Retrofitting factory OPS system - anyone attempted?

[ian.perry]

Hi guys,

I've done a quick search and come up empty. Was wondering if anyone's attempted to retrofit the Optical Parking System to a 6R polo yet?

There's a kit available here (carsystems.pl) that I'm interested in, but a bit worried about how difficult it will be to run the wires for the sensors.

If it's anything like the Bluetooth module was to install, I'll be pretty comfortable doing that. Also if anyone's interested I can try and have a camera handy while I do the install and put together a bit of a guide.

[Ryan_R]

Check the thread in the Mk6 Golf forum here, it's very complicated and some have tried and failed. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a bit of an expert.

[ian.perry]

Thanks for the warning, Ryan! I just read the last two pages of that thread and it does look pretty intense. I think I'll just have to make do with the RNS510 when it arrives, for the time being.

[pontiff]

Thanks for the warning, Ryan! I just read the last two pages of that thread and it does look pretty intense. I think I'll just have to make do with the RNS510 when it arrives, for the time being.

Ian... Okay, I have just come back from installing it in my Polo and I can tell you that it could not be simpler! Of course it all comes down to the kit that you buy.

I bought mine from VAG NAVISYSTEMS Email them and speak to Marc, he will sort you out. I warn you that its not cheap. I paid I think $499 USD (delivered via UPS and with the sensors painted to my cars colour). The kit that carsystems.pl sell I believe has the 3c8 control units which i believe is based on a Passat and throws the Polo electronics into a fit of fault code throwing. The kit from Marc comes with the proper Polo control unit which will present you no issues.

I will try and provide some 'tips' that i learnt during the process, and suffice to say, if anyone in Melbourne wants help installing their kit, im more than happy to help.

- Installing the sensors is a case of removing the rear bar (ELSAWIN will show you how) and drill out the holes for the sensor. Now I had a workshop assist me as i can be a bit impatient and its not something I wanted to muck up.
- Drill a 3mm hole from the inside out at the prescribed locations. This is easily accomplished as there are markings on the bar casting to show you where they go. 3mm inside to out then measuring the sensor, tape up the hole and drill it out from the outside in. I believe he used a step drill.
- Once that is done, install the sensors by affixing the supplied housings. They come with 3m double sided tape to affix them to the bumper. I just used these also but fully expect to be affixing them with something a little more 'permanent' should they come loose.
- Install the sensors into their housings. The actual sensors are not specific but the loom is, so make sure you get them right.
glossing over a few things, run the wiring through the car, up the drivers side, install the control unit in behind the drivers side boot liner (behind the little access panel), run wiring up to the steering column, attaching the ground wire as you go (around the c pillar area).

Now that you have the wiring up around the column its time to see what we have next. There are 3 wires that we need to splice. 1 is 12+ Ignition and the other 2 are Can bus Low and High.

Now the wiring I got was labelled somewhat inaccurately in that it says "GATEWAY CAN BUS LOW" and "GATEWAY CAN BUS HIGH", well in the 6r there is no GATEWAY that is accessible as its part of J519 which is the BCM / Central electronics module which is this large thing under the steering column.

The issue here is that after some reading of wiring diagrams (attached), you need to splice into the POWERTRAIN CAN BUS. It is available at a few places within the main wiring loom, some being the BCM as previously discussed, the ABS module, the DME and where I grabbed it, the KOMBI or Dash Insert in VW parlance. I first attemped to get into the bus via the BCM but its just too hard, the loom is too tight. So back to the wiring diagrams and as I say, the Kombi... sorry.. Dash insert (instrument cluster) also has it.

So removing the cluster is easy enough (ELSAWIN has instructions) but i have attached a picture of the lower insert piece which has the screws behind it as it didnt want to come out but brute force and it did come eventually...

So in the cluster loom there are the 3 things we need, Powertrain CAN Low and High and 12+ ignition (terminal 15). I have attached the wiring diagram to describe this but you will see a-can-l on t32/29 (pin 29) and a-can-h on t32/28 (pin 2. t32 being the plug in question which is 32 pins. Now terminal 15 (on when the ignition is on) is available via t32/31 (pin 31). Splice into these but don't do what I did and splice them too close to the plug as then you can't get the cap back on that easy (pic attached)... make your life easier and remove some of the black sheathing and grab it a little ways down. The wire colours are in the PDF, but basically blue/black is your 12v+ and orange/black and orange/brown are your CAN wires.

