Hi all,

New owner of a 1998 Octavia diesel estate (verly pleased with it too).

It has the Grundig cassette radio, which seems OK for my needs, but I'm wondering:

1) I note it is ready to have a CD changer attached which I assume would go somewhere in one of the side compartments in the back. Never having fitted such a thing before, I wonder how easy it would be. Obviously it'll need power and audio signal cables. Have Skoda been very kind and fed the necessary cables through already, or would I have to thread them through from the front of the car to the back?

2) In the meantime I have a personal CD walkman and one of those adapters that puts a cassette shaped thing into the cassette player which then plays it as though it's a tape. I have found that the autoreverse in the cassette player kicks in every few seconds, the indicator switches from A to B, and the sound drops momentarily. Thus it is too disruptive to listen to it. This never used to happen in my old car (which had autoreverse on the cassette player). So is it possible to switch autoreverse off? Or will a new adapter be better? Is there some other way of doing this? Or can these devices not be used with this player.

Oh and a daft question I think:

3) The rooftop aerial - does it unscrew to remove before a carwash etc? It looks like it should. I had a little go and it seemed tight. Rather than force it I thought I'd just check here first.

Any help apprectiated.

Andy

Hi Andy and welcome

OK, not sure about the Grundig, but I'm pretty sure it'll only work with a Grundig changer, not sure on your adapter either, sorry.

No, Skoda probably haven't done the wiring for you (assuming its a non-standard radio.

The aerial has an anti-theft feature, you can fold it down but can't remove it.

Jon

Your 1998 aerial will unscrew - no problem later cars do not

Cables will not be run in - I will let someone else comment on how easy who has done it. Octavias of your time did not have CD boot changers fitted, they started with the facelift model.

Its a shame the cars not a 1999 SLX version that had a single disc Grundig radio.

Hi all' date='

New owner of a 1998 Octavia diesel estate (verly pleased with it too).

It has the Grundig cassette radio, which seems OK for my needs, but I'm wondering:

1) I note it is ready to have a CD changer attached which I assume would go somewhere in one of the side compartments in the back. Never having fitted such a thing before, I wonder how easy it would be. Obviously it'll need power and audio signal cables. Have Skoda been very kind and fed the necessary cables through already, or would I have to thread them through from the front of the car to the back?[/quote']

No, Skoda wouldn't have put any cables in. But I do believe you can buy a wiring loom from your dealer. However, getting a CD changer is another hurdle as it is one that will only work with the Symphony (I do believe that is the unit you are referring too?)

2) In the meantime I have a personal CD walkman and one of those adapters that puts a cassette shaped thing into the cassette player which then plays it as though it's a tape. I have found that the autoreverse in the cassette player kicks in every few seconds, the indicator switches from A to B, and the sound drops momentarily. Thus it is too disruptive to listen to it. This never used to happen in my old car (which had autoreverse on the cassette player). So is it possible to switch autoreverse off? Or will a new adapter be better? Is there some other way of doing this? Or can these devices not be used with this player.

Can't help with this one.

Oh and a daft question I think:

3) The rooftop aerial - does it unscrew to remove before a carwash etc? It looks like it should. I had a little go and it seemed tight. Rather than force it I thought I'd just check here first.

Any help apprectiated.

Andy

The aerial will unscrew, but will not detach. Instead you are able to put it flat on the roof... But the question begs... What are you doing in a carwash?!?!?

Q.

Doh! Too slow I notice

But if you wanted to upgrade, I still have a Skoda Symphony and CD changer in my garage... Friendly offers invited

Hi Andy and welcome

OK' date=' not sure about the Grundig, but I'm pretty sure it'll only work with a Grundig changer, not sure on your adapter either, sorry.

No, Skoda probably haven't done the wiring for you (assuming its a non-standard radio.

The aerial has an anti-theft feature, you can fold it down but can't remove it.

[b']Jon[/b]

Anyone spot the deliberate mistake here????? :rofl: Thought his name was Peter.

Welcome, Andy!!

i had the same problem in my furbie with my aerial you need to soak it in wd40 (or similar) over a few days trying each time to see if it will come off if not (as in my case) you need to get a new aerial and base which was

The non detachable earial was lauched with 2001MY changes the 1998 version should unscrew completely.

2001 MY onwards it unscews a little and folds down 60 degrees

John

Thanks so much everyone - what a wonderfully friendly and helpful group.

I will try gently with the aerial now that I know it should come away.

Thanks Quentin for the kind offer of selling your changer. I'm actually thinking now of swapping the whole thing for a unit with a single CD slot on the dashboard. But haven't made a decision yet - went over budget getting this car in the first place. If you get an offer from elsewhere for your unit please don't hold it back for me. It could be ages before I actually get round to doing whatever I eventually do.

I unscrewed the case of the dummy cassette part of my adapter and discovered what looks like a needlessly complex mechanism inside that includes a ratchet mechanism with cogs that turns a rubber wheel just after the tape head part. I suspect this simulates tape passing through to, in theory, fool the player mecahnism into thinking it was still playing. Only it doesn't. I have a feeling it might work without that - worth a try I think since a) it was cheap, I can reassemble it, and c) I have nothing to lose. I figured the autoreverse probably senses that the spools aren't turning freely, rather than detecting the movement of tape past near the head the head. I've disassembled a few domestic / portable cassette decks in my time with autostop and that's how they seem to operate.

I'm not sure exactly what player I have, it looks very like this:

http://www.grundig-car-intermedia.com/produkte/car_audio/rds/set_rds.htm

but has a green LCD display (I think!) and slightly different lettering, but buttons etc are mostly in the same places. I'll have a better look when I get in. The reason I think it is the original fitted one is that I got this car from a Skoda dealer and when I picked it up they didn't have the code to enable the radio. The car had one previous owner and they rang the skoda dealer who had sold it to him to get the code number (that dealer had it on file). But of course they might have fitted it later ....

Anyway, I ramble, thanks again everyone

Andy

1) I note it is ready to have a CD changer attached which I assume would go somewhere in one of the side compartments in the back. Never having fitted such a thing before' date=' I wonder how easy it would be. Obviously it'll need power and audio signal cables. Have Skoda been very kind and fed the necessary cables through already, or would I have to thread them through from the front of the car to the back?

[/quote']

This link might be of use to you. I doubt the wiring will be there, but if you went for something like the above you get the cable loom with it.

Running the loom is pretty easy. If you take off the glovebox, you should see how to run the loom round the back of the console and across behind where the glovebox sits. Then if you gently prise off the plastic trim which holds the carpet edges in place along the passenger side, you can tuck the loom under here along the side of the car. If you fold the rear seats forward, you can unscrew the plastic trim and tuck the cable into the boot. Then pull the boot carpet on the passenger side out, and run the cables along the back of it, plug it in and tidy it up.

Rob.

I've just pulled the original radio cassette out of my 99 MY. It sounds very simalar to yours. It too is a Grundig unit and has 'Skoda Music system 201' on the flap for the cassettes. I replaced it with a single slot CD player. It needed a wiring adaptor (about

Wahey! He's on his way down chaps! And this is Jabba's number 01733 211779

And this is Jabba's number 01733 211779

And why would YOU be needing that number Rich ?? :santa: