Does anything (aftermarket) fit as good a RNS-E?

[spinny]

Just exploring options before I drop 1K on a RNS-E.

Does anything else fit just like an RNS-E?

[ataylor]

I've seen a lot of clean installs of the Pioneer Avic D3, which not only speaks for that headunit..but may indicate that Pioneer's newer lines (I believe it's an F-line now) may fit as nice/better.

[B7A4Sport]

AVIC D3 fits well, in part because it's one of the few that has red button lighting to match Audi interior styling. Here's a pic of it - however, I've heard this one is misleading with the matte-black look to the unit, but apparently the actual framing and material is a more glossy black.



I know Pioneer is coming out with different/updated versions of the AVIC D3, but am too lazy to research it right now. I leave it to you, OP!

[spinny]

Does it fit in though without any modification? I want to buy it, install it and be done. I'm not looking to hack stuff up with this car.

[elwigglero]

Does it fit in though without any modification? I want to buy it, install it and be done. I'm not looking to hack stuff up with this car.

If you don't want to mod at all, then the RNS-E is prob your best bet. Mine came stock and I'm really happy with it, if that helps.

[bcramer]

That picture of the D3 is super photoshopped.

Nothing will have the fit and finish of the RNS-E. The RNS-E will never have the tuning capabilities of some other head units though as well.

[nramsey]

AVIC D3 fits well, in part because it's one of the few that has red button lighting to match Audi interior styling. Here's a pic of it - however, I've heard this one is misleading with the matte-black look to the unit, but apparently the actual framing and material is a more glossy black.

Yep, you're right, unless they changed it very recently.

Here's a pic of the D3 in my old 350Z showing the actual finish...it's a glossy "piano" black look.



The lighting of the buttons is infinitely adjustable though and should match the Audi dash just fine. The on screen controls can only be 7 or so colors though, one of which is red, so should be good there too.

[Elohite]

How clean the install is depends on the installer mostly

[whoosh]

What kit do you use for a clean install?
Thanks

[A4CE1]

a good friend has the D3. neither he nor i can deal with it. by the time its powered up, youre already at your destination. takes forever. also, the touch screen is not very accurate or responsive and the delay between touching something and the resulting function is wayyy too long. it frustrates him to no end.
i have the rns-e. i retro fitted it and would never dream of having anything else.

[TX-A4]

a good friend has the D3. neither he nor i can deal with it. by the time its powered up, youre already at your destination. takes forever. also, the touch screen is not very accurate or responsive and the delay between touching something and the resulting function is wayyy too long. it frustrates him to no end.
i have the rns-e. i retro fitted it and would never dream of having anything else.

Wow, that's good to know; first hand experience is what one needs when looking for info on a subject like this. First time I've read negative feedback on the D3 though; I was seriously considering getting one over the RNS-E, but now I dunno.......

[Spiff69]

I love my RNS-E. MP3 playback, the navigation is solid. I wish it had a touchscreen sometimes and a higher resolution, but it is pretty well thought out. I would definitely recommend updating to the latest firmware if you end up getting one.

[Quattro]

perfect fit would be oem, close to it matters what dash kit you get and who installs it. I am running a single dim and it doesnt look too bad, for what I need it for it does the job.

OEM, lacks the certain capabilities, wattage output for speakers and expandability. I doubt most people go crazy on audio, so this might not be something you need.

[b6onboost]

simply put, your friend has a bad unit. my d3 powers up before i leave the garage, touch screen is instant, i find no problems with its accuracy and i have large hands.

the RNS-E looks better, but ANY aftermarket unit will perform and funtion much better.

a good friend has the D3. neither he nor i can deal with it. by the time its powered up, youre already at your destination. takes forever. also, the touch screen is not very accurate or responsive and the delay between touching something and the resulting function is wayyy too long. it frustrates him to no end.
i have the rns-e. i retro fitted it and would never dream of having anything else.

[ataylor]

lack of touch screen and poor sound quality/output will keep me from buying an RNS-e

the review above ^ about laggy response and sloppy touchscreen sensitivity, will keep me from buying a D3.

now I don't know what to do :o

[mksap11]

Just exploring options before I drop 1K on a RNS-E.

