I have searched - both on here & with Google, but haven't really got the answer I need.

I'm away from home with work on a weekly basis and am now regularly catching up with the wife and kids by phone, often on their way to and from school. Mrs Dunc is the main user of the Octy as a result (thankfully the Panda - see sig - is great fun and will give me 45 mpg on my 3 hour commute).

I therefore need BT added to the Octy pronto to reduce the risk of 3pts or worse, a bump, while we're chatting.

So, OEM or Fiscon. Your thoughts please! The two phones we'll need to link up are a Sony Xperia S and my iPhone 4S.

I have PM'd Ben at Shark for an OEM retrofit quote (hopefully I won't get talked into a remap!!) and await his reply. Fiscon seems to be about £395 fitted from shopping around.

All views / thoughts appreciated as ever!

Cheers.

Why not just get a basic parrot kit fitted?

Why not just get a basic parrot kit fitted?

I'm planning to keep the car for a while and would like full Columbus / Maxidot integration.

Can I do this with Parrot?

ah well ok then no, Fiscon is on my list too as it does so much within the maxidot etc.

I have the OEM kit (retrofitted) and am very pleased with it. I don't have maxidot but it does fully integrate with my Columbus. Have so far used it with iPhone 4, 4s and now iphone 5. Also the HTC belonging to swmbo

I have the OEM kit (retrofitted) and am very pleased with it. I don't have maxidot but it does fully integrate with my Columbus. Have so far used it with iPhone 4, 4s and now iphone 5. Also the HTC belonging to swmbo

Cheers Bernie. How much did you pay (incl fitting) if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks, dunc

Thanks Mike. That's very helpful!

Hi Dunc69

I have the Fiscon Basic Plus installed in my octy connected to a Bolero. Unfortunately I don't have maxidot fitted so I don't get all the features but driving it via the head unit is fine.

It is a good unit but I have had some problems with it in the past. The unit froze about a year ago for a couple of days and occasionally people cant hear me speaking. This could be how I have mounted the microphone or just bad signal area. I have just had the firmware updated so I hope this will solve the issues.

Please don't let that put you off going for the Fiscon unit as it is a very good piece of kit.

I don't understand why you would go for a more expensive fiscon over oem. Oem has the same integration.

Also, I have the 7p6 unit and it integrates with Columbus and maxidot seamlessly, without coding.

oem can be installed easily yourself too. cut the tabs off the module and mount underneath the stero where the astray pullls out. wiring and unit no more than £150

Thanks all. Looks like OEM then. Will just get a couple of quotes before I decide whether to try to do it myself!

I don't understand why you would go for a more expensive fiscon over oem. Oem has the same integration.

From a personal experience when I fitted mine the cheaper OEM Bluetooth wasn't available. The only kits that were available was the Fiscon or the 5k0 unit that was more expensive and more time consuming to fit, having to be installed under the seat. The Fiscon unit was cheaper and easier to fit with it being located behind the dash. Had the cheaper unit been available at the time then I might have gone for it as I don't have maxidot.

If you have got maxidot and want this enhanced level of integration then the Fiscon unit is probably the better unit to go for. The Fiscon also gives you a load of extra stats if you like that sort of thing )

Or look at a Dension Gateway Five which also gives you full MDI functionality - iPod and USB as well as AUX IN if you don't have it already.

I had a Fiscon, the call quality is good as it is a Parrot chipset, but it kept disappearing off of Maxidot and the only way of fixing it was disconnecting from the power and reconnecting. It masquerades on the CANBUS as a Navigation unit for some strange reason. The extra E-MFA functionality is a gimmick, and Fiscon won't support it. Mine kept saying I had 256l of fuel in the tank until it got to about halfway down then it would read correctly. Interestingly, if I changed the maxidot units to litres it worked fine. Fiscon weren't interested. Loads of reports on the Golf forums to the same effect going back a few years.

Oh, and be careful with the OEM units as a lot of them support rSAP and don't support HFP. Not many phones support rSAP, and if you want to use your phone for something else such as running a Nav app you may struggle as you won't have a data connection.

Can't remember what I paid as I had several things done at once. I used Hazzydayz and have to say received excellent service. They also provided a three year guarantee on the kit (I had Columbus, Bluetooth and voice control all fitted at the same time) and the support has also been excellent. Well worth the money in my personal opinion.

Both my Octavias have OEM Bluetooth, one linked to a Columbus, the other to a Bolero. Both cars have maxidot, and it is important to get the right kit if you want to integrate the phone with maxidot.

