Aftermarket Navigation Unit

[airbornerifleman]

I currently have symphony II head unit (the one with the in-dash 6 cd changer and cassette deck)

What aftermarket nav/dvd unit will enable me to continue using my factory bluetooth and steering wheel controls? I really love the factory bluetooth voice command and don't want to loose that feature with an aftermarket unit. The only problem I have with Audi's nav unit is that it is a dvd based navigation, I want a HDD are SD base nav. TIA.

[airbornerifleman]

Any 1?

[Bart-Man]

Everyone goes with the stock unit.

[Kid Red]

I'm for the unadulterated look. Seeing an aftermarket unit in a nice car just makes the car seem violated.

[Sanjman]

pioneer avic d3 or similar are nice and match well with stock interior and can buy a harness to connect to your steering wheels

[bcramer]

pioneer avic d3 or similar are nice and match well with stock interior and can buy a harness to connect to your steering wheels

He said he didn't want a DVD based system.

Based on your requirements I think you've limited yourself to a Kenwood or Alpine unit. Maybe an Eclipse...

Frankly, I would go with the OEM unit as its integration is awesome! Having it be DVD based isn't an issue at all for me because of the 2 SD slots and 6-disc changer.

When I finally get the funds scraped together for my audio install I'm just going to use something similar to the Alpine IMPRINT or RF 3sixty.2 for my processing, while retaining all the OEM functionality/looks.

[Sanjman]

missed that cuz his first sentence was misleading... my bad.

[bcramer]

missed that cuz his first sentence was misleading... my bad.

Understandable

[lithyem]

I have the Pioneer Z3 in mine.. HDD based. Uses factory steering controls and has bluetooth.

Very solid unit. Voice control, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, rear-view camera, ipod control, sirius, HD music library, vehicle sensor display (g-force, slope, etc) - it's pretty incredible and blows away the stock unit by far.

Looks super clean when installed properly...

[tarunpatel]

hey where did u get the double din bezel from? Looking everywhere for it?

[womensecks]

any unit that is non-OEM just looks out of place imho.

stick w/ the OEM nav, you wont be disappointed.

[redlabel81]

I have the Pioneer Z3 in mine.. HDD based. Uses factory steering controls and has bluetooth.

Very solid unit. Voice control, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, rear-view camera, ipod control, sirius, HD music library, vehicle sensor display (g-force, slope, etc) - it's pretty incredible and blows away the stock unit by far.

Looks super clean when installed properly...

That actualy doens't look half bad. :)
Lets see the rear and that camera.

[Quattro]

umm, alpine has a great headunit, but sadly the navigation is separate, but well worth it in my opinion.

[redlabel81]

I have the Pioneer Z3 in mine.. HDD based. Uses factory steering controls and has bluetooth.

Very solid unit. Voice control, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, rear-view camera, ipod control, sirius, HD music library, vehicle sensor display (g-force, slope, etc) - it's pretty incredible and blows away the stock unit by far.

Looks super clean when installed properly...

Holy!!! Just noticed!! You have a Wunderbaum hanging from your rearview mirror.......Volvo 240! Lol

[airbornerifleman]

I have the Pioneer Z3 in mine.. HDD based. Uses factory steering controls and has bluetooth.

Very solid unit. Voice control, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, rear-view camera, ipod control, sirius, HD music library, vehicle sensor display (g-force, slope, etc) - it's pretty incredible and blows away the stock unit by far.

Looks super clean when installed properly...

^ How did you get the rings to show up on your screen? How much did you pay for your unit? if you don’t mind. When you say "has bluetooth" what do you mean? If the bluetooth is built-in to the unit, does it work the same as our factory bluetooth. i.e.: Currently I have a lot of numbers saved in the factory unit and when I press the PTT on the steering wheel and say the command "dial name" and say the name corresponding to the number without having to dictate every single digit for the number, it repeats the name to make sure it got it rite then I say "dial" and it dials the number. Does the Pioneer Z3 have the feature of its own or does it communicate with our stock bluetooth?

Thanks to everyone for responding I love AZ

[lithyem]

The OEM nav is great but not nearly as feature packed as the Pioneer.. you can't disagree with that no?

[lithyem]

The bezel was custom fit from an existing piece by SammSound (sammsound.com did the install). Not sure where the original part came from.

