Thinking of fitting Columbus navigation

[Gadget6014]

Hi I'm thinking of replacing my bolero Unit with a Columbus. I'm a total novice to car electrics so am just wondering what else I need to do other than actually get the unit fitted. I've got a Octavia VRS Estate Diesel bought new last November with MDI and Maxidot. I've seen 2 different Units on flee bay Part number: 3T0 035 680A and 3T0 035 680 I'm presuming the one with the added A Is an LED unit.

Many thanks for any help

[countryboy]

No they are more or less the same unit but someone like vrscarl I'm sure will give a definitive answer. Be careful what you buy off fleabay as I've heard a lot of them are knock off ones stolen from cars in Europe and had the central processor (EEPROM) altered and soldered to get rid of the security coding. These unit will turn into expensive bricks if you try to update the firmware in them. In short DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!!

As to the actual fitting, many have retro fitted Columbus units on here in the past, seems to be a fairly simple procedure, remove the trim surrounding the bolero unit, unbolt it (4 torx screws) pull out and unplug. Stick the satellite receiver under the dash somewhere, plug the Columbus in, bolt it in place and put the trim piece in( you will have to buy a new one as the shape of the units is slightly different) You will then have to find someone with VCDS to code your Columbus into the car so it knows there is now a satnav fitted and can send information to the maxidot, i.e. navigation instructions or track playing.

Ian

[WaveyDaveyGravy]

Mine needed no coding - appeared on Maxidot straight away. And if you do buy a unit of questionable history you are not compelled to update the firmware.

[mackie]

One just went for £305 on eBay. Bargain! (if it's not nicked)

I'm getting oemretrofits to do mine.

[Nick P]

One just went for £305 on eBay. Bargain! (if it's not nicked)

I'm getting oemretrofits to do mine.

Ask oemretrofits for proof of provenance for their units.

[Gadget6014]

thanks for all the info guys I had my eye on this one but didn't have the time to do the reserch before bidding so played safe

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290536051647&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&autorefresh=true

But have my eye on this one as they offer to fit it

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200578729011&category=100919&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

As for coding my brother in law works at local VW garage so he should be able to do it for me,

so 1 last question. once the unit is fitted but before it's coded it'll still work but just may not with the maxi dot correct?

[skippy41]

Just make sure you get the 4 digit radio code along with it

[No Waiting]

had the central processor (EEPROM) altered and soldered to get rid of the security coding.

Just to correct a little error the "Central Processing Unit" aka "CPU" is not the same as "Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory" aka "EEPROM". The first does the processing, while the second stores the firmware…. Here endth today's lesson

[mackie]

Ask oemretrofits for proof of provenance for their units.

I take it you know something I don't?

[Stoofa]

No they are more or less the same unit but someone like vrscarl I'm sure will give a definitive answer. Be careful what you buy off fleabay as I've heard a lot of them are knock off ones stolen from cars in Europe and had the central processor (EEPROM) altered and soldered to get rid of the security coding. These unit will turn into expensive bricks if you try to update the firmware in them. In short DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!!

As to the actual fitting, many have retro fitted Columbus units on here in the past, seems to be a fairly simple procedure, remove the trim surrounding the bolero unit, unbolt it (4 torx screws) pull out and unplug. Stick the satellite receiver under the dash somewhere, plug the Columbus in, bolt it in place and put the trim piece in( you will have to buy a new one as the shape of the units is slightly different) You will then have to find someone with VCDS to code your Columbus into the car so it knows there is now a satnav fitted and can send information to the maxidot, i.e. navigation instructions or track playing.

Ian

Argh - I thought the facia trim was the same for the Bolero and the Columbus, ooops.

Anyone have the part number handy for the facial surround for the Columbus is the FL?

[peanut18]

Hi all, sorry this is probably going to sound very judgemental and you are all quite welcome to your own opinions, but for what it's worth here is mine........If you are considering purchasing a 2nd hand Columbus unit from eBay, OEM retrofits or pretty much any other outlet then you must be MAD.

Let me explain my opinion........firstly do the maths.........how many Octavia's, Yeti's and Superb's have Columbus from the factory? I'm guessing no more than 10% (and most of those will be Superb or Yeti Elegance's where they are standard fit). Then ask yourself how many of these legitimate units become available on the 2nd hand market as a result of crashes, certainly no more than 5% of the 10%, so already you are talking really really small numbers in the low hundreds I expect. Then look at how easy they are to buy on eBay or from other sources and ask yourself how they got from the wreckers yard to these people (don't you think the wreckers yards could sell them themselves). So from this I think you can draw only one conclusion - they are in fact stolen.

There is a member on this forum that has had 2 Columbus units stolen from him, maybe that's bad luck. But just think about it, when you buy the unit from eBay you give the seller your address. Who’s to say in a few months time when the supply is drying up on the continent that they don't pop over to the UK and take them right back to sell again to some unsuspecting buyer.

You hear this saying often 'If it looks to good to be true, then it probably is' never has a truer word been spoken with reverence to 2nd hand Columbus units.

If you want to bury your head in the sand and ignore this then fine, but in my mind you are just fuelling the demand and fuelling international crime.

