GPS ..should I? anyone fit one?

[horkin]

I'm sure I've seen threads on this in the past.

 

I love the Elegance spec I have but having seen the way the Sat Nav lifts the look of the dash and the options it gives I wonder if it's worth me installing one?

 

It would be no more than a posy option for me as I don't use a sat nav that often, more of a play thing really.

 

So, should I have one fitted and can anyone recommend which one? Amundsen, Columbus or a Chinese thingy?

Any suggestions (keep 'em clean!) welcome.

 

Harry

[Jabozuma]

If you are feeling lucky go Chinese. No moral problems (unconfirmed source (buy Columbus from fleebay) or stay 100% kosher and fork out close to £1k at the dealers.

[grr666]

Just fitted a nav unit to my motorbike. Certainly gives my dash a lift.

Still think £439 for a garmin is a bit rich.... 

[iSamage]

I say go for it. I couldn't say which option to go for though, I just know that whenever I get in to my dads vRS with pretty much standard spec, it doesn't feel half as nicer car as mine. Despite the addition of a supercharger.

Funnily enough since getting my Monte with Amundsen, I've used it a HELL of a lot. It's really easy to use for starters, countless times me and my girlfriend have just wanted to go to a random POI and that finds us great new places. And if I'm going long distance even if I know where I'm going, I'll put it on as it keeps me clear of major traffic problems. (Despite it cautioning me of traffic problems when sometimes I've already been ground to a halt.)

[bobnaldo]

I just use Google maps on my HTC and hold the phone in place with a breffo in the air vent.

[horkin]

I just use Google maps on my HTC and hold the phone in place with a breffo in the air vent.

 

HaHa nice one, I do have a TomTom but I was thinking more of upgrading the car and have a new toy at the same time.

 

Harry

[Jabozuma]

I used TomTom, phone apps of all sorts including Waze and Garmin but if I had spare dosh I'd have gone for Columbus without a second thought. For the moment performnace upgrades take priority

[Outofthi5world]

Just out of interest, how much is a Columbus?

And how much is a Bolero?

[PhilTheGeek]

I bought a brand new Columbus with DAB for about £650 from a Polish ebay seller. The same guy was also doing brand new ones without DAB for about £450. I paid the extra for a brand new unit as I wanted the confidence I wasn't buying a stolen unit.

 

A Bolero won't give you SatNav and if you buy the wrong version it won't fit because it'll be the wrong shape.

[Jabozuma]

If you called Skoda I am sure they will be able to tell you the correct part numbers for different units.

I'd not be so confident with Eastern Europe ebay sellers and their claims towards units being "brand new". Prices in Poland are almost the same as in UK as far as Columbus etc units are concerned when you buy new. IIRC Skoda supplied and installed Columbus is circa £900-£1000. 1hr chargeable time at £50-£100.

£450 for brand new... go figure

[vxh26]

HaHa nice one, I do have a TomTom but I was thinking more of upgrading the car and have a new toy at the same time.

 

Harry

The desire to have a "new toy" to play with to while away the tedium of driving doesn't on the face of it sound like a great idea . . . have you ever heard of the Darwin Awards"

[horkin]

The desire to have a "new toy" to play with to while away the tedium of driving doesn't on the face of it sound like a great idea . . . have you ever heard of the Darwin Awards"

   

[grr666]

The trouble with built in nav is they get dated very quickly.

The Nav in my 2009 Audi was a £1400 option when it was new.

It looks frankly primitive compared to even the nav on my phone now.

And the update discs aren't cheap either, it has no speed camera POI

setting. Poopier than a big bag of poopy things really. Even the card reader is pants

and can only take 2 gig cards maximum. 

Its probably better to splurge 100 quid on a tom tom and renew when the tech does

(about every 2 years) always nav deals on in halfords, and you can move it from vehicle to vehicle

including on holiday if you load up the mapping for where you are going. . 

[pipsyp]

See if you can get an Amundsen +. Excellent unit....in certain respects betters the Amundsen infotainment I have in my Mk3 Octavia.

