theandywaite
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Posts posted by theandywaite
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Just to add my 2p - I've had an octo-core Xtrons for about a year now. Here's a post from shortly after I installed it with pictures:
I'd still totally recommend it. It's so much better than the RNS315 in my wife's Rapid.
Only down sides so far: very occasionally it does crash (it's needed a factory reset once) and the sticky-back GPS antenna falls off in hot weather.
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Attached is the CANBUS recommended diagram.
Interestingly, in a small foot note they do recommend just using ignition switched live on cars with low voltage / PWM based circuits. So maybe that means it would be fine? But then why would they recommend the complex relay method...
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55 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:
This presumes you're going to be using an OEM camera on an OEM head unit, coded to work correctly. What you're asking is more relevant to the type of reverse camera and the actual head unit you have fitted. Xtrons themselves might be better placed to tell you how their head unit expects signals from the reverse camera, and how to wire it to work correctly.
The Xtrons unit has CANBUS decoder, and switches to reverse camera input when the car is put into reverse (although there's no camera plugged in). I'm confident that the HU works based on CANBUS signals. The camera input is composite CVBS (which as far as I'm aware is standard).
I've done a lot of research on this topic, but all the documentation recommends wiring into the reverse light, OR, if the vehicle is CANBUS enabled taking an ignition switched feed and then switching that using a relay off the reverse lamp. I don't see any point in doing the relay bit through - why not just leave the camera powered? Thus my question on whether simply wiring it into an ignition switched live (without the relay) would be OK.
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I have had an Xtrons Android head unit for a year or so now (absolutely brilliant by the way). I'm considering buying & installing a reverse camera.
With a CANBUS car (2008 B6 Passat), can the camera just be wired up to an ignition switched live?
I know the "traditional" way of wiring up a reverse camera is into the reverse lamp. When reverse is selected, the reverse light comes on. Because the camera is hooked into the same wiring, it comes on also. The camera sends signal to the head unit. The head unit detects the signal and switches to the camera to show the driver.
But becase VW cars are CANBUS, the stereo "reads" whether it should show the camera or not from the CANBUS - so as I understand it the feed to the camera doesn't need to be switched. Will having the camera on all the time the ignition is on be okay for the car + camera?
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Do you have an RNS315 Amundsen?
You can get a (most probably counterfiet) card on eBay for much less - around £30 - 35.
That's what I did and it's been absolutely fine.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Skoda-Seat-RNS-315-SD-Card-Navigation-Sat-Nav-Map-V9-AZ-Europe-UK-2017-2018/123068451488?hash=item1ca7738aa0:g:0xIAAOSwUDBay8Jf - (just for example - can't remember the specifric seller we bought ours from)
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Yes!
I put an Xtrons in my Passat - this one http://xtrons.co.uk/pb86unvp-8-hd-digital-octa-core-64bit-32gb-2g-ram-android-6-multi-touch-screen-car-dvd-player-custom-fit-for-volkswagen-seat-skoda.html
You can read some of my thoughts and see pictures here:
In terms of features, it's amazing. I can't imagine going back. However it does have rough edges and the occasional glitch.
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Now then,
Yes, at service time my wife's 2014 model shows a warning on the dash cluster display when you turn the ignition on. I know the newer ones have a different display, but I can't imagine it being different.
You can also go into the vehicle settings and see how many days / miles left - not sure how that works (if at all) on variable servicing.
HTH
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Squeaks on speed bumps will be suspension top mount - a common problem I believe, my wife's 2014 Spaceback had passenger side replaced under warranty.
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It does feel to me like Skoda is abandoning its niches and going mainstream. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
The Yeti was a marmite car - you either loved it or hated it. But if you loved it - and many people did - then nothing else would do. The replacement Karoq (and Kodiaq) could literally be any brand if you covered over the badge. Sure they probably have broader appeal, but they're competing against every other pretty much identical SUV in the market. The Yeti was unique.
Likewise, I feel like the Rapid and Spaceback are a pretty unique proposition right now. If you want a low-cost mid-sized family car that majors on value, what do you choose? There's a Rapid, or a Fiat Tipo, or... what? Making the Rapid a Focus-clone may broaden its appeal, but if they're not careful it will have nothing to single it out in a sea of identical hatchbacks.
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4 hours ago, Chilled said:
Further to this, I carried out diagnostics using Carista which showed error codes: 00710, 01271, 01272 and 01274. Online search didn't help too much apart from telling me that they were for the ventilation motors, so I thought I'd get the tools out. So far, after a few hundred miles, it has been fine. Summarised, this is what I did:
1) remove the climatronic unit and dismantle it, clean the dust off the internal temperature sensor fan, duct and surrounding areas thoroughly,
2) remove the glove box, passenger footwell air duct and top centre vents, then take out the motor carrier for the 2 left hand vent motors.
