Retrofit: Adding Features to Your VAG Car

That's why we've made it possible to add optional extras after you've bought your car. Working with VW and Kufatech, whose official partner we are in Bulgaria, we put together genuine retrofit packages to add equipment and functions to your vehicle. The idea is simple. You shouldn't have to change your car just because the previous owner didn't specify the equipment you want. In many cases, a missing feature can be added afterwards. The important thing is to check what your particular vehicle supports before going any further.

What features can you add to your car?

Retrofitting means adding equipment or a feature that wasn't fitted when the car left the factory. Sometimes that involves installing additional components. In other cases, the necessary hardware is already there, but the function hasn't been activated. So adding an extra doesn't always mean replacing control modules or dismantling half the car. It depends on the model, model year, existing equipment and compatibility between the various systems.

• Reversing camera and additional parking assistance functions.
• Xenon headlights and automatic headlight assistance.
• Television and additional multimedia functions.
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Wireless CarPlay, where the existing equipment supports activation.
• Software updates and activation of supported features in the original infotainment system.

CarPlay and Android Auto – the feature may already be there

This is one of the most interesting aspects of retrofitting. Many infotainment systems fitted after 2018 have Wireless CarPlay functionality built in, but it hasn't been activated. Instead of looking for external devices and adapters, we first check what the original system can do. We've activated fullscreen CarPlay and Android Auto on the Porsche Panamera. We've also carried out fullscreen activation on the Audi SQ7 with MIB3, including wireless connectivity. On that particular SQ7, the activation is genuine and linked to the VIN, and remains registered in the manufacturer's systems after online coding. That's different from fitting an external module that merely replicates a factory feature.

We've also activated the CarPlay package and updated the infotainment firmware on an Audi Q8. There's an important detail here. Not every system supports the same features, and not every software version is suitable for every module. That's why we check the hardware and software versions before carrying out an activation. The aim isn't simply to make a new menu appear on the screen. It's to ensure the feature works properly alongside the car's existing equipment.

Why is retrofitting about more than fitting parts?

Modern VAG vehicles have numerous electronic control units that communicate with one another. When we add or replace equipment, coding, parameterisation and software updates are sometimes necessary. The head-up display on newer platforms is a good example. When it fails, it often needs replacing, and the new module requires genuine diagnostic tools and an online connection for coding and parameterisation. If its version isn't compatible with the central infotainment system, a central software update involving more than 25 modules may be required. This is an example of replacing faulty equipment rather than adding a new feature, but it shows why compatibility matters just as much when retrofitting.

How do we handle supply and installation?

We wanted to make the whole process as straightforward as possible for you. You choose the extras you need with a single click in our online shop, and we take care of supplying and installing them in your car. No travelling around collecting individual parts, then wondering who can make them all work together. Before installation, we establish what equipment your vehicle already has and what's needed for the feature you've chosen. We then carry out the necessary installation, coding or activation. Where the system requires it, we also perform the appropriate calibration. Everything is handled in one place, and you know exactly what's being added to your car.

Advice from Kris Mladenov: Before buying parts or external adapters, check whether the feature you want is already built into your original infotainment system. Sometimes all that's needed is the correct activation.