Sat Nav - Phone compatibility

[Holbourn]

Earlier this year I purchased a new Knaus motorhome with Pioneer AVIC-X1BT satnav fitted. I have just purchased a Nokia N95 phone. On the internet I have very easily determined from the Pioneer site full details of the compatibility and instructions for pairing (a pdf document of over 200 pages covering a vast number of different mobiles). There is full compatibility and setting up is simple. Brilliant!

The Nokia N95 has been on the market for almost a year and is one of the top selling phones: hence I anticipated no problems with the MY08 Seat Leon 2.0 TDi DSG Stylance fitted with sat nav that includes Bluetooth. (This vehicle is now off the production line and scheduled for delivery in the next week or so.) I can find no comparable information or instructions for the VAG sat nav available on a vast array of VAG vehicles.

It was appear from a close search of this and other VAG linked sites that the Nokia N95 may be compatible but with limited facilities being available such as an inability to transfer the phone book. From reading posts on this Forum it appears that VAG have been aware of this lack of info about Bluetooth compatibility for many months but still no information has been made available by VAG or the sat nav manufacturer.

Pioneer can produce easily available up to date information - and engineer full compatibility - so why not VAG and/or its supplier. By the way the Pioneer AVIC-X1BT appears to be a vastly superior nav kit and is cheaper!

What an appalling indictment. And this is from a long term Audi owner that is about to become a Seat Leon owner! Or have I failed to find the source of the required information?

 

[DanGB]

Ive been told its because the bluetooth implementation on phones differ from the set bluetooth standard which the VAG unit follows.

You can still do voice dialling and save names/numbers onto the voice dialling system.

 

[Jon Legge]

A mate of mine has got a Freelander 2. Had to get ride of his Nokia N95 because it has 'newer' bluetooth software than his Landie. Guess manufacturers are being a bit slow to catch up with new phone technology!!...

 

[Holbourn]

Thanks for the comments guys. You've confirmed my views - and my vague hope that I'd missed something has been dashed.

Basically what I'm trying to state is that it would seem that Pioneer as a company (and probably VDO) are much better producers of in car navigation systems than VAG/Blaupunkt. Pioneer sat nav is fully compatible with the Nokia N95 and most phones. It has been for at least six months to my knowledge. Pioneer also makes it simple to get information about the kit they produce whereas VAG/Blaupunkt seems to delight in obfuscation. It's not even easy to determine that Blaupunkt is the manufacturer of the VAG satnav! I've been to about ten different sites associated with Seat, VAG, Blaupunkt, and Teleatlas trying to get info but with little success. Pity the Pioneer sat nav is not available for a new Seat Leon. I wanted an in car fitted system but even Tom Tom and Garmin systems are in some ways more advanced and more background info is available. One example is that all the companies mentioned above have on the net downloadable User Manuals in pdf format - except of course VAG/Blaupunkt!

BTW - Dan GB: a brilliant post on the retrofitting of the sat nav: absolutely crystal clear instructions, very helpful photographs and so easy to follow. I do have a technology background - but sadly on the theoretical and usage aspects rather than practical. I first employed sat nav as a navigation system some decades ago when there were only three satellites up. In fact one of my navigators went to the very first UK demonstration of the kit (following the paths in a London park!)