VW Area view compatibility between different headunits

Hi,

I'm looking on retrofitting Area view to my Tiguan AD1.

Question to anyone whom might have a definite answer to it. I'm this time looking on getting the complete package from Kufatec for example. They sell everything in one set and it would be the most convenient way.

However. They state that the area view can only be retrofitted if car has a navi system. Means Discovery media or Discovery pro. I unfortunately only have Composition media which is a MIB unit but with no navi.
Why is it required to have navi unit for area view? I have highline camera at the moment.

Any idea why it is stated that navi is needed? I don't understand the demand as you can order area view from factory with composition media unit, no navi is required there.

downtime said:

I don't understand the demand as you can order area view from factory with composition media unit, no navi is required there.

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I don't have the answer but have you tried asking Kufatec? it might be as simple as they have never performed the retrofit on a Composition Media so they are just being careful.

I would like to know more about Area View. it does not officially exist on the Golf, but being MQB there is a high chance it could work. Xagico was working on it some time ago but he never released the information to the public...

AFAIK Area View only came from the factory in cars which had the Discover Pro. So there could be a chance the lesser MIBs simply don't have the needed software bits for it.

darkchina811 said:

I don't have the answer but have you tried asking Kufatec? it might be as simple as they have never performed the retrofit on a Composition Media so they are just being careful.

I would like to know more about Area View. it does not officially exist on the Golf, but being MQB there is a high chance it could work. Xagico was working on it some time ago but he never released the information to the public...

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Yes, actually I did ask from Kufatec and they stated that Discover media or Discover pro navi unit is required.

And to siLc. That is not true. Here you can order Tiguan without any navi system AND Area view. So according to VW it should be possible but what you wrote is my concern as well. Does to composition media I have, have all the software bits to support area view? Maybe newer units have?
For now seems there's no definitive answer. 1500€ is a bit too steep just to try out So maybe I'll pass this for now.

downtime said:

Yes, actually I did ask from Kufatec and they stated that Discover media or Discover pro navi unit is required.

And to siLc. That is not true. Here you can order Tiguan without any navi system AND Area view. So according to VW it should be possible but what you wrote is my concern as well. Does to composition media I have, have all the software bits to support area view? Maybe newer units have?
For now seems there's no definitive answer. 1500€ is a bit too steep just to try out So maybe I'll pass this for now.

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Thats why I prefaced my statement with AFAIK since I'm not 100% sure

I've browsed through a few used B8 MY2015-2016 ads and those which had Area View almost invariably had the old 8" Discover Pro.

siLc said:

Thats why I prefaced my statement with AFAIK since I'm not 100% sure

I've browsed through a few used B8 MY2015-2016 ads and those which had Area View almost invariably had the old 8" Discover Pro.

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Yes, that's true. And ALL Tiguans and Passat's I've checked from used car market that have Area view also had either Discover media or pro. I know that the birdview mode in area view (the 3D car) only works with Discover Pro navi.

I think I'll pass the area view upgrade for now. If I retrofit Discover system, maybe then I'll look at this again but for now I'll manage with PLA + RVC combo.

Ok, looks like composition media is in fact supported. Here's a car that has composition media unit (no navi) and area view :
https://saka.fi/vaihtoautot/volkswagen-tiguan-153854/kuvat

so are you gonna do it? are you sure you won't save money by sourcing individual parts and used?

Not sure yet. It is tempting to add it.

Probably I would save 200-300€ by sourcing individual parts. There’s quite many parts I would need to buy from dealer as well and that ups the price

But let’s see

have you made a list of part numbers yet? would you share it?

Not yet. I can do it and share it. But that would only of course be for Tiguan.

please do when you have time. given that AreaView does not exist on Golf, some frankenstein parts would be needed anyway, I assume from Passat.

Ok, here goes. These part numbers are for Tiguan.

Folding Left mirror with area view, no side assist : 5NB 857 507 J
Folding Right mirror with area view, no side assist : 5NB 857 508 J
Front camera holder : 5NA980561B (2JR comfort bumpers i.e. R-Line)
Front camera cover (black) : 5NA980554B041
Front camera : 5Q0 980 546 A
Rear camera : 5NA 827 566 B
Area view control unit : 5Q0 907 556 A
Control unit cover : 5QF972136
Complete wiring set from Aliexpress for example. This is really tedious to DIY due to video connectors.

Same parts are mostly suitable for Tiguan, Touran and Passat. Passat at least uses different mirrors, Touran not sure.