Once you have wired it up, fire up VCDS and in the CAN gateway unit (which is physically part of the central electronics in our cars) go to Installation list and tick 10 (park/steer assist). Then you are pretty much done, all things being equal you should now be able to start the car, put it into reverse and hear it beep and the display should show OPS as attached. Do yourself a favour and go into control unit 10 and just go into coding then out again, as it will not be coded when you install it (assuming you buy new like I did).

If you wanted to save some coin, you 'could' speak to carsystems.pl I guess and ask them to swap the 3c8 for the polo specific OPS unit and their kit should work, or if they wont, just buy one from VW or ebay.de (there were a few listed for 50-60 euro last time I checked). Interesting though, that the polo control unit does have the provision for front OPS also on the control unit, but im not sure if the coding would allow it to actually work... it does have me wondering now, but I dont think I will bother as the plug is different so its not like you can plug your rears into the front section and test it, you would have to buy the plug from VW and pin it out to test... perhaps one day..

Soooooo long story short, I've done it, its not hard, the longest thing was actually finding access to the powertrain CAN bus. Bumper bar removal and drilling was about an hour and running of wiring another 30 mins or so.

If anyone has any questions please ask, im more than happy to assist in any way possible. Gee its good to have OPS/PDC again. RVC perhaps is next.

the Polo OPS control unit has provision for RVC also. You can select how you want it displayed, RVC, OPS or both I believe.

Wiring Diagrams
http://users.on.net/sa145/Cluster.pdf
http://users.on.net/sa145/PDC.pdf

Behind the cluster


The little tabs on the section above the steering column that you need to remove to get to the screws to remove the cluster


The plug from the cluster, see where i cut too close to the plug, getting the plug housing back on was a little bit of a PITA. And no... I didnt just leave it taped up, i soldered the wires on


Voila! It works

[JonW]

What a superb and detailed answer, thanks for posting m8! Im tempted to do this to my car when it arrives, my dealer wanted $1499 for reverse sensors when I asked about them, I suggested they take a hike! $500 and a few hours work sounds about right i think.

Interested to hear if you get the fronts and the camera sorted, would be very swish!

[pontiff]

What a superb and detailed answer, thanks for posting m8! Im tempted to do this to my car when it arrives, my dealer wanted $1499 for reverse sensors when I asked about them, I suggested they take a hike! $500 and a few hours work sounds about right i think.

Interested to hear if you get the fronts and the camera sorted, would be very swish!

No worries, I'll let you know, but yes, I am going to look into the fronts.

I suspect that the price that VW gave you may not have even been the factory ones, as they do have a habbit of just fitting aftermarket ones, even though it is possible to fit the factory ones if they know what they are doing. If I were do it again I would even see if i could get a loom with a male and female (the female end is easily purchased through VW) end to the cluster loom so that you dont need to splice into the existing wiring, just the new adapter loom that you make up, that would me much simpler, that way you could do all the pre-work before you pulled the car apart. Then all you would need are the pins and wires, which VW also sell. I think they sell them in packs of 50 or something but considering you need 32 of them anyway its not too bad. When I say you need 32, you dont actually NEED 32, but lets face it, its simpler to just pin out the whole 32 rather than working out which ones you dont need etc

[JonW]

I think youre right, VW can be a worrying bunch... when I was talking about wheels (for another purchase a while back) they suggested i just hit JAX and bought a set of chinese cheapies rather then buy their expensive wheels, eeek.

I like your thinking, so if i understand, you are suggesting making up a short length of adapter cable for all 32 wires that would plug between the existing loom connectors and would have the new connections already made in it, then you can just plug it in and youre done. I guess that would also mean you could fit it in to the closest or easiest to get to connectors etc.

[pontiff]

Spot On!. Im not sure if you can buy the male version of the plug as its part of the instrument cluster, but I'm sure something would be available as when you buy the bluetooth kit the loom they give you goes in between the stereo and the plug which required both male and female plugs yet the stereo has its plug as part of the actual stereo so if they make it available in that instance, i cant imagine why they wouldn't make it available in the cluster instance also... i'll open up ETK in a minute and have a look

[pontiff]

Okay.. the part you need is a

1J0 972 977 D
and some
000 979 009 E's (not sure how many as it looks like they come in groups of 5?) so get 6 for the full compliment (and a few spares).

However I am not sure about the other end, i am trying to find more info because as i say, you can get the other end of the stereo one, so someone must make them... ill email marc@vag-navi and ask.

carsystems.pl also sell them, but you have to crimp it all yourself (could do if you wanted)
Instrument cluster connector - 1J0972977D + terminals 000979009E

pics from ETKA attached.

[JonW]

superb info, thanks. Maybe the seller could make up some cables for us? should cost too much more and he would make a bit of profit for his effort perhaps.