Bolero / Columbus into 2006 vRS?

[samcoombes]

Is it possible - straight swap? Also other than the Nav, does the Columbus do much more than the Bolero?

Lastly, if retrofitting a Bolero in place of a Stream will I required the newer shaped surround?

Thanks

Edited 28 June, 2011 by samcoombes

[vRS_Pagey]

Is it possible - straight swap? Also other than the Nav, does the Columbus do much more than the Bolero?

Lastly, if retrofitting a Bolero in place of a Stream will I required the newer shaped surround?

Thanks

It will be a plug 'n' play, but you WILL need to change the gateway to avoid battery drain, this will be another £85+ on top of the Bolero, then it will need recoding. Other points to note, you will no longer see the climate control adjustments on screen as you do with the Stream.

I did the swap in my 2007MY and also found the screen wasn't very bright - another common problem apparently. Not to put you off, but I ended up refitting the stream, to much hassle imo, the Bolero is a better looking unit but thats about it.

As to the surround, the Bolero uses the existing surround but the MFD3 (Columbus) requires a different facia.

HTH, Lee.

p.s welcome to the forum.

[samcoombes]

Thanks Lee.

Does retrofitting to the Columbus have the same issues?

[vRS_Pagey]

Thanks Lee.

Does retrofitting to the Columbus have the same issues?

I think the gateway will need replacing also, not sure about the displays etc. Do you have maxidot?

[chr1staylor]

Pretty sure you can re-code the Columbus to avoid the Gateway battery drain issue.

Over and above the Bolero, the Columbus has sat nav, and an internal 30(40?)GB harddrive, which you can copy your music onto, will play DVDs, and has separate A/V line-in/outs to attach further screens to, for rear passengers, or to connect a reversing camera to.

MUCH more expensive to buy than the Bolero though. You can pick them up on ebay for around £500 but the origins of these units are... questionable, and if they've been tampered with to reset codes, can be bricked when trying to update firmware. Brand new units from Skoda are ~£1500!

More details here: http://www.vag-tec.com/skoda-1/yeti/skoda-columbus-touch-screen-navigation-system

[samcoombes]

Cheers, i've read so many posts about Columbus, but no definitive straight swap answer!

I dont mind spending £500 odd so long as it will work!

[Wardy]

There are straight swap answers. It's possible. But I appreciate that for a new forum member there's a lot of info to wade through!

Welcome by the way

Buy Columbus, buy AD revision CAN gateway, buy replacement stereo surround, get coding updated to suit.

[samcoombes]

There are straight swap answers.

I tried searching, and found probably 100+ posts but found nothing about a simple 'remove stream, replace with columbus' type answer.

Whats this CANbus thing, how do I do that and how much?

I thought I could just swap the units, but if not i dont think i'll bother seems too much hassle!

Thanks for your help.

[Wardy]

CANBUS is the system that allows communication between different devices in the car. The CAN gateway is the module that the headunit uses for communication with these systems. Because on an MY06 vehicle, the Columbus and Bolero stereos weren't yet available, the gateway is not able to handle some of their commands properly. As such, the gateway remains in an 'open' state awaiting commands from the headunit. This means it's constantly drawing power from the car's battery, hence it being known as the 'battery drain' issue.

The latest AD gateway is around £85, if sourced through eBay. There's a reputable seller there whom many on here have dealt with successfully. Think they're around £130-150 from a UK dealer. On your vehicle, it's likely this is located behind the glovebox. The coding from your current gateway needs noting down, then the settings applying to the new gateway once that's fitted.

This would need doing by a competent person with VCDS, a 3rd party like OEMRetrofits or Shark Performance (two examples, others available), or a reasonable dealer.

Hope this helps.

[samcoombes]

Excellent, thanks.

I've got someone near me with VCDS - the others you mention are across the other side of the Country, and my local dealer is so expensive it wouldn't be viable!

I'll be on the lookout for the CAN gateway then - how do I check which one I currently have and if it is already compatible?

Thanks

[vRS_Pagey]

Excellent, thanks.

I've got someone near me with VCDS - the others you mention are across the other side of the Country, and my local dealer is so expensive it wouldn't be viable!

I'll be on the lookout for the CAN gateway then - how do I check which one I currently have and if it is already compatible?Thanks

If you have a 2006MY vRS it will be behind the glove box, 10 minute job to remove and refit a new one. It will probably be a revision 'H' or older, and to avoid the battery drain you will need at least rev 'K'. As Steve mentions the rev 'AD' is one of the latest versions and can be had for 85 quid from eBay. It might be worth joining the mkvgolfgti forum to check the for sale sections as they are more 'dedicated' to tuning etc.

If you know someone local with VCDS they can tell you which revision gateway you have to save pulling the glove box.

To save you trawling the forum have a look here and here for all the info you need to know.

[samcoombes]

Perfect, thanks!

[samcoombes]

Is this the CAN gateway I need?

[vRS_Pagey]

Is this the CAN gateway I need?

Bingo.

Revision 'AA' is the latest iirc.

[samcoombes]

Cool

[chr1staylor]

Simbo has assured me you don't need to replace the gateway if you're getting a Columbus, as the Columbus can be updated to avoid battery drain, whereas the Bolero can't, will see if I can get him to respond to the thread.

[vRS_Pagey]

Simbo has assured me you don't need to replace the gateway if you're getting a Columbus, as the Columbus can be updated to avoid battery drain, whereas the Bolero can't, will see if I can get him to respond to the thread.

I had heard that also, isn't it a firmware upgrade?

[chr1staylor]

I had heard that also, isn't it a firmware upgrade?

That's what he alluded to in his msg yes.

[samcoombes]

eh? I'll get the Columbus if it means avoiding the gateway thing!!

I've been keeping an eye on these(and I know about the issues regarding where they come from!)

[vRS_Pagey]

eh? I'll get the Columbus if it means avoiding the gateway thing!!

I've been keeping an eye on these(and I know about the issues regarding where they come from!)

It has the security code so I don't see an issue, for the right price of course.

[samcoombes]

the going rate is around £400. Not bad IMO. If it doesn't need any coding on the car then it's got to be easier than the Bolero route! Just need the part for the facia surround.

[vRS_Pagey]

the going rate is around £400. Not bad IMO. If it doesn't need any coding on the car then it's got to be easier than the Bolero route! Just need the part for the facia surround.

If its a new unit then bargain.

I think the part no for the MFD3 surround is AZO 600 002 for the standard climate control dials, AZ0 600 003 for the climatronic.

[samcoombes]

You star! Thanks

[vRS_Pagey]

Sorry buddy, ignore them codes, they are for the single din, you will need 1Z0 858 069 R 2AU which is the silver facsia for climatronic, not sure about the standard climate control though.

[blueR36]

Simbo has assured me you don't need to replace the gateway if you're getting a Columbus, as the Columbus can be updated to avoid battery drain, whereas the Bolero can't, will see if I can get him to respond to the thread.

Simeons parents are both in hospital ( spoke on the phone with him last night) so he wont be on here, separate hospitals as well so he will not be on for quite a while