Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ model Polos here!
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JTGTI93
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Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by JTGTI93 »

Hi, really really hoping to get some help from this forum as at a loose end :(

I've got a 2018 Polo GTI+, over the last 9 month my radio had been intermittently working, which has slowly deteriorated to not working any longer.
The main 'head unit' display does come on when I start the vehicle but just loads the VW GTI logo and then eventually goes off (I was hard resetting for a few month which then worked now and again, however looks as if it's given up now).

I took it to a local VW dealership who ran some diagnostics on this and found it was due an update, however they were unable to update this through USB or the SD card slot as was just failing. This was tried for a few hours.

They did advise that they could continue diagnostics to see if it was wiring or anything else, however the technician advised that he believes the infotainment unit within the glove department had given up and needed replaced (he told me this away from the garage as he couldn't say this was DEFINITELY the issue).

Pricing for a new unit in the glove department is over £1,700 which I refuse to pay. There are multiple units available on eBay around £200-300, however VW dealerships will not fit/code these for me and advise it needs to be a brand new part. I have spoke to a local VW specialist who advises he could hopefully replace and code the new unit for around £100, however cannot guarantee this will work, so I'm stuck with this option too. Could be another £300 down the drain and stuck with a replacement part which won't work.

Has anyone had any similar issues?
Would you recommend biting the bullet and buying the part, hoping the specialist can code/fit the new part?

OR would you suggest potentially installing a different head unit which would replace the full system? How easy would this be and where would I start looking for something which would work within this car?

Any help would be massively appreciated.
grazuncle2
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Re: Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by grazuncle2 »

I can understand your feelings totally.. and no i could not want to pay that (£1700) and i just have the funds to buy one!

I'm not sure what a 2018 GTi display looks like... but

if you are open to an alternative as would I.. I'd start by looking at what is out there on YT like this or similar.. after brief looks, in the past, there are interfaces for these Android head units to VW wiring. I know it is not for everyone esp purists and I just say live and let live.

I'd search on things like in this video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw9lpvq ... VsIA%3D%3D
SRGTD
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Re: Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by SRGTD »

@JTGTI93; Something to bear in mind is that lots of the car’s functionality (e.g. the vehicle settings, driver mode selection, parking sensor display, re-setting TPMS, etc, etc) is controlled through the infotainment unit, so if you opt to go for an alternative (non-OEM) solution - if one exists for the AW Polo that’s built on the MQB AO platform - then you may well lose much of that functionality.
JTGTI93
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Re: Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by JTGTI93 »

SRGTD wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:42 pm @JTGTI93; Something to bear in mind is that lots of the car’s functionality (e.g. the vehicle settings, driver mode selection, parking sensor display, re-setting TPMS, etc, etc) is controlled through the infotainment unit, so if you opt to go for an alternative (non-OEM) solution - if one exists for the AW Polo that’s built on the MQB AO platform - then you may well lose much of that functionality.
Thank you for this, I honestly did not think about that. It’s going to need to be the same part.

You have any idea whether a replacement infotainment unit from eBay would work if programmed in and coded by a specialist?
grazuncle2
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Re: Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by grazuncle2 »

I doubt the part has anything inherently tied to a particular vehicle that cannot be adapted in by a competent specialist garage.

They would all be programmed in like any other smart part on the assembly line.

The only thing is advise when buying of eBay is the reputation/feedback and return policy.
SRGTD
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Re: Infotainment Help - Polo GTI+ 2018

Post by SRGTD »

JTGTI93 wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:38 pm
SRGTD wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:42 pm @JTGTI93; Something to bear in mind is that lots of the car’s functionality (e.g. the vehicle settings, driver mode selection, parking sensor display, re-setting TPMS, etc, etc) is controlled through the infotainment unit, so if you opt to go for an alternative (non-OEM) solution - if one exists for the AW Polo that’s built on the MQB AO platform - then you may well lose much of that functionality.
Thank you for this, I honestly did not think about that. It’s going to need to be the same part.

You have any idea whether a replacement infotainment unit from eBay would work if programmed in and coded by a specialist?
Sorry, I have no idea.

A reputable company that specialises in retro-fitting VW OEM equipment and accessories ought to know. There are also some forum members who have retro-fitted OEM equipment in their current model Polos who may be able to advise you too - hopefully they’ll see this discussion thread and post their comments.
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