Automotive

Chinese android head unit

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  • Aug 4th, 2020 5:00 pm
Sr. Member
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Apr 23, 2011
916 posts
259 upvotes
Newcastle

Chinese android head unit

Recently bought a direct fit Amazon special chinese android head unit for my MKV VW GTi, and am really unsure what to think of it. The install was great, dash controls work perfectly, bluetooth pairs quickly and it doesn't sound terrible. But I have had at least one day of it rebooting every 45 seconds.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these? I find it does resume power on quickly, usually to whatever I was using last, which makes me wonder if it is a constant battery drain?

For $150 no tax, having the wiring harness, canbus adapter, backup camera, etc it seems decent. Just want some outside opinions.

The factory unit was functional but very dated, had EQ knobs...

Thanks!
9 replies
Deal Addict
Jun 1, 2008
3320 posts
1214 upvotes
Cambridge, ON/Guelph…
I have an rcd330 installed on my mkv GTI. As long as you don't need am radio, it's a perfect OEM plug and play option.

It gives you Android auto/car play depending on which version you purchase.

From my understanding these units were originally put into the current Chinese market Passat, but fit in a lot of older vw models.

The reason behind the lack of AM radio is that the tuner increments are programmed for the Asia market and don't line up with NA stations.
Sr. Member
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Apr 23, 2011
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Newcastle
bargain man wrote: I have an rcd330 installed on my mkv GTI. As long as you don't need am radio, it's a perfect OEM plug and play option.

It gives you Android auto/car play depending on which version you purchase.

From my understanding these units were originally put into the current Chinese market Passat, but fit in a lot of older vw models.

The reason behind the lack of AM radio is that the tuner increments are programmed for the Asia market and don't line up with NA stations.
I have the podofo N3000. $150. I think if I was to spend more than $350 I would buy a sony or something similar
Deal Addict
Jun 1, 2008
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Cambridge, ON/Guelph…
They weren't too expensive when I was looking. I ordered mine off of AliExpress, but depending on which model you choose you can get one for around $200.

I needed Android auto and went with one where I can update the FW which cost me a bit more. For me it's worth it considering there is no boot up time and the experience is almost identical to the unit in my mk7 GTI.

At the end of the day it just works
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Jul 7, 2003
710 posts
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Anyone have links to reputable sellers? There are so many out there. I've got a Mk6 R with DynaAudio and I installed a reverse backup cam that uses the OE plug but from what I read, it should work fine with the RCD330, correct?
Deal Addict
Jun 1, 2008
3320 posts
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Cambridge, ON/Guelph…
I ordered mine from this seller here:

The seller was very responsive, and he actually helped me out when I was having issues completing the order through Aliexpress. For whatever reason, my orders were being cancelled due to a "security issue". He let me pay through Paypal (not F&F) and gave me the tracking info right away.
Deal Expert
Mar 23, 2004
35606 posts
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Suede wrote: Recently bought a direct fit Amazon special chinese android head unit for my MKV VW GTi, and am really unsure what to think of it. The install was great, dash controls work perfectly, bluetooth pairs quickly and it doesn't sound terrible. But I have had at least one day of it rebooting every 45 seconds.
Yeahhh this is just one reason why I don't recommend people get these things. Quality is very iffy, there's usually little or no support and the $150 that seemed cheap at the time ends up being money wasted. Remember the old adage,
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

It's very easy to put any double-DIN HU in your GTI, I believe, I would recommend a mainstream reputable aftermarket brand (Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, etc.). Otherwise you can try contacting who sold you the Android jobbie to see if they will accept a return or get you a new one if there was any warranty on it.
Deal Addict
Jan 13, 2014
2907 posts
2135 upvotes
Calgary
Paid $500 for a direct fit android 10 unit (9 inch screen) from seicane. Direct fit. works perfect, has good interface, canbus adapter, backup camera and best of all it has apple car play and android auto!
Deal Fanatic
May 4, 2014
5217 posts
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Toronto, ON
Reboot is a safety feature. If it doesn't reboot, it's catching on fire.
Sr. Member
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Apr 23, 2011
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Newcastle
ES_Revenge wrote: Yeahhh this is just one reason why I don't recommend people get these things. Quality is very iffy, there's usually little or no support and the $150 that seemed cheap at the time ends up being money wasted. Remember the old adage,
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

It's very easy to put any double-DIN HU in your GTI, I believe, I would recommend a mainstream reputable aftermarket brand (Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, etc.). Otherwise you can try contacting who sold you the Android jobbie to see if they will accept a return or get you a new one if there was any warranty on it.
I did contact them (though I havent had the issue since) and they're sending another free of charge. The canbus and wiring harness alone make the unit not a terrible value. Unit was fulfilled by amazon, so I knew at the very least I could likely return if it was utter trash.

Seems OK for just adding bluetooth and some functionality missing from OEM

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