Installing RNS 510 from another car

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cheba
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Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

So I found a guy selling an RNS 510, and I'm wondering what the procedure is for installing one of those in a Polo 6R. Will it have to be unlocked by the VW dealer? And will the dealer have to connect to a central database?

I went to the dealer to ask, and they said that unless the VIN number stored in the head unit matches the one of the car, there is nothing they can do because their system won't allow any coding or unlocking. I thought this was only the case with the newer generation of head units, but I then got to talk to the technician himself and he insisted that there isn't anything they can do about it if I install a head unit from another car and it is locked.

I know it is possible to do since many others have done it. Even the technician said that it's possible, but not with the system that the dealer uses.

So, those of you that have changed to an OEM headunit, how did you do it?
Alvin1001
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by Alvin1001 »

You just need a 4 digit pin code to activate the rns. Get it from the seller you bought the rns from.


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cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

I'll have to check with the seller if he has the code, but it is not always provided with the car. For example I don't have the code for my current (factory installed) head unit, if I remember correctly I've read in the owner's manual that should the code ever be needed, you have to visit the dealer in order for them to provide it.
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marin6r
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by marin6r »

Post a serial number from that RNS510 here, I think I might be able to find out a code for you. :)
cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

Too late unfortunately, the seller already sold it to someone else.

I was worried that that might happen. It was a late revision RNS 510 and the price was good. Usually you only see older revisions for sale here. I know there are a lot of late revision ones for sale on Ebay but the origin of those units is questionable. This one seemed like a pretty safe buy and good deal, and obviously someone else was of the same opinion.
cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

OK, so it seems I have another chance on a RNS 510 (1t0035680r). However, I read that newer versions of the RNS 315 (which my car has from the factory) has Bluetooth integrated, whereas the RNS 510 has not. This would mean I would also need to get a Bluetooth module (and harness?) in order to not lose Bluetooth functionality. Is this correct?
cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

I checked an autoscan of my car that a friend with VCDS did once. There is indeed no phone/Bluetooth module in the list, so I assume that the Bluetooth module is built into the RNS 315. Bummer, since the car has "Mobile Phone Preparation Plus" from factory I thought I had all the components required to just switch to an RNS 510 and keep the Bluetooth functionality but that seems to not be the case.

With a new Bluetooth module + harness needed it becomes a more expensive operation, not sure if it's worth it really...
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by RUM4MO »

What a nuisance, I've never considered that my 2011 Audi S4 has Bluetooth built in to it, but recently while I was trying to get my iPhone to connect to my Carista OBD2 interface, it found another Bluetooth device and it was titled exactly what an Audi Bluetooth device would be, and there were no other cars around! So I scanned my car looking for confirmation that my car had a built in Bluetooth device and did not find any thing like that - and I did by that time know the part number of the Bluetooth interface that would be in my car, so I remain confused - while really having no need to have to use that device in my car.

Anyway, the reason why I'm posting to this thread is, has VW never ever gone over to Audi's way of protecting various components in their cars from theft which they call Component Protection? Now, if you ever replace any of these protected components with either new bought from Audi or used bought from the usual place, it will have limited but safe functionality until Component Protection has been removed by an Audi dealer or an Indy with the correct VW Group equipment. I have done that to my car by buying a DAB equivalent of my non DAB radio used via ebay, it was fully functioning until I switched on the ignition to use VCDS to recode it to suit my car, then Component Protection kicked in and killed the sound, I was fully aware that this would happen, so after visiting a local VW Group Indie that issue has been resolved. They connect to Audi mothership and it checks records for that car, checks "legality" of the newly fitted components and if not logged as stolen, swops the identities and stores this change on their mothership's records and removes Component Protection.
cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

In my VCDS autoscan there is no mention of a Bluetooth unit either - that's because Bluetooth is built into the RNS 315, and only the RNS 315 shows up in the autoscan. Maybe there's a similar thing with your Audi (the Bluetooth unit won't show up because it's built into the head unit?

The newer generation of VW head units (I think they are referred to as MIB, with names as Composition Media, Discovery Media...) has Component Protection, but as I understood it it doesn't work as you described.

