Buying rns-e unit

[AhmadAJ]

Hello all.

I have a 2005.5 a4, US spec.
I want to buy an RNS-E unit, but all what i find on ebay are EU units. I don't live in the US , no maps are available for my country, so i won't use the navigation function.
Is coding necessary just for the navigation or for the whole unit to work??

[a4audi4fun]

http://audiforum.us/forums/rns-e.40/

Probably get more accurate info from here

[cheemn]

Out of curiousity why do you want an RNSE? Its very old technology. You might as well get an aftermarket headunit that will have a map for your country or try one of those dynavins if you are worried about the look on your dash. Just wondering..... [confused]

[AhmadAJ]

I like the look of the RNS-E
Is there any popular aftermarket units among B7 owners? What's better pioneer, kenwood or Alpine?

[Golfedd]

I like the look of the RNS-E
Is there any popular aftermarket units among B7 owners? What's better pioneer, kenwood or Alpine?


I think the vote will end with Pioneer... though I had Kenwood double din very top of the range two years ago. it was awesome JUST a little slow compared to the Pioneers

[AhmadAJ]

do aftermarket units show infos on the DIS?

[papadelogan]

No aftermarket unit will show in the DIS.. except possibly the Dynavin. I have a Kenwood DNX9980HD in my dash. Bought used off ebay for $600 - original retail was ~$1800. I 'watch' (listen mostly with a glance here & there) to movies on my way to/from work. Long trips, I have GPS navigation. I have my ipod connected and will soon have my satellite radio tapped in. I have bluetooth that I mostly use to stream Pandora radio. Does the RNS-E have a more OEM look? Damn right it does. Does it even know what a candle is, much less hold one to what my Kenwood can do.... for less money. Innovation is a wonderful thing. In the end, get what you're happy with, I would strongly recommend looking in to your options.

[JPT]

I have an RSN-E. I wouldn't change it it for an aftermarket unit. I need the DIS directions. I never look in the screen. In a big city, you come to many intersections with multiple turns in the same direction, it is dangerous to look at the screen to see which right turn you should make.

This is why all the new good factory GPS units are at the top of the dash now.

[CTAudiDriver]

I recently purchased the 2010 RNS-E and like it a lot although it was quite expensive. My Favorite Features are the following:

1. High-Res Screen that has twice the quality of the old RNS-E.
2. Traffic updates which are provided via FM transmission for free.
3. Ability to hold two 32 gb SD cards for music.
4. Full integration with my OEM bluetooth, Sirius, Steering Wheel controls, and DIS.
5. Glossy screen surround and silver knobs look great with my silver beltline trim.
6. 1 hr. install which was plug and play, only took a little time because of the guage cluster recoding needed with vag-com for the DIS.
7. Very easy to use while driving with the buttons for each module displayed etc. I think a touch screen would be quite annoying in the car.

The only negative I can think of is I-Pod connectivity. I bought an auxiliary headphone jack for it but have yet to install. I'll probably install this along with a bluetooth module for audio streaming or just do a direct line in. The SD cards pretty much make up for this and with Sirius I don't really miss pandora.

Let me know if you need the contact info for my friend who gets the 2010 units and retrofits to our faceplates.

Here's a pic of mine installed:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F2opSWvkqUI/USbRcPYr2sI/AAAAAAAAAZo/St5YtzqNBAE/s912/image.jpg