Aftermarket head unit install in VW T6 with reverse camera

The Problem

The owner wanted to replace the standard VW infotainment system without paying the £1400 cost of the OEM Kenwood upgrade option. They were also uncertain whether an in-dash aftermarket screen would suffer badly from glare compared to a larger halo-style unit.

Solution

1. Order the Kenwood DMX8021DAB from a supplier (Absolut5 used here) who provides a pre-made, cloth-taped wiring loom specific to the T6.
   • The pre-made harness removes most of the wiring complexity and makes the install straightforward.
   • This guide is based on a pre-facelift T6. The Absolut5 loom can differ between variants — particularly between T6 and T6.1, and depending on whether your van has factory DAB or a DSP amplifier. Confirm which loom version you need for your exact specification before ordering (confirm this applies to your T6 generation).
2. Retain the multifunction steering wheel controls. Most T6s have a multifunction steering wheel, and a CAN-bus interface adapter (steering wheel control adapter) is typically required so the buttons continue to work with the aftermarket unit. Check that the loom kit includes this adapter — without it, the steering wheel controls will be dead. The Kenwood unit needs to be configured to read the CAN-bus/SWC input during setup.
3. Remove the factory head unit and connect the new unit using the supplied loom — the pre-terminated connectors plug directly into the existing T6 wiring.
4. Run the reverse camera cable from the rear of the van to the head unit through the tailgate rubber sleeve.
   • On a Kombi with rear wiper and washer, the sleeve is already full; use a guitar string as a pull-through tool to feed the cable.
5. Mount the Kenwood CMOS reverse camera in place of any existing camera, then configure the head unit's camera input. Confirm the exact camera model and part number against the DMX8021DAB's camera input specification before ordering, as Kenwood offers several CMOS cameras with differing connectors and compatibility (verify part number before ordering).