Updating from Columbus

[MadLad91]

I need some advice guys and girls. 

 

I was wondering if it was worth updating from the Columbus system to a aftermarket double din stereo. 

 

Has anyone done this before and if so have the maganed to keep steering wheel controls and parking sensors working with whatever they put in. 

 

If people could let me know what they've tried and if they have had any success it would be much appreciated. 

 

Cheers all. 

 

Phil.

[gr0m1t]

Hey Madlad,

 

I currently have the Admunsen+ in my Superb... but I am growing pretty tired with it... I really want something with Android Auto and DAB.. would be very interested in the replies to this...

 

Ta,

 

 

 

G.

[Noddy90]

I've just ordered this:

 

https://audiotechdirect.com/pba-vw6405v-android-marshmallow-6-vag-fit-8-radio/  I actually bought it from the same company off Ebay for £320.

 

It's more expensive than some of the Android units out there but then again it's a direct OEM replacement: fitting and functionality - I'm told - should be a breeze.  The guy at the company spent 20mins on the phone with me and answered all my questions.

 

I've got a bit bored of Columbus and I think the new unit will give the whole cabin and driving experience a lift.

 

I'll let you know how I get on.

[gr0m1t]

Hey Noddy,

 

Thanks for this... how did you get on?

 

I was actually more thinking of a head unit that will integrate with the skoda systems, but also allow me to use Android Auto rather than having a unit that runs android... however... the one you have found does seem interesting!!!

 

 

 

G.

[Noddy90]

OK, I've been running the new unit for 5 days now.  Here are my observations:

 

PROS

• Fitting was extremely straightforward and everything worked out of the box. I got a pro installer to fit my new mic and GPS antenna as I didn't want to mess with the trim and cabling.
• The unit - in looks, feel and performance - makes Columbus seem like something out of the stone age.
• You have a 9-band EQ for your tunes instead of the 3 with the Columbus; the amplifier seems pretty powerful as well with a Loudness/Bass boost function; I hardly need my little sub now.
• Steering wheel controls all work, with the exception of voice activation.
• My parking sensors still work.
• The Android sat-nav apps are waaaaaaaaaaaay better than Columbus.  I'm using Sygic but am also going to have a look at Co Pilot.
• The Torque app (OBD dongle required) is a fascinating toy.
• Bluetooth pairing with my phone was pretty much instantaneous.
• The unit is always in sleep mode when the ignition is off so it fires up instantly on ignition - no waiting around for 30 seconds.
• By setting your phone as a wifi hotspot, you get internet in your car - YouTube; Google Play... - how cool is that?

 

CONS

• You cannot activate voice control from the steering wheel.
• The display is not very bright, even on maximum setting.
• The voice activation button on the steering wheel now functions just as a MUTE button; this is quite handy but - unlike with the Columbus - the track/album keeps playing in the background: when you are ready to unmute you find you've lost your place.
• The Columbus GPS function doesn't work on this unit - you have to use the supplied GPS antenna.
• The Columbus mic function doesn't work on this unit - you have to buy a new one (£10 at Halfords; £5 on the net).
• Maxidot no longer shows navigation.

 

NONE of the cons is remotely enough to put me off this unit; it has made a huge difference to the cabin ambience and driver experience.  Annoyingly, they've lowered the price now so you can get one of these for £299 or best offer; that's a sickener.

 

I'd never go back to a factory option after this.

[little jack]

pictures?

 

[gr0m1t]

Hey Noddy,

 

Ace! I am glad it wis working so well

 

None of those cons are a problem for me! Echoing the call for pictures... or a video? 

 

Could you just use google maps for nav?

 

 

 

 

G.

[Noddy90]

Here are the pictures.  I've just found out that the mirrors no longer fold on a long key-press; MIGHT be coincidental but that would be annoying...

[gr0m1t]

Dear Noddy,

 

Thanks for all the pics... it does seem to look very neat

 

The folding mirrors are a concern... how annoying... I couldn't like without those; constantly parking on streets that are narrow and having to open the car to do it would be a little irritating...

 

Is there a space for a sim card, or is the wireless access point the only option for data connectivity?

 

 

 

G.

 

 

[Solarstorm]

The folding mirrors likely just need a reset and are unrelated.

 

All windows down (first click on the button, not the auto down), hold, all windows up (first click up, not the auto up), hold.

 

Windows & mirror system will be reset and mirrors should fold on a key fob press & hold

[Noddy90]

40 minutes ago, gr0m1t said:

Dear Noddy,

 

Thanks for all the pics... it does seem to look very neat

 

The folding mirrors are a concern... how annoying... I couldn't like without those; constantly parking on streets that are narrow and having to open the car to do it would be a little irritating...

 

Is there a space for a sim card, or is the wireless access point the only option for data connectivity?

 

 

 

G.

 

 

 

As Solarstorm says, the window issue is unrelated: I flattened the battery by setting up the Android unit the other night and I think I've put the system out of sync. 

 

There is no SIM-card slot on the unit but there ARE 2 USB ports at the back.  You need to buy a USB 3G dongle which has a SIM card slot - the company that dies the unit also does the dongles; I think they're about £40.

