This is week two of owning my Octavia and already thinking of updates.

I notice there are several Columbus sat nav systems for sale on ebay. hence my question: whats involved? Is it a case of pulling out the original radio/CD player and plugging in the sat nav (said he hopefully)? Is the wiring there already?

They are normally a plug and play set up but would require certain settings changed with vcds.

You would also need to update your CAN gateway which is behind the glovebox. This is to stop battery drain on pre 2007 models.

Mike on here has done his so will be able to give you a more detailed explanation of what needs doing.

Highly recommend the Columbus unit. Something I want to do also.

In a lot of cases its just that - plug and play and the unit will work without issues. If you have a Maxidot display or steering wheel controls then you will probably need coding. Your local dealer will not be able to do this so have a look see who is local to you with VCDS. Arrange a meet, ten minutes later and hey presto.

Trust me it's not a difficult job. Do remember you will require the trim surround - about £30 from your local TPS or Skoda Dealer.

Spend some time trawling the forums on here and you will get a feel for the process.

Use common sense when ordering from ebay - if it seems to good to be tru, it probably is and £200 Columbus units probably should be avoided. Make sure you get the correct version for your vehicle - there are a few different ones available and don't get stressed over the batter drain issue - it's pretty much a thing of the past.

Well that sounds encouraging. Thanks for your advice.

If you have a pre facelift MkII with climatronic (automatic climate control with the three equal sized dials), then having replaced my old climate unit with a facelift version, I have a spare trim piece in black which fits that unit along with the Columbus. If you do upgrade and want it, pm me.

Cheers

Adam