Guys looking to spend a wee bit of cash on a new head unit, would love a bolero or Columbus but don't have the budget for one of them.

Spotted one for sale on here:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/224747-mfd2-sat-nav/

What I need to know before I commit to buying it is, is it just a case of plug and play or am I gonna need to upgrade anything?

I'm currently running a Stream Mp3 headunit in my 58 octavia elegance

Cheers

G

You'll need a GPS receiver for the Nav to work, if this does not come with one they can be got very cheaply from ebay. You'll also need a facia from Skoda as the MFD2 is a different shape.

Install guide here.

http://octavia-vrs.com/cms/content/mfd2-install-guide

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 10:44 pm Post subject:

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Sailorbaz wrote:

I might be asking a silly question here, but does a New DVD (V8) update the Firmware/Sortware on an MFD2 (DVD)?

Or should I search on here for instructions on how to do it manually?

Don't know if you have sorted this yet but the answer to your question is no, it won't.

Firmware and map upgrades are done separately and it take quite a while to do so don't panic if nothing appears to be happening. Just make sure your battery is OK as it shouldn't be done with the engine running.

You will need firmware 2.76 to get the 7 digit postcodes. There is a later one but some people have had problems with it apparently.

The maps on V8 are actually dated Q4 2010.

This also may help

As Mike said, don't do it!

The sound quality is nowhere near as good as a Stream mp3, you won't have the display for the PDC and the Climate, and the SatNav functions are very very dated and limited.

My car had one in when I bought it, I swapped it for a Stream MP3 as I had a TomTom and considered it an upgrade!

I have since had a Bolero and now a Columbus, and the MFD2 was the worst of them all by a long, long way.

I think Skoda only ever did the CD versions, you can get new maps, but I struggled to find any firmware upgrades for them.

If you do it, and currently have a CD Changer, you will have to relocate the earth pin for the CDC audio signal in the chocolate box connector on the wiring loom. It is in a different place on the Stream MP3 than it is to the MFD2 or Stream. A 30 second job to do. You can compare the pin outs on the labels on the two head units and you should be able to see CDC and an earth symbol. It is a thin black wire that needs to be moved.

Cheers for the reply lads, the headunit I was interested in sold..... Can really only mean good things, bolero or Columbus it'll be..

Tell me, what are the main differences between the Bolero & Columbus?

Also if I buy one, what is the script with installing it? DIY or the likes of Shark ?

Reason I'm looking into a new headunit with satnav is my current dispatch system has satnav built in ( Tom Tom) I also have a separate Tomtom ( my wife keeps trying to steal it) and I recon it'll make the car look more classy inside.

G

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Edited 26 January, 201214 yr by Taxi_G

Bolero is an audio unit only, with a built in changer. No navigation functions.

Columbus is a full navigation unit, with a large internal hard disc drive that you can use to store all your music. Mapping also stored on the hard drive, so the CD slot is still available if you want a CD or DVD. The Columbus has a full DVD video player on it as well.

Should you want to go the whole hog, the Columbus integrates beautifully with bluetooth, allowing touch screen phone dialling, and also voice control for phone, navigation, SD card, CD, CD changer and radio if you have later software on the unit.

Yes, I am biased. I started with a Stream, upgraded (?) to an MFD2, and finally got the Columbus. And I love it.

Either unit is an easy DIY fit. If you have maxidot, you may need to find someone local with VCDS to program the CAN gateway so the navigation and audio details show on the dash. With a 58 plate, you won't need to upgrade the CAN gateway as on earlier models, the one that is already there will be just fine.

MIke

Cheers for the reply mike, I don't have maxidot but I think I want to get it at somepoint. Infact I do want to get it at some point. Lol

So if I find a Columbus is it just basically a plug & play for me & just change the trim on the dash?

G

+1 Mike

The Columbus is the bees knees - with up to date maps on it is as good as a TomTom at routing, with all the added benefits Mike said.

The car does look classier as well.

As Andy said, the only thing you will need to do, and only if you have the boot mounted multichanger, is to swap the position of one single wire in the multiplug at the back of the head unit. It's an earth for the multichanger, and if it's not altered, the sound quality from the changer is awful. 30 seconds of a job to do.

Not wanting to dispute anything Mike says (he has helped me with my Columbus instal and knows a lot of stuff), but I have a pre-FL estate as well ('07) and did not to swap any pins around to keep the CD Changer working properly. I've had no issues with sound quality since but, like Mike said, I very soon stopped using it once I had a decent collection on the hard drive of the Columbus.

Try the instal without changing any wiring over and see what happens. As far as I am aware, it won't do any damage, but please correct me if I am wrong.

Not wanting to dispute anything Mike says (he has helped me with my Columbus instal and knows a lot of stuff), but I have a pre-FL estate as well ('07) and did not to swap any pins around to keep the CD Changer working properly. I've had no issues with sound quality since but, like Mike said, I very soon stopped using it once I had a decent collection on the hard drive of the Columbus.

Try the instal without changing any wiring over and see what happens. As far as I am aware, it won't do any damage, but please correct me if I am wrong.

Did yours come from the factory with a Stream or Stream MP3?

Mine came from the factory with a Stream and I had to move the pin for the CDC when I fitted the Stream MP3. I think that I didn't have to move it back when I fitted the Columbus.

Fairly easy to tell if you need to do it - just look at the pin outs on the labels when you do the swap over. IIRC it was all to do with when they stared fitting the AUX sockets as standard in the jumbo box with Stream MP3's.

Mine was a Stream MP3 that I took out - so you could be correct.