Navigating the realm of Golf MK6 upgrades, whether you're a recent owner or a long-time enthusiast, demands a keen understanding of your car's model, be it the 1.4 Match/TSI, GTD, or GTi. If you've grown weary of the OEM radio's limitations and aspire to elevate your driving experience, this discourse is tailored precisely for you. I've meticulously addressed a spectrum of preferences, recognising that some ardently stick to OEM choices while others, akin to myself, revel in the allure of robust aftermarket solutions. The exposition unfolds across three distinct categories:
- OEM options
- OEM + options
- After Market options
OEM optionsThe Mk6 came believe it or not with 11 options from Factory.
- VW-Kenwood unit, also known as “DNX518VDABS”
- RCD210 (There were 2 different versions of this depending if you had Steering wheel controls)
- RCD310 (There where 3 different versions, depending on SW, and highline, midline etc)
- RNS315 (This one only came with Highline display)
- RCD510/RNS510 (Many versions of this head unit came out, 4 are listed but I actually think there were more, Hard drive and non-hard drive versions, CD/DVD Nav and non Nav to).
To be fair to VW, they did their best to cater for every owner and the OEM units mostly came fully equipped. I personally liked that all of the units supplied all had CD support and some of the 510’s even had DVD support.
The Kenwood really was a VW Optional extra, cost stupid money and from the research I have done into them, users complained of a laggy interface and functions failing.
My advice if you want to go down the OEM only route, try and get the latest version of the RNS510 unit, the main difference between RCD and RNS is, RCD is CD and no nav, RNS will be the DVD and Nav version in most cases.
The latest version I believe is: 1T0 035 680 P
OEM + optionsHonestly, you can go to many places here, but I will stick with just two.
- RCD360
- RCD330+
The RCD330 units are VW units but from the research I have done, were only released in Asia mainly China.
They are fitted in the Polo’s and Golfs.
The RCD360 however IS NOT a VW unit, these are copies of the RCD330 but cheaper parts are used, the finish doesn’t match the dash, the buttons feel cheap and the letters on the button don’t fully luminate like they do on the RCD330’s – They also suffer with overheating and will only last you a year or so before breaking in all honestly. I personally had the RCD360 unit in my Edition 35 when I bought it. I decided to upgrade it to an RCD330+. The only reason to even consider an RCD360 is they are literally about quarter of the price of the RCD330+ you can pick these up between £100-200.
After spending out on the RCD330+ upgraded 1GB with Rear USB, after using it a few months, the one thing I will give it credit for is the OEM look and feel is spot on. With it having rear USB mod, I was able in install an OEM looking USB port in one of the spaces above the gear knob.
It does have a full VW sticker complete with part number and my VAGCOM/VCDS recognises it and let me alter the coding to turn off the auto reverse feature. (When you go into reverse, if you have a rear reversing camera it will display on this unit) I don’t have the camera so my screen would go blank while also muting my music.
Apple Carplay was seamless as is the Bluetooth and hands free. It was also noticeably faster than the previous RCD360 and didn’t lose connection like the RCD360 ether.
It works well with the Steering wheel controls too, I am sure you will agree it looks the part.
These units will also display and work with your parking sensors but won’t display your Aircon.
For this reason, if you want Apply carplay and a few more features, I would recommend an RCD330+
However, I would strongly recommend that you buy the 1GB upgraded version, its so much faster, zero interface lag, Carplay, Bluetooth and Handsfree are instant. Rear USB is optional, I personally feel it’s a must but that’s me, Note: You don’t lose the USB on the front ether but it becomes a “Charge only” port.
Word of warning, only buy from
https://www.rcd330.com/There are many companies out there claiming to be selling the real deal on ebay and sites across the UK, these are sadly hard to tell if you are getting the real deal or a fake. All units sold by this website are real, this is where I got mine from but be prepared, they take about 4-5 weeks to arrive.
If you buy 2nd hand, ask to see there Sales receipt to prove they brought from this supplier, FYI, mine will be for sale soon.
