columbus unit

[koni]

hi

iam collecting my new vrs octy next week and its coming with a standard bolero unit.

I have seen on flea bay quite a few columbus units for sale ranging from £300 upto £600.

Is it really a worthwile aftermarket upgrade ? will the sat nav be any better then say a tomtom ? or garmin etc ?

will it work out of the box ? wil it require any further expense ie coding etc to get it working ?

would it be an easy fit ?

sorry for the questions.

Edited 13 October, 2011 by koni

[KBPhoto]

It is quite an easy swap from one to another and there are some reputable sellers on eBay (I purchased one from Navi and BMW parts recently and all seems good so far). I offered £480 and it was automatically accepted (2010 LED version), so you may be luckier than me.

I don't think that it is better than a Tom Tom, etc, but then I don't think that it is any worse! There are some features missing (audible speed camera warnings among them) but the trade off is integration with the car and a much bigger screen. You also get 15Gb of space to store you music in MP3 format (and I retained my 6 disc change in the boot as well) and a DVD player on a reasonable sized screen.

One of the big downsides is the cost of updated maps as these should be purchased from the stealer at over £140 a time.

As you have a new Octy on the way, there should be no problem with battery drain on older CAN Gateways, but you will need someone with VCDS (search this forum for members who have the cable and software) to spend 10 minutes coding your CAN to let it know that you now have navigation device fitted.

I am not sure whether the Bolero makes use of dual aerial inputs or not. If it doesn't, you will need some form of adapter (c.£12-15 on eBay) to plug your aerial cable into he back of the head unit.

Yes it is an easy fit, but the fascia / surround may be different and require a new one (less than £6 from dealer - I bought mine today!).

Whether it is worth it, only you can decide. SWMBO didn't think that it was! C'est la vie!

[koni]

Thanks for the reply.

will prob just stay with the tom tom, but its good to know its not a hard fit.

cheers

[tony2311]

the facia is different and cost around £39 for sliver one,

To me it is better then having wires and a tomtom stuck to screen, too lazy to remove very time i use it, On top of sat nav you have a DVD player and 20gbish hard drive to store your music/video

[KBPhoto]

the facia is different and cost around £39 for sliver one

Oh yeh! I forgot that the Vrs had a silver fascia / surround!

To me it is better then having wires and a tomtom stuck to screen, too lazy to remove very time i use it, On top of sat nav you have a DVD player and 20gbish hard drive to store your music/video

Totally agree about all of these.

The only feature of smaller sat nav devices that I miss is the speed camera warnings, but then again, as I don't speed it's not really.

[wardth]

HAving been an enthusiastic TomTom user for years, I bit the bullet and bought a Columbus primarily to benefit from the integration with the Bluetooth phone kit and iPod adaptor. I found the navigation to be miles ahead of the TomTom which seems slow and cumbersom by comparison.

The Columbus lifts the car more upmarket and friends and collegues are amazed!

My TomTom XL with Google search etc is now languishing on my desk unused and unless the Columbus breaks, I'll never go back to using it.

Don't hesitate - get yourself a Columbus and marvel at the integration with the car and sheer quality of the unit. As for map updates - there are loads on the various forums so rightly or wrongly, don't be put off by the scaremongers who tell you you have to spend £170 each time.

EDIT: if the Columbus break I'll buy another - the TomTom is going on eBay!

[koni]

Thanks for the replies, some good info

[tony2311]

just found out if the code was from factory or if it has been mod, if it been mod you might not be able to update the firmware

[Eddie-NL]

just found out if the code was from factory or if it has been mod, if it been mod you might not be able to update the firmware

I would say that is with the early versions when that was the only way to read the code

Most newer ones if they didn't have the code a RNS manger tool could create a new code

[tony2311]

I would say that is with the early versions when that was the only way to read the code

Most newer ones if they didn't have the code a RNS manger tool could create a new code

How do we tell if it was hard wire or RNS manager? As i got a 2011 jan one from ebay and the code was written on a sticker on the machine?

[Evening Star]

Even though I've thought about it in the past, I don't particularly like the thought of buying one off of Ebay because you don't know where it came from, you don't have any warranty to fall back on should it become defective.

I've also noticed that most of the units have red background lighting whereas (correct me if I'm wrong) Skoda OEM units have green.

