Plead for Skoda to offer reverse camera (RVC)

**VAG newbie** · 07-10-2012, 02:03 PM

I'm very happy with my Superb in every way except, the lack of a factory fitted RVC. I do have a dealer fitted camera, which is integrated to the RNS510, that comes with a touch screen button for me to switch between OPS and RVC. Sounds high tech and almost like factory fitted.

But a third party is still a third party. Yes, the RVC will turn on every time I put in reverse, but when you put the gear to D, and to R again, the RVC will not turn on. This is particularly frustrating when you are parking into a tight space which you need to switch between R&D many times. That unit also cost me $1000 to install, the most expensive RVC I've ever seen.

Because of this simple reason, when we are looking for a car for my wife, Skoda is eliminated out right! She drives kids all the time. She drops them off and pick them up in school, no RVC is a disaster waiting to happen.

Skoda's persistance of not offering RVC, even as an option, is a real mystery. More and more manufacturers are adding RVC into their models, especially the larger cars. Even VW have made RVC standard across the passat range. Skoda is claiming itself as "simply clever" by creating lots of practical, family friendly features into their cars, the omission of this potential life saving technology into their car, is "simply stupid".

My suspicion is VW Aus is behind all these. By making RVC available to VW, and making KESSY (another potential life saving technology, you'll know if you accidentally locked your baby inside the car under scorching heat) available only to Skoda, is a manipulation of consumers.

Of course, Skoda / VW Aus will not pay any attention to this forum, and writing email to them is a simple waste of time (they hire high schoolers to answer emails), I am planning to write to my local federal MP, to make RVC a requirement for all new cars sold here in Australia, just like fence is compulsory for any domestic pools! No need to mention of Skoda or VW, as long as it becomes legislation, then Skoda will be forced to install RVC into all their models!

If anyone in this forum agrees with me, I ask that we all work together, write letters to our local MP. If we get enough MP in the parliament supporting this, it will pass as a legislation.

**Hillbilly** · 07-10-2012, 02:10 PM

If you wire the power up right you can have it on all the time I installed one in my Landcruiser ( with a separate screen) but had it with two power feeds, one from reverse light circuit and one from a permanently on circuit with a switch in it,
Why cant you do that and it should then come on when u switch back to it.
Mine cost me $45 for the camera and about $85 for the screen A an afternoon to wire it up

**VAG newbie** · 07-10-2012, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

If you wire the power up right you can have it on all the time I installed one in my Landcruiser ( with a separate screen) but had it with two power feeds, one from reverse light circuit and one from a permanently on circuit with a switch in it,
Why cant you do that and it should then come on when u switch back to it.
Mine cost me $45 for the camera and about $85 for the screen A an afternoon to wire it up

Apparently, (this is what the dealer told me, I'm not an expert) hooking up the RVC to the RNS510 is not that simple. They used the third party RVC for VW to install initially, the camera blew up. There is the need of a Skoda specific module or something so you can't simply fit a VW camera, even the factory VW camera, cannot be used on Skoda.

Installing a separate screen on the dash will be a lot easier, but it will look really messy with all tue wiring. I do novated lease every 3 years, having all those wirings and holes drilled on the dash won't do resale value any good.

Not sure if I install the type using rear view mirror as a monitor will affect the rain sensors, but will certainly lose the auto dimming function.

But my point is, Skoda should offer it, even as an option. Let's make that happen through the parliament.

**tonymy01** · 07-10-2012, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by VAG newbie

I'm very happy with my Superb in every way except, the lack of a factory fitted RVC. I do have a dealer fitted camera, which is integrated to the RNS510, that comes with a touch screen button for me to switch between OPS and RVC.

When I installed the RVC into my Golf with pre-existing OPS, there is two bits that need to be enabled with VCDS to enable the OPS and RVC to be seen on the screen at the same time (and no button pressing on the screen required). I would suggest that is part of your issue, that they haven't enabled the RVC in the OPS screen. I had the same behaviour as yours when I didn't enable that option, i.e. had to press the RNS screen to toggle to RVC due to OPS being default displayed option.

**VAG newbie** · 07-10-2012, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by tonymy01

When I installed the RVC into my Golf with pre-existing OPS, there is two bits that need to be enabled with VCDS to enable the OPS and RVC to be seen on the screen at the same time (and no button pressing on the screen required). I would suggest that is part of your issue, that they haven't enabled the RVC in the OPS screen. I had the same behaviour as yours when I didn't enable that option, i.e. had to press the RNS screen to toggle to RVC due to OPS being default displayed option.

So does your OPS shown on the RVC screen like the factory one for the Passat? I don't have VCDS and I'm a computer idiot and I'm afraid if I get one I might stuff up something and void the warranty (I don't even know where to plug the thingy in!). Maybe I'll ask the dealer to fix that in my next service. However, they told me VW and Skoda is actually different (the dealer is both Skoda and VW, their VW technician blew up the VW RVC initially, that's how they found out), so I suspect it might not work for Skoda.

