VW Sat NAV Choice

s_macmahon

I'm driving a golf mark 5 with the basic stereo , i was thinking of upgrading it to the RNS 310 or 510 with a unit from ebay, a 1/4 the price they are from the dealer.




anyone have any pointers on

• installing the unit, how difficult would it be?
• if you've bought one before on ebay , was it okay?

EPM

s_macmahon wrote: »

I'm driving a golf mark 5 with the basic stereo , i was thinking of upgrading it to the RNS 310 or 510 with a unit from ebay, a 1/4 the price they are from the dealer.




anyone have any pointers on

• installing the unit, how difficult would it be?
• if you've bought one before on ebay , was it okay?

I have the RNS 510 in my car (Called Columbus in Skodas but it's the exact same thing). I find it great, easy to use and the 30GB memory is very handy although the maps take up 10GB.

Fitting it is very simple, the guy I bought mine from showed me and I was sorry I didnt do it myself. Literally took him 5 minutes. You may need a new fascia surround for it to fit flush and you will need a GPS antenna. Otherwise it's plug and play. If you have the full MFD you may need to programme some functions in. Be careful taking the interior apart not to mark anything and only buy one advertised as a VW unit. The background colour on the buttons won't match your dash otherwise.

JoeA3

I'm considering doing exactly this. I've sourced a seller on a UK VW enthusiast's website (www.r32oc.com) who seems very reputable and gets great feedback on that site (and on others which he advertises).

He wants £550 plus delivery for the latest version of the RNS with the LED screen. However, seeing as you're in a MKV Golf, you need to be careful that the latest version is compatible with your car. He also does the older version for less money I think. Have a read here for yourself: http://www.r32oc.com/sale/26878-rns-510-ver-c-latest-led-screen-2010-edition.html

I'd personally be a bit wary of Ebay, there's a lot of them coming from Lithuania... but there are some UK (and even the odd Irish) sellers on ebay with them too.

EPM

VAGdrivers is always a good site to pick this stuff up on too. Thats where I got mine. Paid €500 for an 18 month old one which compared to new is about a fifth of the price.

cojomo2

Ive been looking at these also.

I found a seller on ebay that is based in Drogheda if I can remember correctly.

Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.ie/VW-MFD3-RNS-510-SAT-NAV-DVD-PASSAT-GOLF-5-JETTA-etc-/260797331018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cb8bb764a

I don't know a lot about them, maybe someone else here can confirm if the units he sells are original and not a cheap knock off?

He has a range of them, second hand and new, I was quoted 550 for 2nd hand and 1,000 for new. 50 extra for fitting...

STForSale

cojomo2 wrote: »

Ive been looking at these also.

I found a seller on ebay that is based in Drogheda if I can remember correctly.

Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.ie/VW-MFD3-RNS-510-SAT-NAV-DVD-PASSAT-GOLF-5-JETTA-etc-/260797331018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cb8bb764a

I don't know a lot about them, maybe someone else here can confirm if the units he sells are original and not a cheap knock off?

He has a range of them, second hand and new, I was quoted 550 for 2nd hand and 1,000 for new. 50 extra for fitting...

I bought one of this guy and got it fitted to my previous car.
The unit was 100% original, had latest firmware and maps and never gave any trouble. I'd have no problem recommending him.

cojomo2

STForSale wrote: »

I bought one of this guy and got it fitted to my previous car.
The unit was 100% original, had latest firmware and maps and never gave any trouble. I'd have no problem recommending him.

Good to hear. Do you mind sending me a pm with details of what he charged you? I'll be calling into to him in the next few weeks to pick on up. Thanks.

darragh o meara

As above the RNS 510 seems to be the best one to get, I had one for a while in the OH's car and it worked a treat, Plus if you know somebody else or even a few people with the same unit ye can share the cost of the map upgrades as the dvd loads onto the hard drive in the unit and doesnt need the disc to be present Plus the fact you can load on Mp3's onto it too is great, you can have a good selection of tracks all stored on the unit which saves you putting in an ipod or carrying a load of cds.

Final bit to note, In most vw's you need to enable it using vagcom or dealer system (or at least ours did to get the steering controls and MFD to display directions and radio info on the dash cluster) but its only a quick job and a look on vagdrivers and you'll find someone willing to do it or a guide to do it yourself.

Eric Cartman

http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/products/car/vw/DNX520VBT/

this is the best unit by far , garmin maps that can be updated easily, supports irish traffic alerts, excellent ipod control , bluetooth module made by parrot so it works well , designed specifically for vw vehicles and their odd mounting , brilliant sound quality and plays dvd's