My hatchback has an OEM 7P6 unit which does not show in maxidot, though has full integration to the Bolero. The estate has an OEM 5K0 unit which DOES show full maxidot menu, including phone book, call logs and any text messages come up on the maxidot too, and as well as full integration with the Columbus, this is voice activated as well. The 5K0/Columbus/maxidot combination also allows complete control of the phone via the switches on the wiper stalk, just as you would use them for any other maxidot functions.

There are plenty of units available on eBay, you can even get bits separate -- Bluetooth module, wiring harness and microphone for roughly £100 total. It took me less than an hour to install from scratch.

The OEM units will pair up to a maximum of 4 phones, and both my Bluetooth kits are totally happy paired up to both my wife's Nokia "brick" and my own Samsung Galaxy S3. I can highly recommend them.

Mike

I've found the full thing for £200

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-SKODA-SEAT-ORIGINAL-MFD-3-RCD-RNS-510-OEM-ORIGINAL-BLUETOOTH-KIT-7P6-5K0-/271015844153?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item3f19cd9939

I have the fiscon basic plus kit in my vRS, can't fault it, great integration with Columbus and maxidot, I love the E-mfa add on with all the other data available, it has been 100% accurate since the day I got it,

My car was fitted with oem Bluetooth, its still in the car, but I have it unplugged as it was an early 729A kit and doesn't display on the maxidot, maybe I'll upgrade to a newer B module at some stage and go back to the oem kit, but the fiscon is really a great kit,

Both my Octavias have OEM Bluetooth, one linked to a Columbus, the other to a Bolero. Both cars have maxidot, and it is important to get the right kit if you want to integrate the phone with maxidot.

My hatchback has an OEM 7P6 unit which does not show in maxidot, though has full integration to the Bolero. The estate has an OEM 5K0 unit which DOES show full maxidot menu, including phone book, call logs and any text messages come up on the maxidot too, and as well as full integration with the Columbus, this is voice activated as well. The 5K0/Columbus/maxidot combination also allows complete control of the phone via the switches on the wiper stalk, just as you would use them for any other maxidot functions.

There are plenty of units available on eBay, you can even get bits separate -- Bluetooth module, wiring harness and microphone for roughly £100 total. It took me less than an hour to install from scratch.

The OEM units will pair up to a maximum of 4 phones, and both my Bluetooth kits are totally happy paired up to both my wife's Nokia "brick" and my own Samsung Galaxy S3. I can highly recommend them.

Mike

the kit is that displays in the pre-facelift maxidot is a 5N0

If you have a FL with maxidot the 5k0 and 3C8 will display

I had a 5k0 but then upgraded to a 3c8 which is the premium kit

text messages in the maxidot and Columbus (will also read them out)

As per marks comments I have a fiscon and can't fault it.

However if oem kit had been available at the time for 200 quid I prob would have got that instead.

My 02p: using the phone via maxidot is much harder that the bolero/Columbus screen so although I have that functionality I never use it.

Also, my (new retro fit) Columbus has voice control that will only work with an oem mic, which I don't have. Eddie had given me a price to add this but I'm not that fussed, but if you wanted the voice control then oem would be the way to I think.

HTH

A 5N0 unit will display in maxidot in a pre facelift but wont stream audio. A 5K0 will not show in maxidot but will stream audio. There are so many codes it gets confusing.

Thanks all! It's never simple is it?

I'll see what Ben @ Shark quotes tomorrow for OEM as I'll be near Mansfield in two weeks' time.

I'll take it from there.

Cheers.

So whilst we are on the subject, which part number satisfies all of the following:

Shows in Maxidot on a pre-FL (DDP not BAP)

Supports HFP (rSAP optional)

Streams Audio (A2DP with track names as well)

Fully integrates with Columbus (downloads phonebook etc)

Works with MFSW

There are that many different versions it is difficult to pick the correct one!

So whilst we are on the subject, which part number satisfies all of the following:

Shows in Maxidot on a pre-FL (DDP not BAP)

Supports HFP (rSAP optional)

Streams Audio (A2DP with track names as well)

Fully integrates with Columbus (downloads phonebook etc)

Works with MFSW

There are that many different versions it is difficult to pick the correct one!

On the basis of all of the above it has to be the Fiscon

Lol

What's the nearest you can get with OEM?

I can live without it showing on Maxidot if it is integrated with Columbus