Passat RCD 500 MP3 Changer Woes!

_Kaiser_

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.....

... that'd be because my in-dash 6 disc MP3 changer (VW model RCD 500) is broken then! I was switching discs last night and it whirred away as usual then stopped and showed "ERROR SERVICE" on the display with NO CD beside all 6 disc buttons.

I've tried the eject button (of course), turning the unit off/on, cold-starting the car but all with no success.

So I've pulled out the entire unit (don't worry, I have the code) with the idea that if I can open it, maybe I can get the jammed disc out?

Anyone know if this is possible and if so, how you do it? Failing that, any recommendations on somewhere that'll have a look at the unit for me (without charging me an arm and a leg). I could buy a new one on eBay for about £150-200, but before I go this route I just thought I'd ask if it's fixable first.

Help me get the music back for Christmas!!

L-M

Lol, if the car is still under warranty, i wouldn't go attacking it just yet. It will void it if they see you've been at it.

After that, i haven't a clue. Best of luck with it and Merry Christmas.

VolvoMan

And this is the Passat that has given no trouble whatsoever.

_Kaiser_

VolvoMan wrote: »

And this is the Passat that has given no trouble whatsoever.

Well strictly speaking it's not the car, it's the stereo unit, and it's a unit I bought seperately from eBay, soooo.....

Guess I'll have to let the dealer have a look at it when she's in for her next scheduled service in January.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all on Motors!

VolvoMan

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Well strictly speaking it's not the car, it's the stereo unit, and it's a unit I bought seperately from eBay, soooo.....

Guess I'll have to let the dealer have a look at it when she's in for her next scheduled service in January.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all on Motors!

Well if it was a good quality car you'd expect it to have a good quality stereo.

Merry Christmas anyway!:)

dmcracing

Anyone know how to get the radio out of a 09 passat?

L-M

dmcracing wrote: »

Anyone know how to get the radio out of a 09 passat?

Lol, changing the radio already? Congrats on the purchase if you did. Haven't a clue about the radio though.

_Kaiser_

dmcracing wrote: »

Anyone know how to get the radio out of a 09 passat?

Assuming it's the same as my 06....

Turn off the car, keys out of the ignition. Do not turn it back on again till you finish.

The plastic/imitation wood trim around the stereo can be pryed off fairly easily from the bottom up using your fingers - just below the climate control dials

Once you get it loose you can lay it over the gearstick - DO NOT unplug the airbag warning light connector as it's a trip to the dealer to get it reset if you do.

There are 4 "security" screws, 2 either side of the stereo. You can undo these with a T15 screwdriver (available in all good hardware stores).

Once you've done this, the radio will slide out. There's a "block" power connector at the back that you remove by lifting the handle at the bottom of the connector itself. There's then two smaller connections on the other side that you need to take out.

After this, insert your new radio and match the connections.

Reinert the screws, replace the trim/surround and you should be good to go


Of course the last 2 steps here may vary depending on the replacement radio you're intending to put in, but that should get you started - I can swap the stereos round in 5 mins at this stage

dmcracing

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Assuming it's the same as my 06....

Turn off the car, keys out of the ignition. Do not turn it back on again till you finish.

The plastic/imitation wood trim around the stereo can be pryed off fairly easily from the bottom up using your fingers - just below the climate control dials

Once you get it loose you can lay it over the gearstick - DO NOT unplug the airbag warning light connector as it's a trip to the dealer to get it reset if you do.

There are 4 "security" screws, 2 either side of the stereo. You can undo these with a T15 screwdriver (available in all good hardware stores).

Once you've done this, the radio will slide out. There's a "block" power connector at the back that you remove by lifting the handle at the bottom of the connector itself. There's then two smaller connections on the other side that you need to take out.

After this, insert your new radio and match the connections.

Reinert the screws, replace the trim/surround and you should be good to go


Of course the last 2 steps here may vary depending on the replacement radio you're intending to put in, but that should get you started - I can swap the stereos round in 5 mins at this stage

Cheers will try tomorrow and let you know how i get on.

dmcracing

Cheers worked fine.Thanks again.Kaiser 2000...

_Kaiser_

No worries. What did you take out/change it with as a matter of interest?

Don't suppose it was an RCD 500 you no longer need...?