Certainly interested but pricing would need to be known, or at least a guide. Am also interested in having it fully fitted as no sat nav already installed so i guess there will need ot be a GPS antenna located somewhere.

Not wanting to burst anyone's bubble here but i don't think your going to get the deal you are hoping for.

For a new LCD or LED Screen Version of the satnav this is the cost from a dealer

LED Version

LCD Version

I would be surprised if you get it direct from VAG for any less than £1500. Then you have to factor in the Antenna which is another £70 for the correct part to go on the roof. You also require the cabling to run from the roof antenna to the unit which is about £10-15

You could save yourself some money by getting a Puck style antenna with a FAKRA connector off fleaGay for about £20

I hope James can get you a better deal but i will be surprised and you will probably have to stick to ones off the second hand market or from eBay. Just remember not everything second hand is stolen and you can get legitimate units off ebay for a 1/3 of the price you will pay from a dealer.

The only other thing i can think is if you get factory refurbs. But that will mean James contacting VDO Continental.

How flipping much?

Why is it more than the factory option price by some margin?

How flipping much?

Why is it more than the factory option price by some margin?

I have no idea. It's like a lot of things. Dual Zone Aircon to retrofit would cost in excess of £4k but it's a £480 option is one example.

Something else i forgot to add is that you will all need the surround as well which is £38.69 inc VAT.

So if you wanted to buy from VAG and have everything OEM with warranty i would suggest your looking at

RNS - £1500 (maybe depending on what deals can be done for buying in bulk)

Surround - £39

Antenna - £73

Cabling - £15

Total - £1627

Now James may be able to get the Nav units reduced if buying bulk but i don't know what strings he can pull. Plus if you want the dealer to fit this including the roof antenna you are looking at 2 hours labour. It took me and a mate just over 2 hours to do in my new vRS. You have to drop the headlining to get access to run the wire. If you have an estate then you have to remove the A,B & C pillar trims as the OEM loom takes a weird route down the C pillar, over the wheel arch and then along the floor trim at the base of the doors before running up behind the glove box.

I'm happy to help out with fitting & coding where possible to save members some cash.

I think the ETKA prices shown are in Euros.

It really goes to show why so many people are willing to buy dodgy ones from EBay (seriously, 99% of the EBay ones are from questionable sources).

Personally I don't think it should be an excuse to buy stolen - you don't have to have a Columbus, your standard fit plus TomTom will arguably do a better job.

I went for the factory fit option as I knew it would be 100% legitimate and I'd get a 3yr warranty on it.

£1500 an overspend?

Quite possibly, but then again I'm one of these people who has nothing to do with stolen property be it phyiscal like a Columbus or software.

Stoofa

You really are deluded. How can you say 99% of eBay units are from questionable sources :wonder:

Can you prove that claim or are you just so cynical that to you they are all stolen??

I think the ETKA prices shown are in Euros.

Nope the prices are correct. I have UK pricing and have recalculated the prices within ETKA. :p

I have just checked with a dealer and the price is £2670.78 inc VAT.

Stoofa

You really are deluded. How can you say 99% of eBay units are from questionable sources :wonder:

Can you prove that claim or are you just so cynical that to you they are all stolen??

+1

I can remember the days when Stoofa and I used to alternate updating links for the most recent additions available on the Bay, so I don't know where this big turn around has come from

If he does have firm conclusive evidence that 99% of those advertised are dodgy, maybe he should be working as Chief Commissioner of Police

Stoofa

You really are deluded. How can you say 99% of eBay units are from questionable sources :wonder:

Can you prove that claim or are you just so cynical that to you they are all stolen??

Given the high theft rate on the continent, and the prices you've quoted based on ebay jobs I would suspect questionable.

The best refurb authorised VDO outlets I've seen are still £1k. Makes you wonder why ebay jobs are so cheap given demand and new prices.

Stoofa

You really are deluded. How can you say 99% of eBay units are from questionable sources :wonder:

Can you prove that claim or are you just so cynical that to you they are all stolen??

How am I deluded?

Just how many Columbus units do you honestly think fail and make their way into the refurb market?

Because that is the ONLY way that legitimate units can make their way out into the market at the price they are being sold.

Skoda charge £1500 for a new one, so somehow somebody is managing to get a "buy price" on these units that is less than a third of the Skoda selling price.

So they can sell a totally legitimate unit for £500 and still make a profit - so buying them in at around the £350 - £400 mark?

Don't you honestly see the problem with this?

There is the usual "If I don't ask questions then it doesn't hurt anybody" attitude with these things.

Just ask your seller where the unit came from - they won't be able to tell you, simple as that.