[Anddenton]

Even though I've thought about it in the past, I don't particularly like the thought of buying one off of Ebay because you don't know where it came from, you don't have any warranty to fall back on should it become defective.

I've also noticed that most of the units have red background lighting whereas (correct me if I'm wrong) Skoda OEM units have green.

Red background lighting I think is what VW's version comes with, and yes Skoda has the green. Other than this and the VW/Skoda logo on power up I believe there is no difference (anybody want to confirm this?). I got mine off eBay and you're right it is a bit of a worry but when you can get one for £450 instead of the stealer £1750 then as long as you stick to a reputable seller with good feedback then all should be ok. Mine has been fine for 18 months now apart from one recent blip which it seems can happen to any of them occasionally.

[Evening Star]

But if you install one from Ebay, doesn't it come up with Welcome to Volkswagen rather than Welcome to Skoda as it should.

I mean it could be a bit awkward come selling time or if you get stopped HMCE or Mr Plod decides to examine the car for some reason.

[Anddenton]

But if you install one from Ebay, doesn't it come up with Welcome to Volkswagen rather than Welcome to Skoda as it should.

I mean it could be a bit awkward come selling time or if you get stopped HMCE or Mr Plod decides to examine the car for some reason.

I agree you would have to explain this on selling (although I believe a software update can convert it to the correct Skoda version) but I have never known the the police to ask to see the boot up sequence on a sterio, they are usually more bothered about the state of the tyres etc.

Only other thing is mine says "Skoda" acros the top above the CD slot, I assume the red versions have "VW" on them.

[Evening Star]

Well I might have considered it 8-10 months ago, but as I might change the car next year I don't think I'll bother.

The one thing that really puts me off is not having the camera alerts on it, which it really needs to do that nowadays, if only to remind you when you're concentrating hard on the road ahead & you inadvertently forget to slow down, it's just a helpful reminder tool for those of us who're going a little senile. (Age 44¾)

[wardth]

But if you install one from Ebay, doesn't it come up with Welcome to Volkswagen rather than Welcome to Skoda as it should.

I mean it could be a bit awkward come selling time or if you get stopped HMCE or Mr Plod decides to examine the car for some reason.

Sorry but that's rubbish.- I think you've been on the receiving end of some superb scaremongering and misinformation!

HMCE and Plod wouldn't know what the hell they were looking at. If it's Skoda green (and lots of them are - buy the correct one in the first place - who's to say it wasn't a factory fit. Even if it wasn't and it had red backlighting why would you need to prove ownership? You would have a PayPal receipt anyway and there are a number of reputable companies on ebay which will supply a unit so I rest my case!

I've had an eBay unit for three years now in two different cars and it survived a high speed crash that wrote the first car off. No problems whatsoever. It's now got up to date firmware and speed notifications and lives quite happily in my FL alongside the Volkswagon Bluetooth Kit I purchased from eBay and the MDI interface I purchased from eBay. It has green back lighting and it's even survived a front panel replacement by myself when I scratched the original by mistake. The first one had "Skoda Columbus" written on it and so has the new one.

As for not having camera alerts - buy an Origin or a Snooper - best tools for the job. I use an Origin for the large GPS speedo.

In 28 years of driving I've never had the Plod check anything other than tyres, tax insurance, license lights etc - in other words the things that they would normally. I've never had one take the slightest bit of notice about my ICE or anything related.

[skippy41]

When plod stopped me for a check they stopped to watch police camera action on my TV, they knew it went off when I moved

[Evening Star]

When plod stopped me for a check they stopped to watch police camera action on my TV, they knew it went off when I moved

Only because the extension lead came out the back of the TV!

[Stoofa]

But if you install one from Ebay, doesn't it come up with Welcome to Volkswagen rather than Welcome to Skoda as it should.

I mean it could be a bit awkward come selling time or if you get stopped HMCE or Mr Plod decides to examine the car for some reason.

No, the Skoda units display Skoda logos as you'd expect.

As for many of the Ebay units being stolen - that I can agree with.

Simple maths dictates that selling for some of the prices I've seen and the lack of code cards etc.

But you have to remember people don't want to hear that.

People are happy to illegally download music and software.

They are also happy to buy stolen equipment as long as it was stolen from an anonymous source - so EBay is perfect, no way of knowing the poor sod who has had his unit ripped off.

