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Bluetooth nightmares

Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 6:57 pm
by johnaboy183
In my recent post I was asking if having the armrest 6CD changer lost the MFI connector outlet - and although no one answered I have indeed now found that to be the case.
I was asking this to see if an alternative for Bluetooth would be using the MFI socket!
The car (2010 170TDI) has the RNS 510 head unit, the multifunction steering wheel and ceiling mounted microphone as well as voice control - but no separate Bluetooth module under the seat. Quite a while ago I bought a bluetooth module 3C8035730 to try and install and get the phone via bluetooth but have yet to try installing it.
Over the last few days I have pored over every bluetooth post and have just become more and more puzzled by the cable connectivity issues with several different harnesses offered online.
The full "plug and play" harness (1K8 035 730 D) seems to be the most offered solution but the existing multi plug on the back of the RNS 510 already contains a green plug with wires I assume to come from the 6 CD player (or MFI if it had that). I assume both can co-exist in this piggy back cable.
The simpler module to green plug cable offered by others seems as though (to me in my ignorance) that it could be be just used and the pins from the existing green plug pinned in to the correct place.
Has anyone done that (in other words used the existing RNS 510 multi connector to host the new connections) or can anyone save my sanity and comment on the above to try and make some alternative suggestion to finally get bluetooth in the car?
John

Re: Bluetooth nightmares

Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:19 am
by eenbadendaap
Hi John,

I suggest that you buy a new head unit, the RCD330 with Bluetooth Apple Carplay + Android Auto.

Works perfect and it is a plug & play.

Hope this helps.

Re: Bluetooth nightmares

Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 12:03 pm
by johnaboy183
Thanks for the suggestion. Isn't that an expensive solution to simply enable Bluetooth on a system I am otherwise quite happy with? - or is there something I am missing here? (got to admit I am getting too old for all the latest gizmos I think!)
John

Re: Bluetooth nightmares

Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:11 pm
by eenbadendaap
It's actually not that expensive, I got mine for around 150 EUR and it was/is still the best buy for my car (next to the chip tuning)

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto will make your life so much easier and fun to drive :) !

This should be right but make sure to check it for yourself:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000421 ... b801a8d3-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Bluetooth nightmares

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 11:51 am
by johnaboy183
Progress at last but then a sticking point!!!
Managed to get a harness to connect my bluetooth module to the RNS510 and then through Vagcom I was able to roughly configure the setup. Module now finds my phone, phone connects but module just keeps trying and trying to connect and fails. Very occasionaly it will connect and I then get the menu on the RNS510 showing the phone name but it says "No network found" Tried several different phones all do the same.
By deduction the only thing left is that the module is not connecting to the outside world via GSM.
On my module and many similar early ones there is an antenna socket (Red in the attached photo) that I have learned is indeed a GSM socket and should have a cable under the seat to presumably lead to the sharkfin antenna on the roof (which provides GSM connectivity among other uses).
Someone has sent me a photo of the under seat cabling for such a module (see attached) and lo and behold there is the cable!
So I need to solve that dilemma next.
However most of the later under seat bluetooth modules no longer have the red socket so does anyone know how they get GSM connectivity as the only wiring is then via the loom direct to the RNS510??
Any help or ideas on this would be greatly appreciated as I am determined to solve this and it could help others in retro fitting such a module?
kind regards
John
PS - Sorry but the board must have a problem with photos as this is the message I am getting when trying to attach photos!_ "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached."