RNS510 cost-justified?

[Ryan_R]

$1150 for the RNS510 at the moment - VW RNS 510 MFD3 Sat Nav Version C Volkswagen RNS510 - eBay, Navigation, GPS, Car, Truck Parts, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 04-Oct-10 07:16:35 AEDST)

Dealer will charge around $300 to fit it, or you could spend around $300 on the the VAG Com cable and do it your self, or find someone else nearby-ish who has the cable and is willing to help.

[nardini]

Hi Guys I have a Mk 6 GTI with the works, just over a year old and I love it.There is but one add on which I cannot justify the the $3500 price tag and that, my friends, is the RNS 510. I recently sent an email to VW Wolfsburg expressing amongst other items,the fact that the radio cannot pick up a digital broadcast; that the maps are antiquated(in comparison to a Tom Tom or a Garmin unit);that there is no use for a traffic update button as there is no traffic update broadcast. I explained that cheaper cars than mine namely Ford or GMH,have far better units installed.Also since Victorian Law disallows physical usage of a mobile phones whilst driving,I have to pull over to place a call.I genuinely believe that for a car with such a hefty price tag those aformentioned items should most certainly have been included.I feel we have been stooged big time. If you agree with what I have written,then email them your complaint.Only in numbers can we have hope of a positive resolution.
Following is a copy of the reply I received.

Dear Mr. Nardini,

Thank you for your e-mail, from which we are sorry to learn that you are not satisfied with your navigation system RNS 510.

Suggestions and constructive comments on the part of our clients are always welcome and carefully evaluated.

Therefore, we thank you for taking the time and trouble to write and informing us of your experience and your thoughts. As automobile manufacturer, we appreciate feedback of this nature, which contributes to the continual assessment of our products and is an intricate part in the development of Volkswagen vehicles.

There is always a compromise in the design and construction of an automobile and we request your understanding that, due to the high amount of correspondence we receive, we cannot enter into details in each case. However, please be assured that the responsible department in our factory will be informed about your views.

As you will certainly appreciate, it is not possible to alter an already existing production standard of a vehicle subsequently.
Nevertheless, the Volkswagen retailers would surely be pleased in assisting to source out a more convenient solution for the individual customer, if such is available.

In closing, we thank you for having taken the time and trouble to contact us and hope you will remain a loyal Volkswagen customer.



Yours sincerely,
i.V. Michelina Lauriola Maenza i.V. Karin Gaedecke

Volkswagen AG
38436 Wolfsburg
Tel +49 (0) 1805 865579*
Fax +49 (0) 1805 329865*
Mail to kundenbetreuung@volkswagen.de
Homepage Volkswagen Deutschland

0,14 €/Min. aus dem dt. Festnetz, max. 0,42 €/Min. aus den Mobilfunknetzen

[stickshift3000]

I would be pissed too at paying $3.5k when you get the latest led version with current maps for less than a grand off ebay...

I agree that the unit is certainly not worth what vw ask for for it.

[Corey_R]

• The RNS-510 is $2,500, not $3,500
• Hands-free ability to take a phone call is called Bluetooth, not Sat Nav.
• RNS-510 supports Bluetooth, you obviously didn't choose to get that.
• From approximately the MY11.5 cars, the Bluetooth (and MDI) is included in the base-cost of the car.
• The digital radio issue is an Australian issue. The RNS-510 supports DAB. Australia waited and went for DAB+. At the time the RNS-510 was released, I don't believe that a single manufacturer had a DAB+ capable radio in their cars.
• The traffic issue is an Australian issue too. Our local radio stations are too lazy to broadcast the TP messges on traffic congestion. There are other local services which have been setup in Australia, but they don't have universal support yet, and even city support is sketchy.
• The RNS-510 is more than just a Sat Nav, offering DVD and media playback, including built in HDD. It also supports video output for additional screens for rear seat passengers (unfortunatley not an available option/accessory here).
• Being an OEM product, it is far better integrated into the car interior, the MFD in the instrument cluster etc than any aftermarket unit can
• The RNS-510 is far cheaper than competing units from other European manufacturers. Though it is starting to age, and the next generation of units are starting to appear with other manufacturers (including other VAG stablemates)
• No (relatively) low volume OEM system will ever match the high volume disposable consumer products, and to expect such is unrealistic.
• I agree in relation to the maps. However, this issue is also shared with most of the other car manufacturers with their OEM units. Looking at the prices that Sensis themselves directly charge consumers for map updates, it wouldn't at all surprise me that they are using their market position to hold car manufacturers to ransom. The Tom-Tom/Garmin/Navman brands are obviously far higher volume and probably have much more influence to get reasonable map prices.

