Failed RT6 Head Unit Experience

[Cit fan 151]

In light of the number of RT6 Head Unit failures, I thought it would be helpful to hear of others experience in having the units repaired or replaced. In particular,
1. Has replacing the internal micro SD card generally been successful? Did it involve updating firmware to a new version, or the use of SIM clone software? Was dealer assistance required?
2. For those using a professional repairer, was it a good outcome?
3. Was replacing with a unit from the wreckers successful, and easy to recode?
4. Where the unit was replaced with an aftermarket unit (eg Android), did it provide full functionality that existed previously?

[GiveMeABreak]

• There's no SIM cards in an RT6.
• Aftermarket units in most cases won't provide OEM functionality
• Second hand units will be from PSA vehicles and will be configured for the donor vehicle and specifically for that vehicle's options. The units must be VIN coded to the new vehicle and be telecoded to reflect the correct options for the intended vehicle.
• The are very few places that will repair these - generally only Clarion which are PSA approved repairers for some Head Units. Repairs are not cheap and can be £400+
• Many with some IT competence opt to research and replace the internal SD card flash storage, but this does involve some work in using Mira scripts to ensure the vehicle-specific user data is backed up and later restored to the correct partition to ensure vehicle options are restored.
• The latest firmware can be used to recreate allt he standard partitions on a new SD card, but as mentioned above, the user / vehicle configuration file data must be copied back to avoid loss of functionality.
• Bear in mind that the ECU of RT6 units can be locked out (secure mode) which can prevent you from using Diagbox to configure them without direct PSA server access and authentication. Hence the need to ensure you have backed up the relevant files using Mira scripts first and later restoring them.

More info on Mira scripts here:

http://mira308sw.altervista.org/softwar ... cripts.pdf

Some have had success with replacing and upgrading the internal MicroSD card which is a fraction of the cost of alternatives, but it really depends on what the problems are - and whet her it is a hardware component failure or the MicroSD card starting to fail. So not all problems will be MicroSD card related.

Others will no doubt chip in with their experiences and have done so on the various threads here on the RT6 Forum.