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MK7 Climatronic upgrade with instructions and pictures.

Rollback50k

Yeshhhhhhhhh
Location
NY
Great write up. I’ve been considering doing this for some time now and finally decided to pull the trigger (minutes before stumbling across this thread which only really enforced the possibility of doing it!)

if I read through the thread correctly, my car doesn’t have S-S so other than not gaining or having that feature, I also won’t have the dual air control (they would be synced).

Nothing else right?
 

davegsm82

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Blyth, Northumberland - England
Car(s)
MK7 Golf and T3 Tdi
Great write up. I’ve been considering doing this for some time now and finally decided to pull the trigger (minutes before stumbling across this thread which only really enforced the possibility of doing it!)

if I read through the thread correctly, my car doesn’t have S-S so other than not gaining or having that feature, I also won’t have the dual air control (they would be synced).

Nothing else right?

Yep, pretty much exactly that. It will work fine, even works fine with S-S now that I've got the long-coding done properly.

Basically the supplied kit is the bare minimum required to get the kit working, the panel, cables and 2x sensors. But the main problem is that they have one of the footwell temperature sensors labelled as the vent sensor, so people (myself included) assume that they need to both go in the upper vents, when in fact you need to put one in the footwell vent and one in the upper vent for correct operaion.

The climatronic also wants to see the sunlight sensors which fit on the top of the dash, without these you don't get any A/C response to when the sun is blazing down into the car and you also get 2x extra error codes.
 

IWMTom

Autocross Newbie
But the main problem is that they have one of the footwell temperature sensors labelled as the vent sensor, so people (myself included) assume that they need to both go in the upper vents, when in fact you need to put one in the footwell vent and one in the upper vent for correct operaion.
Sorry, just to bounce back to this.
Could you elaborate a bit further here?

What sort of incorrect operation did you experience with both sensors used as vent sensors?
 

davegsm82

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Blyth, Northumberland - England
Car(s)
MK7 Golf and T3 Tdi
Sorry, just to bounce back to this.
Could you elaborate a bit further here?

What sort of incorrect operation did you experience with both sensors used as vent sensors?

Hi Tom,

I've not really found any incorrect operation as of yet, but I'm unhappy in the knowledge that it can't monitor/control the temperature coming from the footwell vents. My opinion is that if they've added those sensors then they must be there for a reason.

BUT - The main thing to take away from this is; the chinese supplied adapter cable gives instructions to put the 2x supplied temp sensors into the 2x upper vents, left and right. However the wires in the harness don't both lead to upper vent connectors, one goes to an upper vent sensor, the other goes to a footwell sensor. So the climatronic is reading back a value from the upper vent, thinking it's coming from the footwell.

If I get 5 minutes spare I'll do a block diagram with pin numbers and all that shiz, showing where the wires go and where they're supposed to go.

Also by way of a minor update, I've been driving with the system working as-is for the last week and it's brilliant, as soon as the engine starts to get up to temp then the cabin is warm. The fan only runs as high as it needs to, max level 4 that I've seen, usually 2 or 3. If the windows are misty then the demister button works perfectly. Heated seats work as expected and the Start-Stop is working pretty much as it was with the original non-clima panel as far as I can tell.

Dave.
 

IWMTom

Autocross Newbie
Hi Tom,

I've not really found any incorrect operation as of yet, but I'm unhappy in the knowledge that it can't monitor/control the temperature coming from the footwell vents. My opinion is that if they've added those sensors then they must be there for a reason.

BUT - The main thing to take away from this is; the chinese supplied adapter cable gives instructions to put the 2x supplied temp sensors into the 2x upper vents, left and right. However the wires in the harness don't both lead to upper vent connectors, one goes to an upper vent sensor, the other goes to a footwell sensor. So the climatronic is reading back a value from the upper vent, thinking it's coming from the footwell.

If I get 5 minutes spare I'll do a block diagram with pin numbers and all that shiz, showing where the wires go and where they're supposed to go.

