Having recently ordered my Fabia vRS, I rang the dealer to ask about the MDI cable that's 'included' according to the brochure. His short response was that no cable is included, despite what the brochure says and that it'll cost me £26 for the privilege!

Not being happy at all about this I told him that Skoda surely can't advertise something that isn't true, however, he said that Skoda has told him that a cable for connecting my iPod / iPhone isn't included and that's that, despite what their sales brochure may say. Although I can't blame him for the 'mix up' in the sales brochure, I did say that a rather strong worded letter would be winging its way to Skoda but he didn't seem to think that Skoda would pay any attention and tell me to virtually 'like it or lump it'... how wrong he was!!

I've just this minute had a phone call from a lovely chap at Skoda customer services called John Good. He agreed that the brochure was mis-leading and that if the words were '...and cable' then this should in no uncertain terms include a cable. He apologised deeply and said that Skoda would provide an MDI cable of my choice free of charge for when my car is delivered in January. He even went so far as to say that if a cable isn't in the car when I pick it up then I should tell the dealer to supply one and use a case reference number he gave me to reclaim the cost.

Skoda... manufacturer of happy drivers!

As a side note, is it true that if my iPhone is connected via the MDI interface then bluetooth for phone calls will be disabled? If so then I may decide to get the USB cable instead of the iPod one, otherwise I'll just use my iPod classic for tunes through the MDI and my iPhone for the bluetooth.

Thanks for posting this.

When I was ordering my vRS I mentioned to the dealer that the brochure stated 'cable included' but he didn't give me a definite yes or no so I hope I get mine.

Do you think anyone who has ordered the car should write/email Skoda CS about this ?

Thanks for posting this.

When I was ordering my vRS I mentioned to the dealer that the brochure stated 'cable included' but he didn't give me a definite yes or no so I hope I get mine.

Do you think anyone who has ordered the car should write/email Skoda CS about this ?

Considering that the brochure leaves no doubt in my mind that a cable is included then I think anyone who doesn't get one offered by their dealer indeed should write to Skoda CS. If nothing else it may prompt Skoda to re-word their sales brochure to reflect whether a cable definitely is or is not included.

From reading around this forum alone it seems that most people don't get the cable included as part of the deal and either have to blag one from the dealer or buy one either from Skoda or other sources.

It seems ridiculous to me that Skoda can be allowed to mis-lead customers into believing that a cable is included with the MDI option but in actual fact isn't. A colleague of mine recently ordered a VW Golf with the MDI option yet she got both a USB AND iPod cable included with her car. The VW literature is a little more specific though in that it actually says that these cables are included.

Could just be another cost-cutting measure by Skoda or more likely their parent group VAG?

I bought mine from £10 from eBAY.

As a side note, is it true that if my iPhone is connected via the MDI interface then bluetooth for phone calls will be disabled?

I'll be finding that out this week unless anyone can provide you with an answer quicker.

My dealer gave us one after I claimed that the brochure said it did

I showed the dealer the brouchure and he ordered me one with no worries

I showed the dealer the brouchure and he ordered me one with no worries

Seems experiences differ from dealer to dealer then? :wonder:

Certainly my dealer, or more specifically my salesman, told me from the outset that the cable wasn't included. This was even after getting him to consult the latest brochure which clearly says '...and cable'!

Normally my dealer is pretty good on the whole (D.M. Keith in Wakefield) but I've never dealt with this guy before so experience could vary depending on the salesman I suppose. He even reckoned that he'd approached Skoda before on a similar issue with another customer and that Skoda had told him where to get off! My experience with Skoda Customer Services today indicates quite the contrary...

I'm pleased I got the right result in the end but a bit narked that I had to contact Skoda off my own bat.

Seems experiences differ from dealer to dealer then? :wonder:

Certainly my dealer, or more specifically my salesman, told me from the outset that the cable wasn't included. This was even after getting him to consult the latest brochure which clearly says '...and cable'!

Normally my dealer is pretty good on the whole (D.M. Keith in Wakefield) but I've never dealt with this guy before so experience could vary depending on the salesman I suppose. He even reckoned that he'd approached Skoda before on a similar issue with another customer and that Skoda had told him where to get off! My experience with Skoda Customer Services today indicates quite the contrary...

I'm pleased I got the right result in the end but a bit narked that I had to contact Skoda off my own bat.

I bought mine from the same place. First one they'd sold. I had to point the same thing out to them and got one supplied then free or charge after showing them the brochure. To be fair it wasn't the sales person I had the problem with it was the rude one who sits in the office who never smiles. Saleman was great.

I bought mine from the same place. First one they'd sold. I had to point the same thing out to them and got one supplied then free or charge after showing them the brochure. To be fair it wasn't the sales person I had the problem with it was the rude one who sits in the office who never smiles. Saleman was great.

Who did you deal with? My salesman was Ian, never got to see the 'man in the back' but I have spoken to him before and wasn't impressed by his manner. This was some time ago now though and it was only over a part costing a couple of quid!