Aftermarket optionsI have done so much research in the after-market area for the MK6 platform, the list on this could be massive but for this guide, I will purely keep it to a few only, these are personal preference of course but I have chosen these units based on them working with the Golf’s infotainment system.
- Kenwood DNX518VDABS (Remember this?)
- Alpine X901D-G6
- Alpine X902D-G6
- Alpine X903D-G6
- Alpine iLX-702D
- Alpine iLX-705D
I know, there are a lot of Alpine units here and no Pioneer units listed, this is personal preference. After years of buying Pioneer units, I looked for one that would use the infotainment sections of the Golf, i.e show the Aircon, with the clocks etc and couldn’t find any on a few searches but Alpine do and in my opinion, are currently market leaders in the aftermarket audio when it comes to head units.
So the 901, 902 & 903 units are now all sadly discontinued, they were/are the only 9” units from Alpine and honestly when installed, look amazing as I am sure you will agree…
After contacting Alpine directly as one of these units were my first choice, I discovered that they discontinued them because due to the price tag of £1,000-1,600 depending on where you lived and the time of year you got it their sales where not high enough to continue making them.
So, if you want one of these units, you will need to keep an eye on EBay or other selling sites.
I have personally been checking many sources for many months now and have failed to find ether a 901, 902 or 903 for sale anywhere, FYI, these are versions, with the 903 being the latest and best.
Me personally, I have decided to upgrade AGAIN to an Alpine iLX-705D, I almost bought a 2nd hand iLX-702D until I realised The iLX-705D is the successor of the highly popular, award winning iLX-702D. This new generation includes many improvements, such as much higher screen resolution, wireless Apple CarPlay, 2 USB ports, as well as a built-in Class-D amplifier and Hi-Res Audio capabilities.
So why am I upgrading? Well, as great as the RCD330+ is, its missing a few things to make it perfect.
- The sound quality is much better than OEM but after using car Audio for many years, I wouldn’t say its 4x50w, more like 4x40w or at least that's how it feels, its 100% better than the OEM Radios and for most, that is enough but for me, I found it lacking.
- The lack of Pre-outs also really limit your options if you want to add more in the future, I like my stealth installs and I have a sub in the boot in a stealth box which I have linked in via one of Vibes Micro amps alongside the 4-channel micro amp, this has meant I have more looms behind the Headunit and two micro amps but I am limited by their capabilities and sadly, Vibe are not my first choice when it comes to wanting quality
- The RCD330’s allow you to pickup AM & FM only, but due to them coming from China, they do not pickup RDS signal meaning you don't get a nice RADIO 1 for example on your saved number 1 slot and so on, instead, you just have "99.5" if that makes sense? This bothers me.
- The lack of DAB really does let this unit down for me, I like DAB radio, I live in a location that I am able to pick up channels I like that you simply cannot get via FM. My Mk7 GTD had DAB and its honestly the only thing I miss about that car other than the £20 per year to Tax it.
- While the RCD330 will work with OEM parking sensors and Reverse cameras and even via Bluetooth show iPhone calls in the clocks, that’s where the integration ends. If you want a unit that will show your climate control/heated seat adjustments or pair up with Satnav in your clocks and so on, you will need a new unit for this.
So for these reasons, If you want a strong aftermarket unit, I would recommend one of the Alpines listed but be aware, in order to get everything working as I have explained, you will need the correct fitting kit that will talk to your infotainment system.
Personally, if you are using an Alpine unit, do yourself a favour and buy the Alpine kit, part number is: KIT-7VWX303 it retails between £199-£220.
When it comes to DAB+ you can ether use a standard DAB sticker antenna on your windscreen or pay more and use the OEM wiring and antenna and get the Alpine splitter for FM and DAB + in the VW Golf 6.
Part number is: KAE-DAB1G6 Your looking to around £100.
Embarking on my forthcoming installation of the Alpine iLX-705D, I remain open to queries, eager to share insights and experiences.