[vRS Carl]

The units you have listed are both the same.

a 3T0 035 680 A is the original unit that was fitted to Superbs and FL Octavia's from the factory (all pre-fl octavia ones were 1Z0 035 680 A). BUT you can get LED & Non LED Screened revisions their is no way of knowing unless the seller states it has an LED Screen.

Don't be put off by scare stories that they are all nicked etc. They are not. The ones to be wary of are ones that come with no code card.Tthey have to provide this if it's genuine as it's not supplied to anyone even when you purchase a car with it installed from the factory. I got mine from eBay and it has been fine. I had all the code card provided etc and the seller was only too happy to answer all my questions.

Ask the seller to provide you with proof (i.e pic of the Unit, The code card, OEM Nav disk) as the decent ones will they just put a bit of tape over the code. If you do get one and the code is something like 0000, 1234, 8888 etc then send it back as you will never be able to update the firmware.

I personally would not pay £1600 from a stealer for a genuine unit if i could get a genuine one off eBay for £5-600.

Here is a screen shot of ETKA. I need to update the pricing to reflect the 20% but you can see the base price of the unit. Ignore it says 1T0 for the part no. that just means its for a VW car. They are all the same it's just different splash screens and lighting

I can put you in touch with a seller who sells them but he generally gets VW ones. Although im pretty sure he can reflash them to Skoda start up screens. You will however have Red Backlighting not green.

With regards to coding the unit will needed to be coded as they retain the coding from the car they are taken from. So although it may work as soon as you plug into the dash their may be some coding which is awry which can make day to day use problematic. The unit will work no problem in the dash. It will just be things like Maxidot, MFSW compatibility that will be the problem.

Fitting is easy and you can do it yourself in about 20-30 mins. You only need a trim tool and a T20 Torx bit.

If you do get one and it bricks then i can give you a disc which will recover the nav 99.9% of the time unless it is completely fooked (i.e hardware failure mainly).

If you have any questions mate then PM me as i am not on here much at the moment but PM's come through to my email

Edited 22 February, 2011 by vRS Carl

[Hauptmann]

I do remember there was a (UK) member of this board had his Octavia broken into and the Columbus stolen. Can't find the post right now though. I suppose that was sold on to 'someone'.

Looking at the bigger picture though, the Columbus is quite an old design now and the navigation is far from the best. I had one for a while but found I kept using my TomTom 530 and so eventually sold it.

We now have another integrated satnav in my wife's Fabia II (with iGO8) but still find that we tend to use TomTom. The fact is that TomTom has so many advantages, including three-monthly map updates, which I think is a massive plus point. Also the routing and additional features and facilities that you can load onto it are so much better. I also like the ability to sit in the house and input itineraries and try different routes etc., to be very handy.

Granted, it does not look as neat as an ingrated unit, but it works better, is much cheaper and is not a thief-magnet.

[vRS Carl]

Here is an example of a Genuine one on eBay. As you can see it has the code card and has even been updated to V7 Maps

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Skoda-Columbus-navigation-RNS-510-VW-RNS510-MFD3-LED-V7_W0QQitemZ320648836797QQcategoryZ0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m221QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%26its%3DI%252BP%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D8%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7264229901368589525#ht_2603wt_1165

[mackie]

I'm still kind of in two minds. I do still want the Fiscon bluetooth kit fitted but I'm not 100% sure about the navigation. The alternative would be a TomTom GO Live 1005, has anyone wired in a charger cable permanently?

[albutch]

Don't be put off by scare stories that they are all nicked etc. They are not. The ones to be wary of are ones that come with no code card.Tthey have to provide this if it's genuine as it's not supplied to anyone even when you purchase a car with it installed from the factory. I got mine from eBay and it has been fine. I had all the code card provided etc and the seller was only too happy to answer all my questions.

+1

[vRS Carl]

I have the Fiscon Basic Plus and it works very well with the Columbus

[peanut18]

Here is an example of a Genuine one on eBay. As you can see it has the code card and has even been updated to V7 Maps

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...#ht_2603wt_1165

No disrespect meant, but perhaps the owner of a legitimate Columbus (i.e. factory fitted from new) can confirm if their unit came with a radio code printed on a card? I don't believe Skoda issue these and lets be honest how hard is it to print a business card sized piece of paper with a Skoda logo and a number on it. I could do that in 10 minutes tops. Any number of competent software hackers with the right programme could get the code out of the Columbus unit within a matter of minutes. If you can jail-break an iPhone and hack a PS3 to play copied games (something that was suposedly un-hackable) then you can, as sure as eggs-is-eggs, extract a security code from a Columbus.

There are at least 10 units on eBay at the moment - did 10 Octavias, Superbs or Yetis (with factory fit nav) crash this week and all the scrap yards decide to sell the units to a reseller in Lituania. Come on, open your eyes.

I asked a direct question to at least 5 different eBayer sellers as to where they got their units and not a single one was able to give me a satisfactory (and verifiable) answer. Hence I havent purchased one !

[No Waiting]

but perhaps the owner of a legitimate Columbus (i.e. factory fitted from new) can confirm if their unit came with a radio code printed on a card?

