RNS 510 from UK $999/with free postage

[FJ Steve]

Perhaps something to consider. I've now had 3 of these units. First one worked perfectly, except for the GPS, which never saw any satellites. Second one failed suddenly after working for about 18 months. They were both replaced very quickly and professionally by Harding/Volkspower. I don't know that I'd be prepared to buy one from ebay.

fair call...... .....and I know of other forum members who have rec'd DOA (dead on arrival) units from overseas (Europe) sellers, both eBay and other sources, and those units have had their warranty honoured.

No-one is bringing Harding/Volkspower's reputation to question, nor has Guy offered to the OP, this component of his business. However, I find your rallying to Harding/Volkspower's defence a little 'questionable'.

I'm just interested in why Guy would think that this particular seller (who has an excellent reputation via the eBay process), and whose follow up communications appear (at this time) to be worthy of consideration, is a person that people need to be cautious with. If Guy knows something about this seller, then maybe he should volunteer this information........

[hoffie82]

I asked them where the RNS510 will be posted from and this is their reply , i can get it delivered from 3 different places,if its under $1000 there is no custom charges is there ?


Dear ian3391,

Hi
If you want to connect OEM VW camera,then you can do it plug and play,if aftermarket rear view camera,then you need multimedia adapter it cost 180$.
We have 3 warehouses.UK.Germany,Lithuania
If we ship from UK or Germany so it takes 7-14 days to deliver to Australia.
From Lithuania with TNT 3-4 days.And no custom charges.
We can ship from any of these warehouses upon request.

let me know what you decide.

thanks


- sat_nav

I got mine from Lithuania. It was held in customs for over 2 weeks as the seller deliberatly left off the last zero (Said the unit was worth $115.00 as opposed to $1150.00, which is what i paid at the time) to avoid custom charges. Basically, customs investigated this as it is obviously worth more but in the end, they let it go and i eventually received it.

In case you didnt know, customs charge tax if the item is worth over $1000, however now you can get them for $999, maybe you wont have this issue? Just to be safe, i would pay for it via Paypal. Therefore, if ***** hits the fan, you are completely covered and are entitiled to a full refund if the deal turns sour.

Either way, the item is INSANE value at $1000 or therabouts. VW will charge you $3500 to supply and install the EXACT same unit! It works a treat and will cost you about $135 to get VW to install or about $100 at an independent VW specialist. You can try install it yourself via some DIY install guides available on this forum but you will not get the steering controls to work unless you have a VAGCOM unit. Pay the $100 or so and get a pro to do it to avoid headaches.

Cheers,

The Hof

[Maverick]

Just to be safe, i would pay for it via Paypal. Therefore, if ***** hits the fan, you are completely covered and are entitiled to a full refund if the deal turns sour.

Don't rely on the "protection" from ebay/paypal or you'll be very disappointed when the time comes to make a claim.

For more information start with PayPal Alternative - Pay Pal Lawsuits, PayPal Complaints & Fraud

[ian]

Don't rely on the "protection" from ebay/paypal or you'll be very disappointed when the time comes to make a claim.

For more information start with PayPal Alternative - Pay Pal Lawsuits, PayPal Complaints & Fraud

I just clicked on your link and my antivirus picked up 3 active threats , so be careful every one .

[mmanda]

I pulled the trigger on one of these units for the $999 price tag. I've been coverting one since before I even bought my GTI. Figure for a third of the VW Aus price, I could buy another off Ebay if the first one dies in the next few years and still be ahead. Obviously you wouldnt want that to happen.

I'm also going to refrain from providing any feedback for as long as I can.

I'll be safely tucking away my current HU just in case I ever need it! Lets face it, all electronical goods these days seem to be hit and miss as far as long term reliability goes. Figure I could spend 1k on a Pioneer unit and still have it die several months out of warranty!

[Guy_H]

I don't have anything against any sellers, I know nothing personally about this seller at all.

I do know that the investigation into stolen nav's around Europe, particularly an investigation from VW that found a lot of navs stolen throughout Europe all ended up in a certain country called Lithuania.

I also know several people have ordered VW nav's from the "UK" only to magically have them sent from Lithuania - and these ones also happened to have the security eprom removed & reprogrammed. If you are happy to purchase off an ebay seller who is using a possible fraudulent address, then that's your call.

You don't have to do to much searching for "stolen RNS510" on google to see what an issue it is / has been. I do hope Volkswagen eventually keep track of serial numbers via the dealership to help stamp out stolen units.

Buyer Beware.

mmanda, when you get yours, let us know where it was posted from.

[Buckets]

I've actually received mine from this same vendor. It came with it's original VW code card and if I recall properly was posted from the UK. Upgraded my CAN gateway because mine's a MY06 and it has all been working fine. Figure if it does die, like mmanda, I'm still a few grand better off than if I'd bought it via the dealer.

@ mmanda - if you want any help installing, give me a yell. I've got a RossTech cable so we can do the coding as required.