Here is a pic of the rear-view cam, sorry in advance that I don't have a clearer pic.

[lithyem]

@airborneriflema:

The rings - You can set your background screen to any image you like.
Price paid - expect to pay 2k-2.5k for all the hardware and the install. Not cheap but no option left out. All the modules and controllers are lil hardware bits. ipod, sirius, etc.
Bluetooth - it has bluetooth 2.0 and works with bluetooth phones. It has voice recognition and will import your phone book from some phones. Check the pioneer site for that info. You can press the voice button and tell it to call someone by name, yes. It has nothing to do with your stock bluetooth - this is all part of the Pioneer.

Hope that helps.
T

[pyro]

i also have the z1 and absolutely love it.
i paid 1000 total for the unit and install.

[lithyem]

Don't forget all the extras are.. extra. :-D
Steering wheel modules (uses stock wheel but needs a hardware controller - 2 for the a4 actually), ipod, sirius, bluetooth, microphone for voice control, rear-view cam, etc. I forget which are standard hardware and which are extras. Check pioneers site.

[airbornerifleman]

Thanks lithyem!

[pyro]

the ipod adapter is just a cable...about 50 bucks, bluetooth can be had for 75 or so, rear camera is your call as there are numerous options, microphone is included, sirius is about 50 for the module. pretty cheap and much cheaper than rns-e add-ons.

[davis449]

I have the Pioneer Z3 in mine.. HDD based. Uses factory steering controls and has bluetooth.

Very solid unit. Voice control, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, rear-view camera, ipod control, sirius, HD music library, vehicle sensor display (g-force, slope, etc) - it's pretty incredible and blows away the stock unit by far.

Looks super clean when installed properly...

How did you get your SWC to work? What adapters did you use? I would assume I could use the same configuration for an Avic-D3. I would like to get my SWC back.

[lithyem]

@davis449 - Sorry not sure which adaptors they used for the steering wheel controls. I do know that it took 2 of them to make all the buttons on the wheel work tho.

[yettavr6]

Does you voice button work too? Can you program the buttons to do whatever you want? I bought the PAC SWI-CAN and SWI-PS which is supposedly what i need to use my SWC with my Pioneer, and you can program the buttons to whatever you want, however I've been told that the voice button will not work, but maybe since i don't have factory BT it will...we shall see.

[spoilera4]

hi lithyem, How much did u pay for the unit?

[lithyem]

The voice button does not work :-( - you have to press the voice button on the navi unit itself. I think I paid around 2k total - give or take.

[gaogi]

How did you get your SWC to work? What adapters did you use? I would assume I could use the same configuration for an Avic-D3. I would like to get my SWC back.

I used a Pioneer adapter to keep my steering wheel controls (see my sig). They don't sell it in the US, and you can find them sometimes on eBay. I got mine from a website in the UK, paid around $100.00 for it, but you'll be able to get it for alot cheaper with today's exchange rates. The benefits of the Pioneer unit is that you also get illumination, speed and reverse signals translated from the CAN-BUS. It's truly plug and play with any Pioneer head units that has an option for a wired remote. An added bonus since it's CAN-BUS based is that your stereo remains on until you pull out the key, just like the factory stereo.

[yettavr6]

Yes, i found THE font that Audi uses on everything inside the car. I know its blurry in the pic, but the "Navigation plus" text perfectly matches the text under the screen of the RNS-e (as well as "Audi Symphony") on my old HU







This is before i calibrated the PDC. The lines are actually on the ground now.

[davis449]

I used a Pioneer adapter to keep my steering wheel controls (see my sig). They don't sell it in the US, and you can find them sometimes on eBay. I got mine from a website in the UK, paid around $100.00 for it, but you'll be able to get it for alot cheaper with today's exchange rates. The benefits of the Pioneer unit is that you also get illumination, speed and reverse signals translated from the CAN-BUS. It's truly plug and play with any Pioneer head units that has an option for a wired remote. An added bonus since it's CAN-BUS based is that your stereo remains on until you pull out the key, just like the factory stereo.

Can you PM me that website address if you still have it?

Edit: After doing a little searching, it would appear that those of us that don't have the FAKRA connector as you do would need the CA-R-PI.015 adapter. This one would appear to work with the ISO connectors many of us have.

