V70: Stereo/SatNav/Phone I'm new here...

[BigBadRob]

Morning everyone,
On Tuesday I'll be picking up my new (to me) 61 plate 1.6DrivE V70 SE Lux which I'm very much looking forward to. I have a question for the populous regarding the stereo.

On both of my test drives, I checked every function within the Sensus and the unit didn't seem to have DAB. I have done some investigation on here and a few other forums and it seems that there is a factory part that must be fitted (regardless of whether it is active) for DAB radio to function.

As my previous two Skodas have had DAB radios, I'm now in a position where the mere thought of having to listen to Chris Evans or Steve Wright fills me with loathing (6Music all the way!)
Does anyone know (assuming the necessary part may not have been factory fitted) how I could go about getting DAB retrofitted? I've read a few things about a PURE aftermarket system that can be added but I've only seen these on the older variants (pre mid-2011 facelift) and am not sure whether this would be directly compatible with the build of Sensus I have.

Anyone who has insight on how they function with the car would be good too: Are they an add-on to the Sensus system like a simple aux feed or do they work in conjunction with the stereo and replace the FM by remodulating the DAB frequency and squirting it into the FM aerial? (I have seen this done on a friends SAAB a few years back- fine until you lose DAB signal!)

All help greatly appreciated.

Rob

[Vainona70]

Hi Rob - there are plenty of threads regarding retro fitting DAB that can be found by using the search function. I had the Pure Highway 300Di fitted by Volvo when I purchased a used 62 Reg V70 D4. I was prepared to pay the £295 asking price to get it fitted by Volvo techs with no unsightly wiring. It plays through the Aux channel, leaving FM & other channels functional. Speak to your Volvo dealer.

Apologies for the orientation of the pic!

[BigBadRob]

That's the picture that turned up on Google when I looked yesterday and prompted me to investigate the PURE units (and register on this forum!) Top stuff.

I'm hopeful it won't come to that and that the necessary module is fitted already. I'm new to the Volvo CanBus/information architecture so I'm not sure how easy it is if it's already sitting there and just needs a software update and/or turning on the relevant part.
With my Skoda, it was: Add DAB module to wiring > open VCDS > Scan vehicle > Tick box for DAB module > rescan and start car >Hey presto, Radcliffe & Maconie!

I fear it may not be *quite* that easy in this car and will cost more than a few bottles of real ale and a pork pie to an enthusiastic and helpful forum member...

[andyg]

If you do end up needing an after-market DAB unit then try one of these. I have one and it is excellent.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celsus-DAB10...ords=dabmotion

Andy

[BigBadRob]

That looks pretty good from a price perspective but I have a slight reservation as the car is still in warranty and I've purchased an extended one from the seller.
As a result I have to get any modifications of this sort done by Volvo (or a registered Volvo repairer like the Marshall Land Rover garage I will be using in Melton) so that it isn't invalidated. Not sure how they'd feel about fitting and guaranteeing their work if they aren't familiar with the unit (even if it is a very simple job)

And yes, I do know just how simple it would be, but that isn't the point. If I have a crack at it and the vehicle has an electrics problem in 6 months and they queried who installed an aftermarket DAB decoder, I'd get nothing from them when I said 'Twas I, your honour'...

[andyg]

Yes, there is always the warranty to consider. But this particular unit is an accessory which (ahem) plugs into an accessory socket. There is no other connection with the car. The stick-on window antenna is powered down the coax cable from the DAB unit, not from the car. The DAB radio transmits locally on an unused frequency to your RDS VHF car radio so there is no connection there either. The whole thing is wireless. For powering the DAB radio unit if you use a socket which is switched on/off with ignition, which in Volvo cars is normal for the passenger compartment, then I would defy any warranty provider to quibble.

Having said all that, caution might be the better way. I suspect that some warranty providers might try to argue different!

Good luck anyway with finding a solution.

Andy

[BigBadRob]

Cheers Andy,
Collection is T-minus 6 hours and I'll be heading straight round to my friend's house for some pie n chips and to have a good old wander through the menu options again, just in case I missed it when I was playing after my test drive last time.

I'm also interested to see if it's got Volvo On-Call enabled as it had every other options box ticked on the list from what I can remember and the dashboard is the newer variant (MY12) with the screen integrated into the dash rather than the pop up screen, despite it being a very late 2011 registration so I'm hopeful that I can get the VOC app too (as I travel overseas a fair bit, it would be useful to know the state of my battery in Heathrow's car park when I'm on my way back)

[BigBadRob]

Originally Posted by Vainona70

Hi Rob - there are plenty of threads regarding retro fitting DAB that can be found by using the search function. I had the Pure Highway 300Di fitted by Volvo when I purchased a used 62 Reg V70 D4. I was prepared to pay the £295 asking price to get it fitted by Volvo techs with no unsightly wiring. It plays through the Aux channel, leaving FM & other channels functional. Speak to your Volvo dealer.

So, had an interesting discussion last week when I went into Marshall Volvo in Melton to get my oil changed. They quoted me £480 for fitting of the Pure Highway 300Di which included a 'Volvo fitting kit' that is just a bracket and loom adapter according to my studies on here. So I can buy the whole system for £180 on Amazon (less this magical Volvo-specific bracket) and was expecting an extra £120 or so for labour and I have seen something around the £300 mark as a general consensus on here for the total costs.

Finding it a little difficult to work out where the extra £180 is coming from. Are they simply trying to fleece me? Or am I missing something really obvious?

Any techs wish to comment on it? Or perhaps offer me the service at a price I'm actually willing to pay?