From what I've heard you can move such a head unit to another car, but once you power it up there will be a timer inside which starts counting down. After a number of hours of use, the unit will lock down.

I don't know if the countdown can be stopped by connecting it to the VW database at the dealer, but I've also heard that the features of the unit also need separate activation, and that the database will not allow activation of any features that the car didn't have from the factory. So it sure gets a bit more tricky with these new units. That's not to say it is impossible to get around it, as there are companies selling these new units for retrofit. There are even those that will fit into the Polo 6R dashboard (these were used by late model Scirocco and Beetle). I know of a Polo R WRC with such a unit (Discovery Media) retrofitted.

It was also my understanding that with the older units like the RCD/RNS units, if you didn't have the code the dealer could connect to the database to check that the new head unit was reported as stolen, and then do the unlocking. But according to the technician at my dealer, they system wouldn't allow them do anything at all if the serial number of the unit doesn't match up with the chassis number when they connect to the database. I'm not sure if the completely understood what I was asking for but they didn't seem interested in being helpful at all anyway, so I left without arguing too much about it.
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by RUM4MO »

How you explain the newer VW units Component Protection works with a timer counting down, does seem to be the way the same age of SEAT units works, makes sense - seems like as time goes on VW Group change their approach to protection of the components.
Way back in the Beta and Gamma radio days, up until maybe 2004, VW would unlock radios bought used for some money, then it changed to unless you could hand over the reg number, which they would find the VIN from, that was the initial "home" for that radio, the used radio that you had bought was junk.
I understand what you are saying about your MMI having Bluetooth built in so not visible as a separate address in VCDS, but in my car, there is an option to include Bluetooth at factory that obviously has its own address and that is not fitted to my car, but I'm seeing an Audi Bluetooth device, which interests me, that is all, I'll probably dig deeper.

Going back on topic, I can see why making components useless is good to avoid them being stolen and sold on and fitted to another car, but surely VW Group need to understand that when cars are scrapped it is a good thing, for the environment if useful components can be salvaged and sold on for use in other cars - remember VW Group like to make quite a lot of assemblies available as exchange units, ie rebuilds to save waste.

Another annoying VW Group trait is trying to buy small parts where the minimum order from the warehouse is 20 units, I can't see why local main dealers can not support their cars by holding small parts to be sold at maybe inflated single units prices, that is annoying and it happened to me twice this week, so I had to go against what I'd rather do and use whatever I had in my garage.
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by Dink »

cheba wrote: Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:59 pm In my VCDS autoscan there is no mention of a Bluetooth unit either - that's because Bluetooth is built into the RNS 315, and only the RNS 315 shows up in the autoscan. Maybe there's a similar thing with your Audi (the Bluetooth unit won't show up because it's built into the head unit?

The newer generation of VW head units (I think they are referred to as MIB, with names as Composition Media, Discovery Media...) has Component Protection, but as I understood it it doesn't work as you described.

From what I've heard you can move such a head unit to another car, but once you power it up there will be a timer inside which starts counting down. After a number of hours of use, the unit will lock down.

I don't know if the countdown can be stopped by connecting it to the VW database at the dealer, but I've also heard that the features of the unit also need separate activation, and that the database will not allow activation of any features that the car didn't have from the factory. So it sure gets a bit more tricky with these new units. That's not to say it is impossible to get around it, as there are companies selling these new units for retrofit. There are even those that will fit into the Polo 6R dashboard (these were used by late model Scirocco and Beetle). I know of a Polo R WRC with such a unit (Discovery Media) retrofitted.

It was also my understanding that with the older units like the RCD/RNS units, if you didn't have the code the dealer could connect to the database to check that the new head unit was reported as stolen, and then do the unlocking. But according to the technician at my dealer, they system wouldn't allow them do anything at all if the serial number of the unit doesn't match up with the chassis number when they connect to the database. I'm not sure if the completely understood what I was asking for but they didn't seem interested in being helpful at all anyway, so I left without arguing too much about it.
the component protection on the new MIB unit is activated as soon as it is fitted to another car. the unit is 99% functional but has no sound and component protection written on the screen.

it's easy to get removed but that doesn't make it fully functional either lol
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by RUM4MO »

Dink wrote: Fri Aug 31, 2018 4:40 pm
the component protection on the new MIB unit is activated as soon as it is fitted to another car. the unit is 99% functional but has no sound and component protection written on the screen.

it's easy to get removed but that doesn't make it fully functional either lol
If the replacement unit is not logged as stolen, getting a VW dealer to remove Component Protection should return the replacement unit to being fully functioning, if not then someone is doing something wrong.