Update: I have contacted a stereo shop in the UK to see if I can purchase the CA-R-PI.015 for the ISO plug in my car. I'm willing to be the guinea pig for those of us with the ISO plugs. I'll keep this thread updated with my progress. With current exchange rates, I don't anticipate this being much more than $100 or so. That's pretty much on the money with the price of the two PAC adapters you would need ordinarily. I'm willing to pay a bit extra for plug and play.

[gaogi]

Here's a quick write up I did on my install:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=219977

If you have a Symphony II+, you should have a Quadlock connector.

[spoilera4]

Has somebody tried with this unit? :http://www.caradvanced.com/products/...D-slot....html
I like it and too many features.

[mbriggs993]

that unit on caradvanced looks very interesting but i can't find anything on it for reviews or write ups. Seems like something that looks that custom for the a4 woudl be getting some more pub. Anyone hear or know anything about the unit and can give some input?

[agsam01]

Just to throw this out there, since I just got my A4 without factory Nav and I'm looking at the Pioneer Avic-F 90/900BT. It is fully voice controlled for Blue Tooth & Nav, don't know yet if it will work with steering wheel controls, but from what I've found it looks very factory when it is installed, same type of volume knob that is on the factory radio. Haven't pulled the trigger yet, but the 900BT is on Crutchfield right now for around $900, which is a pretty decent price.

[orbovi]

agsam01 I was looking at the same unit and the 900BT can be found on Amazon for ~600 new. May be pulling the trigger shortly off one of these and getting it installed at BB or someone along those lines.

[agsam01]

agsam01 I was looking at the same unit and the 900BT can be found on Amazon for ~600 new. May be pulling the trigger shortly off one of these and getting it installed at BB or someone along those lines.

You probably already know this, but try to make sure the Amazon one already had the new firmware installed (2.0 version). From the reviews on crutchfield, the unit was really slow and prone to have issues prior to the upgrade on the firmware. Not 100% certain, but I think you have to send the unit in to have it updated, I could be wrong though.

Thanks for the heads up on the Amazon price though, $300 difference could go towards replacing the speakers!!

[Quattro]

Yes, i found THE font that Audi uses on everything inside the car. I know its blurry in the pic, but the "Navigation plus" text perfectly matches the text under the screen of the RNS-e (as well as "Audi Symphony") on my old HU


This is before i calibrated the PDC. The lines are actually on the ground now.

i actually like the way this back up camera is, reminds of my friends A6 who has it. It just looks annoying to work with. But it does look sick!

[Sal_B7]

I have the RNS-E and its cool and all but it sucks that you have to pay $200 for a new Nav disc. I had a Kenwood nav touchscreen in my celica that i still have. Not sure exactly what features it has on it but i love the navigation cause it worked with a satelite. The really only big thing that keeps me from switching is the steering wheel controls and the fact that the RNS-E has the SD cards for music that is a big plus cause i had to burn discs for my Kenwood unit. I dunno, time will tell....

[RVT]

Glad to see this thread going. My Alpine went away with my trade in car, and although I love the built in factor of the Bose/Nav + system in my A4, the sound quality is just plain poor. Nothing like stepping up in cars and seriously back in sound.
My understanding is Alpine, Kenwood and Pioneer all have touch screen head units with Nav and all the add-ons you could ask for. The biggest problem is getting it to mate cleanly with the Bose amp and speakers. A head unit would be a great start, but I bet the best answer is still ripping out the whole Audi system and starting from scratch.

Before i shuck out $200 on a one time purchase of a Nav DVD, I might just consider putting something of far better quality in the OEM units place. I'm just not financially ready for that kind of cash outlay right now. Would like to see more input from other successful transplants here!


2 cents

[orbovi]

I have a B7 A4 and I do believe I have all the parts needed for a Pioneer 90BT. Looking at about ~800.

Here's the parts I have saved in the cart. If someone sees something out of place (missing, too expensive, blah blah) let me know before I pull the trigger. Thanks.

90BT - 639.97
Metra 70-1787 Radio Wiring Harness - 22.60
Antenna Adapter - 12.99
Metra 99-9102 double DIN - 39.95
Pioneer ADTVA133 Install Kit - 35.11
PAC SWI-PS SWC Interface - 48.34
Total : 798.96