As in the same way somebody running an illegal version of Windows is never going to be "found out" those people with dodgy Columbus units will never get caught.

Really all depends if you've any morals or not as to if you bother actually checking the source of the unit you buy.

[koni]

you guys have been busy on this thread

The ebay units i have been looking at all list code cards, and are skoda units.

As with most things on ebay there is a risk they are stolen, is there anything obvious that would need to be avoided when buying one of these from ebay ?

I would imagine you could request the serial and then check that with Skoda before even making a bid on the unit ? and if the seller wont give you the serial it should ring alarm bells that the unit is prob dodge ?

iam thinking hard about this, and will prob go for the upgrade as i do need a new tomtom in the new year if it lasts that long.

thanks again for all the replies.

[Nick P]

Ask for proof of provenance. You won't get it.

You know what - I'd actually have slightly more respect for people if they just openly admitted they don't care about receiving stolen goods, rather than repeatedly going on about genuine looking code cards, reburshing plants, reputable ebayers etc and other rubbish, trying to justify their part in it.

I can hold my hands up and admit to unwittingly buying a stolen Columbus from ebay. Personally, I regretted it and I certainly wouldn't do it it again. That was in early 2009 before we knew all about the crime surrounding them, but that doesn't make it much better.

People who are still buying these things, willfully ignoring everything that is known and has been discussed AND who repeatedly post on this forum attempting to justify themselves are starting to annoy me.

[Chinook]

Well I might have considered it 8-10 months ago, but as I might change the car next year I don't think I'll bother.

The one thing that really puts me off is not having the camera alerts on it, which it really needs to do that nowadays, if only to remind you when you're concentrating hard on the road ahead & you inadvertently forget to slow down, it's just a helpful reminder tool for those of us who're going a little senile. (Age 44¾)

Not having the safety cameras is indeed a pain. But my solution is to use the app 'Radardroid' on my Android phone. This gives me an audio alert when approaching a camera, and a warning buzzer if I am over its speed.

The only drama is that I have to disable the media player BT link every time I fire it up, otherwise I get no audio from my phone.

So for me, Columbus for nav, music and phone, and my phone for safety cameras.

[koni]

Ask for proof of provenance. You won't get it.

You know what - I'd actually have slightly more respect for people if they just openly admitted they don't care about receiving stolen goods, rather than repeatedly going on about genuine looking code cards, reburshing plants, reputable ebayers etc and other rubbish, trying to justify their part in it.

I can hold my hands up and admit to unwittingly buying a stolen Columbus from ebay. Personally, I regretted it and I certainly wouldn't do it it again. That was in early 2009 before we knew all about the crime surrounding them, but that doesn't make it much better.

People who are still buying these things, willfully ignoring everything that is known and has been discussed AND who repeatedly post on this forum attempting to justify themselves are starting to annoy me.

blimey ? is that directed at me ? a little harsh if it is lol i have not even purchased one yet

[Nick P]

is that directed at me?

No, it's not.

[wardth]

Nick

I agree with your comments and sentiments however like millions of others I've bought expensive speakers, "refurbished" computers, PS3 games etc from ebay "in good faith". At what point did I have the right to ask the seller "excuse me but could you confirm this isn't a stolen item"? I can see the email responses now.......

This is not naivety or any attempt at justification of any sort; I am merely stating that there has to be a point where you either trust purchasing this type of item from eBay or you don't. eBay largely operates under a Good Faith principle in that a buyer has to assume that goods are as described. The fact that the goods may be stolen doesn't come into it as you are enteringinto a Good Faith Contract and you assume that the vendor is above board in all respects. The fact that Good Faith and fair dealing concepts are already substantially in place under English law means you have to assume that purchasing items from eBay is as safe as it can be except in circumstances where there is obvious mischief at large - obvious counterfiet items etc.

IMHO I would say that in broad terms it would be sensible to avoid units from eastern europe as based on empirical evidence that has come to light on this forum, there is every chance the unit has a questionable history but if the trader is UK based, has high, largely unblemished feedback or has a retail outlet then it would seem that you have every right to believe that the unit you are purchasing is kosha.

Perhaps it might be an idea to produce a sticky which states that if you purchase Columbus / Bolero / RNS etc etc units secondhand there is a possiility that you may be purchasing a unit that has been aquired though dubious methods. Lock the post and leave it at that.