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Phaeton Bluetooth Upgrade options in 2019

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abooaaishah

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello all,

I wanted to know what bluetooth options there are nowadays for the my old 2008 phaeton.
i can see lots of people making their infotainment system into mini PC's which is really impressive but isnt something I want to do at the moment

what i do want is a tablet and my iPhone hooked up to my standard audio system for streaming and google maps audio and stuff.

ive looked through the forums and there seems to be two main options that are talked about: the Dension and the Yatour

Here's a video of the Dension Lite BT install: https://youtu.be/wHgdP6dg3kc
seems pretty straightforward
i can see one on ebay Uk for about £115 from Germany and it comes with the correct connection


Here's a video of the Yatour install: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XKTkaq2hBs
you have to take the infotainment system out it seems so this is a big downside
this is cheaper at arouf £53 on ebay

what i would like is to be able to stream audio via the phone and the tablet as i please
but at the same time stick with standard bluetooth phonecalls (im perfectly happy with using the standard microphone and calls system using the steering wheel controls)
Something where the audio fades out if you get a phonecall - i assume the dension/yatour systems do that?

for you guys out there with the Dension and Yatour systems how do you find it?
a lot of the posts for these systems are quite old
is there new 2019 tech out there?
 
#2 ·
Mine's a 2004, so there's no native BT, but my setup works pretty well with the Bluestar dealing with the phone connection and the Dension doing media. Offhand, I don't know what happens if a call comes through while listening to music, since nobody actually uses mobile phones for calls.... The problem you'll likely have, at least with the Dension, is that I don't think it supports multiple simultaneous paired connections, so to switch media between the phone and tablet, you'd have to disconnect one and connect the other. There are more modern devices that can handle this better, but none that I know of that will also emulate the Phaeton CD player. Taking the infotainment system out isn't a big deal, as Phaeton jobs go it's one of the easier things to do. The wood surround pries off, then there are a few screws (one of which is under the fan if I remember correctly), and after that it lifts out. Fiddly, cumbersome, but not hard to do.
 
Discussion starter · #4 · (Edited)
Well they never got back to me

But I found a solution I’m pretty happy with.

I bought an FM transmitter for the car. Basically it does Bluetooth streaming of audio from your phone or tablet and sends it to a radio channel of your choice.
It fits in your 12v socket.
Pretty good actually and very cheap (£10-20)

But for some reason the Phaeton (maybe just my one?) gets some serious radio hiss when you plug anything into a 12v socket
I plugged the fm transmitter in and can’t seem to get rid of the hiss (it’s minor so I don’t mind).
But when I charge my phone at the same time from the rear 12v socket (ie two devices getting powered) it gets super hissy and annoying.
Anyone else have this problem?
Any work around?
 
#5 ·
That can be jitter on the ground with your phone charger. I use a ridiculously expensive Huawei supercharger and have zero issues, whereas I had hisses and signal issues with my old cheap triple-charger. I noticed that normal FM reception was perfect with the ignition off, but as soon as I powered up the car, even without the engine running, the hissing started as you describe. The FM signal reception on the Phaeton is generally pretty poor though.

I've said before, I'm using a Pure highway 600, which is basically a fancier version of the FM bluetooth transmitter you described. It's awesome and I've not looked back since. It was relatively expensive though, but then I now have DAB and bluetooth audio streaming. Happy days!
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
ElSmoko said:
That can be jitter on the ground with your phone charger. I use a ridiculously expensive Huawei supercharger and have zero issues, whereas I had hisses and signal issues with my old cheap triple-charger. I noticed that normal FM reception was perfect with the ignition off, but as soon as I powered up the car, even without the engine running, the hissing started as you describe. The FM signal reception on the Phaeton is generally pretty poor though.

I've said before, I'm using a Pure highway 600, which is basically a fancier version of the FM bluetooth transmitter you described. It's awesome and I've not looked back since. It was relatively expensive though, but then I now have DAB and bluetooth audio streaming. Happy days!
Click to expand...
oh that's interesting. both my phone charger and the FM transmitter are cheap Ebay pieces. maybe i should invest in something a bit more pricey.

its certainly less headache and costly compared to the Dension upgrades everyone does. i havent lost my cd changer and i've actually hidden the FM transmitter by connecting it to the 12V in my centre armrest so its invisible. it switches on when power comes to it automatically i.e. when the ignition is on. Also because the phaeton thinks its a radio channel when i get a phone call everything turns off (i still use the phaeton's bluetooth for calls, i can use the FM transmitter for calls as well as it has a microphone built in but it's pretty awful).

the only annoying thing is because i use it so much now my radio is always on and connected to its frequency. when my journey ends and the ignition goes off power to the FM transmitter cuts, but the infotainment radio is still on so you get really loud radio static all of a sudden because there's nothing transmitting at that frequency any more. it ends when you open the driver's door though so i tend to do that quite quickly nowadays. I don't have the same static when the car is switched on as it seems to connect quicker than the infotainment firing up (pretty quick!) but I do get a lady saying "bluetooth connected" each time, but that doesn't annoy me.

it's got some arrow buttons on the transmitter that i haven't explored, so switching tracks etc. i'm sure is possible without having to mess around with your phone. but like i said mine's hidden in the armrest as i don't need that feature.

i haven't checked whether i can connect a tablet and my phone (for streaming not calls) at the same time yet. will post if i get round to it.

i think as tech upgrade for your phaeton i would highly recommend it - simple, cheap and cheerful and really does the job quite well. i think if you go for a more expensive one you could probably use it for clearer phone calls as well - and less hiss!
 
#7 ·
I bought one of those first as well! For a tenner or so it was really good. Mine had three buttons - play/pause, skip forward and skip back. I quite liked it, but I'm not a fan of having non-OEM looking stuff in my cars. I used the skip button a lot as well, so I had to have it accessible, so on the centre console by the gear lever. When I used the USB ports to charge phone the signal was significantly worse, which is what led me to looking for something else.

The Pure consists of a small box and antenna on the inside of the rear windscreen, a microphone which I still need to finish running to the top of the windscreen, and a USB power connection which I will also run down the A pillar to the fuse box. There is also a 3.5mm jack for physical connection rather than FM radio, but the FM quality is really quite good and I don't want to have to lose my CD changer and fudge that connection. I had that with a Dension unit in my old BMW M5 and never really liked it. The Pure also has a completely independent control unit which I have stuck next to the gear lever for now. I thought about putting it on the dash somewhere, but as I said, I skip tracks a lot and wanted it within easy reach rather than having to lean forward and skip all the time.

I love the idea of having an android unit in the dash to replace the ZAB, but it would have to have all the same functionality before I would even consider it. It would be nice to have a better sat-nav though, and touchscreen. The £150 double-DIN android unit I put in my Nissan Cube really impressed me. Google maps built into your car, what a winner.
 
#8 ·
abooaaishah said:
Well they never got back to me

But I found a solution I’m pretty happy with.

I bought an FM transmitter for the car. Basically it does Bluetooth streaming of audio from your phone or tablet and sends it to a radio channel of your choice.
It fits in your 12v socket.
Pretty good actually and very cheap (£10-20)

But for some reason the Phaeton (maybe just my one?) gets some serious radio hiss when you plug anything into a 12v socket
I plugged the fm transmitter in and can’t seem to get rid of the hiss (it’s minor so I don’t mind).
But when I charge my phone at the same time from the rear 12v socket (ie two devices getting powered) it gets super hissy and annoying.
Anyone else have this problem?
Any work around?
Click to expand...
These little BT guys are awesome! Best $15 I ever spent.
 
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abooaaishah
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