Trip Computer Upgrade

**TGabriele** · 10-09-2008 01:03 PM

I have searched and couldn't find the answer I was looking for, so I figured I'll turn to the Guru's here at AZ.

I currently have a loaner car from the local Audi dealership and the trip computer has a few more functions than mine that I would love to add. In addition to the standard stuff I've got, it also has a trip odometer (in addition to the one next to the odometer), a screen with a digital speedometer, and a built-in menu screen that allows you to change the display (i.e., add or remove functions from the 2 trip computers, change the date/time format, language, etc.)

Does anyone know if I can upgrade mine to this? If so, how? Would it be that I have to replace a control module or the entire instrument cluster? Or is this functionality stored in the main computer for the car? Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.

P.S. - I have a 2004 A4 3.0Q with the Trip Computer & functionality that it came with back then.

**Charlescrs6** · 10-09-2008 07:51 PM

bump, is there a way to display current speed on the main screen?

**onceover** · 10-09-2008 07:55 PM

dont think so, only average speed

**Pothole** · 10-09-2008 08:20 PM

Kinda off topic, but my uncle got his b5 s4 to show boot and vacume, can ours do this?

**Undisputed** · 10-09-2008 09:09 PM

I remember a thread on that a while back. It was showing how to do it on a B5 but nobody seemed to have done it for the B6. The B5 mod looked to be extremely difficult and time consuming though.

**diagnosticator** · 10-10-2008 09:45 AM

What is the loaner? Regardless, there is no known way to change the display of the DIS, in the fashion requested. There is a method of using the DIS to display whatever info desired, but it requires add-on hardware and specialized programming on the added hardware.

**absolutegtr** · 10-10-2008 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by diagnosticator

What is the loaner? Regardless, there is no known way to change the display of the DIS, in the fashion requested. There is a method of using the DIS to display whatever info desired, but it requires add-on hardware and specialized programming on the added hardware.

Can you expand on this?

I have always wondered if there was a way to change the "welcoming screen" to read something more personal.

*referring to the "push clutch pedal in" screen

**dougyfresh** · 10-10-2008 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Pothole

Kinda off topic, but my uncle got his b5 s4 to show boot and vacume, can ours do this?

That is EFu 4U and is only available on the B5 chassis.... clicky click

**TGabriele** · 10-10-2008 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by diagnosticator

What is the loaner? Regardless, there is no known way to change the display of the DIS, in the fashion requested. There is a method of using the DIS to display whatever info desired, but it requires add-on hardware and specialized programming on the added hardware.

The loaner I had most recently was an '08 A3 2.0T, but I've had an '08 A4 2.0T Q w/TPMS (which I don't have, unfortunately) before and it's trip computer did everything the A3's does, except for the digital speedometer.

No one knows whether the Trip Computer is controlled by the ECU, a Trip Computer module, by the instrument cluster itself, or by some other means? I was hoping to hear that it was the instrument cluster as I was planning on changing it out for a Color DIS model.

**Pothole** · 10-10-2008 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by absolutegtr

Can you expand on this?

I have always wondered if there was a way to change the "welcoming screen" to read something more personal.

*referring to the "push clutch pedal in" screen

LOL why can I only think of dirty things to make my car say

**diagnosticator** · 10-10-2008 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by TGabriele

The loaner I had most recently was an '08 A3 2.0T, but I've had an '08 A4 2.0T Q w/TPMS (which I don't have, unfortunately) before and it's trip computer did everything the A3's does, except for the digital speedometer.

No one knows whether the Trip Computer is controlled by the ECU, a Trip Computer module, by the instrument cluster itself, or by some other means? I was hoping to hear that it was the instrument cluster as I was planning on changing it out for a Color DIS model.

The various information displayed by the DIS, is configured by the DIS display electronics inside the instrument cluster, using signal inputs from several sources, primarily the engine ECU and the ABS controller, for MPG and average speed data. The radio sends RDS information via the infotainment CAN buss. The MPG and Road speed data is sent to the IC from the engine ECU and the ABS controller via the power train CAN buss.

**B6Lovin** · 10-10-2008 09:41 PM

^so setup sending units for the things you want to display, find a way to tap into the same bus which is communicating with the DIS, and create a protocol which can talk to the DIS from the sending unit. right?

doesn't seem too hard does it? lol