If you get the right one (the one as fitted to the Mk2 Octavia Blackline) you'll get DAB radio and Bluetooth capability too.

[Jabozuma]

I personally hate all those windshield stuck "holders" of all kinds which come with TomToms and the like. It is enough I have to bear my phone being there - I must admit I use NAVIGON Europe (Garmin on Android) and it is quite good. What I'd like to have is a built in unit which has screen mirroring so the phone app which is always 100% up to date could be displayed on larger, built-in screen and operated from steering wheel controls. I think current offerings from Skoda do not have that function?

[eccleshill]

I have an Amundsen and it is a pretty good unit.  Reason I specified it was to replace the stoneage design standard Swing unit that has no SD card slot.  The SatNav was a bonus.  Even putting aside the SatNav for a moment the Amundsen is a MUCH better unit than the Bolero in my last Octavia - much better user interface, reads SD cards MUCH faster.

 

As for the SatNav - In comparison with my venerable £100 basic TomTom 1 of 2008 vintage...

Plus - looks good in the dash, no trailing wires or sucker marks on the windscreen, maxidot integration, enormous capacity in the "recent journeys" - looking through it is a story of my 14,000 miles!, traffic updates for free without needing Bluetooth phone connection

 

Negative - expensive, map already out of date after 12 mths, no speed (sorry "safety") cameras, extremely wordy instructions ("please make a turn to the right at the second for the A six thousand two hundred thirty five"), no current speed readout, can't preplan the route in the house ,shark fin aerial on the roof says "I have a satnav in the dash - please steal me", inability to transfer to the myriad of hire/pool cars I use for work.

 

Biggest plus = the maxidot integration

Biggest negative = keeping the map up to date.  Costs me £24 for the TomTom for 6 updates over 18mths.

[SeaGoat]

I can't say that I have ever used a built-in SatNav but I certainly wouldn't retrofit one.

I use a cheapish 5" TomTom Classic XXL.

You can pay an annual subscription and get quarterly updates to the maps..

You can also notify TomTom of errors using their Map Share Reporter (MSR) - http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/

Sadly the updates are often way out of date.

They also offer a (relatively cheap) speed camera warning option.

I wholeheartedly agree that the screen sucking holder sucks!

I don't mind the standard "Swing" radio, I use USB Memory Sticks with it.

[horkin]

As I said above I have a TomTom but I do like the upgrade the Amundsen (for example) does to the dash and hate the sticky on window sucker!!

 

Great point about "come and steal me" eccleshill and looking at the price of them they would be a temptation to many a 'tea leaf'.

 

The other interesting point is that of the latest designs that includes DAB. I don't know how long it's going to be before all our radios will become digital but it seems even that is a long way away.

It seems the positives and negatives are 50/50. Not a great incentive to me to spend around £500/600 or more without DIY fitting. Got to say my initial enthusiasm is waning slightly bit that's the beauty of Briskoda, plenty of brains/opinions to pick through.

 

Harry.

[Jabozuma]

Fitting is not a problem but you need to "code it" to your car so VCDS or the like required. Good thing about Briskie there's plenty of people with the software and a laptop around to do it for you for small fee (or beer tokens ). It also "lifts" the dash as some members like to put it and I think will also give you better quality sound in the cabin without changing speakers - not a music buff so correct me if I am wrong here.

[Outofthi5world]

I can't say that I have ever used a built-in SatNav but I certainly wouldn't retrofit one.

I use a cheapish 5" TomTom Classic XXL.

You can pay an annual subscription and get quarterly updates to the maps..

You can also notify TomTom of errors using their Map Share Reporter (MSR) - http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/

Sadly the updates are often way out of date.

They also offer a (relatively cheap) speed camera warning option.

I wholeheartedly agree that the screen sucking holder sucks!

I don't mind the standard "Swing" radio, I use USB Memory Sticks with it.

I've just bought a TomTom Start 25M Europe which comes with free lifetime map updates, the satnav cost £120 from Currys.

(hence why I asked for the price of the Bolero before)