[Parthasarathig]

Hi All

After researching multiple threads regarding HU swaps on VAG cars, I decided to go ahead and upgrade the HU on my 2009 Laura TSi. I loved the SWING unit that came with the car, and it was nowhere close to showing its age.
However, having tried out RCD units with carplay in my friend's polo and rapid, I always wanted to go for the HU which looks as close to stock as possible, and have modern features like carplay / android auto to assist navigation, bluetooth etc. These features were missing out on the swing unit.

Few HUs in the Indian market that support CarPlay and AndroidAuto and available on amazon.in:
1. Sony XAV AX5000
2. Sony XAV AX3000
3. Sony XAV AX1000 Probably the cheapest with a price of 14999
4. Blaupunkt Monte Carlo and many others.

However, none of them gave me that understated feel of the Stock HUs like RCD units. Especially with green backlight LEDs to go along with the green lit dash. Therefore, it was decided to source the RCD330g / 340g to maintain the stock look and feel.

Most of the threads on the forum have done it on cars like polo, vento, superb. Recently came across iTNerd's thread (Skoda Yeti: Replacing the RCD510 (Bolero) with RCD330G Plus (RVC, Carplay, Android Auto & more)) of how he has swapped the stock HU on his Yeti, to the RCD330g plus. His answers, kinda gave me the confidence to go ahead with the purchase, since there was no specific guide for the Laura's HU replacement.

Explored AliExpress for a while, given their impending 11.11 sale. Few sellers on that platform that I spoke to and who were very helpful
1. AIDU Auto
2. LEMON SHARK

Also, came across seller Mr. Shalinder from Classic car accesories, Ramesh Nagar Delhi. You can see his detailed youtube videos or contact him at 9818935777. Since Im in Bangalore, never got to meet him in person, and all my conversations were over the phone. Upon calling him, he will ask you about the car and which model of the stereo you are looking for. It is better to watch his youtube videos, to get clarity on what each model of RCD does/ features, before you make the call to him. Depending upon the car, he will also advise if you need to purchase facia trim to accomodate it to the dash, as well as if there is need for any extra cables.

His quote for RCD 340G plus with android auto and apple carplay was 15000 ₹. Since my car was in ambiente trim, with the base SWING HU, I was also advised about the need for a different Facia trim which would cost another 3000 ₹.

The costs on AliExpress were coming to almost 18-19k plus customs duty. Facia Trim was another 1500. Coupled with a long delivery process, and random custom charges, I decided to opt for Shalinder. In case you want the trim from AliExpress you can try this search on the website
Skoda octavia fascia

Net landed costs for the HU came to
1. RCD340G plus - 15000₹
2. Facia trim for Octavia 1z double DIN - 3000₹
3. Courier from Delhi to Bangalore - 1000₹

The product was shipped on the same evening of payment, and reached me in 12 hours.

Packaging
1. Stereo










Attachment 1819176




2. Fascia frame








Some issue was about to happen with this trim which i realised later once i went to fix the stereo.
Also, when I took out the original frame and held both side by side, could notice the quality difference between the two. The Original one was a bit heavier, and well built.

[Parthasarathig]

Tools required to carry out the changes

1. Trim removal tool from Aliexpress for 2$



2. Stanley Screw driver from amazon.in 599rs



3. Since the screw driver bit would not go into the HU fully, I ordered Stanley's bit extender from amazon.in again.



With the above tools its relatively easy to DIY install the HU.

With the trim removal tools, just have to get to the edges around the HU and keep prying gently till the edges pop out. After that, we have to remove the fascia around the stereo HU, to get access to the screws that hold it in place.

Here is the naked stereo after all the trims have been removed.


Around the four corners, we have 4 Torx T20 screws, that can be taken out easily with the bit extender and screwdriver. The hindside of the stereo has the quadlock ISO connector, as well as the radio connector. Gently remove it and the HU is free to be removed. Replacing the RCD 340 in that area, this is how it looks like with the stock fascia. Notice the gaps around the edges.



Now this is where i run into another hurdle. The fascia trim that he has sent me, is for the AUTO AC units.


As you can see, the rectangular gap in between, which doesn't sit on my AC knob. Since it was getting too late for me to brainstorm a solution, I had to leave it at that.

