so its only got 5 digit post codes

isnt easy to add POI's

doesnt have speed camera locations.

is there anything about the Nav on columbus that us better than tom tom apart from the lack of trailing charger lead !!!!

good job i bought the elegance for other reasons and i am effectively getting free sat nav otherwise i might be a bit upset at the cost !

is there anyway of connecting a laptop direct to the columbus to get stuff onto the hard drive (similar to the way i plug my tom tom into the usb connection and udate the POI's) ?

The 5 digit post code thing is cr*p, but we have to live with it for the moment. If we want this to change, then we've got to complain. I've e-mailed Warren Richards, Skoda UK product marketing manager, and also written to Skoda customer services. I suggest you do the same.

You can easily guess the correct e-mail address, given that Skoda use:

[email protected]

The address for customer services is:

Skoda Customer Services

SelectPost 34

Sheffield

S97 3FA

As for POIs, then they are really easy to add, as a nice chap has written a Windows GUI to do it.

Check this thread out for the details:

http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/columbus-mfd3-rns-510-custom-poi-tool-available/109775/

I've just built a new disk image that contains the latest PocketGPSWorld speed camera database, and it was all pretty easy. You've got to get your hands on the V3 disk first, but one will come with the car.

Other than the poor postcode support, I think the Columbus unit is very good. It's certainly better than any other OEM satnav I've used. The screen resolution is significantly better than most others, and the way it integrates with the rest of the car is great.

You can't connect your laptop to the Columbus, but there is a way to connect up a USB hard drive or memory stick. It's called MDI, and is an option on all VWs that have the RNS-510. Sadly, Skoda don't offer this yet. However, if you buy the parts from your local VW dealer, it just plugs straight in the back.

You need:

5N0 057 342 - MDI interface - £120 +VAT

(This is the slimmed down version, which doesn't come with all of the plastic trim for installing in the arm rest. This is the best version for Octys and Superbs, as you simply route the cable into the glove box. This is now the standard cable for the Jetta, Golf and Scirocco).

000051446B - USB cable - £25.54 + VAT

000051446C - iPod cable - £17.02 + VAT

Currently, the MDI interface and the USB cable are in stock, but there is an ordering freeze. I'm not sure why, but I'll be purchasing them as soon as the hold is removed. VW UK are supposed to be contacting me when this happens.

Bagpuss.

thanks !!

i think the free space on the hard drive plus a dual layer DVD chucked on the glove box should give me about 25GB which will be more than enough for my music collection. Although i might have to leave it copying onto the hard drive for several hours as i believe the data transfer rate is slow !

i will email skoda re the postcode but they are crap at emails. I sent them an email to ask about avaibility of a petrol deom car and i am still waiting for a reply. I am not convinced they bother reading email !!

i had a look at the GUI last night and it looked complicated - probably as it was 11.30pm !! i will look again once i have the car and disc. Is there anay danger i could completely f*ck up the nav if i do it wrong or woudl it be a simple case to go back to the original skoda factory setup by reinstalling the master disc ?

Just another point - i know that the NAV runs from the hard drive but can you run it from the DVD so as to leave the hard drive empty for music ?

Data transfer rate is pretty good, there is a nack to it. For some reason CD'rs and CDRW's read quiet slowly. Use DVD-R media and its just as quick as a USB Hard drive. The key is to turn the volume right down to zero so the sound is muted (speaker with line through on displau), that way its not trying to play the same music you are copying which results in uneccessary DVD drive head seeks.

so is it best to transfer from DVD-R than from the SD card lsot or are they about the same speed. i guess the SD card is more of a pain given that it will only hold 2GB.

i will remeber your volume tip - although i am puzzled - when in data tranfer mode are you saying it tries to play the track as well...thats odd as i would have expected data transfer mode to be somethgin differnet to playback ? cant you just switch to FM radio to prevent hard drive searches and then tranfer form dvd to hdd

so is it best to transfer from DVD-R than from the SD card lsot or are they about the same speed. i guess the SD card is more of a pain given that it will only hold 2GB.

i will remeber your volume tip - although i am puzzled - when in data tranfer mode are you saying it tries to play the track as well...thats odd as i would have expected data transfer mode to be somethgin differnet to playback ? cant you just switch to FM radio to prevent hard drive searches and then tranfer form dvd to hdd

From what I remember, when you insert a DVD with MP3s on it, the Columbus automatically starts to play them. I just paused the playback when I was copying files, and this seemed to work okay. I didn't try switching to the radio, but I guess that would have the same effect.