[Ideo]

I wouldn't pay the price as I don't think it's worth it.

However, Corey does raise very valid points.

[Transporter]

Just to add to Corey's summary of the RNS510 navigation capabilities, the RNS510 is also using the vehicle sensors for navigation, which means if you would run out of satellites the unit would start using the wheel speed sensors, steering angle sensor to draw a map in the internal HDD. No stick on GPS unit can do that.

[frozze]

The pricing for the RNS510 is $2500 if it's optioned together with the car direct from the factory. It is $3500 if you suddenly decide to have it before delivery (dealer fitted). That's what my dealer told me when I put a deposit down for my Jetta last week. I think that's the reason for the price discrepancy.

• The RNS-510 is $2,500, not $3,500
• Hands-free ability to take a phone call is called Bluetooth, not Sat Nav.
• RNS-510 supports Bluetooth, you obviously didn't choose to get that.
• From approximately the MY11.5 cars, the Bluetooth (and MDI) is included in the base-cost of the car.
• The digital radio issue is an Australian issue. The RNS-510 supports DAB. Australia waited and went for DAB+. At the time the RNS-510 was released, I don't believe that a single manufacturer had a DAB+ capable radio in their cars.
• The traffic issue is an Australian issue too. Our local radio stations are too lazy to broadcast the TP messges on traffic congestion. There are other local services which have been setup in Australia, but they don't have universal support yet, and even city support is sketchy.
• The RNS-510 is more than just a Sat Nav, offering DVD and media playback, including built in HDD. It also supports video output for additional screens for rear seat passengers (unfortunatley not an available option/accessory here).
• Being an OEM product, it is far better integrated into the car interior, the MFD in the instrument cluster etc than any aftermarket unit can
• The RNS-510 is far cheaper than competing units from other European manufacturers. Though it is starting to age, and the next generation of units are starting to appear with other manufacturers (including other VAG stablemates)
• No (relatively) low volume OEM system will ever match the high volume disposable consumer products, and to expect such is unrealistic.
• I agree in relation to the maps. However, this issue is also shared with most of the other car manufacturers with their OEM units. Looking at the prices that Sensis themselves directly charge consumers for map updates, it wouldn't at all surprise me that they are using their market position to hold car manufacturers to ransom. The Tom-Tom/Garmin/Navman brands are obviously far higher volume and probably have much more influence to get reasonable map prices.

[Corey_R]

Well... that's the reality with any aftermarket product which requires installation.
Alternatively you could do it yourself for under $1200 including the purchase of the RNS510.

[frozze]

Yeah definitely. I was gobsmacked when I found out the extra!

I'm definitely looking into buying the RNS510 from ebay and installing it myself. I understand the hardware installation is quite a straight swap - probably slightly tricky with the GPS antenna but I'm just a bit more worried about coding/programming the buttons. Is there a specialist around Melbourne that can do this sorta thing for a decent price?

Also, probably a dumb question, will it void my new car warranty (from VW) by installing the RNS510 by myself or 3rd party installer?

[Corey_R]

You're probably best to look in the VCDS area of the forum to find another forum member near you that has the cable and software and can help you do the coding, for a slab or beer or something like that!

As for the warranty, no you won't void the warranty. However, VW won't cover the RNS510, or any issues that you cause by your installation. So if you did somethinb bone-head and rewired something wrong and caused a short... but being there are many good guides on the installation, I don't believe there would be any cause for concern with anyone who has common sense