Next day morning, I gave him a call, expecting a replacement unit with the correct trim. He, however, suggested that the AC part of the fascia is pryable, and can be reattached with glue. Going with that suggestion, I went ahead and pried off the AC parts of both the fasciae and then reattached the correct ones, to get a proper fit and finish. I did not need to glue anything, but in the long run, Ill probably have to do that.

After doing all this background work, finally managed to complete the DIY. Here's how it looks.



On startup, radio starts, playing immediately, in the background, as the HU continues to load the UI. On turning the key to ON position, the HU switches on and displays a clock. On press of the power button, you are welcomed with a "Welcome to Skoda" screen.

With Carplay on


Version details




For further instructions on how to use the Carplay and android auto features, iTNerd has explained it extremely well in his thread here (Skoda Yeti: Replacing the RCD510 (Bolero) with RCD330G Plus (RVC, Carplay, Android Auto & more)).

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the ICE Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Viraat13]

This is great! I too saw ITNerd's thread and found Shailender's YouTube channel. Good to see that the system provided is up to the mark.

I'm planning this upgrade for my Polo - maybe I'll go for it next month with all the inspiration around!

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

I'm planning this upgrade for my Polo - maybe I'll go for it next month with all the inspiration around!

Definitely worth it. Have been driving around with it since past couple of days. What a relief from having the phone hooked up on a windshield mount and getting heated.

It did hang once, when I pressed the On/Off button while Carplay was running. Kept playing in the background but the screen went blank. Came back on after a few seconds.

If your car displays tacho / engine performance on the HU, then this RCD340 will also display. In my unit, it displays only temperature. There are other options like accleration, mileage tracker etc - that can be configured from the Skoda Oneapp.

Happy with the google maps. Can dictate navigation instructions as well as Siri is very responsive, in Siri based apps.

Let’s see how it continues.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Definitely worth it. Have been driving around with it since past couple of days. What a relief from having the phone hooked up on a windshield mount and getting heated.

It did hang once, when I pressed the On/Off button while Carplay was running. Kept playing in the background but the screen went blank. Came back on after a few seconds.

If your car displays tacho / engine performance on the HU, then this RCD340 will also display. In my unit, it displays only temperature. There are other options like accleration, mileage tracker etc - that can be configured from the Skoda Oneapp.

Happy with the google maps. Can dictate navigation instructions as well as Siri is very responsive, in Siri based apps.

Let’s see how it continues.

Any feedback on how it runs with Android Auto?
What about Park Assist?
Did you have to play with VCDS for anything?

I currently have a RCD320, so I don't have any information displayed on it at the moment - but maybe I'll look into activating that.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Any feedback on how it runs with Android Auto?
What about Park Assist?
Did you have to play with VCDS for anything?

I currently have a RCD320, so I don't have any information displayed on it at the moment - but maybe I'll look into activating that.

Used android auto with my oneplus phone. Google maps, ok google commands all seem to work fine. But i liked the CarPlay interface more, found it to be minimalistic & clean. But its subjective for everyone.

Park Assist for me is only rear sensors. I dont have a rear view cam as of now. So it gives a warning, No Rear View camera detected. And I can reverse with the usual rear sensors.

No need to play with VCDS. But if you have steering controls, Shalinder will guide you in case its not working. Usually, it will work straightforward.

[nerd1200]

Hi Partha, Nice thread and thanks for putting it up. I'm on the edge of getting my HU upgraded as well. However I was toying with the idea of getting the Android HUs from Alixpress.

[Mafioso]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Used android auto with my oneplus phone. Google maps, ok google commands all seem to work fine. But i liked the CarPlay interface more, found it to be minimalistic & clean. But its subjective for everyone.

No need to play with VCDS. But if you have steering controls, Shalinder will guide you in case its not working. Usually, it will work straightforward.

Thanks for the post and the details of Mr Shalinder, was able to source the RCD340G plus and install it. The experience with him though was not as expected, there was lot of chaos with the entire order. It is very hard to get hold of Shalinder to talk to him and after making payment, you need constant follow up to see if the player is shipped. I got the RCD340G plus for 15k and the converter for steering wheel controls for 3K and an additional 500 for shipping charges. Even though I had told him that it was for Skoda Rapid, a VW Vento model was sent across And then I had to call him again to explain this, however he did arrange another person to take it from me in Bangalore and had to ship back the converters. And after placing the second order, it did take ~2 days for him to start the courier processe, seems like a busy man in Delhi now a days.

