phiso

Hi Paul The one you are considering is the newer model if I read it right and Pumpkin's blurb has it with the octa-core processor; mine is older with a quad core. Will it make a difference? Google is a good place to look (although mainly about smart phones) but I found this - http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/octa-core-vs-quad-core-what-s-the-difference-2932452 All I can say is mine boots from cold in a couple or three seconds (30 secs or so for a full, cold reboot) and handles eveything thrown at it. OS-wise the newer one has a more up-to-date version of Android; Pumpkin are seemingly saying it might not be stable! Never updated mine (yet). You pays yer money and takes yer chance I think ;-) And Pessimal, the sim card goes in a sim holder at the end of a USB lead that in turn plugs in to the back of the unit. Don't use mine and see no point as data only sims have a monthly cost, Seems far more sense to tether (hotspot) via your mobile. Works well for me and I use PAYG! Just remember to turn off the auto updates in Google (or learn the hard way like I did, doh!!)

Hi Paul On the whole, I'm very pleased with it (mounting the GPS antenna on the dash made a huge difference). I get the odd reboot maybe once a week for no reason but it only takes about 45 secs; I can live with that. The TA system is about the worst feature as when you select this function the radio cycles the local stations picking up traffic announcements as they are transmitted. In other words, you can listen to local stations with TA but not the likes of Radio 1 or 2 with local TA interrupting as is normal on car head units. Odd but not a deal breaker. They take a LOT of setting up so be prepared! Things like how loud the SatNav voice is when it speaks over music for example. Make sure you have a good Wi-Fi connection outside your house for updates as well (unless you have a generous data package on your mobile). That unit looks a good spec - smaller screen than mine but it can play discs (mine can’t but then I don’t use them). Might be harder to square away all those wires than mine was. Support were great for me; my emails all went through Amazon so maybe that’s why I had more luck. Phil

An update after using the unit for a few weeks and details of some problems (and solutions) I found that might help others: 1: Video plays in great quality from SD cards. Not something I'll use much but it's there if needed. 2: Be careful where you site the GPS antenna. I placed mine on a "shelf" just under the dash-top storage box as I'd seen this done elsewhere. It seemed to work OK until I started to use the satnav apps and found I was experiencing freezes and the unit thinking I was on a different roads from the one I was really on! Checking the GPS monitor revealed really poor speeds when locating the satellites (up to 5 minutes!) which undoubtedly affected the map software. I now have the GPS module on the dash heater grill (the module has a magnet on it) and finding satellites seems extremely quick. It's so hard to find anything metallic under the dash that can be used for the module and that can be reached easily; the module is small & looks OK sat where it is. 3: I'm having some trouble with the unit occasionally forgetting my Wi-Fi passwords although it remembers them on a reboot. Odd. Pumpkin are investigating. Pumpkin's support continues to be of great help when issues arise and they respond really quickly. Phil