On the subject of leaving the NAV disk in the drive to free up hard drive space; sadly this doesn't work.

The hard drive is split into two partitions. The first is a VW proprietary format designed specifically for the map data. It's 10GB in size, and nothing you can do will change this. Also, if this partition is empty, the moment you put a NAV disk in the drive, it automatically starts copying the maps across. Given that you can't get this 10GB back, you may as well run the maps from the HDD. The second partition on the disk is simply FAT32, and when formatted gives approx 18GB of free space.

I think it would be possible to upgrade the HDD without too many problems. I've got a process worked out, all I need is a guinea pig to let me take their Columbus apart .

Bagpuss.

Postcode issue is very very poor. I've also seen one running, and much prefer the TomTom interface.

Not that any of it bothers me, I'm getting an SE, so won't miss it!

it would be a shame if i end up using my tom tom wouldnt it !! cables everywhere. wobbly mount with the unit bouncing on bad roads etc etc !!

Postcode issue is very very poor. I've also seen one running, and much prefer the TomTom interface.

Not that any of it bothers me, I'm getting an SE, so won't miss it!

I agree with you, Paul. Tom Tom is a much better piece of software all round. They have one very significant advantage now, given that they own TeleAtlas. It's much easier to keep things up to date, and add new features when you own the map provider.

Also, I suspect that a lot of the really cool TomTom features are patented, preventing others from using them.

Still, the Columbus is still a good unit, as far as OEM navigation goes. Car manufacturers are also much more conservative in their feature sets, given that only a very low percentage of customers will ever buy a car equipped with the nav unit. It therefore represents a much higher unit cost for them. If the Elegance didn't come with the Columbus, I certainly wouldn't have paid extra for it.

Bagpuss.

I have a tomtom as well, but just use the columbus now. Forgetting postcodes for a moment, The nav is actually quiet good and the TMC data is quiet handy. The address entry, although not as good as tomtom is fairly intuitive and the keyboard buttons nice and big. The actual map when driving, is to me pretty good and you can zoom a long way out or very close in. When zoomed out you can see traffic problems long before you get to them.

me neither !!! annoying though when you have got it sat there and it doesnt do what you want it to do !!! i suspect i will program a lot of places in advance before is set off on trips and save them as favourites.

we test drove a lexus and the sat in that was really good. I liked the blow up of the junction / motorway exit so you could get in the correct lane which appeared in a seperate window.

just sent my "email lobby" to skoda UK

come everyone - all do the same and they might change to 7 digit ! (wishful thinking but worth a try)

I've just had a reply from Skoda about the postcode issue. It sounds like Skoda UK are lobbying the factory quite hard about this.

From the tone of the e-mail, it seems that the factory simply didn't understand the significance of the extra 2 digits. This is not that uncommon, as most of Europe doesn't rely on post codes in the way that we do.

I've been assured that I'll receive an e-mail if/when they resolve the matter.

Andy.

I have a tomtom as well, but just use the columbus now. Forgetting postcodes for a moment, The nav is actually quiet good and the TMC data is quiet handy. The address entry, although not as good as tomtom is fairly intuitive and the keyboard buttons nice and big. The actual map when driving, is to me pretty good and you can zoom a long way out or very close in. When zoomed out you can see traffic problems long before you get to them.

It's good to hear from someone who uses the system regularly. Once I get my car, I'm sure I'll find more to be positive about. I do really like the extra screen resolution, as this is an area where the Columbus really scores over the TomTom. You can see much more detail in the maps, and also get a wider picture of the map.

Oh well. Only a few more days to go.

Bagpuss.

wow !!

well i emailed Warren Richards at skoda UK re 5 digit / 7 digit postcodes and within about 20 mins i got this reply :

"Thanks for your email about the 5 digit post code system on the Columbus Sat Nav unit. Having a 7 digit system is something that we have already raised with the factory as being beneficial in the UK but unfortunately, discussions can often lengthy and currently they are still on going.

If and when we receive more information we will issue an update.

Once again thanks for your email and I hope you enjoy your new car!

Best regards Warren"

Entry using the 5 digit codes is not that bad, it really depends on the area. For example, to navigate to 3 high street, ip3 4nr (ficticious) you would.

-----

enter: IP3 4

Then start entering the street name, you may only need to enter the first 2 letters and then the whole road name comes up. Select this.

Then when prompted enter the number, only valid numbers for the postcode and street combination are selectable, in this case 3.

--------

Then drive to the destination.

dont really have than much bother with my tom tom wire (singular not plural!) - just tuck it into the dash, really not an issue.