Mine didn't, and I'm not aware of any that did...

[vRS Carl]

No disrespect meant, but perhaps the owner of a legitimate Columbus (i.e. factory fitted from new) can confirm if their unit came with a radio code printed on a card? I don't believe Skoda issue these and lets be honest how hard is it to print a business card sized piece of paper with a Skoda logo and a number on it. I could do that in 10 minutes tops. Any number of competent software hackers with the right programme could get the code out of the Columbus unit within a matter of minutes. If you can jail-break an iPhone and hack a PS3 to play copied games (something that was suposedly un-hackable) then you can, as sure as eggs-is-eggs, extract a security code from a Columbus.

There are at least 10 units on eBay at the moment - did 10 Octavias, Superbs or Yetis (with factory fit nav) crash this week and all the scrap yards decide to sell the units to a reseller in Lituania. Come on, open your eyes.

I asked a direct question to at least 5 different eBayer sellers as to where they got their units and not a single one was able to give me a satisfactory (and verifiable) answer. Hence I havent purchased one !

I never said that all the units on eBay are legit. What i did say is that not all the units are from dubious sources. Some are refurbs from the factory which could have gone back for something as simple as a knackered DVD/HDD. It takes 20-30 mins to replace the DVD/HDD with the right tools (I've done it to 4 diff units). These then get sold on uber cheap.

My L&K has a factory fit Satnav. You do not get the code card unless you get one from a dealer to retro fit. Or you go in and ask the dealer for the code card. The code for the radio is stored in the ECU when you first enter it and as this is done at the factory their is no reason to provide the code. Everytime after that no matter how long you have had the battery off as soon as you plug the radio back in it works straight away as the ECU pumps the code to the unit via the CanBus. I had the battery disconected on my car for several months whilst overseas and when i came back as soon as i connected the battery the MFD3 worked straight away.

If it's so easy to get the code why do the dubious ones reset them by soldering the EEPROM??? I think you'll find it is a bit more difficult that you imagine. Im not saying it's impossible as i know it's not. But it's not as easy as you think.

So i don't need to open my eyes thank you very much. I'm fully aware of how these units are sometimes obtained im also fully aware of the lengths some people go to get these items to make them appear genuine. I'm not forcing you nor anyone else to spend your/their money. If you do your own research you can find genuine items on eBay.

To the OP - If you want me to put you in touch with a guy who does supply genuine ones i will speak to him to se if he can get Genuine Skoda ones or, if your not fussed about the backlighting, reflash the VW one to display the Skoda Logo.

[Nick P]

Here is an example of a Genuine one on eBay. As you can see it has the code card and has even been updated to V7 Maps

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Skoda-Columbus-navigation-RNS-510-VW-RNS510-MFD3-LED-V7_W0QQitemZ320648836797QQcategoryZ0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m221QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%26its%3DI%252BP%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D8%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7264229901368589525#ht_2603wt_1165

The picture on the ebay listing even shows the security code hand-written on the exact same kind of little price-label on the top as all the other Lithuanian cracked ones. Also note the roughly cut code card.

[No Waiting]

The picture on the ebay listing even shows the security code hand-written on the exact same kind of little price-label on the top as all the other Lithuanian cracked ones. Also note the roughly cut code card.

and, if it's genuine, why doesn't it come of a printed manual?

And while on the subject of genuine or not - my factory fitted unit has a nice sticker on that says "Must be scrapped if dropped" (or words to that effect), not seen many on eBay that have that on :wonder:

[Nick P]

I've had two definitely stolen ones from ebay in bits on my kitchen table and another that was probably stolen. One of them was so dodgy it was actually funny - it had badly reproduced labels and roughly ground off serial numbers.

My original one was less overtly dodgy looking but had clear solder marks on the main board and bricked when trying to update the firmware. I had to replace the main board and the hard disk in it.

[Nick P]

If it's so easy to get the code why do the dubious ones reset them by soldering the EEPROM???

I'm not sure anyone still does it by soldering.

[vRS Carl]

Look Gents.

As i said earlier its your money so do with it as you wish. If you want to pick holes in something then fine do so, however to sit their and blatantly says "ALL MFD3 on eBay are from dodgy sources" is just plain stupid.

You all have a brain, you can all use a computer so it's quite straight forwards. You do the research, ask for advice, take everyone's advice with a pinch of salt (including mine) and then make your own decision using balanced judgement and one that you will ultimately be happy with. At the end of the day it's your hard earned cash

It's getting very tiresome on this forum with members spouting off about about laws, morals etc. Everytime some posts a thread it just gets picked at. Have you lot nothing else to do? If some of you actually look at the eBay link properly and click on the images to display full size you will see it is appears to be a proper code card (I have seen the genuine ones) & it's not rough cut. Yes the number may also be on a sticker on the top but have you never considered that he may have more than one unit and so needs to know which card goes with which nav. Or is that concrete proof it's dodgy? The seller has 100% positive rating. I'm quite sure that by now if he were selling dubious units someone would have given negative feedback.

By all means offer an opinion but do it in a balanced way.