Fitted up the AVC9000

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Fitted the AVC9000 tonight. Very easy install, everything worked. Looks great. Took a few goes trying to work out some of the setups for sound etc (the manual is typical english translated from chinese via russian. I still don't know what a couple of the settings actually do!

DVD and iPod adaptor works fine. Bluetooth worked straight up, sounds OK- but haven't tried it driving yet.

Sat Nav worked fine -except software is Tom Tom and it 'looks' very average, no detail, but you can select an Aussie voice (and can download others evidently). I'd like to change the software though, lots say the Igo8 is much better.

It sounds a little better than the standard RC510, is definitely louder, but shows up limits of the std speakers.

Haven't hooked up the reversing camera yet. Bit confused with some of the wiring and it'll be an all day job I'm thinking!

Overall a good unit - I still worry about the price though - for everything it does and does well (at least so far) - it's too cheap!

[JP2]

Fitted the AVC9000 tonight. Very easy install, everything worked. Looks great. Took a few goes trying to work out some of the setups for sound etc (the manual is typical english translated from chinese via russian. I still don't know what a couple of the settings actually do!

DVD and iPod adaptor works fine. Bluetooth worked straight up, sounds OK- but haven't tried it driving yet.

Sat Nav worked fine -except software is Tom Tom and it 'looks' very average, no detail, but you can select an Aussie voice (and can download others evidently). I'd like to change the software though, lots say the Igo8 is much better.

It sounds a little better than the standard RC510, is definitely louder, but shows up limits of the std speakers.

Haven't hooked up the reversing camera yet. Bit confused with some of the wiring and it'll be an all day job I'm thinking!

Overall a good unit - I still worry about the price though - for everything it does and does well (at least so far) - it's too cheap!

Thinking to get one, may I know how much (approx. will do) and where I can get it from?

James

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Hi James, probably need to update my thoughts since installing:

SatNav - did come with iGo8 as well as Tom Tom, and I now run iGo because it's better than TT IMO (although now I can't have John Cleese or Ozzy Osbourne swearing at me every time I take a wrong turn - but I can live with that). The SatNav works really well, very fast to locate sats and very quick with calculations etc. The iGo8 'looks' great and is very easy to use, and software is very up to date - a local road that only opened here in late December is on this version, and it has all the Red Light camera positions etc.

The iPod interface works fine but looks crap. Just a blue menu on a purple background with the info being displayed on a number of lines. The worst thing is that when you switch over to iPod mode, the touch screen doesn't actually work for the displayed iPod selection lists (i.e Playlist, Albums, Artists, Songs etc). When you touch the screen, another menu pops up which is just a row of arrow nav buttons to let you navigate through your iPod.






CD brings up blue screen with big VW symbol. CD info displayed on small single line at the top. Again, uses the popup nav buttons same as iPod.




But slot in an MP3 Cd and you get a completely different interface again! This brings up a better looking and easier navigation screen with icons and titles actually doing something when you touch them (no extra green popup buttons).




Radio works fine, easy to use - looks OK, signal not quite as strong as original unit though.




Bluetooth is really great but basic. It is very clear and more importantly, everyone can hear me loud and clear - better than on my previous bluetooth.




DVD is great. No pics sorry - I forgot that one.


Console panel that allows you to access the SD card that stores your Nav software but also allows you to store music, pics and movies on it (up to 2gig), "looks" the best but works crap - for music anyway. I'm buggered if I can work out how to group delete songs after they're added to the playlist other than removing them singly one by one. If you browse the SD card again and select another album, it just adds the songs to the existing ones. It's a shame, because this is my preferred device. And if you look at the MusicPlayer shot, it lists everything but the song title! - You have to go back to the previous screen where you selected them all - go figure! Hopefully missing something with this GUI, and someone might be able to help on this?





The reversing camera is crap, and I replaced it with an alpine one (a bit extravagant and probably should have just gone to Jaycar and bought one of theirs, but the image is brilliant).