3) dismantle and check the motors, re-soldered the joints on the PCB,
4) reassemble everything, reset the error codes using Carista and all works perfectly! I'm not sure which bit solved the problem, but I'd hazard a guess that the dust around the temperature sensor and its fan could have confused it. This part of the job is easily done in 15 mins, so well worth trying. To do the whole lot is a couple of hours.
Couple of things I found it helpful to do was to take the top centre vent out (10 second job) which meant I could see the defrost motor and centre vent flap to check operation. Secondly, if you put the passenger seat right back and stick your head into the footwell and look up (can get uncomfortable :)), you can see the motor that controls the heat mix, and also the re-circulation vents etc.
Quite rewarding and not a difficult job. Just to note that when you take the glove box out, you have to unplug the airbag on off swith and an airbag error will display on the dash until you plug it back in and restart the vehicle.
Hope this helps someone.
Could be useful for the future. Thanks for sharing. Don't suppose you took any pictures?
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You could try an OEM-look Android unit.
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1 hour ago, JWardSound said:
Thanks Naxtek for the recommendation. As an iphone user i'm looking at some of the apple play systems.
I'm not sure it is compatible though....
Also, maybe it's just me but, any stereo I buy has to have physical controls for the basic stuff (change volume, skip tracks). I do not want to be trying to work out a touch screen when I'm concentrating on driving and just want to turn it down or skip a track.
Just thought it may be something you want to factor in - I assume there are Carplay compatible units that have a volume knob?
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The Xtrons unit I mentioned should support some kind of screen-share, but when I tried it I didn't have much luck - your mileage may vary. It's possible they've come on a bit since, or maybe there's another make of Android HU that has better support (I've heard good things about Joying also).
In all honesty though, Android Auto / Apple CarPlay is not something that seems necessary on these units since it's a fully-fledged Android device. I can install any apps I care to directly onto the device. All my stuff is cloud based these days anyway.
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May I suggest one of these cheap Android stereos if you're considering upgrading:
It's basically an in-dashboard Android tablet. I have one in my Passat and it's really pretty good - I can't really imagine going back to an OEM system.
- You can install any sat nav app from Android store (my preference is HERE - which used to be Nokia - but you can use Google Maps, Tom Tom or anything else)
- You can use your favourite music apps directly on the device - I listen to Google Play Music. I also use RadioPublic which is a podcast app.
- Still connects to my phone via bluetooth for hands-free calls
- Looks totally OEM - lights up Skoda green or VW red (there is a setting)
It's worth mentioning it did take a small amount of fiddling to get right (back and forward with the manufacturer installing updates) and there are a few rough edges if you dig into the menus - so if you want it to be plug and play and 100% slick it may not be for you. But I'd still recommend it! Looks ace too:
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12 hours ago, Rustynuts said:
But if your phone has features in V5 which the RNS315 can't understand as it's V4, what the hell is it supposed to do? It's not a magic box, it can't think and make a decision, it just does what it does. If it's being asked to do something it can't understand it doesn't matter what level of Bluetooth the phone supports. My Bluetooth kit in my car doesn't support streaming as it's too old. To get streaming (not that I want it) I need to change out the module for a newer one which does support it. Or maybe I could just tell it to learn a completely new protocol and just get on with doing what I want?
There are different levels of software and hardware for the RNS315, so maybe a newer unit will do what you require.
I'm not an expert in Bluetooth standards but a quick Google shows V5 should be backwards compatible with V4.
In answer to the question of what it's supposed to do - progressive enhancement is quite common in other areas of technology. Sure, the RNS315 might not support some of the latest features but if the standard was well made then the phone could interrogate the stereo to find out what is supported. Alternatively, the phone could chuck everything at the stereo and stuff that isn't supported is ignored on receipt.
HTML - the code that makes websites - works in this way. New web browsers might support new elements. Old web browsers don't crash when they load a web page that contains the new elements - it will just ignore it. WiFi also works similarly - you can connect an old device to a new device and it will work, albeit more slowly.
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34 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:
How are the manufacturers supposed to know when they built the unit what phones and features are going to be available further down the line? They can't design & build a unit with compatibility for phones which don't exist, can they?
Of course brand new, previously unspecified features shouldn't work - nobody would expect them to.
However Bluetooth is a standard protocol that's been around for years. People quite rightly expect that when they see the Bluetooth logo that it will be compatible with other products carrying that logo. Anything built to that standard should theoretically work - that's kind of the point of having a standard.
