Volkswagen Golf/Jetta SAT NAV

[faisan]

I have tested the AVC bluetooth today for the first time and it works suprisingly well! both my callers have said the sound is fine. If this keeps up, I might not need to install the Parrot kit after all.

[faisan]

One thing I forgot to mention to prospective buyers is that my unit seems to have slight updated software because the menus dont look as crap as the original screen shots I saw. The main source screen is the same but the DVD screen and MP3 folder structure screen is a bit different. Doesnt look too bad any more.

Overall, I am happy with this unit. There are 2 main things that annoy me and I will share them here:

1 - screen is very difficult to see in direct sunlight. I might even need to make a hood or something to help block out the sun coming through the windscreen. This is obviously not a problem at dusk or at night.

2 - When playing a video file (AVI etc), there is no easy way to switch back to the folder list to let you choose another file (eg MP3). I figured out that the only way to do this is to press the stop button on the remote. Would have been nice to have a stop button on the unit itself.

The radio reception is also crappy but I am still working on resolving this so I will withhold judgement for now.

[blutopless2]

i am surprised alot of people are having probs with the radio reception.
when i had mine installed they only connected the brown one to the unit (didn't have the y adaptor at the time) and my reception is as good as it was with the orig vw unit.

direct sunlight is a problem... also find it annoying that you cant adjust the brightness when in satnav mode - only the fixed settings with the "brit" button.

[faisan]

i am surprised alot of people are having probs with the radio reception.
when i had mine installed they only connected the brown one to the unit (didn't have the y adaptor at the time) and my reception is as good as it was with the orig vw unit.
.

I must try the brown connector the next time I pull apart my dash again. The funny thing is that when I plugged in the white connector to test in the garage, it worked fine. Then again, the car was stationary. Now the car is moving, the reception is crap. Hopefully the brown connector is better.

Good to hear you are having success with the brown connector as you have a Jetta also.

[faisan]

Today I worked out how to install iGo8 on the AVC9000 and I must say its fantastic! I have used TomTom for years and this is the first time I have seen iGo8 in action and I find it better than TomTom in almost every way.

Does anyone know if the 3D maps are available for Australia?

[harlie]

I must try the brown connector the next time I pull apart my dash again. The funny thing is that when I plugged in the white connector to test in the garage, it worked fine. Then again, the car was stationary. Now the car is moving, the reception is crap. Hopefully the brown connector is better.

Good to hear you are having success with the brown connector as you have a Jetta also.

Brown connector made no difference for me. White or brown individually seemed ok in the garage but once moving it is rubbish.

However I picked up a powered Y adapter today and it has solved the problem. The adapter that comes with the kit is not needed - this one has 2 fakra inputs, one labelled white (so it matters which way it’s connected) and the standard output with a signal amplifier inline that connects to the blue "auto ant" wire on the back of AVR. Unit purchased from Autobarn, it’s a new listed product for VW and the guys (unfortunately I’m known by name down there) claim that the factory head unit has an internal signal amplifier. Definitely fixed it for me.
Agree with the iGO statement – it’s great, seems to calculate routes a lot better too.

[faisan]

However I picked up a powered Y adapter today and it has solved the problem. The adapter that comes with the kit is not needed - this one has 2 fakra inputs, one labelled white (so it matters which way it’s connected) and the standard output with a signal amplifier inline that connects to the blue "auto ant" wire on the back of AVR.

How much was this powered Y adapter?

[mozzzy_2000]

Hi, can someone please comment on CD playback quality compared to the original factory head unit and if this unit has at least 1 pair of RCA outputs so an amp such as a subwoofer can be utilised? I find my current factory unit's lack of expandablity to be quite annoying so I am looking at a replacement. Not sure whether to go down the path of the avc9000 though. It is tempting though. That is if they're still available.

[blutopless2]

wonder if radio reception has anything to do with the state you are in...
mine works great on the brown connector alone.. and am in victoria..
will find out in feb how good it is in other states as i head up to burleigh heads qld for a holiday.

[faisan]

I bought an extra fakra to DIN antenna adapter and an Aerpro antenna Y double adapter so I could fit both antenna connectors into the AVC9000. I am happy to report that on initial testing, this has made a huge difference to reception quality and I can get solid FM without drop outs now. I couldnt get Nova 93.7 before and now I can.

If anyone is having issues with radio reception, definitely get the antenna adapters.