Android VS Columbus VS Amundsen MIB?

[Babs]

As the title really... currently have a Bolero with the godawful aftermarket-looking dealer-fit Bluetooth device. Looking at add navigation and these seem to be the options.

 

Anyone got any thoughts on which I'd be best with?

[djbarnat]

Having gone from bolero to winCE to three different android units to rcd330 myself I would say take a look at the rcd330. It's a genuine vag radio just normally fitted in the Chinese market. You can pick them up below £170 and they look oem.

 

It has BT, android auto (so nav is Google maps via connection to phone or if you are iPhone it's apple maps), apple carplay, fm radio, but I tend to get all my radio through tune in radio via Android auto. Once setup the Google assistant works really well in my experience so you can get directions, change music, answer texts etc with your voice.

 

Personally I found too many annoying niggles and reliability issues with all the android units I had and I have gone through pretty much all the variants out there (mtcb, Sofia, most recently the 4gb ram px5)  as I am a bit addicted to trying different head units. RCD330 does have its own issues which you would need to research to see if you are comfortable with. There is also an issue with it where if your car is an older model ( I seem to recall pre 2010) you have to get a Canbus gateway upgrade otherwise it can cause battery drain (so if you do decide to go for rcd330 you must check this) .

 

I would seriously consider it though if you are changing. I have installed mine and VCDS post install scan shows no communication errors unlike when I have had android units installed. IMHO the android units do not have the Canbus stuff implemented properly and it's not good to have Canbus modules not talking correctly!

Edited 20 June, 2018 by djbarnat

[Babs]

That looks like it might be a good idea - I'll check it out!

[Octyii]

I have just fitted an Erisin ES7826S for £250. A little more expensive but its one heck of a unit.
Easy swap with the Bolero and interfcaes with the canbus really well. Bluetooth works really well.

Feel free to ask me any questions about it... I am thinking about doing a video to demo it - no, I dont work for them LOL

 

[Hough1981]

On 20/06/2018 at 09:50, djbarnat said:

Having gone from bolero to winCE to three different android units to rcd330 myself I would say take a look at the rcd330. It's a genuine vag radio just normally fitted in the Chinese market. You can pick them up below £170 and they look oem.

 

It has BT, android auto (so nav is Google maps via connection to phone or if you are iPhone it's apple maps), apple carplay, fm radio, but I tend to get all my radio through tune in radio via Android auto. Once setup the Google assistant works really well in my experience so you can get directions, change music, answer texts etc with your voice.

 

Personally I found too many annoying niggles and reliability issues with all the android units I had and I have gone through pretty much all the variants out there (mtcb, Sofia, most recently the 4gb ram px5)  as I am a bit addicted to trying different head units. RCD330 does have its own issues which you would need to research to see if you are comfortable with. There is also an issue with it where if your car is an older model ( I seem to recall pre 2010) you have to get a Canbus gateway upgrade otherwise it can cause battery drain (so if you do decide to go for rcd330 you must check this) .

 

I would seriously consider it though if you are changing. I have installed mine and VCDS post install scan shows no communication errors unlike when I have had android units installed. IMHO the android units do not have the Canbus stuff implemented properly and it's not good to have Canbus modules not talking correctly!

Do the RCD330's work display Climate and OPS on the screen?

[langers2k]

20 minutes ago, Hough1981 said:

Do the RCD330's work display Climate and OPS on the screen?

 

No for climate, yes for OPS.

 

I think the biggest issue is the lack of RDS/AF (Alternative Frequency) which makes the FM side pretty useless unless you drive within a small area. Proper integration with the maxidot would be nice too.

 

Given I mostly tend to use streamed music from Android Auto it's not too bad for me but if I did use FM, it would be a deal breaker for me.

[djbarnat]

Yes the FM implementation is not that good on the rcd330 but it is been worse  on all the android units i have had (even after installing a decent amplified aerial)

If FM is the main priority just go Bolero/Amunsden/columbus.

 

Radio is not important to me either so I offline a huge stack of music onto spotify and just use that through Android auto (as mobile data soon gets consumed)

 

Babs, I think another thing to consider, if you have an android phone, research your phones for stability/issues with Android Auto as some phones do not play nice. Phones that are closer to stock android like google nexus tend to play alot better.

 

 

 

[Babs]

I've got a OnePlus which has some reported issues, but they appear to be quick to resolve them. I guess I need to find a car somewhere with Android Auto and test it before I buy!

[Octyii]

3 hours ago, Babs said:

I've got a OnePlus which has some reported issues, but they appear to be quick to resolve them. I guess I need to find a car somewhere with Android Auto and test it before I buy!

I am in Warrington so not too far away.

Feel free to message me and we can arrange a meet. If you buy the coffee I am happy to let you "play" for as long as you need to.

 

[Babs]

On 23/06/2018 at 23:51, Octyii said:

I am in Warrington so not too far away.

Feel free to message me and we can arrange a meet. If you buy the coffee I am happy to let you "play" for as long as you need to.

 

 

Thanks for the offer, I'll have a look more locally but on our next Ikea trip I'll get in touch if I've not managed to sort it