Supported Years
2019–2024
Harness Type
VW J533 connector (plugs into car computer near pedals, NOT the windshield camera)
Longitudinal Control
stock ACC
openpilot handles steering while the car's own ACC system manages gas and braking.
Required Equipment
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) & Lane Assist
Installation Notes
The harness does NOT connect to the windshield camera on the Q3. It plugs directly into the car computer (J533 gateway) located near the pedals under the dashboard. Cable routing from there through the dashboard to the windshield mount can be tricky — budget extra time for a clean install.
Known Quirks
- Braking can feel firm/late in city driving — this is the car's own ACC responding to openpilot speed targets, not openpilot braking directly
- Lane position may default slightly right of center — adjustable with a fork or by fine-tuning the mount
- Lane change assist (blinker nudge) only activates above ~45 mph / 70 km/h — does not work in city
- Acceleration after stops can feel strong — Experimental Mode helps smooth this out
- Comma device stays on after locking the car — this is normal, it auto-shuts down to protect the 12V battery
Tips
- Enable Experimental Mode (Settings → openpilot → Experimental Mode) for smoother city driving and traffic light handling
- FrogPilot adds VTSC (Vision Turn Speed Control) which automatically slows before curves — highly recommended for Q3 owners
- FrogPilot and sunnypilot both have a lane position offset setting — use this to fix the right-side drift instead of remounting
- FrogPilot's Always-On Lateral keeps steering active even if you tap the brake — useful for curves where you want to control speed yourself
- No need to unplug the comma device when you leave — the power management system monitors battery voltage and shuts down automatically
Recommended Forks
FrogPilot · sunnypilot
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