From the very start of owning the car, I was really bothered by having the crippled infotainment unit – MIB Std. This system has a ton of shortcomings – all the functionality is stripped down, English only, no navigation, impossible to reflash or activate anything, a SiriusXM radio that leaves a persistent fault code because of the module, and so on.
I realized replacing the infotainment unit was only a matter of time. And that time has come – I gathered all the parts needed for the swap:
- 8V0857273N – display
- 8V0919614K – keyboard with touchpad
- 8V0035047 – infotainment control unit
- a Chinese GPS antenna
The hardest part of the swap is probably the center console. That’s where I started. First you need to pull off the shifter surround – nothing complicated, just pry it up with a plastic trim tool, then you also need to unclip the gear indicator.
To remove the console, you need to work trim tools in along the edges and pull it up and toward you, and the console should pop loose.
Next, from inside the console, you need to squeeze the retaining clips so you can pull out the keyboard.
Swap it and reassemble everything in reverse order.
Next in difficulty is the display. To replace it you need to remove the air vents – they come out easily, just pry them with a trim tool. Inside the vent openings are the bolts holding the display unit, which need to be removed with a Torx screwdriver, bit size 25. It’s a good idea to lay some rag in the vent openings so the bolts don’t fall into the duct while you’re unscrewing them.
Next you need to pry off the top cover of the monitor – carefully work your way around the perimeter, wiggling it off the clips. Once the cover is off, get a good grip on the housing and pull the whole monitor assembly out with a wiggling motion. Then unclip all the wiring – it may take a bit of fiddling. During the monitor swap I noticed one of the connectors doesn’t fit into the new monitor – it’s slightly different.
To fix this, you need to trim off a rib on the connector with a utility knife. Plug everything back in and reassemble in reverse order.
Now you need to replace the infotainment control unit. To pull it out you need special ring-shaped tools, which you can order on AliExpress for about 20 UAH. Insert the two tools into the special holes and pull the unit out.
Pull out all the connectors and move them over to the new unit – you may need to trim the connectors just like with the monitor. Also don’t forget to plug in the GPS antenna and tuck it away in its recess.
That completes the physical swap of the infotainment unit.
Next, when you turn on the ignition you’ll get a component protection error and nothing will really work. You need to remove the component protection and, if needed, flash it with European firmware with navigation activated. After all that, you’ll have a fully functional infotainment system with proper language support, full functionality, and navigation.
Cost: 15,000 UAH. Mileage: 134,500 km