Columbus issue

[Gumexik]

Hello,

 

I just bought Skoda Superb 2012 and i find out that there is a problem with columbus unit in my car. Radio, BT and aux works fine but i cannot enter setup fuction as it shows message in German to put navigation CD/DVD inside. I got V10 Navigation dvd from the dealer i bought the car from, however when i put it in nothing is happening, and when im trying to eject the CD it shows a message that there is an installation going. I waited 1 hour and there was no progress in installation. All unit is in german language and cannot be changed to any other language as it shows the message in german there was a problem with loading the language. I tried to download update from skoda website but when i put in my VIN number it says there is no updates for my unit. 

 

Do any of you guys know what can I do to fix the issue myself as when i went to skoda retailer they said this unit needs to be replaced without even checking it.

 

Thanks,

Kacper

[Declan O'Shaughnessy]

I'm not an expert - I'm only really replying because I hate to see someone post with a problem and get no responses at all! Especially when they're new to the forum.

 

Your best option is to contact a member on here called @Rustynuts who is a guru on all things Columbus related. He repairs and sells Columbus units I think, as well as offering advice on problems. So I'd drop him a private message on here and go from there.

 

Ordinarily, you can run the navigation function from the DVD. Does it work if you leave the DVD in there and try to navigate or view the map? The map transfer from the DVD to the hard drive can take an age. Mine frequently takes longer than an hour, with no sign that it is going to be successful. Then, eventually, it works / completes. You can leave the disk in there and stop the car / take out the key etc. In theory the install should pick up from where it left off when you restart the car. I don't trust that though (to me it looks like it restarts all over again when you next start the car), so I try to go for a long drive and if it's still not finished, sit in the car with the ignition on until it does finally finish.

 

In general, you might well be able to perform a firmware upgrade / downgrade yourself to solve the problem. You can get firmware image files on the internet from various forums. But you really need to read all the info and try to find out the best firmware version to go for for your particular unit and problem. Again, you might well be able to load a new navigation disk onto the unit (you can buy them from a dealer, buy a pirated copy from eBay if that's your thing or download a pirated copy from the internet for free if that's your thing). There's lots of information on this forum about latest navigation maps, firmware updates etc. So have a search and a read. But do be careful and make sure you know what you're doing: worst case scenario you risk bricking your Colombus.

 

Make sure to post again and let us know how it went / what the solution was!

[Devonshiredave]

Hi Gumexik

 

I would second Declan’s advice. @Rustynuts is definitely the man to speak to. I have read some of his posts and I was preparing to contact him myself regarding a very similar issue with my Columbus having very recently bought an S2 Superb.

I have managed to sort my unit myself having read more forum posts and 3rd part sites than is healthy,  but it is not easy. If you are not familiar with extracting files, creating iso files and burning disks, I’d certainly ask @Rustynuts for help.

Please let us know how you get on.

[Gumexik]

Thanks for the reply guys. I kept the navigation dvd inside for like 2 hours and no progress. Navigation is working when dvd in inside, however when I enter setup functions it is asking for navigation dvd again and I cannot do anything there. I check topics created before to download firmware, unfortunately the websites posted there are not existing anymore and the only website is Volkswagen one. Can you tell me if I download firmware from Volkswagen website I will have Volkswagen logo when my columbus will start?

[Devonshiredave]

I downloaded the firmware (5238 modified) from the my-gti forum and had no issues with compatibility and have the Skoda logo. The unit retained the music on my HDD and the maps. It was a faff and I encountered issues with the unit not reading disks including a genuine VW map update disk (v16).

If you do fly solo and look at updating the firmware, use decent disks like Verbatim. I used Tesco and Fujifilm CD-R disks I had in the drawer and they were rubbish. Caused me all sorts of headaches with failed updates which finally required me to use the rescue software online before loading 5238 again. Thankfully, the Verbatim disks loaded everything without a hitch and it’s all up and running again.