Golf mk7 upgrade to Nav Pro?

[twistsouth]

Hi PH,

First time poster (and first time car owner).

I just bought a 2013 Golf mk7 and it came with the standard infotainment unit (it was just the S spec) which, unfortunately, is not in great condition. There are more dead pixels than alive ones...

I’ve seen OEM units for Nav Pro (which is obviously a substantial upgrade in terms of features) at reasonable prices and they seem to just have one port on the back so, being a naive car noob, it seems like a very simple swap out.

Has anyone done this upgrade? Is it as simple as I’m thinking or is it definitely a garage job?

Cheers!

[mawallace]

I am not an expert but the 'head unit' for the screen is in the glovebox. I think that you would have to update this as well.

[twistsouth]

mawallace said:

I am not an expert but the 'head unit' for the screen is in the glovebox. I think that you would have to update this as well.

Yeah, I've done a bit more digging and it seems that part is just as expensive as the display unit and has to be coded to the display by a VW authorized garage (or some dodgy person).

Guess I'll just have to live with the crappy display!

[tektas]

Or you can buy one of those Android headunits that have a matching Fascia?

something like this

https://androidautoshop.com/volkswagen/229-1752-vo...

[twistsouth]

tektas said:

Or you can buy one of those Android headunits that have a matching Fascia?

something like this

https://androidautoshop.com/volkswagen/229-1752-vo...

That looks awesome! It says it integrates with the car's systems seamlessly but I'm a little wary that it's that good if it doesn't need coded to the glovebox unit. I'll check around for advice on it.

Thanks for the tip!

[ashleyman]

You could just buy a replacement screen for your dead one if you didn't need any extra features?

That swap wouldn't need any coding or extra parts. If you were to upgrade to Nav Pro you'd need to make sure whatever unit you buy has had component protection removed, it would need some diagnostic coding and potentially a new trim piece for the screen surround.

Usual expected cost to go from standard screen / base system to Nav Pro is about £1400 all in + maybe a bit for coding (spending on which version you get).

[twistsouth]

ashleyman said:

You could just buy a replacement screen for your dead one if you didn't need any extra features?

That swap wouldn't need any coding or extra parts. If you were to upgrade to Nav Pro you'd need to make sure whatever unit you buy has had component protection removed, it would need some diagnostic coding and potentially a new trim piece for the screen surround.

Usual expected cost to go from standard screen / base system to Nav Pro is about £1400 all in + maybe a bit for coding (spending on which version you get).

Wow. That’s a lot for a bigger screen and GPS. I also heard you have to have the sound system replaced because it’s not powerful enough to handle the signal from the Nav Pro system. I think replacing just the display would be good (if I choose not to go for the third party Android solutions).

Is this typical of retrofitting official upgrades? It seems crazy! I looked at adding the parking sensors and rear camera and it was around £1,600. Can’t be far off what it cost 5 years ago when buying the car new!

[ashleyman]

twistsouth said:

ashleyman said:

You could just buy a replacement screen for your dead one if you didn't need any extra features?

That swap wouldn't need any coding or extra parts. If you were to upgrade to Nav Pro you'd need to make sure whatever unit you buy has had component protection removed, it would need some diagnostic coding and potentially a new trim piece for the screen surround.

Usual expected cost to go from standard screen / base system to Nav Pro is about £1400 all in + maybe a bit for coding (spending on which version you get).

Wow. That’s a lot for a bigger screen and GPS. I also heard you have to have the sound system replaced because it’s not powerful enough to handle the signal from the Nav Pro system. I think replacing just the display would be good (if I choose not to go for the third party Android solutions).

Is this typical of retrofitting official upgrades? It seems crazy! I looked at adding the parking sensors and rear camera and it was around £1,600. Can’t be far off what it cost 5 years ago when buying the car new!

So, to break it down a little bit.

You can exchange the screens relatively easy. You just need to buy the screen and the trim surround and it's a straight swap.

If you want to add features, then you have to replace the unit thats in the glovebox - thats the brains of the infotainment system.

There are 2 versions of NAV PRO, MIB 1 & MIB 2. MIB 2 is the newer version and is much better than earlier MIB1 systems. There's currently 2 MIB 2 systems on eBay with Component Protection removed. They are £1249 and £1290 with free installation. There aren't any MIB 1 versions but they're usually a few hundred pounds cheaper.

If you currently have the small screen then on top of buying the new ECU and screen you'll also need to buy the trim surround to fit the larger screen. The piano black version is £152 and there is only 1 for sale on eBay. eBay item number:302753630597. Not sure what you have in your car as it's an S model, might be a different colour?

Depending on what you already have installed you may need to go even further and replace some wiring looms or as you say change the audio system. I think you've been misinformed there because I know on Golf R's you can swap out the unit in the glove box and the screen to the Discover Pro system without replacing anything else and it'll work fine but it might be different on other models. If you're going from a non-nav system to a nav system you also need to factor in where the GPS antenna will sit. Cars with GPS have the shark fin on the roof which houses the GPS bits, obviously you don't want to be cutting holes in the roof so it'll probably have to live under the windscreen.

Alternatively, if you just want the bigger screen, why not spend £500 and buy the screen and surround from the facelift cars? It won't give you any extra features but it looks smart. eBay item number:302753617503

[twistsouth]

Cheers for the in-depth info @ashleyman, I’ll see what’s on the budget. At these costs though, I’m probably better off just selling the car and finding a used SE Nav!

Even the replacement display seems awful expensive (for what it is). Might see if there are any used ones in good condition.

This car business is a money sink lol. Was totally unprepared for it.