The steering wheel controls working with this player is not straight forward. There is a provision in one of the converters he sends, which needs to be connected to the automatic ac control module wiring which enables the steering controls and switches off the system when you pull out the key. Had to call him up for couple for times to get this information sent across via whatsapp to enable the seamless working of the system.

End of the day, though the entire buy, plug n play model from Shalinder was not as expected, I'm happy with the system and as you mentioned the car play interface seems good as compared to android. All the features are working as expected and the important point is to use only the original apple cables to connect your iphone to the system.

[smnrock]

Originally Posted by Mafioso

converter for steering wheel controls for 3K

AFAIK, there's no special converter needed for steering controls to work in Rapid. All you need is to connect the two canbus cables from the quadlock connector to the automatic climate control unit.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Used android auto with my oneplus phone. Google maps, ok google commands all seem to work fine. But i liked the CarPlay interface more, found it to be minimalistic & clean. But its subjective for everyone.

Park Assist for me is only rear sensors. I dont have a rear view cam as of now. So it gives a warning, No Rear View camera detected. And I can reverse with the usual rear sensors.

No need to play with VCDS. But if you have steering controls, Shalinder will guide you in case its not working. Usually, it will work straightforward.

Hi Partha
I have been sitting on the fence on whether to upgrade my Laura's system also to the RCD340 through Shalinder. The reality is that I really like the Swing system sound output and would not want a lesser system for the sake of android auto. How would you rate the sound output of the 340G system vs the original Swing system that you had? Any other bugs / issues that you have noticed in the new system so far?
Do share your feedback. Thanks!

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Hi Partha, Nice thread and thanks for putting it up. I'm on the edge of getting my HU upgraded as well. However I was toying with the idea of getting the Android HUs from Alixpress.

I went ahead with this as I preferred the stock look and features of the RCD 340. The Android HUs from AliExpress are like proper tablets, and offer a lot more functionality.

Originally Posted by Mafioso

t
End of the day, though the entire buy, plug n play model from Shalinder was not as expected, I'm happy with the system and as you mentioned the car play interface seems good as compared to android.

Mr. Shalinder is really a busy bee. Lol. Its very difficult to get a hold of him, mostly its his assistant who tries to answer for him, but isn't able to clear much of the doubts. I would say, if you are getting anything from him, best to speak to Shalinder only directly.
If you speak to him now, and call him after half an hour, you would need to reintroduce yourself.

But a good thing I noticed about him, even though my NEFT was delayed, he said "koi baat nahi, abhi ship kara dete hai. Kal tak paisa aa jayega." So he is interested to complete the business.

The carplay interface is really slick. Android auto feels flimsy interface. Even the design is dull.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Hi Partha
How would you rate the sound output of the 340G system vs the original Swing system that you had? Any other bugs / issues that you have noticed in the new system so far?
Do share your feedback. Thanks!

I felt, the Swing has better audio output on the same speaker system vis a vis the RCD 340. Need to change a few equaliser settings on the RCD 340 to get similar output close to the SWing radio.
Other bug i noticed, in case you switch off the system while Carplay / Android Auto is running, then it hangs. ANd sometimes carplay keeps running even if you switch it off. But its occasional, 95% of the time it runs without any issue.

[Mafioso]

Originally Posted by smnrock

AFAIK, there's no special converter needed for steering controls to work in Rapid. All you need is to connect the two canbus cables from the quadlock connector to the automatic climate control unit.

The pin on RCD 340G plus is different to the stock one I had (it had two sockets compared to only one on the new one), hence the converter. As you mentioned had to connect the wires to the ACC to get the steering wheel control working

[MileCruncher]

Great thread. I have recently bought the Laura and already missing the bluetooth options of my old car. I also have the 2018 Sep GT TSI. Is RCD340G the same as the latest HU on Polo which is Android Auto compatible.

Also is the same HU available anywhere in Mumbai?

[saurabh_k23]

Originally Posted by smnrock

AFAIK, there's no special converter needed for steering controls to work in Rapid. All you need is to connect the two canbus cables from the quadlock connector to the automatic climate control unit.

Hey there!

Sourced RCD 330G plus for my Rapid, Confused regarding where to connect the two canbus cable.
Do you have a pin diagram of the automatic climate control / exact pins to connect the canbus to?