Old topic, but Bluetooth question again (sorry)

[davehutch]

I was lucky enough to have a nice holiday in Oz and during my time there, drove three vehicles, two of which had a decent BT system. (Toyota and Mitsubishi)

I found that they both controlled my iPhone 5 with no problems at all, allowing me to change tracks, play/pause and they even started my music up where I let off whenever I got back in the car.

They also were able to list the track, artist and album on their displays.

 

I'm writing for two reasons, the first of course is to moan and say why oh why can't Skoda do this properly?

 

The second is to see if others are still having the issue in the latest cars and to ask whether I should check the firmware on my Bolero unit?

 

Cheers all and g'day

[CFB]

Hey Dave, long time no see.

Still got the tangerine?

I don't have the Bluetooth option but if your bolero hasn't had a firmware/software upgrade, I would recommend it.

The bolero in my old yeti took ages to load tracks from the SD card every time the ignition was turned on.

The new one only takes a second or two.

The other thing I've noticed...

Remember the PITA of putting one track on its own on the card, having to play that track first when the card was selected, to get the MIX function to work properly?

All that is now sorted.

It works as it should

[900000]

Yes but CFB does a firmware update also give you the BT control?  I think the newer BT hardware does do that but on older Yetis it is the hardware that is out of date to enable us to control our phones via bluetooth.  Or am I wrong there?

[Steph64]

My Bolero works well with my ipod, I can control the pod and choose next /last track, pause etc. - it lists track/artist/album but can't sort via the ipad categories though. It always picks up where it left off too.

[davehutch]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll get them to check next time it goes in, but if it's up-to-date, I guess the problem is that it's old hardware.

Hi CFB, yes I still have the Tangerine. 3 years old in November but we boought it as a long term purchase so would be upgrading for a good few years to come!

 

I drove it on Sunday and it was such a pleasure after the three automatics I had in Oz.

Maybe after it's warranty expires I'll look at getting it chipped to 140BHP and add the LED DRLs as well

[CFB]

Yes but CFB does a firmware update also give you the BT control?  I think the newer BT hardware does do that but on older Yetis it is the hardware that is out of date to enable us to control our phones via bluetooth.  Or am I wrong there?

No idea, Johann, but I suspect you're correct.

You'd have thought it would be sorted by now. I wonder if the other marques in the VAG camp have the same issue?

Dave, I've just changed to a 140DSG and I'm impressed with the extra go. Add to that the almost instant gear changes and a bit grin appears every time I get the lead boot out.

[Macdemon]

I have a 3 year old Yeti on a '60' plate.  I also cannot control tracks on the Bolero.

 

Will a 'software' upgrade fix this, and if it's a chargeable upgrade, what's the cost??    

[kibby]

My dealer tells me there is no Bolero firmware update available and my Yeti is 3 years old.

 

Any one know different as I have been asking at each service (for a different problem) with no joy?.

[Llanigraham]

My dealer tells me there is no Bolero firmware update available and my Yeti is 3 years old.

 

Any one know different as I have been asking at each service (for a different problem) with no joy?.

I would suggest he's telling porkies! 

There was certainly a firmware up-date to improve the response times of the SD card reader in the last 3 years.

[rockhopper]

Maybe after it's warranty expires I'll look at getting it chipped to 140BHP and add the LED DRLs as well

The CR110 remaps to the same as a CR140, which means around 165-175bhp.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kibby]

Graham.. That's Skoda dealers for you.(LOL).

To be fair never had the SD card problem and if that is all it fixes won't solve my random  jumping station problem.

[davehutch]

The CR110 remaps to the same as a CR140, which means around 165-175bhp.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy moly! I meant the CR140 but didn't realise it was that powerful. Would you recommend a brake pad upgrade at the same time?

Edited 28 August, 2013 by davehutch

[JCP]

The brake upgrade of choice is the larger discs and carriers from the 170 diesel-same calipers and pads- Skoda stick to the smaller discs for the Tsi160 and I think they are OK but would  be tempted when disc replacement comes around by renewing them with the larger ones and the appropriate carriers. In real life the extra power need not mean you will be regularly travelling at higher speeds, limits and personal sense of responsibility remain the same. What extra power does do is make your choice of speed more easily attainable.