Or you'll be told that they are fromt he refurb market, a market nowhere near as big as the amount of units available for sale.

I'm sorry but if you honestly feel that you are buying something legitimate for £500 which the manufacturer sells for £1500 it is you who is deluded.

+1

I can remember the days when Stoofa and I used to alternate updating links for the most recent additions available on the Bay, so I don't know where this big turn around has come from

If he does have firm conclusive evidence that 99% of those advertised are dodgy, maybe he should be working as Chief Commissioner of Police

Yes I used to update them until it became pretty obvious that the legitimacy of many of the units was questionable.

As I've just said in abother post - it's a typical attitude to stolen goods.

If you have something stolen from you then the thief is scum and should be shot.

If somebody you know has something stolen from them then the thieves are scum and shoud be shot.

If however you're offered a navigation unit at a third the price of a brand new legitimate one (allowing the seller to still make a profit) you don't even think twice about handing over the cash.

Then, showing there is a good market for them they can continue to be stolen on the continent.

Sorry that your attitude to stolen goods is what it is - I guess 10 - 15 years ago I'd have been the same, wouldn't have questioned the price even if deep down I knew that something might be up.

I guess for some people this attitude never changes.

How am I deluded?

Just how many Columbus units do you honestly think fail and make their way into the refurb market?

Because that is the ONLY way that legitimate units can make their way out into the market at the price they are being sold.

Skoda charge £1500 for a new one, so somehow somebody is managing to get a "buy price" on these units that is less than a third of the Skoda selling price.

So they can sell a totally legitimate unit for £500 and still make a profit - so buying them in at around the £350 - £400 mark?

Don't you honestly see the problem with this?

There is the usual "If I don't ask questions then it doesn't hurt anybody" attitude with these things.

Just ask your seller where the unit came from - they won't be able to tell you, simple as that.

Or you'll be told that they are fromt he refurb market, a market nowhere near as big as the amount of units available for sale.

I'm sorry but if you honestly feel that you are buying something legitimate for £500 which the manufacturer sells for £1500 it is you who is deluded.

deluded? the bolero currently sells for £725 retail, and are being sold for £150 or less! I have one from my 2011 vRS used for 2 days only and havent sold it after advertising it on here for many weeks. These units are definitely in the main Kosher, so why different for Colombus?

OEM retrofits will fit a refurb Colombus for £600, and are used by many of the main dealers. If these are 'Dodgy' then many have been laundered through legitimate sources, and i'm sure they would have been rumbled by now if they were stolen.

I for one would never knowingly buy stolen products, but you can buy legit items well under cost wiithout resorting to dodgy dealings.

Yes I used to update them until it became pretty obvious that the legitimacy of many of the units was questionable.

As I've just said in abother post - it's a typical attitude to stolen goods.

If you have something stolen from you then the thief is scum and should be shot.

If somebody you know has something stolen from them then the thieves are scum and shoud be shot.

If however you're offered a navigation unit at a third the price of a brand new legitimate one (allowing the seller to still make a profit) you don't even think twice about handing over the cash.

Then, showing there is a good market for them they can continue to be stolen on the continent.

Sorry that your attitude to stolen goods is what it is - I guess 10 - 15 years ago I'd have been the same, wouldn't have questioned the price even if deep down I knew that something might be up.

I guess for some people this attitude never changes.

It was not 10-15 years ago - it was less than 3, and I can't recall whether or not you bought one at the time, or whether, just out of the goodness of your heart, you were willing to trawl eBay to find them for others, thereby encouraging even more people to become embroiled in it

I don't understand how, within such a short space you have 'seen the light', which is apparently so glaringly bright that it should have been seen in the first place

I'm sure there was a thread explaining Stoofa's change of heart and the reasons behind it.

How am I deluded?

Just how many Columbus units do you honestly think fail and make their way into the refurb market?

Because that is the ONLY way that legitimate units can make their way out into the market at the price they are being sold.

Skoda charge £1500 for a new one, so somehow somebody is managing to get a "buy price" on these units that is less than a third of the Skoda selling price.

So they can sell a totally legitimate unit for £500 and still make a profit - so buying them in at around the £350 - £400 mark?

Don't you honestly see the problem with this?

There is the usual "If I don't ask questions then it doesn't hurt anybody" attitude with these things.

Just ask your seller where the unit came from - they won't be able to tell you, simple as that.

Or you'll be told that they are fromt he refurb market, a market nowhere near as big as the amount of units available for sale.

I'm sorry but if you honestly feel that you are buying something legitimate for £500 which the manufacturer sells for £1500 it is you who is deluded.

