OEM USB Port inside arm rest storage

[Cuzoe]

@2018gti I think I initially ran it alongside just to get it done although I later removed the old harness while running other wires in that same place.

The port that was there was from aliexpress, back from when I did the initial MIB 2 retrofit. I did replace the USB port trying to figure out what was going on with the 2.5 and that made no change. I'm not sure what USB port I left in the car.

I do agree that $50 isn't bad.

Spoiler: I don't like EZT, lol

It just pains me to have supported them in any way after my experience with them. To keep it as "short" as possible I bought something from them. Wasn't sure about a couple things so I asked before buying and they quickly answered my questions (incorrectly, but I didn't know that). Product arrives and things are not as they suggested in the listing, or in the answers to my initial questions. Couple normal back and forth emails, looking for a solution. Started doing some research which I shared with them, still trying to figure things out. They stopped responding to my emails. But they did update their listing with the info that I had included in my emails .

 

[2018gti]

@Cuzoe well time to dust off my trusty ilcats.ru and carprog2 to find the part # haha. screw them.

 

[Cuzoe]

It's worth considering that I bought the harness from them even though I had already had that experience. And wiring is what I do everyday so there is something to be said for convenience. And I super did not enjoy MIB 2.5 until it was working properly.

And hey, maybe you'll get lucky and they'll forget to repackage it that way you can see what the actual part number is and then you can share it with all of us . They remembered to repackage mine, else I would definitely be sharing that part number.

 

[2018gti]

this may be harder than i thought - i found a diagram which shows all the cables going to the USB port, hub, center console USB, and the rear view camera, but the part # either said “not available as a spare part” or to look in the catalogue of electrical connections. and i have no clue what that is lol. maybe it’s time for aliexpress.

 

[Cuzoe]

I will say the cables from EZT are in thicker insulation than the AliExpress harness. I don't know with certainty the actual wire gauge was different. We're talking about very little current, but in the end I've not had a single problem since replacing that harness. And it worked without a hiccup for years prior to MIB 2.5.

 

[Meesters]

These days it's hard (here) to find anything with a connector. But if you look at the seller's other items you might see the connector selling for half the price of the used module . Of course if you're resourceful or waste enough time wasting time doing retrofits it's not a big deal to find/source connectors really cheap, but it's annoying.

Not really important, but sometimes I have a hard time to understand exactly what is written in English, but after rereading this post, I understood suddenly what you said. And I can confirm that it is sometimes a little annoying that you can buy a module or part for pretty cheap, but then need to buy a connector or cable for almost half or the same amount. But like I said, I was lucky to find one with some cables attached.

Do you also have a website in the States where most car dismantlers are affiliated? Here in the "BeNeLux" we have a website "onderdelenlijn.nl" where most of those companies are connected to.

 

[Cuzoe]

I guess the closest thing we have is car-part.com. I have not had much luck finding modules there but it has been good for mechanical parts. You can see what is available from multiple dismantlers, sometimes with pictures, and sort by price, distance, etc. For modules eBay is typically the best source. Often I buy from eBay sellers in Europe. Even with international shipping the prices are better.

 

[Meesters]

Parts already came in. Weather was good, I had good mood and today is my day off. So I immediately installed the hub.

Installation was pretty easy, based on given information in this thread, but also because of the videos from @mr-fix, with very detailed instructions on how to install and coding. So thanks all for sharing knowledge and information.

At first I stripped down all the harness tape from used hub wiring, and cleaned everything. The module was somehow very dirty, and of course the wires where very sticky because of the tape.

Also I took off the connector housing from the usb alimentation wire to replace the original one in the car. This wire what came with the hub was cut off anyway.

I packed the the hub and android auto dongle in harness tape to prevent rattling and tucked everything on the right under the cubby. It is very tight and there is no place anymore left. But it fits in perfectly. See the picture below what I meant by packing in harness tape.

Then about coding, nothing special to mention there. As MR-FIX I added in 5F "interface for external media", "connection 2". But I turned it back off, because I use secondary port for AA wireless dongle only, and it is tucked away behind the cubby, and the AA dongle is even than recognised and working without activating "connection 2". So basically I only have one USB port, and that is exactly the Idea.

See the result in the following video
USB and AA

I'm very happy with the result, integrated wireless AA and a working USB port in the cubby. And the cherry on top, also a flawlessly working wireless fast charger, so no more cables.

Added some extra pictures for those interested.

 

[Meesters]

@Meesters Yup, missed it. I have a "Gen 2" AAWireless

I have it a few days now, and I can really recommend this dongle. So far just positive experience.

2 very good advantages/experiences are,

1 - The dongle boots really fast, faster than the MIB, so when MIB is ready, it is directly able to set up connection.

2 - The dongle is configured through an application, and one of the settings available, is that it only sets up AA connection when connected to a Bluetooth device, which I set to the VW Bluetooth connection. An annoying problem I had with the previous dongle, when unlocking the car, or opening a door, USB woke up and the previous dongle came to live and activated a connection. And when I got a call near or inside the car, and no ignition/booted MIB, I needed to disable Bluetooth before I could talk to the caller. I think that this option also prevents connection problems, since AA and App Connect only makes an connection when both devices are ready, which avoid a time-out for one of each.

Greets Chris