[MTCB Android Head Units Q&A] MK6TDI:
Review of HuiFei KGL unit for Volkswagen

Ok, I've received a couple of messages since my last post so here's the rundown of the unit so far:

Installed in my 2013 Volkswagen Golf TDI 6-Speed Manual with SWC. Previous head unit is an RNS-315.

There are many units with identical faceplates and 4.2.2 Android version on eBay, but they are not all the same. Make sure you get one that has rubber grommets on the mounting tabs. I mention the grommets because it is the easiest way to identify which are the crappy ones and which are legit from the main listing photo.

I got lucky and found a unit for $320 with free shipping but it must have been a one-off deal as it's no longer available. Thus, I cannot provide the source for my unit. A good price would be $350-400 shipped but they seem to go out of stock quickly at that price.

Here is the best price I can find on the unit I purchased ($350 shipped):

ebay<DOT>com/itm/191282967091

This is what the back of a good unit looks like:

i.imgur<DOT>com/5OhLrCl.jpg

There might be other units that are well constructed that don't look like this or don't have the rubber grommets on the front, but people seem to have the best luck and support with the KGL units.

This is an example of a 'bad' unit. Note the difference in quality even though they're both 4.2.2 units with the same faceplate:

i.imgur<DOT>com/0u0JHTd.jpg

For the VW variant, there is a type with knobs and a type without. I have the one without knobs.

If you have a Volkswagen or Audi and you want radio reception, you will need to buy this cable:

ebay<DOT>com/itm/121242700564

The antenna cable that comes with these units is only single Fakra and the reception will be poor quality if you use it.

As mentioned in my previous post, the wire harness that comes with the unit has an undocumented pair of wires that can optionally be connected. When connected, the head unit will always be powered, even if the ignition is off. Obviously this could be very bad for power drain so don't do what I did and connect it without knowing what it does.

After install and verification of basic functionality, I updated to the latest firmware/MCU (2.02). To update, I placed both the mcu and the update images on the SD card and put it into the GPS slot. The head unit automatically noticed it and asked if I wanted to update. Note that you cannot just put the MCU img on the SD card as it will not pick it up. It needs to be both the MCU and the image file. All of the info and files for this can be found in the original post.

NOTE: Before updating, go to Factory in Android Settings menu and enter password 126. Take note of the values for all of these settings. Updating will wipe out these settings and you will lose most functionality.

After updating, I installed Nova launcher and PowerAmp. The OEM launcher and music app are lacking, and Nova and PowerAmp blow everything out of the water so this is a no-brainer. PowerAmp is not free, but it does include a 30 day trial. PowerAmp has a nice widget to place on your home screen that displays album art, track info, and controls. It can be configured to automatically download missing album art for your library.

I struggled to find a GPS program that works offline and isn't awful for North America. I found MAPS.ME, which is $5 and seems to do everything I need it to. There are maps for basically any locale and in the United States, you can download offline maps by the state.

Steering wheel controls work but are hampered by double/triple press. There is nothing that can be done to fix this currently since it's simply how the CANBUS interface was designed for these units. Every time you press a button, it will register either 2 or 3 times at random, so volume for example will be changed in either increments of 2 or 3. The mic button registers for the bluetooth phone app and is unaffected by the multi-register issue. The mute/unmute button is unreliable since a 2-press register effectively cancels the mute, so you are left hitting it until it is registered 3 times. It's not fun to hit mute multiple times to no avail.

I'm glad I chose the unit without the knobs as it has a larger screen and I hear the knobs aren't OEM quality, but the multiple-register issue with the steering wheel controls means you have no way to quickly and reliably mute. There are apparently ways to change what the faceplate buttons do, and since the eject button will go unused in my case, I will probably program it to act as a mute/unmute if possible.

I was able to provide internet connectivity to the head unit via my home WiFi network as well as creating a wireless hotspot with my phone. The WiFi quality is poor, but serviceable if the source is close enough.

I was able to place a call through my phone using the head unit dialer app but wasn't able to test mic quality. I tested the bluetooth music app with Pandora and the quality was good. I could skip tracks with Pandora but the head unit did not display the track info nor did it let me pause/play.

In the Android settings there is an amplifier section which allows you to change the levels. I found that setting the amplifier to anything other than the Flat preset will result in a hiss. Leave it on Flat and adjust the EQ settings in PowerAmp. PowerAmp is awesome for fine tuning and I find that sound quality is superior to the stock RNS-315 thanks to the extensive tweaking that can be done.

If you're just looking for an opinion on whether you should buy it, I'd say it's a must have, major improvement over any OEM head unit in just about every regard if you're into gadgets and tweaking.

If you're just looking for a no-fuss unit that provides basic functionality with no bugs, stick with an OEM unit.

If demand exists, I'll follow up with navigation and bluetooth functionality quality as well as provide updated opinion on the functionality.