Please have patience with a newbie.  This does not feel specific to Octavia III (2013 1.2T S), but I can't see anywhere else to post it.

 

Earlier this week, my Bolero Infotainment unit suddenly started to hit problems.  It had previously worked fine for the previous 3.5 years I have owned the Octavia.  As soon as I switched the Power button on, it would turn itself on again within 3 seconds.  After that it might not respond to pressing the Power button again, unless I held it down for 15-20 seconds, and then it would switch itself on for 5 seconds, and turn off again.  I tried disconnecting the vehicle battery to see if that had any effect, but none.

 

I have never updated the unit in terms of software during my ownership.  Not sure if I was meant to.  The car has also been nowhere near a Skoda dealer until today.

 

So the dealer looked today, and "found vehicle required new 5f control unit £1115 inc VAT", which is way beyond what I was expecting.

 

Does anybody know if there are any alternative options please?  Or do I have to pay £1115 to continue listening to Neil Diamond in my car?  

 

 

 

 

If I'm not mistaken the 5f is the glovebox head unit. You obviously don't mind taking your car to a trusted garage rather than Skoda so you should have not problem finding a suitable unit on eBay and getting it sorted to work with your car. Upgrading stereos has been done to death on here lately so a good search should give all the info you need. As a starter for 10 search for Sasha's thread.

 

As a ball park you should be able to upgrade for £5-600 or replace for £3-400.

A used MIB1 Bolero is under £100, a good dealer will be able to remove Component Protection and code it as the FeC’s will be correct for that car. Would be a good time to upgrade if you want to spend a little more but that’s just me and I am a menace for car modding 🤣

Sounds like a job for " Rustynuts "

1 hour ago, SashaGrace said:

Would be a good time to upgrade if you want to spend a little more but that’s just me and I am a menace for car modding 🤣

 

Will paraphrase Sashas comment by saying would be a good time to upgrade if you want a Beautiful Noise.

 

I'll get my coat... 

Neil Diamond pun, definitely Done Too Soon 😂😂

Edited 22 August, 20196 yr by SashaGrace

3 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

A used MIB1 Bolero is under £100, a good dealer will be able to remove Component Protection and code it as the FeC’s will be correct for that car. Would be a good time to upgrade if you want to spend a little more but that’s just me and I am a menace for car modding 🤣

 

Thanks all.  I take a great deal of comfort from your answers.  Thought I was staring down the barrel of a(nother) excruciating bill.  

 

Me and my 74k miles 2013 Octavia 1.2 TSI S are heading for a irreconcilable divorce.    The turbo has gone this year (£2k to fix) and now this Bolero issue means it is definitely time to move on, so I just want to fix "like for like" as cheaply as possible before I sell.

 

Since you have responded, I have had a look for Sasha's thread.  As a newbie, I wasn't sure what I was looking for on here.  Can you provide me a link please?

 

I've also had a look on ebay and found some possible stuff, but nothing I was sure about.  Would this cover everything I need?  Is the fact that the code is 5e rather than 5f (as my unit apparently is) relevant? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Bolero-Head-Unit-CD-Player-Octavia-Mk3-2015/223627515755?hash=item34113d176b:g:zSIAAOSwT5pdWTUN.  Most of the other stuff "MIB1 Bolero" appeared to be £500

 

I don't know of any trusted dealers locally to me in West Yorkshire (I have looked and asked) who would sort out the Component Protection etc. but have a spare week next week to travel  to a dealer in (say) North Wales or East Yorkshire  (or someone else 2-3 hours from my native West Yorkshire) to somebody who knows what they are doing.  Can anybody recommend anybody?

 

Thanks again to you all for responding. 

 

 

 

Check out eBay item number 163158780740 against your radio part number, if it matches then buy that one. You will have to remove the radio unit from the glovebox (the eBay item you have linked is just the screen) and check the part number on the sticker matches this one, 5E0035820A. Any Skoda dealer should be able to do this, whether they will is another matter. Sytner Skoda Llandudno Junction have always been good for me

Edited 22 August, 20196 yr by SashaGrace

4 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

A used MIB1 Bolero is under £100, a good dealer will be able to remove Component Protection and code it as the FeC’s will be correct for that car. Would be a good time to upgrade if you want to spend a little more but that’s just me and I am a menace for car modding 🤣

Can you only get in touch with pawel through DM ? I haven’t been a member long enough to do it. Any idea what he usually charges for a re-code ?

can the latest mib 2.5 replace a 1 with ease and is there any point to a SIM card ? I’m assuming there’s no way of using the tracking features ?

[email protected] cost for rework depends on which radio it is and what needs doing. The latest MIB2.5 can replace a MIB1 with ease but it really depends how much you want to spend. Rework can be anything from £180-400 odd depending on the radio. The SIM card provides 4G LTE WiFi in the car which will be useful for some but I’ve only used it a couple of times.

