RNS510 cost-justified?

[langers_sydney]

After reading this thread i'm now thinking I might keep the perfectly decent RCD510 with the six CD changer. Buy a top of the range Tom Tom and put the spare 800 bucks towards Stage 1 !!!

[DreamensioN]

After reading this thread i'm now thinking I might keep the perfectly decent RCD510 with the six CD changer. Buy a top of the range Tom Tom and put the spare 800 bucks towards Stage 1 !!!

That's what I did with the R. I just bought a Tom Tom 5XXL. You can get one these days for around $170 with free map updates if you look around on those Groupon/DealsDirect websites. Paying an extra $2500 for a unit that has GPS, and maps that are out of date was too steep for me.

[frozze]

So your RCD510/RNS510 definitely works with more than 6000+ songs in your SD card?

Cool! Thanks for confirming this.

Not true.. I'm using a 16gb sd card and 6000+ songs

[Ferni]

What other manufacturers built-in sat navs have you looked at to make this statement though?
I mean, each time someone makes that statement, and someone asks the question I have, the answer is usually no one. The fact is, the RNS510 is very reasonably priced in comparison to others with a similar feature set.

It is getting a bit old though, and certainly the other Euro manufacturers in particular are starting to distance it feature set... but they're still sometimes twice the cost of more...

I mean, it's all good to say x product is too expensive. But no one is going to listen when in reality, it's one of the lower cost options out there, lol.

You are right, I've not really looked at other sat nav options on new cars to compare. I'm not comparing to other car sat navs, I'm comparing to other consumer entertainment/GPS options (ie ipad or tomtom or ipad WITH tomtom ) This is the reality of what people are doing, see this thread for example - people saying I'll keep my $800/RCD510 and buy a $200 tomtom... The value isn't there to spend 2.5k regardless of if other manufactures are charging $2,000 or $10,000 for their sat nav.

After all it's just a few bits of cheap hardware with some software (slow/bloated java doesn't help the speed/responsiveness).

Also thanks littlejohn for confirming there is no 2,000 song limit - I'm sure i read it in the manual - not at home so can't check.

[Corey_R]

It's your money, so you can do what you want with it. If you want the inconvenience of a Tom Tom, then great. But I still think this thread is largely pointless.

It's like, go to a Kitchen company, and get a quote for the installation of a indoor BBQ grill in your kitchen (the RNS-510). Then go to bunnings and buy an outdoor portable BBQ (the Tom Tom). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know which one is going to cost many many times more than the other. And, I don't think that anyone would be legitimately sitting here and arguing that the professionally integrated BBQ should be as cheap as the bunnings outdoor bbq.

So I don't really understand why you guys keep on expecting that unreasonable situation to occur with cars.

Would I like to the RNS-510 to be less than what it costs now? Sure. But telling VW that it's too expensive isn't going to help much because when compared to other comparable solutions from any of the other euro manufacturers it's well and truley cheaper.


Will things change?
I think that we're more likely to see the RNS-510 replaced by an updated unit, with a much nicer interface, much larger internal storage, and google-maps integration etc (aka, the new Audi system).... but it will still be a ~$2500 option - as the reality is, that's "good value" when compared to other integrated units.

[Ryan_R]

For the record, I agree that $2500+ is too much to justify the RNS510, that's why I (and quite a few others) have gone the Ebay route - $900-$1100 was easier to swallow. It may also depend on what you had to start off with. i.e. someone with the RCD310 might be more willing to upgrade since you get the nice classy touchscreen, whereas those with the RDC510 might not care as much. That's one possibility anyway.

[Ideo]

For the record, I agree that $2500+ is too much to justify the RNS510, that's why I (and quite a few others) have gone the Ebay route - $900-$1100 was easier to swallow. It may also depend on what you had to start off with. i.e. someone with the RCD310 might be more willing to upgrade since you get the nice classy touchscreen, whereas those with the RDC510 might not care as much. That's one possibility anyway.

If I wanted probable stolen goods in my dash I'd go get a fully sick sony from a guy in the Minto pub carpark.

[Ryan_R]

They're refurbished OEM units, what are you on about?

[littlejohn]

For the record, I agree that $2500+ is too much to justify the RNS510, that's why I (and quite a few others) have gone the Ebay route - $900-$1100 was easier to swallow. It may also depend on what you had to start off with. i.e. someone with the RCD310 might be more willing to upgrade since you get the nice classy touchscreen, whereas those with the RDC510 might not care as much. That's one possibility anyway.

+1. And you can always ebay the RCD510 and get at least a few hundred for it, which brings the price differential between Tom Tom like GPS' down even more.
I have tried numerous portable GPS units and to date have yet to come across any that works as well as the RNS510.

[Corey_R]

They're refurbished OEM units, what are you on about?

Of course... they need to "refurbish" them to remove the screw driver marks from being jemmyed from the dashboard...