Ian has been pretty good with me, straight-talking and certainly very patient! I was a little surprised and miffed that he wouldn't do anything about the MDI cable mind.

Who did you deal with? My salesman was Ian, never got to see the 'man in the back' but I have spoken to him before and wasn't impressed by his manner. This was some time ago now though and it was only over a part costing a couple of quid!

Ian has been pretty good with me, straight-talking and certainly very patient! I was a little surprised and miffed that he wouldn't do anything about the MDI cable mind.

Same Salesman as me then. Bought a car off him in the past too. Bit naughty as he'd already arranged for a no cost cable for me. Apparently the 'cable' as stated in the brochure is the wiring to wire in the MRI interface/socket according to dealer. Yeah whatever!

As for that other plank in the back. He tried screwing me over with the price for my part ex when I went to sign paperwork and collect. He makes the dealership look s;(t. He then also treated me like crap when I went to collect the cable a few days later.

The things you find out eh. The power of the Internet.

I bought ours from DM Keith in Bradford....Excellent in all respects!!

Even the man in the back!!

I bought ours from DM Keith in Bradford....Excellent in all respects!!

Even the man in the back!!

Nice one. Pleased for you! Must just be that particular dealership that's let itself down a little.

Apparently the 'cable' as stated in the brochure is the wiring to wire in the MRI interface/socket according to dealer. Yeah whatever!

Funny, that's exactly what Ian told me too! What a load of cobblers!! It's scary if he actually believes that too.

got my skoda from there. only to find front tyre 205 45 16 had chunk out of side wall (THE MAN IN THE BACK )said he put a new tyre on. He did my my full size spare tyre. Not notice till i got home he replaced my spare with a space saver wot a cheek

got my skoda from there. only to find front tyre 205 45 16 had chunk out of side wall (THE MAN IN THE BACK )said he put a new tyre on. He did my my full size spare tyre. Not notice till i got home he replaced my spare with a space saver wot a cheek

Not just me then. He really is a knobber. I hope you went back and got them to sort it. What did they say?

As a side note, is it true that if my iPhone is connected via the MDI interface then bluetooth for phone calls will be disabled? If so then I may decide to get the USB cable instead of the iPod one, otherwise I'll just use my iPod classic for tunes through the MDI and my iPhone for the bluetooth.

On your side note, I can confirm that this is the case. Connecting the Iphone via MDI disables the Iphones bluetooth, not the vehicles. The car can still connect to another phone via bluetooth whilst playing music from the Iphone.

FYI I have a £35 Maplin 250gb portable hard drive permanently in the car with a large music collection of nearly 40 years on it. This works well, has been 100% reliable in all temperatures and fits well in the slot next to the MDI socket.

As one of the earlier Fab2 VRS owners back in August (now nearly 4000 happy road and track miles) I too did not enjoy a free cable despite pointing out the small print. £3 on ebay though.

I also had to travel a very long way to find a dealer with proper product knowledge and without a comedic attitude to negotation.

Not just me then. He really is a knobber. I hope you went back and got them to sort it. What did they say?

!

Edited 25 November, 201015 yr by skoda1982

Not just me then. He really is a knobber. I hope you went back and got them to sort it. What did they say?

He said that is wot came with the car. Not true i looked at the spare as my son was going to buy me a new alloy and fit the spare tyre to .My word against his!!!!!!

Can members please tell me what plugs/sockets are attached to this cable; and how is it connected.

What items can be connected with its use?

Can members please tell me what plugs/sockets are attached to this cable; and how is it connected.

What items can be connected with its use?

The MDI option gives you a digital media input socket under the glove-box and requires an adaptor lead to connect to other items.

You have 3 options for adaptor cables;

MDI to Ipod – used to connect Ipod or Iphone or (presumably)Ipad.

MDI to USB – used to connect memory stick, walkman, mp3 player, portable hard drive.

MDI to mini-USB – as USB but for items with mini-USB connector.

The adaptor cables are fairly short in length and are £20-£26 from dealers and £3-£15ish on ebay. The MDI is a VAG product so you can search for Seat or VW media-in leads.

Hope this helps.

Hi, Latte

Many thanks for the information which is a great help.

I saw my dealer yesterday to hear that my new Fabia vRS is in transit.

I reminded him about the brochure which says that the MDI connection cable is included, although few dealers seem to know this.

The sales manager said he would supply it, but what cable did I want? I assumed it was just the one cable, he said he would get a member of the staff to contact me to ask what equipment I would be connecting.

I propose to use my Blackberry to play my music.

What cable do I need?

My dealer charged £2.91 for an MP3 1.5m audio lead,

MCH

My dealer charged £2.91 for an MP3 1.5m audio lead,

MCH

It should be included. See pages 11 of new brochure, or previous Aug 2010 brochure.

My dealer was not going to offer a mdi cable

I pointed out the price lise (he had the new one dated 4th jan) and he looked twice before agreeing.

He told me to ring skoda uk and ask them as they cant supply one without charging me...call to skoda uk who called dealers and I picked up my ipod cable last friday FOC

Chris