Volkswagen RNS 510 Firmware Upgrade to version 3810 / 3814 / 3816 / 3818

Version 3810/3814/3816/3818 firmware for the Volkswagen RNS 510 and the Skoda Columbus has been released.

• Voice Control (requires microphone – see Volkswagen RNS 510 Microphone Connection for voice control)
• NEW hold down the setup button for 30 seconds and get the following menus: FM, AM and the new VERSION INFO (map version and type, hw and sw versions)
• NEW Compass
• NEW POI – see Volkswagen RNS 510 Maps POI – New Features with firmware 3xxx
• NEW Languages – Arabic,  Russian, Turkish and Polish
• Speed Limit Display
• Stability Improvements
• Faster Startup (this has been improved on 2720)
• Display OPS and RVC at the same time
• SDHC 32 GB Support (HW04 and above)
• Display Off on extras tab
• Climatronic control if approriate climatronic fitted
• Clock display if RNS 510 swtiched off
• Excluded roads (under route options)
• GPS coordinates entry
• Additional adjustments for video
• Larger RVC screen with transparent menus at the side

Units that can be upgraded include (still being compiled may not be 100%)

• All D and later versions.
• 1T0 035 680 C (1T0035680 C) from software version 1000, 800,  900, 1100 , 2660 and 2700 to version 3810.
• 7L6 035 680 C (7L6035680C) from software version 1002,  1022, 1102 and 2664 to version 2700.
• 3T0 035 680 A (3T0035680A) to version 2704.
• 7F0 035 680 (7F0035680) to version 2700.
• 7E0 035 680 (7E0035680) to version 2700.
• Revision A, B and C units can be upgraded with the modified firmware (see link below)

Revision A, B and C revision units

These units will become SW revision D after the upgrade however when coding the unit using VCDS you will receive the error
“Coding Rejected, Error 31: Request Out of Range”
Before saving the new coding manually add a 10th byte (00) at the end before pressing “Do It” as per the example below

9 byte coding (A/B/C SW revisions):
020104000400001100

10 byte coding (D SW revision):
02010400040000110000

Downloading

Download the files and extract them using winrar and you will have a NRG format ISO file to burn. Using Nero burn a DVD+RW or DVD-R (CDR works as well) at a slow speed (4 x is ok for DVD and 16 x for CD). Make sure you use quality media and keep the burn speed down as low as you can to ensure there are no problems during the installation process. Also note that you may need to edit a file before you burn it (see below) if you want to access the setup menu without Vagcom/VCDS.

Warning! This upgrade WILL delete your music and/or maps if you have a firmware version  1xxx/2xxx and upgrade to 3800-3910. A third partition is created for POI data and the 20GB music partition now becomes 15GB.

Warning! There is a remote chance of you ‘bricking’ the unit, this is a fraction of a percent but it could happen! The process takes around 60 minutes.’

Warning! There are a small number of users where the RNS 510 does not know where it is after it’s been powered on, details of the previous location are kept in the unit but at this stage there is no pattern to this problem.

Warning! There are a small number of users where the RNS 510 display has a dim backlight after upgrading. See the post “Volkswagen RNS 510 Backlight Dim after upgrading Firmware” for more details.

Warning! Users with cars MY07 and earlier may experience power drain issues after the upgrade. See the post “Upgrading 2nd generation radios (RCD 300, RCD 500) to 3rd generation (RCD 210, RCD 310, RNS 310, RCD 510) power drain issue” for more details.

Warning! Users with the Skoda UHV bluetooth 1Z0 035 729 B (1Z0035729B) may want to delay upgrading the firmware, there is an issue with the RNS 510 no longer displaying the phone book and/or the call details but signal strength etc are visible for some phones. My HTC Diamond for example worked fine before the update but only partially afterwards however my Iphone 3G worked fine before and after. This is not a problem with the 1Z0 035 729 D (1Z0035729D) Skoda UHV bluetooth kit. The MFD functions as per normal with phone book and last calls listed correctly. Android 2.1 phones work fine with the update.

Note! - Test/Setup Mode. The firmware can allow access to enter test/setup mode without Vagcom/VCDS access see Accessing the Setup Menu on the RNS 510 head units with firmware later than 1100. The procedure for entering the test/setup mode for those with Vagcom/VCDS is slightly different as well. To enter the test/setup mode when the RNS 510 is operating press and hold the setup button, keep holding it when the radio menu appears and shortly after the test menu appears . I had to reboot my unit after coding it but it may be possible a power cycle is enough.

Note! - Failure (Gateway Error 202) - You can downgrade back to 1100 by inserting the 1100 firmware and rebooting the RNS 510 (Setup + eject + info).

Steps to load firmware

1. Unlock and/or open the car
2. Do not start the car and do not insert the key in the ignition
3. Turn the RNS 510 on and insert the firmware CD/DVD into the drive

Download Firmware Upgrade

Download Location (RNS 510 D and above)

Download Location (RNS 510 A, B and C)

Download Unofficial SWL recovery CD

This is used if the unit is stuck with Gateway Error 202 or similar and is unable to boot after the upgrade. It’s based on the 272x firmware but can be used to recover RNS 510′s running any version. Insert the media into the RNS 510 and start a new SWL process by pressing Setup + Eject +Info/Mic (top right hand button next to the DVD slot). It will attempt to restore a new SWL process and will enable it to boot up. (Thanks again to Josi)

Download Location

File: swl_fix.iso

Version Information from VERSION.TXT

--------------------------------------------
Software Loading CD for CP2 based units
(c) CONTINENTAL Wetzlar

CdTreeBuilder version 3.06 is used.
--------------------------------------------

#CD:P 0 0 5 . 1 5 7 . 3 0 1
#DATE:2010-11-26

#Project: VWRNS
#Author: RoNe
#Steckbrief: C_EU_10.342_t1 C10/C6

#CommentStart:
This is a SWL CD for VW delivery.

#CommentEnd:

#Integrationphase: Delivery cw22/11 C10/C6-samples
#VwSwPartNumber:1T0035680D/1T0035680D/7L6035680C/3T0035680B/7F0035680A/7E0035680A/1T0035680F/1T0035680G
#VwSwIndex:3810/3816/3810/3818/3814/3810/3810
#AppsBuild:C_EU_10.342_t1 C10/C6

#CRC16:83a8