that sound, specially the petrol ones.

One rule - these cars are 5x complicated and 3x expensive to fix, so don't try to fix something that ain't broken.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

I have a GT TSI which is 2.5 Yrs old and done about 20K . As we all know, the brakes in the GT are atrocious to say the least. What is the reasonable solution to upgrade?

I have been told there are some good brake upgrades with 14K for brake pads and 28k for rotors !!!

Are there no other alternatives?

Big brake kit is the solution. Much better braking feel.

Costs under 25k if you are okay with using refurbished calipers.

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Quite surprised that ABS sensor would go kaput so soon. Is this normal for Polo GT

I have a 2018 GT TSI which has run just 2700 km (yes you read it right 2700 km) and back in January the front left ABS sensor failed. I found it totally unbelievable that anything would fail on a car with so low kilometers but it has. When i inquired how a sensor for a car with so few kilometers could fail the ASS guys gave me some jazz saying that ABS sensors of Polos located in coastal areas have been failing lately due to "sea breeze". I feel that those are just excuses and poor quality of parts is to blame. If a sensor for a vehicle with so few kilometers can end up failing then it just points to poor quality.

[TJ02]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I have a 2018 GT TSI which has run just 2700 km (yes you read it right 2700 km) and back in January the front left ABS sensor failed. I found it totally unbelievable that anything would fail on a car with so low kilometers but it has.

I think this has something to do with water. I have read at many places and on team-bhp if your polo through water logged roads the ABS sensor fails. Maybe it is do with their placement of sensor which obviously may not be possible to change as this is a 12 year old platform.

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by TJ02

I think this has something to do with water. I have read at many places and on team-bhp if your polo through water logged roads the ABS sensor fails. Maybe it is do with their placement of sensor which obviously may not be possible to change as this is a 12 year old platform.

As strange as it may sound, i dont even drive my car when it rains let alone driving it on waterlogged roads as im really fussy about my car being really clean. In fact i dont even get my car washed at the car wash nor do i use a hose to wash my car. I clean my car with a wet cloth, so theres no way an ABS sensor fails in my car due to water damage. In fact i bought the first generation 2013 GT TSI immediately after its launch and used that version until 2016 after which i sold it and bought an Abarth Punto. My old 2013 GT TSI is still going great with the owner who purchased it from me and none of its sensors have failed. So i guess its more a quality issue due to greater localization of parts rather than anything else.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by TJ02

... if your polo through water logged roads the ABS sensor fails.

Whaaaat?

This is a Northern-European car, for goodness sake. Surely they can't think that the sun always shines in India? And even if they do, would the design/placement of such a standard part differ on the Indian model?

I have had one ABS sensor die over about seven or eight years and two Polos.

[TJ02]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Whaaaat?

This is a Northern-European car, for goodness sake. Surely they can't think that the sun always shines in India? And even if they do, would the design/placement of such a standard part differ on the Indian model?

I have had one ABS sensor die over about seven or eight years and two Polos.

You have a valid point. I know few people personally who drove polo & vento through water logged roads and reported abs failure light after few days. All these cars are post 2016. It could very well be low quality sensors being put in the cars.

[corvus corax]

So, today I noticed something peculiar in my car. There is a continuous hissing noise coming from the engine when the car is in D4 and in load. I thought it would be a boost pressure leak, but it occurs only when the car is in D4 and pulling from around 1300 rpm. I tested it with other gears too but couldn't replicate this strange occurrence. Has anyone came across such an issue? The car is four years old, has 18k kms in the odo and is running on a Petes map from its second year.