As for the view, I thought the columbus graphics were poor, quite juddery on refreshing (my new Tom is smoooooth) and not actually that clear.

I also prefer my satnav at eye level, on the dash, just to the right of the steering wheel (actually mounted on the windscreen)

jcblincs - my Tom Tom mounts have never been wobbly? Mine are dead steady, nice firm smooth ball and socket mount.

i dont like the windscreen mounts as the tomtom is simply too far away and i cant reach it plus i think it is dangerous as it obscures my view (a small crack in the windscreen in the critical area = MOT failure but hunking great sat nav unit in the field of vision is fine !!! ???). i am also quite short so this had a bearing on this decision too.

i use a vent mount which is OK but can wobble if the going gets bumpy.

My tomtom is a bit jerky but then that is because i was tight and bought the cheap version !! (tomtom one). my old PDA was much smoother but was a pain as the bluetooth receiver had a charging lead as well so you could end up using two cig sockets have two wires to deal with.

I've had my Tom fitted on a

1. Saab 9-3

2. vaux Vectra

3. Volvo V70

All big cars, and I've never had it too far away. I have the sucker on the right hand side of the windscreen, right up at the edge, and the mount is upside down. The Tom Tom then hangs pretty much level with the front edge of the dash, and about 2 inches above it. Not far back at all.

Totally agree with those who mount them central, right at the foot of the windscreen - no way I could reach that!

I've had my Tom fitted on a

1. Saab 9-3

2. vaux Vectra

3. Volvo V70

All big cars, and I've never had it too far away. I have the sucker on the right hand side of the windscreen, right up at the edge, and the mount is upside down. The Tom Tom then hangs pretty much level with the front edge of the dash, and about 2 inches above it. Not far back at all.

Totally agree with those who mount them central, right at the foot of the windscreen - no way I could reach that!

but then dont you end up with the charging lead trailing across the top of the steering column.

guess it depends on which model you have - i have the el cheapo "one" version and you cant mount it upside down i dont think.

I do have the cable trailing, yes, but I can live with it. when I leave the car, the cable and bracket go in the glovebox, and the Tom goes in my bag.

not a perfect solution (although my mate had his wired into the car, very very neatly, for not a lot of cash - he has his mounted where i have mine)

I'm just not a big fan of in car Sat Nav's - OK, if you are lucky enough to get one "included" in your spec, when that wasn't what you were really after, then great. I just can't see the justification in spending many many times more than the cost of a Tom Tom for something that is more costly to update (in terms of data). Also, I may well upgrade my Tom in 2 years (say another £200) - much tougher to do that in factory fitted one!

As for me, I went for the SE because

1. I wanted 17 wheels (ok, I know that is now sorted on Elegance)

2. Don't like full leather

3. Didn't need SatNav

So basically i was looking at a good deal more for rear parking sensors, heated seats and Advanced lights.

I went for the SE with rear sensors and heated seats as option, and came in way below.

off topic, but :

I just tested a Nokia E66 today......Works perfect....

No need for tomtom or incar sat.nav. now.

And you know what.....I can make phone calls with it:)

The columbus is not just a satnav though, that is just one function of many. The columbus is a full function multimedia machine, has 30GB hard drive, can play DVD's, mp3s and wma files, has FM/AM radio with diversity and when connected with the skoda bluetooth kit, you use it to make/recieve calls, access the address book, call history. Has TMC built in, the tomtom needs yet another cable for this. Its even possible to add a TV Tuner or aux video in, so you can play ps2's and the like straight through. The sound is also amazing even connected to the factory speakers with full 4.0 dolby digital / DTS decoder for DVD's.

I know, but i will go for Bolero and save 1350 Euro.......Thats about 1 Nokia E66 and Sound system......And petrol money to run my new car för 5 months.

fair enough. we also wanted an ivory interior and electric seats with electric lumbar and wanted xenons so felt the elegance was best for our needs.

by the way - the SE has rear sensors as standard so why did you add them as an option ?

i agree totally with your comments about the sat nav. the alternative car was an A4 and there was no way i woul have paid £1900 for the sat nav as its not even as good as the columbus (its a pain entering the destination on an Audi using the rotary MMI dial wheras the columbus touchscreen is at tleast the same as tomtom)

can play DVD's, ... Its even possible to add a TV Tuner or aux video in, so you can play ps2's and the like straight through.

Do you really want to do any of that while driving LOL . Okay may be while stuck on on m'way.

I haven't spend much time on this, but sometime would look something to keep rear passengers (kids!) busy, like in the pic attached.