Summary of Bluetooth Options for RNS510 & RCD510

[Swallowtail]

Fitted the 729 Bluetooth today... took a few hours. You need one part from VW to mount it under the seat of a Passat - it clips into slits in the carpet. Be warned, doing a full OEM style install of this thing is not a task for the faint hearted.

Remove stereo, run cables through the driver's side dash to the door sill, under the carpet to under the seat. Then run the mic cable up the A pillar to the head lining and over to the courtesy light assembly.

Put everything back together, then I discovered that the cable harness from Poland hasn't passed through the MDI connections, so I had to pull the stereo out again, remove the sub-plug for MDI from the car's quadlock plug and move it to the harness's quadlock plug.

Check coding in VAGCOM (slightly different to what the websites out there say and also from what the Ross-Tech software says for steering wheel control). I have upgraded the firmware on my RNS510 to the new one that does voice control so I have disabled voice control on the Bluetooth unit, and am controlling it all from the RNS510. The star button on the steering wheel initiates voice control, and the phone button answers / terminates a call.

So it's all done... but the Kufatec unit is easier to install. I installed it into apom's R36 this evening in an hour LOL. But, the mic is not voice control compatible for the RNS510, and doesn't fit in the overhead unit, the display in the MFD looks aftermarket (says KUFATEC FISCON instead of just Phone), Kufatec supports A2DP, but I don't want that really - it just is a pain with my iPhone.

I have run all the wiring for the harness to be stereo, but CarSystems in Poland haven't got back to me with how to connect it to the 729 unit to make it stereo, nor have they said anything about A2SP yet...

Is it the best option? Hmmm possibly.

Pros of 729 Bluetooth over Fiscon:

If you haven't upgraded your RNS510 to voice control, then the 729 is the only way to get true hands free (voice control) dialling.

It's truly OEM, works well. Can access an iPhone's call lists where Fiscon can't.

Cheaper than Fiscon if purchased from Poland.

Microphone can be used as voice control for the RNS510 (with upgraded firmware) by connecting to RNS510 and running new cable to Bluetooth. So one mic, all OEM, voice control for everything.

Cons of 729 Bluetooth compared to Fiscon:

Bigger unit than Fiscon, has to be fitted under driver's seat really (Fiscon squeezes neatly under centre console near gearstick). Therefore harder to install.

Cable harness from Poland does not pass through MDI / CD changer cables - small sub-plug needs to be removed from the car's quadlock plug and put into the pass-through quadlock plug.

Cable harness from Poland has non-compliant CAN bus cable.

No A2DP (we think LOL...), where Fiscon has A2DP.

If you have upgraded your firmware on the RNS510 to be voice control capable, then you can voice control a Fiscon unit from the RNS510 - you don't need the 729. However, you will still need an additional mic as the Fiscon's mic is wrong for the RNS510. So at the very least you'd still need a VW mic, and you'd still need to run it to the overhead console. You'd then have 2 mics - with the Fiscon's only operative on calls.

That's all for now, I'll add more as I think of it...