Overall, the unit sounds as good or better than the stock one, and is a little louder. It includes a graphic EQ if you want to use that and has a bass enhancer. I added new speakers up front, a sub, and an amp, so the head unit now sits on flat tone settings. Very happy with the sound and it didn't drain the bank account.

The unit cost me $950 delivered overnight express and I'll PM you the details - not sure if I'm allowed to post them here, so won't try it, but I couldn't fault their service.

Hope this helps.

[Moonan]

Details of where to buy it etc are in this MASSIVE thread dedicated (mostly) to the AVC9000:
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=12612
I have one in the Golf, and the GPS failed... The supplier (Rob from Austpack) was very responsive and helpful, and had the unit repaired (with new GPS unit installed) promptly.

[WEDEL.1]

The unit cost me $950 delivered overnight express and I'll PM you the details - not sure if I'm allowed to post them here, so won't try it, but I couldn't fault their service.

Feel free to post that here.

Maris

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Thanks WEDEL, wasn't sure - and Moonan's just done that for me. Fantastic service from Rob, and you can actually talk to him!

NZTig, I know what you mean, but $900 compared to $3900, and the AVC has Bluetooth - that works, and it "looks" as good as OEM when it's in the hole.

Also, the audio performance of the AVC is arguably better that OEM unit. The Nav works better or as good as any I've had before, but I've not tried the OEM Nav. The AVC doesn't seem to suffer any shortcomings there (but I may be wrong) and the IGo8 that I'm running with now (as supplied), is great software IMO, however, I don't know what the OEM is - I think it's VW own. The screen quality on the AVC is also very good.

However, the biggest problem and frustration with the AVC is the mishmash of GUI's, the 'look' of them, and some functionality.

However, because it sounds good and everything does work as it's designed to, it's a hard to argue against it, even forgetting the big price difference.

I guess the final test is, would I have put in the OEM unit if I had money to burn? Probably not, because then I would be frustrated because it didn't have bluetooth (something else I'd have to add and pay for), and it doesn't sound as good. Would I pay $2000 for the OEM unit, probably still not. Would I pay $1500 for an AVC that fixed all my gripes, definitely. Let's just hope it lasts past the 12 month warranty period!

[afatboy]

Well I already order mine with Sat Nav and I still need another $600 for a bluetooth unit.

[NZTiguan]

!

NZTig, I know what you mean, but $900 compared to $3900, and the AVC has Bluetooth - that works, and it "looks" as good as OEM when it's in the hole.

Best buy-now price I found currently on eBay for RNS510 is US $1200 so they're available a lot cheaper than "dealer price". The $US conversion is a bit nasty at the moment but you could probably get one out of GB or Europe and dodge that issue a bit.

My point is that you shouldn't compare these units using "stealer" prices !!

Cheers

[afatboy]

Is this the same Sat Nav unit that cost $3900 from VW ?

[NZTiguan]

Is this the same Sat Nav unit that cost $3900 from VW ?

NO, it's a retro-fit replacement and not nearly as good a unit IMHO (I don't actually have one cos I didn't need Nav). If you check it out through http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=970, http://www.mytiguan.com/, and http://tiguanownersclub.com/vwtiguan/ you'll find that anybody with "the real deal RNS510" is really happy with it, it's one of the best out there, it has a hard drive, superior interfaces, and a better satNav BUT that said you get what you pay for and this unit appears to do a good job for your $ if you don't want to pay for the real deal.

A few people have retro-fitted the actual RNS510 (look for Rocc's posts on the other forums, he's from Jamaica) having got it for much less than dealer prices through eBay and similar and personally I think that would be the option I'd be chasing IF I needed Nav etc, at least then you have the unit that was designed for the Tiguan (or the Tig was designed for it) and in my opinion that's worth $s to you in the long run.

As I said earlier, it really comes down to what you're prepared to pay.

Cheers