Leon MK2 - Trying to add AUX input (at least!)

Hi guys,

first post here with quite a few questions!

So, i have this 2006 MK2 Leon that unfortunately came with this Blaupunkt radio that supports neither MP3 nor AUX as the later models. My goal is to at least add the AUX input (so as to connect my iphone). The best scenario would be to add the mp3 function as well. So, these are the two plans that come to mind.

First idea:
Replace my model with the next Blaupunkt model used in later MK2 Leons, that supported both mp3 and aux.
The questions that come to mind are the following:
1) Is it supported? (I read somewhere that those devices need coding - is that a code that should be provided along with the new device in order for it to work?)
2) Since my car doesn't have an AUX input near the handbrake, will i be able to add one? I was thinking about drilling a small hole to the front panel of the blaupunkt (i am handy with drills and soldering, so if the wiring is straightforward, i am capable of doing the work)
3) Will everything work as it should, including the control buttons on the wheel??


Second idea:
The second idea was to use one of those ebay kits that supposedly convert the cd changer function to an aux input.
My question regarding this solution is whether my model supports the CD Changer function? I have never seen a CD Changer button on my radio and i am not certain it will work.

Any ideas are welcome! Thanks a lot for your help in advance!

J400uk said:

Not going to work on the 2006 radio so you'll need to upgrade the head unit. Its a bit of a minefield as if you go for a newer VW/ SEAT (later than 2008) unit you may also require a updated CAN gateway to prevent battery drain

Depends how much money you're prepared to chuck at it

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the reply.

Strange thing is that they advertise them as working on Leon 2005 and later but it seemed suspicious to me as i couldn't find the CD Changer function..
Anyway, what are my options in your opinion? I am prepared to spend a good amount if needed - although not a huge one - and wheel button controls are a priority

Also, can you elaborate a little about the CAN gateway (sorry couldn't understand why battery drain could occur)

Thanks

J400uk said:

Yes it should have it already



I would go for the RCD 510 if you don't need Nav as its by far the nicest looking and most fully featured of all the VW/ SEAT OEM head units. Offers a 7" touchscreen, 6 CD Changer and SD Card reader for music. Can comfortably be had on eBay for under £200 (closer to £100 for the Chinese market version without RDS) and the Leon fascia surround to fit over it is about £10 from a dealer.

CAN Gateway upgrade may be required on a pre-2008 Leon as the older ones don't support the new head units very well. This causes it to constantly supply power which results in a dead battery if the car is left sat for more than a day or two. Costs £75 - £100.

Click to expand...

Thanks again for the reply.
I searched about the things you mentioned in your post a little bit and though the RCD 510 seems like a really nice choice, i have seconds thoughts.

First of all, many have complained about its sound quality, even after changing some parameters through VCDS and to be honest i wouldn't want to have to invest even more money into new speakers, subs, amplifiers etc. The second thing that got me thinking was the complexity - the CAN gateway upgrade can be a pain (i read some painful tutorials - like, really painful, hands cut in several places and stuff like this ) - plus all the little details that follow (like changing the splash screen etc etc.). And third, i couldn't find a definitive answer if the wheel controls will work, which is essential to me (lazy, i know )

So, in all honesty, although nice, the RCD 510 seems like a lot of hassle. Right now, i would still opt for the upgraded MP3/AUX Blaupunkt if it works as it should (wheels buttons and so on). It may not be as fancy, but if it is similar to the previous version (the one i currently have), the sound quality is fine and it does the job for me.

So, any idea if the Blaupunkt will work? Or is there any other suggestion that would be pretty straightforward and simple?

Thanks!

Jodrell said:

I've got a spare OEM mp3 unit with the aux input and the required cable which terminates in a 3.5mm plug as opposed to a socket so it just plugs straight into whatever you like.
So it's a loose cable which plugs in the back of the quadlock socket and direct to phone it's around 1.2m long iirc.
Plug and play I would think.

Click to expand...

Ok that's great news. So i guess the AUX connection is pretty straightforward i guess. Does anybody happen to have a connection plan showing in which terminals to connect the AUX cable? Can i solder the cables or do they need plugs?
Thanks again!

Jodrell said:

No soldering required.
Just get this and plug on the back of the radio.

It's the same as the one I have.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the link Jodrell!
The last thing i will need to find out is whether the wheel controls will work. Anyone tried the change? I have sent a few emails to dealers and in case i find something out i will post it for future reference

Hey guys,

i just got the SE350 (w/ MP3 and AUX input) as i couldn't bother with the potential problems of a solution like the Rcd 510 (see my post above) and i also got the adapter Jodrell proposed. I will let you know how this goes and if everything works correctly or not. Thanks again

Hey guys,
i just got the exact aux cable that jodrell posted as well as a used SE 350 with MP3 and AUX capabilities. In case someone needs it for future reference, i managed to get the setup to work perfectly. MP3 works, aux works, wheel buttons work - everything works. The only thing that's different is that the lights of the main screen don't instantly go on/off but instead they dim, compared to my previous se350 (but that might be configurable somewhere?)