 

On the front of the unit are two slots for a micro-SD card, one labelled GPS and one labelled SD.

 

Hope this helps.

[gr0m1t]

Ah okay. Thanks.

 

Just out of interest - the GPS SD card is for offline maps, is that correct? 

 

I think having a sim card dongle is probably neatest - having to hotspot my phone every time I get into the car seems a bit dull... 

 

To confirm, all the other steering wheel buttons work?

 

Many thanks,

 

 

 

G.

 

 

[Noddy90]

28 minutes ago, gr0m1t said:

Ah okay. Thanks.

 

Just out of interest - the GPS SD card is for offline maps, is that correct? 

 

I think having a sim card dongle is probably neatest - having to hotspot my phone every time I get into the car seems a bit dull... 

 

To confirm, all the other steering wheel buttons work?

 

Many thanks,

 

 

 

G.

 

 

All other steering wheel buttons work and just to confirm: my folding mirrors are working now, thanks to Solarstorm.

 

Yes, you could put offline data on that GPS card; I've just downloaded it all to the internal flash storage.  I've had a go with a few sat-nav apps - Sygic is the best, in my opinion: VERY clear interface, lots of options and audible speed camera warnings - a nice upgrade from Columbus.

[gr0m1t]

Amazing

 

Thanks Noddy.

 

It's on the wish list!

 

Many thanks,

 

 

 

G

[ashfan]

Looks great and I'm tempted but not having navigation in the maxidot is a concern for me, I refer to that a lot, more so than the Columbus screen

[gr0m1t]

Weird how people differ isn't it... I never use the nav in the maxi dot display...

 

[Noddy90]

5 hours ago, gr0m1t said:

Weird how people differ isn't it... I never use the nav in the maxi dot display...

 

 

Yeah, I'm the same - never really used the maxidot for nav.  I think the Android sat-navs are so visually more attractive than the brown and yellow Columbus maps that you might be tempted to use the main unit more often.

 

Now for the economic argument:

 

• I bought the Android for £320 (they're cheaper now) + £48 for fitting = £368.
• I had to pay a radio code company £19 to retrieve the code of my Columbus before I could sell it.  £368 + £19 = £387
• I sold the Columbus on Ebay for £310
• The non-premium bluetooth module I had left over from my previous Superb, I sold for £108 on Ebay.
• The PREMIUM BT module I replaced the first one with 3 years ago now has bidding of £86 on Ebay with 5 days left to run.

 

 

If we say my BT module on Ebay sells for £125 (conservative), then I will have a vastly better unit AND be £156 in pocket.  Take away the Ebay fees and I still effortlessly clear £100. What's not to like????

[gr0m1t]

11 minutes ago, Noddy90 said:

What's not to like????

 

And I would be replacing my Admunsen+; even more of an upgrade!!

[Noddy90]

On 19/07/2017 at 21:10, Noddy90 said:

 

Yeah, I'm the same - never really used the maxidot for nav.  I think the Android sat-navs are so visually more attractive than the brown and yellow Columbus maps that you might be tempted to use the main unit more often.

 

Now for the economic argument:

 

• I bought the Android for £320 (they're cheaper now) + £48 for fitting = £368.
• I had to pay a radio code company £19 to retrieve the code of my Columbus before I could sell it.  £368 + £19 = £387
• I sold the Columbus on Ebay for £310
• The non-premium bluetooth module I had left over from my previous Superb, I sold for £108 on Ebay.
• The PREMIUM BT module I replaced the first one with 3 years ago now has bidding of £86 on Ebay with 5 days left to run.

 

 

If we say my BT module on Ebay sells for £125 (conservative), then I will have a vastly better unit AND be £156 in pocket.  Take away the Ebay fees and I still effortlessly clear £100. What's not to like????

 

UPDATE: my BT module sold for £245.  I'm laughing all the way to the bank. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

[MadLad91]

@Noddy90

Was it a direct fitment?

Did it take other things to fit? e.g: fascia plate, double din adapter, aerial adapter, etc. 

In what capacity do the parking sensors still work? I'm guessing as just audible tones.

Are you still as happy with it at this point as you were 5 days into using it?

 

Thanks again for sharing as its great to get some real life advice on options I and many others wouldn't normally look into. 

[Noddy90]

3 hours ago, MadLad91 said:

@Noddy90

Was it a direct fitment?

Did it take other things to fit? e.g: fascia plate, double din adapter, aerial adapter, etc. 

In what capacity do the parking sensors still work? I'm guessing as just audible tones.

Are you still as happy with it at this point as you were 5 days into using it?

 

Thanks again for sharing as its great to get some real life advice on options I and many others wouldn't normally look into. 

 

It's plug 'n' play - I took the old unit out, put the new one in and hey presto - no plates, adapters...  I did have to fit the GPS sensor that came with the unit, though, and I had to buy a replacement mic.  I got a specialist to fit these as I don't like disturbing the interior trim.