I appreciate that in practice subtle differences in implementations and enhancements to the standards can create incompatibilities. But I don't think the OP is unreasonable in expecting that the phone should work with the car. -
Looks like the chain is for timing only, and there is a separate chain for the... oil pump?
I guess the small belt coming from the left section of the cut-away is the WP belt.
I am totally guessing by the way (armchair mechanic with very little practical experience).
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Forgive my ignorance - isn't the TSI 105 chain driven, meaning no belt driven water pump? Or is the chain just for timing and the WP is driven off a separate belt?
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22 hours ago, langers2k said:
To gain certification, they must still be the correct wattage and lumen output for bulb design (H1, H7 etc). At least this applies to the UK and EU although Canada maybe different.
Instead, the filament is normally designed to produce a smaller, brighter light source which gives the % improvement for a section of beam pattern for a specific headlight design. It's this filament redesign that makes them more fragile and decreases their life span rather than consuming more current.
I agree with your sentiment though. I gave up with 'performance' bulbs and used Philips Ecovision H7's which lasted very well.
I've had high intensity bulbs on a few cars (Osram Nightbreaker and Philips Xtreme Vision). Yes, they burn out a little quicker but I've never had any significant problems.
On certain cars with poor headlight output, the increased visibility they give is worth the increased replacement cost in my opinion.
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On 05/02/2018 at 00:03, pinkpanther said:
The cabin in the Rapid is a little "low rent" and often reminds me of the several Mk I Octavia's I'd previously owned - again quite understandable, given it's a budget offering.
Personally I've never understood this criticism of the Rapid. If you ignore the arm rest (which is awful) then to me it's one of the biggest selling points - it's much nicer to look at than e.g. a Ford Focus.
I had a Mk2 Octavia vRS a few years ago, and my wife now has a Rapid Spaceback. I will say the Octavia certainly felt much more solid, both in build quality and the way it drives. The Rapid feels to me like it has a lot of body flex, and it feels like the rear is always catching up with what the front is doing.
Having said that, the Rapid is a great car for the price and has a lot going for it!
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I've been a victim of this sort of dodgy behaviour in the past. Bought a car sold at a main dealer, so you assume it's part of the manufacturer used car scheme - and then told later that actually it wasn't. Highly misleading.
I've also had huge problems with getting things fixed under warranty - I got so fed up with fighting about various issues with both Skoda and Ford dealers I've vowed never to have another new / nearly new car. And that's when they were IN warranty. Nowadays I just buy cheaper older cars and put some money aside for fixing them with a local specialist when they break. It's much less stressful.
I know it's not pocket change, but to me £255 doesn't seem a huge bill in the context of running a car. While I really hope it doesn't, if something major went wrong (e.g. turbo) you could easily be looking at 5-10 times that. Personally I'd just accept it, and pay it rather than go through the hassle of fighting.
If it's out of warranty any way, have you considered looking for a local independent VW group specialist? I can't think of a reason why you'd give the job to the main dealer that has screwed you over. Even if an indi also wants £250ish to fix it, in my experience they care enough to do a good job (unlike dealers) and will be happy of your business. You'll also get a second opinion on the fault before they fix it.
Where are you based? Maybe someone can recommend a good one.
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Our Rapid fogs up easily and always has (owned for 3 years from ~6 months old).
Have checked all common things, like cabin filter, water retention, aircon etc. but it still does it.
Our Climatronic unit does have a fault code stored about one of the positioning motors which could be related. but everything seems to operate fine so I don't think it is.
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Our 1.2 105 has a hesitation like this. Always has. Just put it down to a characteristic of the engine / map.
Coming up to a round-about in say 2nd gear, if you suddenly need to dart out into a gap there's a pause before the power comes.
It's definitely not traction related in my case - I know what loss of front-end grip feels like / TC cutting in.
It could be turbo related, although other similar turbo petrols I've driven didn't do it.
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I've never had to replace a battery in a car before, but I replaced our Spaceback's battery earlier this year at around 3 years old. This is after it went flat a few times with just side lights left on for a few hours while parked.
I put the blame for this on the fact it sat pre-registered at a dealer for 9 months before someone bought it. I can't imagine all that sitting around did it any favours.
I replaced it with a high-end Bosch battery and it's been absolutely fine since. We regularly park places and leave the side lights on with no issues.
Ignition live for reverse camera on CANBUS
in Audio, Electronics and Security
Posted
Not a particularly constructive or helpful comment. I notice you don't tell people asking about Columbus head units to "ask Skoda".
I am posting here because Xtrons support isn't the best and I was hoping to create a "public record" for other people seeking the same answer.