5 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

pab567@wp.pl cost for rework depends on which radio it is and what needs doing. The latest MIB2.5 can replace a MIB1 with ease but it really depends how much you want to spend. Rework can be anything from £180-400 odd depending on the radio. The SIM card provides 4G LTE WiFi in the car which will be useful for some but I’ve only used it a couple of times.

I’m going to take an educated guess that the mib2 is the best overall value for money ? Slightly different angle, does the mib2 unit have to come from a Skoda or is any VAG compatible and  re programmable?

 

slightly off topic - you don’t happen to know where the latest firmware is for an Amundsen mib1 ?

1 hour ago, Neolithian said:

I’m going to take an educated guess that the mib2 is the best overall value for money ? Slightly different angle, does the mib2 unit have to come from a Skoda or is any VAG compatible and  re programmable?

 

slightly off topic - you don’t happen to know where the latest firmware is for an Amundsen mib1 ?

A little bit of reading for you.

 

16 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

Check out eBay item number 163158780740 against your radio part number, if it matches then buy that one. You will have to remove the radio unit from the glovebox (the eBay item you have linked is just the screen) and check the part number on the sticker matches this one, 5E0035820A. Any Skoda dealer should be able to do this, whether they will is another matter. Sytner Skoda Llandudno Junction have always been good for me

 

Thanks Sasha.  As someone who is content to use any infotainment unit that turns up in the cars that I buy, I do not possess the tools to extract the radio unit, so taken a punt on the item you suggested  (at my risk of course).  £42 seems peanuts when there is £1115 at stake .   I have found an auto electronics (Revtronic) in Bradford who said they will swap it out and in.  They think they can do something with the component protection, but they sounded less than convincing, but my communication skills in this area are limited, so perhaps understandable.  They'll probably get me started along the journey to resolution though if nothing more.

 

I hate main dealers.  The West Yorkshire dealer indicated yesterday I couldn't swap the unit out for a reconditioned / second hand unit, as it would need coding to the car, so I guess I'd be trying another dealer if Revtronic draw a blank.

 

Thanks again.

It will need coding to the car but that can be done with a used unit of the same type without issues. A lot of dealers simply don’t try these things out. Hope it works for you

The tools are cheap and in the past I have compared swapping the units out with plugging in a TV so fairly straightforward. If revtronic are able to do the CP removal (doubtful due to the required Skoda systems link blah blah blah...) Then you should be into a winner.

 

Ps. £42 is a steal.

 

3 hours ago, Neolithian said:

I’m going to take an educated guess that the mib2 is the best overall value for money ? Slightly different angle, does the mib2 unit have to come from a Skoda or is any VAG compatible and  re programmable?

 

slightly off topic - you don’t happen to know where the latest firmware is for an Amundsen mib1 ?

Depends on what you want, I would go MIB2 if you want to spend as little as you can and still run SmartLink or an 8 inch screen. It doesn’t have to be a Skoda unit but the rework cost to flash Skoda software is very expensive, the Skoda units are usually cheapest anyway.

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

The tools are cheap and in the past I have compared swapping the units out with plugging in a TV so fairly straightforward. If revtronic are able to do the CP removal (doubtful due to the required Skoda systems link blah blah blah...) Then you should be into a winner.

 

Ps. £42 is a steal.

 

 

I hope it's not a steal.  I expect that's what the Skoda dealer will be saying when I ask them to code it 😁.

 

In words of one syllable, what is the Skoda systems link you refer to?  And do outfits other than main dealers have this link?

 

Thanks.

5 minutes ago, graspa said:

 

I hope it's not a steal.  I expect that's what the Skoda dealer will be saying when I ask them to code it 😁.

 

In words of one syllable, what is the Skoda systems link you refer to?  And do outfits other than main dealers have this link?

 

Thanks.

 

Steal as in a good deal. We all hope it's not actually been nicked. Although I don't think it'll stop it being coded if it was.

I think the system is called something like odis or similar. Some very good independents have it but usually only at a dealer.

Whoever does the CP will need ODIS-E with online connection to VW servers. It’s available outside of dealers, but it’s not all that common. I have ODIS and can get online but I haven’t had anywhere near the experience to offer that as a service. Any decent dealer should be able to do it. It’s physically the same as coding a new unit except they will be taking the chassis number from your car and overwriting the number from the car it came from. That simple really.

On 23/08/2019 at 09:13, SashaGrace said:

pab567@wp.pl cost for rework depends on which radio it is and what needs doing.

This is an MIB2 though right ?

Yes it is, one of the cheapest units to rework

33 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

Yes it is, one of the cheapest units to rework

And pawel could get CarPlay on it ? 😉

Yes. Screen choices are 6.5 inch screen (5E0919605J) 8 inch PFL Columbus (5E0919606) and 8 inch FL Amundsen (5E0919605M) and you will need a new USB (5Q0035726E).

With my existing having mdi instead of USB - will I need to replace harness ?