I spent a lot of time choosing a suitable android head unit, so maybe this review will help others. The unit installed is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Navigation-Touchscreen-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B06XHJZJVZ/ref=cm_cr_dp_asin_lnk (this review appears on Amazon’s site too) Please note that I have no connection with Pumpkin and I paid for the unit with my own hard-earned cash! My review is from my own experience with the unit over the last few days. Build quality, accessories and fitting One of the reasons I bought this particular model was because it claims to be completely compatible with the existing wiring in my 2010 (Facelift version) Skoda Octavia VRS and I’m pleased to say it was a perfect match (see the wiring photos). I could have had the radio installed in less than ½ an hour including removing the old one and it only took longer due to the fiddly part of finding a suitable spot for the external mic. The neat GPS module slid easily into a space below the top storage area and was kept there with some double-sided tape, it gives a very good GPS signal. Please note that I have not installed a reversing camera (yet) and my car doesn’t have steering wheel controls. Also remember that a new surround is needed which cost less than £20 from a certain auction site. The finish on the Chinese surround is grey-silver rather than VRS silver but it looks OK. It also doesn’t fit exactly right around the a/c controls (it stands proud rather than flush). It’s £20 rather than £90 or whatever from Skoda though! I need to check I have all the clips in properly before I go thinking about splashing more cash. Perhaps also of note is that once the key is removed the unit powers down automatically after about 10 minutes (although I haven’t timed it). Unlike the Bolero, the key has to be inserted and turned (ACC setting?) before the Pumpkin can be powered up. Pros: Build quality seems excellent with no loose buttons and the appearance is great. Installation was a doddle, Cons: The external mic lead is too short to allow placement near the rear-view mirror or on the driver’s A pillar. (I ended up placing it under the instrument cluster, see photo). External mic is non-standard fitting, i.e. not a 3.5mm jack so is not easy to substitute. Display, connectivity, setup The display is perfect and has been bright enough in the recent sunny days. I haven’t been able to try at night yet. It’s extremely responsive and a great improvement over the old Bolero. Connecting to my home Wi-Fi from outside the house and to my mobile (Huawei P8) was as simple as anything you are likely to see; if you are used to Android there will be no issues with this or the Bluetooth setup. Hotspot setup was also straight-forward but allowing Wi-Fi hotspot internet access seems to work better than Bluetooth, especially when using the “OK Google” function (see phone calls section). Icons can be moved around but to get them to the adjacent screen means moving the icon as far to the edge of the screen as possible – it took me a while to realise this, it’s not as easy as on my smartphone. The widgets for radio, music and clock/date on the home screen cannot be moved or changed which is a shame (although quite common with similar units as I understand it). There are the usual array of Android settings and under “GPS” you can allocate your favourite map app to the map button on the unit itself. Factory setup contains further options including useful max volumes settings (although working out which setting relates to which app is trial and error); the access code is “3368”. Speed This is one fast unit! Initially it’s approx. 20 seconds from cold boot to being able to use apps and almost instant start up on subsequent starts. Light years ahead of the old Bolero! Music, radio and video Very good audio but it’s not for the audiophiles out there, however it doesn’t cost £1000 and has more functions. I can now use my favourite music app, Poweramp, which makes changing playlists and albums a joy compared to the sloooooow and clunky system used by the Bolero. I’ve only tried video from YouTube but it looked fine. The radio is odd though. Radio stations are lost if you go into factory setup to make changes to such things as the CANBUS setting for the correct “door open” or to change maximum volumes for example. Autopumkin confirmed to me that it is a software problem that they hope to rectify. In addition, the TA function isn’t like anything I’ve had before. Normally you can listen to Radio 1 for example, set TA and local traffic will interrupt the Radio 1 broadcast. On the Pumpkin, you have to select TA and it will only select local stations carrying the TA broadcast (so no Radio 1 etc). Maybe I’m doing it wrong but it’s not very intuitive. This part is a work-in-progress for me. Maps Pick your app and it will likely work. Google maps is great for voice search but I prefer the paid-for TomTom Go because I’m used to it. Phone Calls Retrieving the contacts from my phone and making/receiving calls from the touchscreen works as expected (and the external mic seems to work pretty well considering its size) but I had so much difficulty making calls via voice commands. I’m no expert in this area and ended up using “OK Google”. The command “call home” would initially bring up the dialling number screen then three beeps and nothing. I have made it work by allowing the activation of OK Google from any screen (of course) and setting my phone to allow activation even when the screen is locked. This creates something of a security risk and needs the phone to be connected to the USB charger in the car. Not great but it works till I find another way round it and I don’t use the phone that often whilst driving anyway. Overall I’m still fine-tuning my setup after two or three days use. It’s a great unit and when I have emailed for support I’m pleased to say the answer came back the next working day. Top marks for that. Just remember that you will need to spend a lot more time setting the unit up the way you want it than you needed to install it! For the price, and despite some occasions when the radio or satnav volume would stop after using OK Google (power-off sorts it out), it’s an excellent product. Phil

£200 is really cheap if it includes tyres off, powder-coat and spray then balance/new valves. No filters just some fill-flash and sharpened in Photoshop (actually overdone a bit but it serves it's purpose).

Quick update, got my wheels done in black chrome....

Hi All Hopefully giving something back here. I damaged one of my front alloys some weeks back - I really don'y know how I did it as I'm extremely careful near curbs and the tyre is unmarked - go figure! The damage was limited to removal of paint in 2 places on opposite sides of the wheel but I couldn't find a paint to match it exactly (I'm very fussy) and my local car paint shop couldn't guarantee their mix would match unless I provided a paint code. Finding the paint code seems to be something of a problem from what I read on the net so I popped into the Skoda main dealer. The helpful chap in the parts section told me that whilst you cannot get the paint direct from Skoda (!) there was a code. In case it is of any use to anyone, here it is: Skoda VRS 2010 (FL) Neptune 18" alloys - "7ZS chrome coloured metallic" WARNING - I've decided to get my wheels powder-coated black chrome so I haven't ordered or tried the paint so don't shout at me if it doesn't work! Now all I need to do is work out where that howling is coming from at 80mph (sorry 70 mph ;-) ) when there's a cross-wind.... Oh, and raise the money for the wheel refurb! Phil

My Mk2 FL And Outside Doxford HAll with my mate's Mk3 Phil

Resurrection an old post but my Octy 2 VRS FL Estate has started doing this and I thought I had a major problem when it first happened - sounds exactly the same as this but I thought it was coming from the front of the car somewhere. Makes sense to be door seals as it only happens in strong cross-winds. I'll have a look at the seals tomorrow. Thanks for the video/sound clip :-) It'll help if I need to go to a dealer. Phil

Part 1K0915411B is the correct fabric-style battery case for 096 (278mm long) batteries - at £23 it's a bit pricy though! My engine bay is now back in tip-top condition :-)

Aha...just found my answer in another thread, I need part 1K0915411B which is a larger battery cover!

Great thread & gave me the answer I need - just changed my battery today & the cardboard/plastic cover doesn't fit. I'm off to order 1K0915411B at the weekend (can't find it online). Thanks all, especially skodapeter! Cheers Phil

Don't know if this is of any use at all but having done mine today, these are my "tips": 1: My black carboard-style battery case doesn't fit the 096 battery I put in. Haven't found a solution to this yet! 2: My PAS and ESP and tyre pressure sensors all lit up yellow when I restarted the car. Nearly gave me a heart attack! The solution is to start the engine, turn the wheels full left lock, full right lock and then centre and they all go out <phew>! Never seen this on any other car! If you get the job done quickly, I'm told this doesn't happen but I couldn't find my 13mm socket which caused something of a delay :-( Mk2 Octavia VRS diesel estate, 2010 Phil