As for the technical stuff, compared to the rcd510 for example that has a dedicated triplet of pins for the aux in the quadlock adapter, the se 350 uses the cd changer to provide aux capabilities. So, you have to connect the CDR-L, CDR-R and CDR-ground to the tip, ring and sleeve of the TRS stereo 3,5mm cable. The cable jodrell posted comes with a different configuration, so i had to move the pins with the logic explained above, so that they correspond to the correct pinout according to the se 350 connection diagram found on top of the se 350.

With that in mind, one could maybe be able to add aux to the older se 350 (as it also has the cd changer pinout) although i wasn't able. What i noticed in the new se350 was that one can enable/disable the aux function through the Program section. I can't remember if my older unit had a similar setting in the program menu. However, when i did plug the aux cable in my old unit, i couldn't get it to go into 'cd changer' mode no matter how many times i pushed the 'CD' button. So, the cd changer pins are there but maybe you have to enable the cd-r function through the program menu - maybe someone with the old unit can chime in.

Anyway, hope this helps!
Thanks for the help guys

GarryW1305 said:

Hey ACHIEVEIT,

A year and a half down the line and I am in the exact same boat as you were so I was hoping I might be able to ask you a few questions about how you went about getting all this to work? Most of it is covered in your posts, but I have a few more questions (my knowledge of car radios isn't great!). The main one for now though, is did you acquire a new central panel for near the handbrake with an aux port and install it all properly or did you just run a 3.5mm male cable out from somewhere? If the latter, where did you run the cable from?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi GarryW1305,

actually, i just ran a 3.5mm male cable from the back of the unit. I can't remember exactly now but the cable exits near the lower-left corner of the co-driver's drawer. In this way, i have been able to "hide" it as it goes along the side of the main panel (a/c, radio-mp3 etc.) and "ends" at the tray beneath the radio-mp3 unit (where the hazard warning flashers button is located). In fact, i use this tray to support the device that i am connecting. Hope this helps!

GarryW1305 said:

Hey,

Thanks for the quick reply! I wasn't sure if you'd still be subscribed to the thread after this long!

So in that case, does the newer version of the standard radio that you bought, with the cd/aux button and "MP3" written above the screen, does it just have a physical aux port in the back for a 3.5mm audio cable?

I pre-ordered one of those CD changer to 3.5mm adapters before picking the car up but now I've got a bad feeling it won't work so was tempted to do what you've done and just buy the newer version of the radio!

Cheers,

Garry

Click to expand...

No there is no 3.5mm input on the back of the unit (it would be really convenient though ). In my case, i bought one of those aux adapter 3.5mm cables (as you can see in a previous link in this thread- although the listing has expired you can see the relevant items) and then rearranged its connections (on the adapter side of the cable) so that the tip of the 3.5mm connects to CD-L pin of the unit, the ring to the CD-R pin (just left of CD-L) and the sleeve to the CD-Ground pin (in my case that was the pin underneath CD-L. It has the ground symbol). Hope that helps!


PS. My unit has a reference sticker on it that shows all these CD-R, CD-L and CD-ground pins. If yours doesn't have it, let me know and i will try to find a way to send it to you (i have a pic but because i haven't reached 15 posts yet, i am not allowed to post any web links )

PS2. Nevermind, just search for "null_zpse610a837" in google images and the pic i am talking about is the only result

GarryW1305 said:

Thanks for the helpful picture. Hmm, all seems a little beyond my technical ability though! I've ordered some 99p radio removal keys so might still take a look. Was the aux adapter you got like this (can't post links so it's this description on eBay and should be the first result):

VW-AUX-IN-INPUT-ADAPTER-INTERFACE-CABLE-LEAD-RCD210-RCD310-RC510-RADIO-IPOD-MP3-

If not then my other option is to buy one of these, apparently works with the standard Leon radio 2005-2013 (again, the description if you search on eBay should bring it up):

SEAT-Leon-2005-2013-Car-Stereo-3-5mm-Aux-Input-iPod-iPhone-Interface-Adaptor

As long as it works it might be the better option as once I've bought the new head unit and the quad adapter it would probably come to more than just the adapter I've linked to second. Also, I think I found where you meant about running the cable out of. There's a hold underneath the glove box close to the centre column and can see where you meant about running it close to the centre colum and it being almost hidden.

Loving the car though, had it nearly a week and it drives like a dream!

Click to expand...

Yes, the car drives like a dream - i have it close to 5 years and it still drives like it did the first day i got it. Anyway, the adapter i got is like the 1st one you suggested. In my case, i just had to rearrange a couple of the cables on the adapter side to match the seat connection scheme (it is a little different to the vw - with which the item listed is compatible - but after a couple of minutes i got it where i wanted). The second option seems nice if you don't mind the size and it seems specific to the seat, so no re-configuration necessary. Anyway, good luck with your quest and enjoy your car!