T6.1 infotainment upgrade?

[Neal_C]

Hi All,

We finally have a T6.1 (Highline DSG) van on order which we’ll have back from the converters in March time. The van is near the build stage and we can obviously still make some last minute changes.

What are everyone’s thoughts on upgrading the infotainment system ? It’s circa £1,400, so not cheap.

Is it worth the extra money for the addition functionality ?

any help / advice welcome

thanks in advance

 

[Jlo]

For me it's not worth it, £1400 is crazy money.. I can plug my phone in and enjoy Google Maps navigation. Don't need Wireless App Connect.

Other features?... Bigger screen is a nice upgrade!

 

[fezza68]

Kind of agree with jlo,but dont you get the satnav in the dials option with the upgraded system?.

 

[Skyliner33]

Kind of agree with jlo,but dont you get the satnav in the dials option with the upgraded system?.

Is that worth £1400? Plus dont some aftermarket upgrades like Kenwood or Alpine also do this and are a better unit at less £££?

 

[fezza68]

Maybe,i was just saying. It looks good from what I've seen but not sure its £1400 good.

 

[Skyliner33]

Maybe,i was just saying. It looks good from what I've seen but not sure its £1400 good.

As far as I can see the only real differences are slightly bigger screen, info between the dials and wireless.

May people prefer to use an app like waze (as they are 'better') you have to consider as this wont display in the info section. Also if streaming from your phone or using sat nav then I would guess most people would want to plug the phone in for charging anyway. So that just leaves the bigger screen. I guess you have weigh up the way you would use it and decide if its worth the money, or better going aftermarket.

 

[Insert Coin]

You can get a Top of the line Kenwood/Alpine for less than that. My £1200 Discovery unit is sat in the garage collecting dust, it’s crap and a huge waste of money.

 

[fezza68]

You can get a Top of the line Kenwood/Alpine for less than that. My £1200 Discovery unit is sat in the garage collecting dust, it’s crap and a huge waste of money.

Cant it be re-coded into another van?.

 

[BognorMotors]

I have it in mine and to be fair the big screen is nice, and looks good in the dash. But you can spend £1400 on a lot of other kit when the standard system does the same, albeit wired.

 

[Neal_C]

Thanks all, makes a lot of sense and confirms the way I way thinking !

I see lots of replacement head units for T6, are they available yet for the T6.1 considering the new dash layout ?

 

[Insert Coin]

Cant it be re-coded into another van?.

It can, it’s about £170, I’ve kept it purely to put back in should I ever sell the van.

Edit, I’m not sure if you can sell on the newer 6.1 version. My post was more of a warning that the expensive VW headunits are a waste of money and not to bother.

 

[DarrenTT]

I’ve got the standard unit in my t6.1 and it’s ok. But I’ve just got a Passat r-line with the discovery pro and virtual dashboard and it’s awesome. When I’ve got the spare cash I’d love to upgrade the van to the same as the Passat.

 

[Andyman]

Wish I’d seen this before, I sadly bought the upgraded system, it is PANTS

so many times it cannot register the user
Takes forever to plan a route
Cuts off Bluetooth calls
Shuts down iPhone microphone
Wireless CarPlay (always plugged into charger so no matter)
Satnav in dials, just a picture full of icons for takeaways etc
Looks ugly with fingerprints

However:
you have a bigger screen which is quite amazing
Can use Waze through the screen
Digital dash is awesome

would i do it again? Not a chance

 

[BognorMotors]

Give it a soft reset once in a while. (Every week) really helps. Press and hold both rotary buttons until the screen goes black then the VW sign comes up

 

[Andyman]

Give it a soft reset once in a while. (Every week) really helps. Press and hold both rotary buttons until the screen goes black then the VW sign comes up

I don’t have the 2 buttons, but respectfully vw should have it sorted and not rely upon us to remedy it ourselves
Please see image attached this is awful, on T6 you could use right side button to repeat last satNav instruction (press) or zoom it in or out (turn) of screens like this

 

[BognorMotors]

Oh. That’s no help then - sorry ;-)

I tend to use google maps on my car play as the factory sat Nav is terrible anyway. Like I said previously it’s a lots of money for the unit.

 

[Andyman]

Oh. That’s no help then - sorry ;-)

I tend to use google maps on my car play as the factory sat Nav is terrible anyway. Like I said previously it’s a lots of money for the unit.

I agree about the google maps and also Waze, but to be honest people pay a lot of money for the unit you’d expect to be able to use it, recently at VW they actually said oh just use Waze!!

sadly I’ve come to regret it

 

[BognorMotors]

Yeah agreed.
We sell loads of vans and never recommend it. However if you have a mega spec - like my kombi (£13k of factory options) it would be odd not too spec the upgraded radio for resale (which is madness) - and presently there are no after market options to upgrade to - I’m sure this won’t be long though.

 

[Andyman]

Yeah agreed.
We sell loads of vans and never recommend it. However if you have a mega spec - like my kombi (£13k of factory options) it would be odd not too spec the upgraded radio for resale (which is madness) - and presently there are no after market options to upgrade to - I’m sure this won’t be long though.

Totally spot on attitude, be a shame not to for resale value, as that would be the thing the tyre kickers would say, oh if only it had…….

eventually vw will have to sort it out if enough people complain

 

[Andyman]

I’m more concerned that I can’t get curtains for a Caravelle right now tho