[davehutch]

The brake upgrade of choice is the larger discs and carriers from the 170 diesel-same calipers and pads- Skoda stick to the smaller discs for the Tsi160 and I think they are OK but would  be tempted when disc replacement comes around by renewing them with the larger ones and the appropriate carriers. In real life the extra power need not mean you will be regularly travelling at higher speeds, limits and personal sense of responsibility remain the same. What extra power does do is make your choice of speed more easily attainable.

I'm not a speed freak at all, but I do enjoy being able to overtake quickly. The reason I ask about the brakes is that since owning the CR110, both my wife and I have always found the brakes to be a little lackluster unless you keep the revs above idle speed by changing gear down mid brake. Maybe it just needs some additional engine braking in this way as we moved from a petrol to a deiel so the revs are always lower in comparison.

Or maybe it's the Bosch system backing off once in a while which leads us to think it isn't going to stop in time, but it has never felt lilke the stok brakes were quite up to the task.

[ejstubbs]

I have a 140 which AFAIK has the same brakes as the 110.  I've never felt it to be under-braked, or felt the brakes to be "lack-lustre" or not quite up to the task.  Try pressing harder!

 

As for using engine braking, it's worth bearing in mind that (at the risk of starting yet another interminable Internet argument about why the Wikipedia article about it is wrong) as a broad generalisation, diesels don't provide as much engine braking as petrol engines*.  It does seem to be the case that modern turbo diesels provide more engine braking than older diesels because the turbo and the DPF provide a degree of exhaust throttling (which also suggests that the engine braking should be more pronounced when the turbo is off boost, not spinning at top speed, though I'm more than willing to be proven wrong about that).

 

Lurching back on-topic, I believe that Johann is correct that the older Bolero (or the corresponding bluetooth kit, I can't remember which) is incapable of supporting the AVRCP profile, which is what you need to be able to control the music player, see track info etc (from davehutch's description the cars he drove supported up to AVRCP 1.3).  The profile for simply playing music that is being streamed is A2DP, but it doesn't allow control.  Like Macdemon, the Bolero in my 60 plate Yeti can play streamed music but not control the player.  IIRC there's a thread somewhere on Briskoda in which someone identified the hardware revision level codes that you need to check to find out whether your Bolero/bluetooth kit can do the job.

 

Be aware also many Android phones only support AVRCP 1.0, which gives playback control but no track/album info.  That's because Google haven't yet implemented any of the higher AVRCP profile levels in the stock Android code.  So even the Nexus devices are stuck on AVRCP 1.0, whereas some manufacturers - notably Samsung - have modified the stock Android bluetooth stack to add the higher AVRCP profile levels to their phones.

 

* Four-stroke petrol engines, that is.  Two-stroke petrol engines have significantly less engine braking than four-strokes.  I wonder how much engine braking a two-stroke diesel like the old Deltic had?  Not that it would have made much difference in the locomotive, at a guess, since that had electric transmission.

[davehutch]

I have a 140 which AFAIK has the same brakes as the 110.  I've never felt it to be under-braked, or felt the brakes to be "lack-lustre" or not quite up to the task.  Try pressing harder!

 

As for using engine braking, it's worth bearing in mind that (at the risk of starting yet another interminable Internet argument about why the Wikipedia article about it is wrong) as a broad generalisation, diesels don't provide as much engine braking as petrol engines*.  It does seem to be the case that modern turbo diesels provide more engine braking than older diesels because the turbo and the DPF provide a degree of exhaust throttling (which also suggests that the engine braking should be more pronounced when the turbo is off boost, not spinning at top speed, though I'm more than willing to be proven wrong about that).

 

Lurching back on-topic, I believe that Johann is correct that the older Bolero (or the corresponding bluetooth kit, I can't remember which) is incapable of supporting the AVRCP profile, which is what you need to be able to control the music player, see track info etc (from davehutch's description the cars he drove supported up to AVRCP 1.3).  The profile for simply playing music that is being streamed is A2DP, but it doesn't allow control.  Like Macdemon, the Bolero in my 60 plate Yeti can play streamed music but not control the player.  IIRC there's a thread somewhere on Briskoda in which someone identified the hardware revision level codes that you need to check to find out whether your Bolero/bluetooth kit can do the job.

