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Infotainment issues - freeze, boot loop, black screen

GolfWagenTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Newcastle
Car(s)
GOLF 7.5 2.0 GT TDI
In a brief, the issue with the infotainment was initially frequent restarts and jams (requiring hard reset), then colorful zig-zags, and then the infotainment completely died, resulting in a black screen.

The solution to the dealer's lies and deception was to simply issue them with a 1/5 star and an elaborate description of their behavior and actions every time I have notified them of the problem with the central console. My advice given the hell I had to go through with VW UK dealers is: do not talk to the salesman (he will lie beyond anything to absolve himself and the business), go straight to the manager of the entire venue. Now, the manager will not be perfectly honest but will have to act. I was given 3 options the next day (after posting my review); 1. Bring the car over for a 5-7 day evaluation where the mechanic would drive it around with a laptop connected to it (waiting for the issue to trigger - i.e. the restarts), 2. I return the car, pay for the miles and select a car from their inventory at the same price, 3. I return the car and pay for the miles and get my money back.

I chose the 1st option, cos I like the car, it works great, apart from the infotainment. Luckily, it was Xmas and I was abroad with the car, by the time I came back to the UK, mid-Jan, the infotainment completely died (black screen). So, when I brought the car over and left it (receiving a replacement car) the same day I got the call confirming that the issue has been officially recognized and the file has been sent over to the manufacturer (Germany), next day manufacturer confirmed and recognized its validity. I was asked to collect my car, as the delivery of the new unit will take around 1 week. After it is delivered, I was asked to come back and it will be replaced within 1 hour (so they say!). I will update you once it has been replaced.

The quote for the replacement is approx £2430.36 but given the car is under warranty (approved second hand) it will be done free of charge.

I have driven approx 2500-3000 miles without this unit working properly - it was terrible and felt as if the car was from the 1980s and not 2018/2019.
 

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GolfWagenTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Newcastle
Car(s)
GOLF 7.5 2.0 GT TDI
So, some unit has been replaced (definitely it wasn't the middle console) and it works! Or so I thought. Once I reached home (1 hour 15 mins drive) I realized that the USB connection to use Android Auto doesn't work - it charges the phone but the car doesn't recognize Android Auto (I have tried it on 3 different Android phones, two different USB cables and one iPhone (for the Apple equivalent of Android Auto)) - it did work previously when the console worked. I didn't expect that - I also didn't feel like testing everything there and then as I expected "competence" from the service team. The money I have spent driving there back and forth + time would allow me for some good holidays in France. Disaster.

I'm going back there coming Thursday - they don't know what the issue is and assume it may take 5 mins or 5 hours, so just in case they offer a replacement car.

I will provide you with an update.


In a brief, the issue with the infotainment was initially frequent restarts and jams (requiring hard reset), then colorful zig-zags, and then the infotainment completely died, resulting in a black screen.

The solution to the dealer's lies and deception was to simply issue them with a 1/5 star and an elaborate description of their behavior and actions every time I have notified them of the problem with the central console. My advice given the hell I had to go through with VW UK dealers is: do not talk to the salesman (he will lie beyond anything to absolve himself and the business), go straight to the manager of the entire venue. Now, the manager will not be perfectly honest but will have to act. I was given 3 options the next day (after posting my review); 1. Bring the car over for a 5-7 day evaluation where the mechanic would drive it around with a laptop connected to it (waiting for the issue to trigger - i.e. the restarts), 2. I return the car, pay for the miles and select a car from their inventory at the same price, 3. I return the car and pay for the miles and get my money back.

I chose the 1st option, cos I like the car, it works great, apart from the infotainment. Luckily, it was Xmas and I was abroad with the car, by the time I came back to the UK, mid-Jan, the infotainment completely died (black screen). So, when I brought the car over and left it (receiving a replacement car) the same day I got the call confirming that the issue has been officially recognized and the file has been sent over to the manufacturer (Germany), next day manufacturer confirmed and recognized its validity. I was asked to collect my car, as the delivery of the new unit will take around 1 week. After it is delivered, I was asked to come back and it will be replaced within 1 hour (so they say!). I will update you once it has been replaced.

The quote for the replacement is approx £2430.36 but given the car is under warranty (approved second hand) it will be done free of charge.

I have driven approx 2500-3000 miles without this unit working properly - it was terrible and felt as if the car was from the 1980s and not 2018/2019.
 

GolfWagenTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Newcastle
Car(s)
GOLF 7.5 2.0 GT TDI
So, some unit has been replaced (definitely it wasn't the middle console) and it works! Or so I thought. Once I reached home (1 hour 15 mins drive) I realized that the USB connection to use Android Auto doesn't work - it charges the phone but the car doesn't recognize Android Auto (I have tried it on 3 different Android phones, two different USB cables and one iPhone (for the Apple equivalent of Android Auto)) - it did work previously when the console worked. I didn't expect that - I also didn't feel like testing everything there and then as I expected "competence" from the service team. The money I have spent driving there back and forth + time would allow me for some good holidays in France. Disaster.

I'm going back there coming Thursday - they don't know what the issue is and assume it may take 5 mins or 5 hours, so just in case they offer a replacement car.

I will provide you with an update.
Apologies for not updating everyone. The media unit that has been replaced worked back then and still works to this day. I didn't realise that for some reason, the USB cable I had bought on eBay to connect my phone to the media unit wasn't a "data cable" (essentially it would charge my phone but would not transfer the data between devices) - VW has provided me with a short VW branded data cable and that was it! The situation has been resolved back in FEB 2023. Thanks
 

edsonmassao

Ready to race!
Location
Brazil
Car(s)
2017 GTI DSG
Good to know that your issue was solved after all these ongoing to the dealership.

Now that I saw your pictures, I can say my screen shows up the same colorful zigs zags randomly, but since it is not so frequent (once to 2 times a month) I simply disconnect Android Auto, wait some time and connect again and it works. I use the AAWireless dongle and thought it should be the culprit or even the phone. But this is just some rant from my side.
 

GolfWagenTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Newcastle
Car(s)
GOLF 7.5 2.0 GT TDI
Good to know that your issue was solved after all these ongoing to the dealership.

Now that I saw your pictures, I can say my screen shows up the same colorful zigs zags randomly, but since it is not so frequent (once to 2 times a month) I simply disconnect Android Auto, wait some time and connect again and it works. I use the AAWireless dongle and thought it should be the culprit or even the phone. But this is just some rant from my side.
I get some odd colours on my display (with a lot of pink) maybe once every two months when I connect my phone as well - but it seems like a non-issue and maybe is more related to the USB cable itself.
 

oldskoolhead

New member
Location
Uk
Car(s)
Seat ateca
Don't know if anyone said this but try updating your phone if it starts doing the bootloop thing, mine (seat ateca) started doing it the other day, twice in the same day, I was also having call connection problems with my phone, so I updated the phone and seems to have resolved all the above for now, as it did it already before, on and off, but then went a while without doing it, but I had updated my phone that time as well due to the connection problems, seems like android or Samsung want to fcuk your phone up to force their updates on you as it seems everything stops working properly everytime one is available..
 
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