Does anything else fit just like an RNS-E?

From a fitment standpoint, nothing fits as good as OEM. It's a drop in replacement designed specifically for the dash opening of your car. If functionality is a premium, however, there are many aftermarket units that can run circles around the RNS-E.

[Spiff69]

lack of touch screen and poor sound quality/output will keep me from buying an RNS-e

the review above ^ about laggy response and sloppy touchscreen sensitivity, will keep me from buying a D3.

now I don't know what to do :o

lack of touchscreen bugs me a little, but it's not a dealbreaker by any means. It is most missed on the phone screen, but I can always dial straight from the phone which is easier anyway.

And honestly, if you're that concerned about sound quality you should be amping anything you put in anyway.

[QTC]

No matter how clean the install, I've never seen anything look as close to factory as the RNS-E does

[Quattro]

^^that is very subjective.

It just depends what the user wants for a system. OEM nav, looks great, but I just dont like it...

[Sharkfin]

OEM is OEM, and it looks and works great too. If you want one I can probably get you it fyi. Good luck on the search

[aphextwin2050]

I used this one.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/2002-2007-AUDI-A4...|39:1|240:1318

It comes with the harness, adapters etc....*this way if you want to return back to stock, you don't have to cut any wires and it's painless*you will need to break the middle to make it double din. It actually fits flush in my car very nicely. I have a JVC double din touchscreen but all double dins are the same size, it's just a matter of finding the right harness to fit the A4. This is made specifically for the B7.

It took me about 2 hours to install. On top of that, the B7 doesn't have an accessory light wire for the OEM deck so you have to tap into your fuse box. I have a wire that runs from the deck to my garage door opener fuse.

So no it's not super easy and painless, but once it's installed..it's done!

OEM is OEM, and it looks and works great too. If you want one I can probably get you it fyi. Good luck on the search

[orbovi]

I just got the F90BT installed recently. When you first get it to start up it takes a few minutes, but disabling certain features (such as checking your ipod for changes on every bootup), it's ready to go by the time I'm ready to drive away. It has features for ipod, bluetooth, dvd/xvid, xm/sirius, backup camera. Here's some photos I took with my phone.

[p1nk50ck]

has anyone tried the Car Advanced player? i did some searches, but never found anything where someone has installed it in their car.

http://www.caradvanced.com/products/...D-slot....html

[davis449]

lack of touch screen and poor sound quality/output will keep me from buying an RNS-e

the review above ^ about laggy response and sloppy touchscreen sensitivity, will keep me from buying a D3.

now I don't know what to do :o

If you let one review of the D3 from a guy who knows a guy with an obviously bad unit sway your opinion away from the D3, then you deserve to be confused.

Go read other reviews from other sites. I have a D3 and I wouldn't trade it for the POS RNS-e at any price. Who cares if it's not an OEM perfect fit if you can make it fit and look like OEM. If you, personally, can't install very well then take the extra $400 or more you save when buying the D3 over the RNS-e and take it to a professional installer who will make it fit perfect and do all the wiring and shit for you.

My touch screen works perfect, I have the updated 2008 NAV software, the latest OS, and it works perfect. Startup is less than 10 seconds, IPOD control is second to none, the Nav is pretty good for a DVD based unit, and the display is easy to read. On top of that, it can be integrated to the steering wheel controls and sounds better.

BTW, i get compliments all the time on how it looks in the car and many people just assume it came with it (mostly non-enthusiast types.).

And honestly, if you're that concerned about sound quality you should be amping anything you put in anyway.

That's not necessarily true. Not everyone has audiophile ears, but nearly everyone I know noticed a HUGE difference in sound quality from OEM to this head unit.

[Koby]

Kenwood's new units use Garmin which kills Pioneer's horrid NAV software.

[ataylor]

If you let one review of the D3 from a guy who knows a guy with an obviously bad unit sway your opinion away from the D3, then you deserve to be confused.

