Want to replace my RNS510 with a modern Android Auto - anyone done it ?

[uklee]

My 2013 GTS came fitted with an RNS510 with Dynaudio . I have rear parking sensors and a reversing camera and its all been pretty reliable - however , the maps for the Sat Nav are well out of date now - since VW stopped supporting it since 2021 (Map version 17).

I'm looking to replace it with a modern direct fit unit that feature android auto so's I can use Goole Maps etc . There seems to be a wide variety of direct fit Chinese Android units on eBay - some have more features than others . I'd really like it to work with my existing DAB ariel , GPS sensor and rear camera etc , I'd like the map info to repeat in my dash cluster like my RNS510 one does

Has anyone fitted one of these android units ? did everything work ? did you lose or gain any features ? would you recommend a particular unit or seller ?

I found this one on ebay that kinda looks like it'll do most of the stuff i'm asking for - what d'ya reckon ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255784526148

[4thscirocco]

I installed a Eonon Q53 in place of the RNS510 in my 2009 Scirocco with great success! Literally plug and play. Running the cable for the GPS antenna took the most time. I can't speak to the specific features you list, because I don't use them, but the specs should be available online. Note that I installed a North American version.

[uklee]

I installed a Eonon Q53 in place of the RNS510 in my 2009 Scirocco with great success! Literally plug and play. Running the cable for the GPS antenna took the most time. I can't speak to the specific features you list, because I don't use them, but the specs should be available online. Note that I installed a North American version.

Thanks very much for the reply 4thscirocco - its much appreciated . I've had a scout at the Eonon website and it looks to be exactly what i'm after .

I've noted that they have a customer service contact option , so I'll field my feature compatibility questions directly to them

[DL04LRL]

Also changed my headunit for a eonon one … added a small inline dsp amp to help power the focal speakers i upgraded ass the cars speakers with as the standard headunit didnt seem to give them the power they needed

[uklee]

So I thought I'd feedback my experience with the Chinese Android head unit !.(I ended up sending it back - read till the end if you have Dynaudio !)

I removed my RNS510 and bought Eonon's latest - top of the range - VW specific model , the Eonon VWX6S .
My car is already fitted with the OEM reversing camera , Dynaudio , DAB radio and Navigation . I had to buy a few 'accessories' to make the most out of these additional features ,

• A501 Rear View Backup Camera Decoder Box Kit For Volkswagen For Eonon Car Radio (A CanBus interface for the OEM reversing camera)
  A503 USB DAB+ Digital Radio Tuner Dongle Receiver For Android Car Radio
  Black Fakra A to SMB adaptor lead so's I could use the OEM DAB antenna (in place of the woeful stick on window jobbie that they supply with the A503 kit)
  A Fakra C to SMB adaptor lead so's I could use the OEM GPS antenna (in place of the stick on GPS box that they supply)
  Eonon V0056 ELM327 Car Bluetooth OBD2 OBD-II for Android Stereo Radio ( to see basic OBD data and fault codes etc on the head unit)

I fitted the unit and all the accessories and I have to say , it looks awesome ! - its a full size 9" touch screen and fills the whole space , compared to the old small screen on the VW RNS models. It boots up really quick, and after a bit of setting up I had it connected to the hotspot on my phone and Android Auto on my Samsung S25.

Good points -

• Fast boot up time
  with the adaptor lead , I had a fantastic GPS signal (I picked up 17 satellites in seconds !)
  with the adaptor lead , I had great DAB+ reception (I picked up 155 stations in a few minutes)
  with the decoder kit , my reverse camera works a treat - now on a much bigger screen and with 'bendy' lines that adjust according to my steering wheel angle. Park sensors all show up to with nice graphics
  All functions on my steering wheel controls worked straight out of the box ( with the exception of voice command)
  Navigation via Google Maps ( you can pick your own android app - Waze etc) is MUCH better than the old OEM interface

Bad points -

• lots of settings need adjusting to get things working properly - some obvious and easy to get to - some not !
  When Android auto loads , it takes precedence - it disconnects the Wi-Fi Hotspot , and defaults to Bluetooth audio from your phone (rather than the radio or music from the MicroSD or HDD)
  FM/AM radio reception is pretty much non existent
  The extra features that the VWX6S offers over the cheaper models such as the Sim card for Mobile data and separate RCA input / output leads are pretty much unnecessary , and if I were to buy one - I'd just get a lesser model - they have all the features that really matter.
  NO SOUND FROM THE REAR SPEAKERS !

The last point was a real pain , multiple emails to Eonon support (slow response times due to them being in China) were unable to resolve this . It turns out that despite all the blurb on Eonons advertising and website , their units (certainly the VWX6S) are NOT compatible with vehicles equipped with the Dynaudio amplifier. This means you'll get NO SOUND from the rear speakers and the built in Digital Sound Processing from the Eonon head unit doesn't really work.

BE WARNED !
I removed the Eonon unit to send it back and refitted my RNS510 and immediately discovered that I had no sound from ANY speakers !
Everything on screen seemed to work Nav, Media , Radio etc - but no sound at all . I checked all the fuses and connections and still no joy
I connected up VCDS and did a full scan - no faults detected and still no sound from my RNS510 - bugger !
Some frantic googling revealed that the Dynaudio amp is controlled by the CanBus and LIN Bus networks , and i found user reports that claimed cheap Chinese head units had been responsible for 'frying' the Fender amplifier ( VW USA's version of Dynadio)

With no bad fuses , connections or fault codes to go off , I had one final option - a Full Battery Reset . So in the hope that this would work , I disconnected my battery positive lead and left the car for an hour before reconnecting it. Hey Presto - it worked

All my speakers are working again , and full functionality has been restored to my old RNS510 - Phew !

So now I'm back to square one - living with a very competent (if a little old fashioned) RNS510 with an out of date Nav system - any suggestions ?

Footnote : If you have Dynaudio - DONT fit a Chinese head unit , If you haven't , and can stand a bit of dicking about with the settings - then yeah, I'd probably look at getting one