 

Parking sensors work perfectly and you still get a pictogram - it only flashes up on the screen as the sensor beeps and it appears as a transparent overlay on your screen; perfectly acceptable.  When I first had it, it showed coloured boundary boxes + trajectory lines on a full screen but I must have changed a setting - I can't get that view back.

 

No regrets whatsoever, especially considering the whopping profit I've made.  

[MadLad91]

@Noddy90

Thanks for everything, this is something I'll most definitely be looking into at some point then, especially as it seems to have all the bells and whistles anyone could ask for. 

 

[ste2000]

I've also ordered (and got it delivered yesterday) similar device. Of course factory fit Columbus is very solid and reliable solution, but not only Columbus itself is slightly out of date now, even maps in my region (East Europe) is almost 3 years old...

 

As soon as specialist is back from vacation in a week or so, there will be installed head unit, rear view camera, dash cam, OBD2 dongle and 4G-WiFi dongle. Have to uninstall Columbus, rear view camera (not compatible with chineese HU), BT module with mic. Only hope everything goes smoothly, though do not rush into Columbus sell, just will put it aside for a while.

carjoying.com is where I found my way further.

[ste2000]

I had my Head Unit (HU) installed last week, GU JY-VM131N2D (https://www.carjoying....avigation-system.html) - by the way the price has dropped $10 compared to the one I paid last month.

 

First prevailing impressions are quite annoying: well, why would one have to password protect access to some settings? Some of those tend to deviate from normal by themselves - screen brightness, for example... It may be just because of something I do not know yet how to correct, but it does not work as desired right "out of the box".

 

Pros (in my case): 

 

My local navigation soft has installed from Playmarket OK and now working fine (with the exception of competition for voice with radio/media, speedcam soft and phone, for sure it is necessary to tweak something). Off-line map of my city and suburbs (about 400 MB) was downloaded through the 4G/WiFi dongle more or less normally, though the Wi-Fi regularly falls off. Manufacturer says that this dongle can not work with HU as USB-modem - it would be much more stable as I can judge by PC experience with this dongle (jerky WiFi but stable USB mode). There are samples in Youtube with some Huawei modems installed in USM dongle mode, but root is required, which I would like to avoid for warranty sake, at least for now.

 

NFC sticker supplied does work - quickly connects phone to a HU (if down, Bluetooth is automatically started on the phone).

 

The DVR (dachcam) app also works OK, the picture can be transmited to HU screen, date and time of videos is in sync with HU. DVR continues recording for another 1.5-2.5 minutes after the keys are taken from ignition - apparently, it's time for HU to fall asleep. DVR itself has a resolution of 720p (HD), but the quality of night recording is much better than of my old DODa 520 1080p (Full HD, night recording is very noisy, but the day's is almost perfect).

 

I've noticed no any negative impact on the battery after night in the Parking. Apparently, HU consumption in stand by mode is really small.

 

HU looks as regular equipment, starts instantly. During installation under outside temperasture +27 it was barely warm - looks like it is not much prone to overheating. Did not have time yet to play with built-in digital amplifier. It is 4x8 band EQ (8 sliders for each of 4 channels) and handy presets like "Rock", "Pop", "Classic" etc - 8 presets and one can save it's own one. Specialist said that maybe the subwoofer is not needed since the HU drives speakers OK (most likely it is true for less demanding user (like me) - the basic amplifier chip is installede in HU, not TDA7850 which some users install replacing TDA7388). Specialist owns Fabia with subwoofer installation.

 

OBD-2 BT dongle paired OK.

 

Cons:

Unnecessary passwords to settings, poor documentation, bad translation of some menu options making those unclear.

 

The radio reception is mostly poor. Only some stations are garbage-free. Have to do something about it or switch to some internet radio.

 

The reversing camera image with engine started is noisy, but it becomes OK as soon as engine is off. Have to recheck wiring and search forums.

 

Columbus is not sold yet, even BT module and VW reversing camera are still installed in the car, but despite above cons it looks like its not for long.

[ste2000]

Short update to above report.

 

Good things are:

- Bad radio reception sorted out - only one factory antenna of two remained connected which made radio quite good.

- Reversing camera (had to order another piece since the first's wiring was broken) now works OK - it was unnecessary to connect it to rear lamp since it gets reversing state from CAN bus.

- The whole Play market of applications, capable navi programs both free and commercial (installed couple local brands, and also Maps Me; google maps preinstalled)

 

Bad things are also in place:

- Have just noticed that corner light function disappeared both from Maxidot menu and from "live operation".

- Now xenon is always on under any ambient light conditions, and rain sensor is now less sensitive. Can not be absolutely sure that this HU (having CAN bus adapter) is responsible for that, but who else... I wonder if XDS is still activated.

- 4G WiFi dongle consumed too many man-hours to fight bad WiFi to no avail - now have to use phone in hotspot mode for Internet for HU.

 

The final result (if just forget CAN issue) looks like as follows: money I saved on Chinese device were almost compensated by time spent to set up for proper operations. I could probably aviod most issues if I'd bought new Amundsen for PQ35 (discussed here in a dedicated thread), but it is only 6,5" - not 8" as Joying has, and software scope is also limited.