Navigation and Audio Menu gone from MFA after upgrade of RNS-510

By Plani (own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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VW Passat policecar of the austrian Federal Police. Vienna, in front of the Burgtheater.
Recently I upgraded the firmware of the RNS-510 Navigation System in my Volkswagen Passat B7 (Type 3C) from software version: 3970 to version 5218.
Everything went well: Inserted the CD with new firmware, waited 45 – 60 minutes till the upgrade was finished by resetting the device.

After this upgrade however, there was something gone in the MFA (Multifunktionsanzeige/Multi Function Indicator). But what was I missing? Both the Navigation and Audio Menu (radio stations/track names) were gone. Apearently the coding of the Navigation was changed during the upgrade of the firmware. To display both menus in this MFA (Premium Color), the communication protocol with the instrument cluster must set as BAP (Bedienung und Anzeige Protokoll/Operation and Display Protocol).

Instrument cluster with MFA Premium Color – Tire pressure

 

One can change this back to the correct coding by using a Micro-CAN interface cable and the VCDS software (previously known as VAG-COM) by Ross-Tech.

You can buy this cable in combination with a software license from them for +/- 250 – 300 euro.

Procedure setting BAP

  1. Plug in the Micro-CAN cable in both the car and computer
  2. Press car key till second position (no running engine is needed)
  3. Start VCDS (I tested this procedure with both VCDS release 11.11.4 and beta 12.10.1)
  4. Select Control Module: Select
  5. Press: 37-Navigation
  6. Press: Coding – 07  For safety store your current coding i.e. 00010400000000200000
  7. Press: New coding: Long Coding Helper
  8. Label 3->Select 7th byte
  9. Enable Bit 7: Communication Instrument Cluster via Operation and Display Protocol (BAP)
  10. Close ‘Long Coding Helper’ popup window  New coding is for example: 00010400000000A00000
  11. Make sure these values are filled (not set to zeros) ‘WorkShop Code’, ‘Importer #’ and ‘Equipt #’. When you don’t set them you will find an error in the log of your car. You can only set them once.
  12. Click: Do It!
  13. Wait for: ‘Coding accepted’
  14. Close Controller, Go Back – 06
  15. Reset the RNS-510
  16. Enjoy the Navigation and Audio menu in the MFA.

Procedure to reset the RNS-510

Press three buttons at the same time, for at least 10 seconds and wait until the screen blanks. The buttons to be pressed are: ‘<‘ , ‘>’ at the upper left and the button on the upper right. There are different versions of the RNS 510 available with different prints on this button, possible icons are i.e. a ‘i’ or ‘*’.

Procedure to find the version of the RNS-510

  1. Press and hold the Setup button at the RNS-510
  2. After a while you see a menu. Select the ‘Versions’ option. Here you will find the hardware, software and navigation maps versions.

Procedure to activate the Secret Menu at the RNS-510

  1. Plug in the Micro-CAN cable in both the car and computer
  2. Press car key till second position (no running engine is needed)
  3. Start VCDS
  4. Select Control Module: Select
  5. Press: 37-Navigation
  6. Press: Adaptation – 10
  7. Select from pull down option: Development Test Mode (Channel 50)
  8. Set New value to 1
  9. Click: ‘Save’
  10. Click: ‘Done, Go Back’
  11. Close Controller, Go Back – 06
  12. Reset the RNS-510

Procedure to access the secret menu/development menu at the RNS-510

Press and hold the Setup button at the RNS-510 for at least 20 seconds. First you will see the ‘Radio Service Mode’ menu, keep the Setup-button pressed until the real hidden menu will show up.

Links / References

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