You can also buy just the camera units for the mirrors : 5Q0980546A then figure out a way to install the,

Otherwise this probably would be retrofittable to Golf as well. Only thing that might be a blocker is calibration. Again the same control unit is parameterized differently depending to what car it's going. The parameters tell them camera angles, heights etc. If those are too much off when calibrating, the calibration will never finish succesfully.

Ha, lady luck strikes again. Found a complete set, mirrors, rear and front cameras and control unit from same seller in Ebay. Bought them.

Now just need the front camera cover and holder, control unit cover and wiring. I think I'll get the wiring from Kufatec. A bit expensive compared to Chinese ones but Kufatec's set seems to be correct. The Chinese ones are looking a bit vague.

This retrofit is cheaper than factory order and about 700€ cheaper than the Kufatec complete kit

Installation should be quite easy as I already have the rear camera so just need to swap that and swap the wiring behind MIB unit. No need to remove that much of interior trim. Only gripe is that I need to drill the speaker pop rivets AGAIN.

downtime said:

Otherwise this probably would be retrofittable to Golf as well. Only thing that might be a blocker is calibration. Again the same control unit is parameterized differently depending to what car it's going. The parameters tell them camera angles, heights etc. If those are too much off when calibrating, the calibration will never finish succesfully.

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damn it's really appealing. again, Xagico showed a preview of this in his manual and then disappeared. I cannot buy parts without knowing more in advance. I totally understand the issues I would have with parameterization and/or calibration. let alone figure out a way to install the side cameras into my mirrors.

just for talking, is the rear camera always in the VW badge? should I replace that even if I already have a HIGH version with moving guidelines?

I also have the high version with moving lines and it still needs replacing.

Do you mean the xagico’s 300 page PDF? I still might have it on my laptop if you want it?

downtime said:

I also have the high version with moving lines and it still needs replacing.

Do you mean the xagico’s 300 page PDF? I still might have it on my laptop if you want it?

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fine, but is the AreaView rear camera still in the VW badge? I mean, does it also act as a parking camera?

I have the PDF, of course. what I mean is he never released a newer version and he never said if he actually completed the retrofit.

PS: I am taking a look at the harnesses on AliExpress and one of the sellers has one apparently made for Golf. they all say it works on all MQB. I don't see a reason to go Kufatec, the price is more than double.

Tiguan has a handle integrated camera. But the same camera will act as a rear camera for area view. I think the difference is hardware in a way that the ”plain” rear view camera has more intelligence in it where the area view camera has all the intelligence in the control module.

Only issue with the Aliexpress wire sets are that they at least in the pictures don’t seem the have door connector pins. Looks like you need to cut the wires yourself and make the connectors. For video signal I DON’T want to do it.

I don’t see also why it wouldn’t be fittable to Golf as well. The calibration probably is the only challenge

I took a look at wiring diagrams for Arteon and Passat and I am starting to get intrigued...

Arteon has the rear AreaView camera in the VW badge on the trunk, so it can be transplanted to Golf for sure. actually I would only replace the camera in my current badge assembly.

Arteon and Passat have exterior mirrors which I wonder if they could be transplanted to Golf. actually the Arteon mirror looks very similar to the Golf one, but it's not the same, especially the mounting bracket to the door is different. what I am wondering is, given that both Arteon and Golf mirrors would "power fold", if the folding mechanism is the same inside... because if it is, I guess I could mount an Arteon mirror on a Golf door bracket. there is really no way of knowing without buying an Arteon mirror and give it a try. I am also assuming that all other mirror features (adjustment, heating, lane assist indicator, blah blah blah...) are electrically compatible and would only require some repinning.

you have a point for the video wires not having door breaks, but this doesn't scare me at all. it will be tedious but totally doable.

calibration... well Arteon and Golf both have the exterior mirrors at a close height, and both have the rear camera in the badge. I guess that if I mounted the front camera in a similar position that would clear out as well. the AreaView unit could be probably parameterized for Arteon as well.

what do you think?

Hmmm.. if you could fit the parts, I would guess there's ways to arrange it so that the calibration will go through.

You don't necessarily have to replace the complete mirrors. For example in Ali there's at least one company that sells an installation package for environment camera to Passat which only has the mirror bases : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

You could replace those if they fit your current mirrors otherwise.

On the other forum I know there was one person who did area view retrofit to Touran. Touran never had area view as an option either. The ease with Touran is that the mirrors and rear camera are the same as in Tiguan.

Oh and I ended up ordering the Aliexpress wiring kit. I'll report when I get them on how much tinkering the wires need. The price is 1/3rd of wha the Kufatec set costs and with that difference I'll be more than happy to tinker with the connectors if needed