[Bulkyegg]

I got mine from Lithuania. It was held in customs for over 2 weeks as the seller deliberatly left off the last zero (Said the unit was worth $115.00 as opposed to $1150.00, which is what i paid at the time) to avoid custom charges. Basically, customs investigated this as it is obviously worth more but in the end, they let it go and i eventually received it.

In case you didnt know, customs charge tax if the item is worth over $1000, however now you can get them for $999, maybe you wont have this issue? Just to be safe, i would pay for it via Paypal. Therefore, if ***** hits the fan, you are completely covered and are entitiled to a full refund if the deal turns sour.

Either way, the item is INSANE value at $1000 or therabouts. VW will charge you $3500 to supply and install the EXACT same unit! It works a treat and will cost you about $135 to get VW to install or about $100 at an independent VW specialist. You can try install it yourself via some DIY install guides available on this forum but you will not get the steering controls to work unless you have a VAGCOM unit. Pay the $100 or so and get a pro to do it to avoid headaches.

Cheers,

The Hof

Which dealer did you get to install yours for $135? I am considering buying one but am concerned about the cost of install and recode via VAGCOM.

[team_v]

Which dealer did you get to install yours for $135? I am considering buying one but am concerned about the cost of install and recode via VAGCOM.

Install is simple, it literally takes me 5 minutes to do the swap.
The re-code should only cost $50 from your local VW specialist (dealership will cost more no doubt)

[Bulkyegg]

Install is simple, it literally takes me 5 minutes to do the swap.
The re-code should only cost $50 from your local VW specialist (dealership will cost more no doubt)

I am concerned that I will damage the facia when I open it up and I need to get Torx drivers etc... If VW dealer charges $135 for the whole job (replace and re-code) then its worth cosidering...

on the other hand, still thinking about whether it is worth upgrading from the exisiting RCD510. the only extra is really the sat nav and I have to give up the 6 discs stacker

[team_v]

I am concerned that I will damage the facia when I open it up and I need to get Torx drivers etc... If VW dealer charges $135 for the whole job (replace and re-code) then its worth cosidering...

on the other hand, still thinking about whether it is worth upgrading from the exisiting RCD510. the only extra is really the sat nav and I have to give up the 6 discs stacker

I have swapped mine about 10 times so far and haven't had a scratch on it, i just made sure to wrap the butter knife in a chux cloth before i did anything.
The torx bits were $19 from bunnings and are used all over the car so it was a good investment for me.

The question you need to ask is "is satnav worth $1000 to me".
It probably isn't as i only use mine when i am going somewhere i don't know how to get to and that is probably once a month.
If you have a phone with google maps etc then you probably don't need to upgrade.

[ian]

Well i bit the bullet and bought one. Ended up getting it for $950 delivered with 90 days warranty after haggling about the warranty as it was only 30 days , I'll let you know how it goes ?

[mmanda]

I've actually received mine from this same vendor. It came with it's original VW code card and if I recall properly was posted from the UK. Upgraded my CAN gateway because mine's a MY06 and it has all been working fine. Figure if it does die, like mmanda, I'm still a few grand better off than if I'd bought it via the dealer.

@ mmanda - if you want any help installing, give me a yell. I've got a RossTech cable so we can do the coding as required.

Thanks Buckets... my little brother has offered to install it. He's installed LOTS of car stereos over the years but never pulled apart the dash in a VW. I showed him one of the great photo pictorials I found and he was a bit scared when seeing how the dash comes apart... but nice and steady wins the race! I'm sure he'll be fine. Sharkie has also posted pics on the Audio part of this forum of a slight mod that needs to happen so I can keep the current parrot bluetooth I'm using. I don't want to spend another $500 odd to upgrade the BT at this stage... just happy to keep the simple system I have.

My car is a MY08 so it might need the VAGCOM to integrate the MFD ( I think thats right) I was thinking of just getting that part of the install done in November at service time. But if you don't mind earning a 6 pack and chatting to some woman about Golfs, then that would be fab!

[Bulkyegg]

I have swapped mine about 10 times so far and haven't had a scratch on it, i just made sure to wrap the butter knife in a chux cloth before i did anything.
The torx bits were $19 from bunnings and are used all over the car so it was a good investment for me.

The question you need to ask is "is satnav worth $1000 to me".
It probably isn't as i only use mine when i am going somewhere i don't know how to get to and that is probably once a month.
If you have a phone with google maps etc then you probably don't need to upgrade.

Definitely not worth $1000 to me as I have a $200 TomTom unit which I use about 6 times a year (if that).... I am researching about whether the only difference between the two units is Satnav, which seems to be the case... better save the dole for a remap...

[mmanda]

Well i bit the bullet and bought one. Ended up getting it for $950 delivered with 90 days warranty after haggling about the warranty as it was only 30 days , I'll let you know how it goes ?

Good on you Ian. I say don't give them any feedback until its installed and working soundly for a month or so. You know what its like, a bit of negative feedback makes most buyers stop and look a lot harder and maybe walk away. So you can have a little something over them. But of course, if they are mean old crooks.. they won't give a ***** and are just out to sell them all and move on!