Also by way of a minor update, I've been driving with the system working as-is for the last week and it's brilliant, as soon as the engine starts to get up to temp then the cabin is warm. The fan only runs as high as it needs to, max level 4 that I've seen, usually 2 or 3. If the windows are misty then the demister button works perfectly. Heated seats work as expected and the Start-Stop is working pretty much as it was with the original non-clima panel as far as I can tell.

Dave.
Ah I see, my harness came with bare pinned wires and I just pinned them to the right pins on the connector for vent sensors.

Glad to hear all is working well!
 

Rollback50k

Yeshhhhhhhhh
Location
NY
Yep, pretty much exactly that. It will work fine, even works fine with S-S now that I've got the long-coding done properly.

Basically the supplied kit is the bare minimum required to get the kit working, the panel, cables and 2x sensors. But the main problem is that they have one of the footwell temperature sensors labelled as the vent sensor, so people (myself included) assume that they need to both go in the upper vents, when in fact you need to put one in the footwell vent and one in the upper vent for correct operaion.

The climatronic also wants to see the sunlight sensors which fit on the top of the dash, without these you don't get any A/C response to when the sun is blazing down into the car and you also get 2x extra error codes.
Awesome thanks. I ordered my kit, should be here mid next year loll.

one thing I do wish it came with is there Piano Black finish (Gti) instead of the gloss black (I think there Golf R is gloss black?)
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
Is there actually difference between gloss and piano black? When I was doing my black trim conversion I saw several color descriptions; piano black, gloss black, black-black, black it up, etc. My trim is a mix of whatever was cheapest... my vents are the "Golf R" part number because they were half the price of the GTI vents :unsure: . My vent (edit: climate control) surround and shifter trim is the later GTI part number. And the little piece that covers the storage box is from AliExpress, just described as gloss black. All of them match 🤷‍♂️.

I have the 9" screen now and that trim is gloss black, pretty sure it's the e-golf SEL premium part number, and it matches the black AID surround which is a Golf R part number.
 

IWMTom

Autocross Newbie
Is there actually difference between gloss and piano black? When I was doing my black trim conversion I saw several color descriptions; piano black, gloss black, black-black, black it up, etc. My trim is a mix of whatever was cheapest... my vents are the "Golf R" part number because they were half the price of the GTI vents :unsure: . My vent surround and shifter trim is the later GTI part number. And the little piece that covers the storage box is from AliExpress, just described as gloss black. All of them match 🤷‍♂️.
Theoretically the same.
 

Rollback50k

Yeshhhhhhhhh
Location
NY
Is there actually difference between gloss and piano black? When I was doing my black trim conversion I saw several color descriptions; piano black, gloss black, black-black, black it up, etc. My trim is a mix of whatever was cheapest... my vents are the "Golf R" part number because they were half the price of the GTI vents :unsure: . My vent surround and shifter trim is the later GTI part number. And the little piece that covers the storage box is from AliExpress, just described as gloss black. All of them match 🤷‍♂️.

I have the 9" screen now and that trim is gloss black, pretty sure it's the e-golf SEL premium part number, and it matches the black AID surround which is a Golf R part number.
Interesting, I’ll update once I get it. Hopefully I get the gti trim (Piano Black)
 

matthewP

New member
Location
Charlotte NC
Car(s)
Golf 7
got my aliexpress today - will try to get it installed tomorrow. I am thinking about just rigging up the 2 sensors on the passenger side one in the top vent and one in the footwell. I dont really see the point of having 2 vent sensors when it only has 1 zone.
 

Rollback50k

Yeshhhhhhhhh
Location
NY
got my aliexpress today - will try to get it installed tomorrow. I am thinking about just rigging up the 2 sensors on the passenger side one in the top vent and one in the footwell. I dont really see the point of having 2 vent sensors when it only has 1 zone.
Which/who did you buy from and what finish is there panel you received?

I’m really looking forward to doing this but not then wait time to get it since I just ordered It lol.
 

IWMTom

Autocross Newbie
got my aliexpress today - will try to get it installed tomorrow. I am thinking about just rigging up the 2 sensors on the passenger side one in the top vent and one in the footwell. I dont really see the point of having 2 vent sensors when it only has 1 zone.
Driver side would make more sense since that's the master..
 
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