Hi all,

Was thinking about changing my VRS soon but then its dawned on me that there is actually nothing at all wrong with it and perhaps it just needs a bit of a makeover. Its served me well for over 5 years and 90k.

One of the most annoying things is the stereo. I never use the disc changer in the boot and plugging my iphone into the power and aux input (power to stop it locking the keypad) is a pain. I can fit a massive 5 or 6 albums in mp3 format on a cd which is rubbish.

My question is this. Am i right in thinking that i can just get any double din aftermarket Alpine/JVC/Pionner etc stereo to fit with the appropriate iso adaptor. And the only downside being that i will lose the display when you change the climate control? Also would i need to find a switch live as it uses canbus at the moment?

Also what have you guys used as replacements and what model tends to sit nicely in the gap. will i need a new surround?

It just occured that i haven't changed it before now as i didn't want to loose the integration with the climate control display, but to be fair its a useless function anyway?? And i don't have a parking sensor display as they are just dealer fit ones.

Just after your thoughts and advice.

Cheers in advance!

For ease of a swap, I'd go with something thats designed to go in a VAG car. So Skoda/VW OEM stuff (Columbus/RNS510 for Sat Nav, Bolero for not) or Kenwood and I think Pioneer do some that are designed to fit straight in and offer bluetooth etc out the box, unlike the OEM stuff does.

I was thinking of a bolero but i also know that this still isn't competely simple. Doesn't it have to be a specific part number. Its going in an 07 vrs if it makes any difference. At least this i assume may still control my disc changer although i am not massively bothered about that.

Just seen this on another post

"LOADS of threads on this subject.

In short, its a dead simple swap - even uses the same fascia. But, on an 07 plate you might be borderline as to whether you'll need to upgrade your CAN Gateway to prevent battery drain. If so, thats another £80 (see Eddie-NL on here for one)."

i will have a good search around for more info.

Cheers

Reading up on bolero swap . Why is nothing simple!

http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/products/car/vw/DNX520VBT/

Just seen this on another post

"LOADS of threads on this subject.

In short, its a dead simple swap - even uses the same fascia. But, on an 07 plate you might be borderline as to whether you'll need to upgrade your CAN Gateway to prevent battery drain. If so, thats another £80 (see Eddie-NL on here for one)."

i will have a good search around for more info.

Cheers

Can you get a VCDS scan done in the car? That will tell you whether your CAN gateway is new enough or not, revision L is definitely ok whereas K seems a bit iffy. The other issue with the Bolero is the backlight, the older Boleros had a light sensor on them which they used to change the backlighting levels but the newer ones seem to use a CANBUS signal which doesn't work on older Octavias so you have to flick your sidelights on and then back off to get the backlight to come on. The Bolero is the same shape as the Stream though so no need for new trim.

You can buy patched versions of the Columbus (some ebay sellers offer this, don't know about others) which don't have the battery drain problem. When you add the cost of the CAN gateway, the price increase to the Columbus isn't as much as it seems initially but you will need a new trim as the Columbus is a different shape - if you want a silver one as the VRS has then it's quite hefty at around £50 I think.

There's the newer Amundsen and Amundsen+ which I looked briefly into but it looked like they would still need a new CAN gateway, they weren't that cheap (at least when I looked) and they are the same shape as the Columbus so would also need new trim.

In the end I went for a Kenwood DNX520VBT as I checked my CAN gateway and it would definitely need a new one, Nick has a thread about this stereo in the ICE forum and it appealed over the Columbus for the better speed, navigation and sound quality. Unfortunately it's the same shape as the Columbus so you still need the different trim but otherwise it's a straight swap, it doesn't integrate with the Maxidot, climate control or parking sensors but I believe there's an optional harness to allow steering wheel mounted controls to work. It also comes with builtin bluetooth which I think are fairly pricey options on the Skoda units.

John

So ideally i need to get someone to scan to see what can gateway i have and then try to source an older bolero made by blaupunkt. This would seemingly give me the least issues.

Can you tell the age of the bolero by a part number etc. Not all advertised i expect will have those details available by the seller?

Thanks for all your info. I would like to go for a bolero if i can manage it.

I am watching a bolero at the mo,but tbh as a technical simpleton i find all the info a total nightmare :(

+1 for the Kenwood DNX520VBT here.

Installed mine a month or so ago and I absolutely love it.

Easy to install too,