**pologti18t** · 07-10-2012, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by VAG newbie

Of course, Skoda / VW Aus will not pay any attention to this forum, and writing email to them is a simple waste of time (they hire high schoolers to answer emails), I am planning to write to my local federal MP, to make RVC a requirement for all new cars sold here in Australia, just like fence is compulsory for any domestic pools! No need to mention of Skoda or VW, as long as it becomes legislation, then Skoda will be forced to install RVC into all their models!
.

HOw will that help you in the short term?

Anyway... are you sure a factory RVC is available for the Superb overseas? I couldn't find it in UK. So what does it have to do with VW Aus?

https://tools.skoda.co.uk/brochure_superb.pdf

KESSY = life saving tech??? Do you need to be reminded where your baby is?

**VAG newbie** · 07-10-2012, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by pologti18t

HOw will that help you in the short term?

I don't need a solution in short term. A Superb wagon has been scrapped from my wife's list already. But since I love the Superb so much, when my lease is due in 3 years, I'm thinking of getting another one. I'll be very unhappy if by then Skoda has not offered RVC. If we made it a legislation, then Skoda has to fit a RVC to fulfill ADR. 3 years is enough for that to happen.

Anyway... are you sure a factory RVC is available for the Superb overseas? I couldn't find it in UK. So what does it have to do with VW Aus?

https://tools.skoda.co.uk/brochure_superb.pdf

Yes, I noticed that. So it's not VW Aus, it's VAG in Germany. All of us know that Superb is killing Passat in Europe. But it is not that hard a technology. A dealer can fit it, I'm sure Skoda can fit it in factory. It will only cost about $20.

KESSY = life saving tech??? Do you need to be reminded where your baby is?

Not me, it's my wife and my sister. Both of them on separate occasions have accidentally locked their baby inside. How they can do that is beyond me. Women's mentality is too sophisticated for me (no offense to any female friends on this forum).

My wife's story was, she gave the key to my 18 month old boy to play with while she was loading the groceries in the boot. After she shut the boot lid, my boy pressed "lock" before she had a chance to get in the car. It was in an open car park at a shopping mall on a QLD summer day. Imagine how terrified my wife was! She screamed for help. Another woman passed by, she took out her remote and showed it to my boy, and she kept pushing "unlock" on her remote, hoping my boy would copy. Luckily, my boy was apparently smarter than my wife, he copied her and pushed "unlock". Otherwise we would have to smashed the window with the danger of injuring my boy with the shattered glass. Since then, we would opt for keyless entry whenever possible.

I don't know my sister's version. All I know is she accidentally locked her boy inside the car with the key. But it was an undercover car park. She had to get her husband to leave work to grab a spare key. He was furious, I just laughed and told her to get a car with KESSY. It sounds stupid but when it happens to you, you'll really appreciate KESSY. Just like most of us would think that "I will never run over a kid when I reverse! I don't need a RVC!" I'm sure those people who ran over their own kid think the same way.

Anyway, the RVC is for my wife too. I don't really need it, but she drives my car sometimes.

**tonymy01** · 08-10-2012, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by VAG newbie

So does your OPS shown on the RVC screen like the factory one for the Passat? I don't have VCDS and I'm a computer idiot and I'm afraid if I get one I might stuff up something and void the warranty

If you are in Sydney i could have a poke around and see if the option is there. Yes, the ops "radar" view comes up on the left hand side of the rear view camera view (automatically). Given you have an rns, i would suspect the software programming is the same.

**VAG newbie** · 08-10-2012, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by tonymy01

If you are in Sydney i could have a poke around and see if the option is there. Yes, the ops "radar" view comes up on the left hand side of the rear view camera view (automatically). Given you have an rns, i would suspect the software programming is the same.

Thanks for the info. I'll certainly let my dealer know in the next service.

But I'm still determined to write to my MP. Even if my RVC works after the software upgrade, it is still a very expensive unit at $1000!

**SuperbWagon** · 08-10-2012, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by VAG newbie

Because of this simple reason, when we are looking for a car for my wife, Skoda is eliminated out right! She drives kids all the time. She drops them off and pick them up in school, no RVC is a disaster waiting to happen.

Because people have never been able to cope without the RVC, right? For how many years have people not had RVC and now you won't buy a car without it? By the sounds of it, your wife needs to purchase a Landcruiser Prado so that she doesn't feel the bump when she runs over kids she should have been watching out for.

Originally Posted by VAG newbie

My suspicion is VW Aus is behind all these. By making RVC available to VW, and making KESSY (another potential life saving technology, you'll know if you accidentally locked your baby inside the car under scorching heat) available only to Skoda, is a manipulation of consumers.

I have KESSY, but it doesn't seem to have super powers. Taking a bit of responsibility would go a long way.