I know at least 2 people that had a brand new car fitted with Columbus from the factory (one in an Octavia and one in a Superb) who both had the Columbus fail within 2 weeks of owning the car. One due to a failed HDD and the other due to a faulty touchscreen. So failed units worldwide would be able to provide a trickle feed of refurbed I would imagine.

Your prices are incorrect too. The factory fit option is £1500. To buy the part on its own is almost £2700. See the ETKA screenshots I posted earlier.

As I have said time and time again I have no doubt that some units on eBay are not from legitimate sources. However your claim of 99% being dodgy is just pure stupidity.

According to your theory the ONLY way legitimate units appear on the market is if it has failed and then been refurbed. :wonder: Have you never heard of cars getting written off? Accidents do happen on the continent as well you know. How about people that have purchased one legitimately and then removed it when selling the car therefore selling the Columbus as it no longer fits in their new car if for example they have moved away from the VAG group.

I suggest you do your research properly and before making wild, scaremongering claims actually have some concrete proof of the "dodgy" sources and sellers. I would hazard a guess and say it is probably around the 20-30% mark that would be dodgy. Otherwise if 99% of the units on eBay were being stolen then I'm quite sure VDO & the insurance companies would be doing something about it due to the losses they would be incurring!

Anyway we are detracting from what this thread is about which is a proposed group buy of the units. I just hope James doesn't come back and say he can get them for £650 as no doubt you will report him to the police for selling dodgy goods

So you are telling me this guy has handle over 1000 stolen sat nav units?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-COLUMBUS-sat-nav-system-RNS510-MFD3-Octavia-Fabia-/200641722633?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2eb72db909#ht_4723wt_1139

or this one over 4000?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/naviandbmwparts/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

So you are telling me this guy has handle over 1000 stolen sat nav units?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-COLUMBUS-sat-nav-system-RNS510-MFD3-Octavia-Fabia-/200641722633?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2eb72db909#ht_4723wt_1139

or this one over 4000?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/naviandbmwparts/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

Apparently 99% of them will have been

NaviandBMWparts are a trusted ebay seller who has been selling satnav units on ebay for more than 6 years, if they were dodgy ebay would have closed their account years ago. Ebay have pulled a number of accounts of stolen Columbus sellers, and they do it very quickly.

Not sure on the other seller, but they seem genuine enough for me, been around for six years, and being UK based would have been shutdown by our police if selling stolen goods.

There are dodgy ones on the internet thats for sure, but usually they are easy to spot. Just ask the seller a few questions and see what the replies are like (if you get any at all).

Isn't there manufacturing in China? Pure copies... Who can tell? In that case no wonder they are so cheap...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have had my Columbus mounted from Skoda when I ordered the car, and it hasn't gone bad so far ;-)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited 23 August, 201114 yr by Dekagon

How am I deluded?

Just how many Columbus units do you honestly think fail and make their way into the refurb market?

Because that is the ONLY way that legitimate units can make their way out into the market at the price they are being sold.

Skoda charge £1500 for a new one, so somehow somebody is managing to get a "buy price" on these units that is less than a third of the Skoda selling price.

So they can sell a totally legitimate unit for £500 and still make a profit - so buying them in at around the £350 - £400 mark?

Don't you honestly see the problem with this?

There is the usual "If I don't ask questions then it doesn't hurt anybody" attitude with these things.

Just ask your seller where the unit came from - they won't be able to tell you, simple as that.

Or you'll be told that they are fromt he refurb market, a market nowhere near as big as the amount of units available for sale.

I'm sorry but if you honestly feel that you are buying something legitimate for £500 which the manufacturer sells for £1500 it is you who is deluded.

So what you a saying is James who works for a main dealer is either

handling stolen goods as he is thinking of offering units around £700 mark?

or he has nothing better to do then start a thread with no research on how much he can get the units for?

on another note, how much margin do you think dealers make on parts? just remember the dealer has to pay lots of wages, rent, rates etc etc, i can bet it is not 10%

Edited 30 August, 201114 yr by tony2311

So what you a saying is James who works for a main dealer is either

handling stolen goods as he is thinking of offering units around £700 mark?

or he has nothing better to do then start a thread with no research on how much he can get the units for?

on another note, how much margin do you think dealers make on parts? just remember the dealer has to pay lots of wages, rent, rates etc etc, i can bet it is not 10%

Where has James said he can get them for £700???

The retail price, already posted, is over 3x the amount you mention. That'd be a lot of margin!

Hope James can come back soon with information on availability and prices. Need a handbags icon for this thread :S

Where has James said he can get them for £700???

The retail price, already posted, is over 3x the amount you mention. That'd be a lot of margin!

Look at the poll he put up? less £600/£650/£680/£700/£750 or more

A simple average will make it £700,