To the OP, remember if you do change your system and get Component Protection removed, you will not be able to refit the original unit without getting Component Protection removed again from it as it will now not be the correct unit for that car.

There are some VW Group independent specialists that have invested in the same equipment that the main dealers have, that was how I got Component Protection removed after I replaced my S4's radio for one with DAB, all legal and above board, now my car's records in Audi mothership have been changed to include the new radio with DAB.
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by Dink »

It requires the Fec codes afterwards to get full functions back to as it was before the change.

I know this as I have done it to get a unit I can upgrade to android auto.

I went to my local vw retro fit place to remove component protection but lost bluetooth that required a vw dealer visit.
cheba
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by cheba »

RUM4MO wrote: Fri Aug 31, 2018 5:40 pm
Dink wrote: Fri Aug 31, 2018 4:40 pm
the component protection on the new MIB unit is activated as soon as it is fitted to another car. the unit is 99% functional but has no sound and component protection written on the screen.

it's easy to get removed but that doesn't make it fully functional either lol
If the replacement unit is not logged as stolen, getting a VW dealer to remove Component Protection should return the replacement unit to being fully functioning, if not then someone is doing something wrong.

To the OP, remember if you do change your system and get Component Protection removed, you will not be able to refit the original unit without getting Component Protection removed again from it as it will now not be the correct unit for that car.

There are some VW Group independent specialists that have invested in the same equipment that the main dealers have, that was how I got Component Protection removed after I replaced my S4's radio for one with DAB, all legal and above board, now my car's records in Audi mothership have been changed to include the new radio with DAB.
I guess my local dealer is doing something wrong then (which is hardly news to me) because according to them, it wouldn't matter if the head unit is fully legit and not reported stolen; they claim to not be able to do any unlocking or coding unless the combination of serial number of the unit and VIN number match with the VW database.

When you are discussing Component Protection, do you mean the newer (NIB) units or also the older (RCD/RNS) ones?

So let's say I were to buy an RNS 510 and get the code with it. I install it in my car and unlock it using the code, and it should be working fine. Now what if I decide to sell my car and want to switch back to the factory RNS 315 so I can keep the RNS 510 and sell it separately. Would I then have to go the VW dealer after switching back in order to unlock the RNS 315 again? (The factory RNS 315 didn't come with a code).
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Re: Installing RNS 510 from another car

Post by RUM4MO »

Dink wrote: Fri Aug 31, 2018 6:23 pm It requires the Fec codes afterwards to get full functions back to as it was before the change.

I know this as I have done it to get a unit I can upgrade to android auto.

I went to my local vw retro fit place to remove component protection but lost bluetooth that required a vw dealer visit.
Now that should be considered to be wrong, surely what happened to me with my 2011 S4 should have happened to you, and that is, reading between the lines and many youtube videos, the "new" unit gets checked to make sure that it is not logged as been stolen, if it passes that check it should then get converted into being a virgin unit, then it gets introduced to the car and is now part of that car. Although, if changing a unit for a slightly different and maybe enhanced unit, other module(s) coding would might need to be carried out, probably by you as the retro fitter was probably removing Component Protection.

I get the impression that VW Group dealerships are either not too sure on what to do in this situation, or they are trying to take people for mugs and claiming only new units can be swopped into a car and work okay, remember most dealerships seem to be clueless wrt changing soft coding on modules which makes me think that in VW Group dealership land, a new module would get ordered up completely correctly coded and the dealership would only need to swop it and remove Component Protection. I had crap year ago when I imported a factory order VW Passat 4Motion, then discovered that the dealer in Holland had not enabled the washer fluid low level warning or the brake wear warning system - when I asked my local VW dealer about changing the coding, they said that it was not possible, they could order in a correctly coded new instrument pod for me and fit it all for only £450 - I said "no thanks", ordered up VCDS and did that job myself, idiots.
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