Columbus, radio, sat nav and phone complete failure

[Rustynuts]

Your profile says you have a Superb 3, which means the Columbus unit discussed here is not the same as yours. However, if it's the Octavia vRS then that might be different. Post a pic of the unit, will you?

[simichoil]

Hi, 

 

I also have an older Superb 2 (not described in the garage section of my profile) - it has the RNS 510 navigation - Columbus. I am asking about the MK2 Superb - Columbus. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Rustynuts]

Have a look here.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/405527-columbus-rns510-repairs/

 

I can repair the unit for you if you if you can get it to me. Or I can send you a hard drive if you fancy having a go yourself. It might not be the hard drive however, but I won't know until I check it over.

[simichoil]

Hi,

 

I am from Bulgaria - and i am afraid that postage in both directions will be not so cheap. Is there any way that i can check if the problem is with the HDD or just a software issue  ?

 

Thanks for the support.

[Rustynuts]

Yep, shipping will be £30 plus insurance from here to you so not really cost effective. Without the equipment to test the unit you'll be guessing as to what the problem is really. If the unit doesn't boot up then usually there's no way of reinstalling the software to test if that's the issue or not, so I doubt you could manage a software install anyway.

 

I'll send you a message.

[simichoil]

I'll send you a message.

 

Thanks...will be waiting for it.

[jt57]

Hi. I think my Columbus has finally died..........It all started three weeks ago today when I put a new battery on the car. After fitting the battery I found the Columbus didn't work at all. Tried the 3 button reset/reboot....still dead. As it was late I left it, in disgust, and looked through the hand book to see which fuse powered it so I could check it the next day.

 

Next day, after work as I don't use the car during the day, I pulled out the relevent fuse, in the box under the bonnet, and instantly dropped it. It fell down under the battery tray where my hand will not fit, oh joy of joys. I retrieved it using Blu tack and a metal kebab skewer.

I checked the fuse, not blown, and put it back in. I then turned on the ignition and, lo and behold, the columbus fired up with the Welcome Aboard screen. Super, smashing, great. I tried the radio, satnav, etc and all worked.

 

Next day swmbo took the car shopping and when I got home she informed me that the radio wouldn't work. I went out and tried it and, yes, it didn't. I did the 3 button reset and it booted up and all worked again. Since then it has worked and then not worked intermittently until yesterday when, whilst listening to the radio, it went off with a loud thud though the speakers. It came back on later for about 15 mins but did the same again.

 

Now here's the strange part, when we got home I stopped the car, took the key out of the ignition, went round and opened the boot and as I looked into the car I saw the Welcome Aboard screen on the display. Spooky..... I had to turn it off with the power button and since then it is as dead as a doornail.

 

Today I checked the fuse in the box again, didn't drop it this time, and also pulled the unit out of the dash to check the fuse on the unit and make sure all the plugs/connectors were seated right. All seem ok.

 

From the way it has been acting I think it is a power supply problem, which may have been caused by a power surge when i fitted the new battery, but I had no problems before when I had the old battery on and off a few times when it went flat and had to be charged.

 

Does anybody have an idea what the problem could be?

Edited 4 September, 2016 by jt57

[Rustynuts]

Sounds like the main board I'm afraid. Boot issues and powering off with a thud are usually fatal I'm afraid.

[tubbytommy]

good opportunity to upgrade to a columbus with dab, i did this with rustynuts above.

best mod i have ever done to a car.

[jt57]

This morning SWMBO moved car off drive so I could get my van out. Later she phoned me and said Columbus was alive and all working again.

 

She's been out visiting this afternoon and just got back and all is still well with Columbus.

 

It's doin my 'ead in.

 

Do you think a software reinstall would be a good idea?

Edited 5 September, 2016 by jt57

[Rustynuts]

If the unit's flaky then a software reinstall will either kill it, make no difference, or fix it. As it stands, you can pretty much consider it broken so there's nothing to lose by trying a reinstall.

[jt57]

I don't want to tempt fate but it has been four days since I reinstalled the software and it has performed faultlessly since.

 

Time will tell I suppose.