Go read other reviews from other sites. I have a D3 and I wouldn't trade it for the POS RNS-e at any price. Who cares if it's not an OEM perfect fit if you can make it fit and look like OEM. If you, personally, can't install very well then take the extra $400 or more you save when buying the D3 over the RNS-e and take it to a professional installer who will make it fit perfect and do all the wiring and shit for you.

My touch screen works perfect, I have the updated 2008 NAV software, the latest OS, and it works perfect. Startup is less than 10 seconds, IPOD control is second to none, the Nav is pretty good for a DVD based unit, and the display is easy to read. On top of that, it can be integrated to the steering wheel controls and sounds better.

BTW, i get compliments all the time on how it looks in the car and many people just assume it came with it (mostly non-enthusiast types.).

If I bought the D3, I would install it myself using a wiring harness made for the A4, and it would fit perfectly.. I'm not concerned about that. I would probably even matte-out the black finish for an OEM look.

I do have an ear for good sound quality, I usually only listen to compressed audio at 256-320kbps, and a lot of uncompressed audio as well. I understand going w. the Pioneer is the best choice in this realm.. but I'm more concerned about the responsiveness of the unit, and the quality of the navigation. I didn't comment on the start-up time because I had read earlier about the POST and iPod check when the unit boots up, and how they're switchable on/off.

Is your touch screen accurate/responsive? You're saying the user above has a dud? Thx for chiming in, I'm not completely ruling any thing out just yet

[ataylor]

Kenwood's new units use Garmin which kills Pioneer's horrid NAV software.

Do you use a Kenwood double din nav/dvd player? Or could you recommend one you've seen in a B7?

[whoosh]

Great pictures of your setup........

orbovi what mounting kit did you use? Thanks

[fromGMCtoAUDI]

has anyone tried the Car Advanced player? i did some searches, but never found anything where someone has installed it in their car.

http://www.caradvanced.com/products/...D-slot....html

That looks great. It flows well with the interior too:

http://www.caradvanced.com/news/7/Au...ion-Guide.html

[sandspeed]

That caradvanced thing looks nice, but has anyone actually bought one? And can they get rid of all the spelling mistakes in the interface?

[Spiff69]

RNS-E a POS? Come on. You may not prefer it, but it's not a piece of shit.

[davis449]

If I bought the D3, I would install it myself using a wiring harness made for the A4, and it would fit perfectly.. I'm not concerned about that. I would probably even matte-out the black finish for an OEM look.

I do have an ear for good sound quality, I usually only listen to compressed audio at 256-320kbps, and a lot of uncompressed audio as well. I understand going w. the Pioneer is the best choice in this realm.. but I'm more concerned about the responsiveness of the unit, and the quality of the navigation. I didn't comment on the start-up time because I had read earlier about the POST and iPod check when the unit boots up, and how they're switchable on/off.

Is your touch screen accurate/responsive? You're saying the user above has a dud? Thx for chiming in, I'm not completely ruling any thing out just yet

Trust me, the sound quality is just fine. If you were planning on going RNS-e with no speaker upgrades, then the AVIC is going to have 10 times better sound than OEM. Even if you were going to do some moderate upgrading, the AVIC would be fine to amp your new speakers off of. I didn't mean to make the user I quoted last sound like he was dead wrong. He's right, if you are shooting for excellent sound, you should have an amp in there too, but then again, you should change the head unit along with speaker and amplifier to get a better EQ to control your sound.

Sounds like your compressed audio tastes are exactly like mine. I listen to mostly stuff in the 256-320 kbps range as well, though, admittedly, I don't liste to much uncompressed anymore due to the fact that I am space limited on my Ipod and refuse to carry around CD's in the car.

As I stated before, my unit works really well and considering I got everything I needed (including installation parts) for under $900 a year ago, I'd say it's a bargain. My touch screen is very responsive. Took some getting used to because I'd never had a touchscreen in a car before this unit, but I love it now. Menu changes are fast and smooth.

[audiacious]

Does, rnse look better? maybe. Can it achieve the same functionality/upgradablility/sexy of an aftermarket unit? probably not. So tradeoffs will be made, I eventually settled for an aftermarket unit. And yes, I like the way it looks. See these posts for my pics:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259692

more

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showpo...1&postcount=49