 

Be aware also many Android phones only support AVRCP 1.0, which gives playback control but no track/album info.  That's because Google haven't yet implemented any of the higher AVRCP profile levels in the stock Android code.  So even the Nexus devices are stuck on AVRCP 1.0, whereas some manufacturers - notably Samsung - have modified the stock Android bluetooth stack to add the higher AVRCP profile levels to their phones.

 

* Four-stroke petrol engines, that is.  Two-stroke petrol engines have significantly less engine braking than four-strokes.  I wonder how much engine braking a two-stroke diesel like the old Deltic had?  Not that it would have made much difference in the locomotive, at a guess, since that had electric transmission.

Great answer and very informative. Thanks so much for your reply ejstubbs.

[CFB]

Slightly OT but I discovered that when listening to the radio, if you push Extras and the Radio Text, it will display the current track that the radio station is playing.

I didn't know that.

Sorry, back to your usual programming

[900000]

Slightly OT but I discovered that when listening to the radio, if you push Extras and the Radio Text, it will display the current track that the radio station is playing.

I didn't know that.

Sorry, back to your usual programming

 

Yup I normally do that but for the life of me can't understand why the radio can't remember this setting and ALWAYS show this information...

[davehutch]

Lurching back on-topic, I believe that Johann is correct that the older Bolero (or the corresponding bluetooth kit, I can't remember which) is incapable of supporting the AVRCP profile, which is what you need to be able to control the music player, see track info etc (from davehutch's description the cars he drove supported up to AVRCP 1.3).  The profile for simply playing music that is being streamed is A2DP, but it doesn't allow control.  Like Macdemon, the Bolero in my 60 plate Yeti can play streamed music but not control the player.  IIRC there's a thread somewhere on Briskoda in which someone identified the hardware revision level codes that you need to check to find out whether your Bolero/bluetooth kit can do the job.

Ah, but hold on a minute...when you select BT Audio, if the old Bolero can't support AVRCP, why are there Back, Play/Pause and Forward buttons on the display?

Seems very odd that Skoda would design the buttons, include them on the display but know full well that you couldn't use them?

[900000]

Ah, but hold on a minute...when you select BT Audio, if the old Bolero can't support AVRCP, why are there Back, Play/Pause and Forward buttons on the display?

Seems very odd that Skoda would design the buttons, include them on the display but know full well that you couldn't use them?

 

Just to taunt us davehutch.  

[davehutch]

Well, I'm definitely taunted. They did a good job

[ejstubbs]

Bored at work this afternoon so I did some online research.  It turns out that it's the bluetooth module version, not the version of the Bolero itself, that determines whether or not you have AVRCP.  Which is nice if you do want to upgrade, because a replacement bluetooth module should cost less than a replacement Bolero.  From what I can gather from here, the bluetooth module part number 5K0035730 version E or F should do the trick (version B definitely doesn't have AVRCP).  Replacement is allegedly just a question of unplugging the old module and plugging in the new.

 

UPDATE: Apparently 7P6035730 will also work.

Edited 30 August, 2013 by ejstubbs

[900000]

Bored at work this afternoon so I did some online research.  It turns out that it's the bluetooth module version, not the version of the Bolero itself, that determines whether or not you have AVRCP.  Which is nice if you do want to upgrade, because a replacement bluetooth module should cost less than a replacement Bolero.  From what I can gather from here, the bluetooth module part number 5K0035730 version E or F should do the trick (version B definitely doesn't have AVRCP).  Replacement is allegedly just a question of unplugging the old module and plugging in the new.

 

Interesting...  this bit of kit is also very easy to get I understand as it lives under one of the front seats AFAIK.  Wonder how much said part costs?

[Grumpy Geaser]

Just in passing. My Yeti Elegance radio streams and controls from my iphone 4s perfectly and the phone connection is excellent too.

 

My previous Golf Match, 11 plate, with equivalent radio would drop the phone connection and just would not stream music even though the controls displayed as noted previously. The VW dealer was useless and even told me to source any available software upgrades myself from the VW Germany website.

 

Must be an age thing

 

 

Grumpy

[ejstubbs]

The 5K0035730 seems quite rare but there are loads of 7P6035730s on eBay, normally running at around £170-£180.  They all seem to carry VW, SEAT and Skoda logos so it looks like that's the one that Skoda fit.  I might actually crawl under my driver's seat and verify that against the part number on my BT module.