Question about stereo upgrade

[fruitmachinestu]

I have a 06 golf gti, with rcd300. I want to upgrade but ive read about the power drain when u upgrade to a newer vw stereo.
My question is, is this issue only when u upgrade to a newer vw one. Or will it power drain with what ever unit i upgrade to. ie alpine, kenwood, pioneer. ect ect.
If i have to upgrade the canbus gateway then so be it. But if its cheaper to just get a different make head unit then that might be a better route for me.
Thanks

[gtiprodigy]

From I have read and been told is that you need to upgrade the canbus for the new OEM systems and also for aftermarket systems. You can get away without upgrading as the drain on the battery is minimal but you will have to be using your car for a lengthy period each day to keep it topped up. I think in the long run it will be cheaper to upgrade the canbus rather than buying a new battery every few months.

What are you thinking of upgrading to? as I have been looking at either the Rns510 with bluetooth or the pioneer Sph da120 because of CarPlay

[th3_f15t]

It was cars after 55 plate that got the upgrades, not all though. Best thing you could do is get someone to use a diagnostic tool and find out which CAN you have and check it against which versions you need.

[fruitmachinestu]

Thanks for the comments. Im not sure what to upgrade to.
I fancy the rns 510 to keep the vw theme. But im not sure how much of a faff its going to be. I need to find someone in manchester to sort it. me thinks.

[AndyG]

I have used a couple of times VAG Bolton for any vcds tweaks and they are not that far from you in Manchester.They are an independent VW workshop and I can't recommend them enough.The address is
Sunset Business Park, Manchester Road, Kearsley, Bolton, Lancashire BL4 8RH.Hope this helps.

[fruitmachinestu]

thanks andyg i will look into it.

[th3_f15t]

http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,88875.0.html - This is a register on another mk5 Golf forum of all VCDS owners, might be worth looking to see if anyone is closer to you. Plus a lot of the guys who have VCDS are retro fitters and will be able to tell you in an instant what you'll need to do regarding your stereo.

[fruitmachinestu]

Thanks pal