SD Card for VW Sat Nav

[Andy Cook]

Just bought a used late 2017 Passat B8 with Discovery Media Sat Nav system. It was missing the VW card. I've tried downloading the maps and exporting to a SanDisk Class 10 SD card and it hasn't worked. Does it really need a VW branded SD card? If so - does anyone know what's special about it?

Thanks

[swalker]

the sandisk should be fine as long as it is formatted correctly(FAT32?), gonna guess its a connected car and will need some sort of key(software) to work?

[Imran]

Just bought a used late 2017 Passat B8 with Discovery Media Sat Nav system. It was missing the VW card. I've tried downloading the maps and exporting to a SanDisk Class 10 SD card and it hasn't worked. Does it really need a VW branded SD card? If so - does anyone know what's special about it?

Thanks

It doesnt need a VW branded card its just locked to only accept a VW branded card, dont know what it looks for on the card to tell that it is a VW card. You need to patch the system to allow it to use any sd card.

Good video below explaining everything. But be wary, if your unit is not one of the supported ones that the video mentions you wont be able to patch it, my unit is made by Delphi so this patch wont work for me.

MIB2 navigation SD card CID Lock removal with MIB STD2 Toolbox - YouTube

[Andy Cook]

OK - thank you folks. I now understand - the SD cards have essentially a manufacturer ID (CID) on them which is generally impossible to change. Thank you particularly for the link to the video that gives a route to patch particular versions of the Nav system to ignore this check via VCDS changes and developer mode. I'll check my hardware versions, but I might just chicken out at this point and buy a VW OEM card on Fleabay for £20!

How irritating of VW though!

[ezzero]

I ran into the same issue not long ago with my Golf. You're right – the VW Sat Nav systems can be quite picky. While it doesn’t absolutely have to be a VW-branded SD card, it often expects very specific formatting and certain hidden data that generic cards might not carry. Using an original card just saves a lot of hassle. Also, using official or proper gear like that keeps up a professional image. Digital cards like these convey a modern, tech-savvy look to clients and partners, which definitely matters. If you’re curious, have a quick look at these ui trends – it’s all connected to how tech shapes impressions today.