aftermarket double DIN

[polsonm87]

hi all,

i am looking into upgrading my headunit, i currently have Symphony II but am wanting to get either rns-e or an aftermarket double din unit as it would have more feature such as ipod and bluetooth and about the same price!

such as
Pioneer AVIC-F910BT Sat Nav - AV - DVD system. Double din - Double DIN Head Unit

or
JVC KW-AVX730 Double Din Stereo (DVD CD MP3 WMA - 7 inch widescreen - Touchscreen - iPod Ready) - Double DIN Head Unit

does anyone have aftermarket units fitted?

any info would be good
cheers

 

[AndyMac]

You will struggle to get a DD surround that fits the 8L A3. You will have to get one for an A4 and trim to fit.

 

[TheButtonz]

I am about to fit this (full BT with external mic, REAR iPod usb and aux, 6 pre-outs and colour coded LED (to match the dash).

Amazon.co.uk: Kenwood KDC-BT60U Car Radio with Bluetooth USB/iPod/CD/MP3 Receiver: Explore similar items (i'm getting mine from Rudiemods here though KENWOOD KDC-BT60U CD MP3 PLAYER CAR STEREO BLUETOOTH on eBay (end time 05-Apr-11 09:05:42 BST))

but if you want dvd too try this

Kenwood KVT-526DVD 1-DIN 7 inch Motorised Monitor: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

I've never seen a DD HU on a 8l either...

 

[Westy]

If you have the Bose upgraded speakers it becomes a pain in the **** to change from the standard HU. It's something to do with the way the rear speakers are powered or amplified. Anyway it was enough to put me off.

 

[AJC]

I've just had RNS-E retrofitted to replace the Symphony II. I had Audi Bluetooth, Alpine iPod and SDS fitted at the same time and got quite a discount. I went to Hazzy Dayz and can't recommend them enough. The unit looks OEM and most importantly was calibrated accurately and the sat nav works perfectly. Despite buying a guide on how to retrofit the unit yourself, there is no way I would have been able to have done the amount of work that was needed. Better still Hazzy Dayz were the only company that were prepared to fit a multi function wheel and wire the airbag correctly and this makes a massive difference when using the system.

 

[TheButtonz]

Andy_101 do you have any pics, and a (rough) price? Sounds promising!

 

[Speedy Steve]

I used an A4 double din facia when i did mine which i had to trim to fit

 

[AJC]

TheButtonz- I'll post some pics later, still waiting to have the wheel fitted as they're gonna source one for me. You save a lot if you can buy the RNS-E elsewhere. I got one for £380 off eBay and paid Hazzy Dayz to fit. Price to just fit RNS-E was £195 + vat, to supply and fit was £850 + vat! The Audi Bluetooth was £300 and the Alpine kit £365. Not cheap to say the least, but everything works perfectly and as others have commented on the ICE forum, Hazzy Dayz are a business, so they don't do these things for nothing, but what they do is first class.

poisonm87 - have a look on the ICE/Sat Nav forum. There are a few guys doing this now and there must be someone in Scotland who could do it? I spoke with a guy in Manchester who's pretty clued up; here's his website: index. He has done a very neat job on another A3 8L.

 

[S3-SiB]

Slightly offside, I paid £180 for an ebay double din unit and here's how it looks in the Golf mk4 - 1.8T

I was very sceptical at first, but reviews were not bad and gave it a shot and I have not been disappointed. Its been working for over an year and has not let me down, ipod connectivity, bluetooth, wiring input for sub and steering wheel controls, touchscreen, SD and USB input with a dvd player. Spent an additional £35 fitting it in by myself, not disappointed. Plus for the sat-nav side, you can install whatever software you like. I had tomtom on there, but then tried iGo8 and fell in love with that. Sound quality is average, but what you get for your buck leaves me chuffed.

 

[AJC]

Not the best pics but it gives you an idea. I'll post some of the steering wheel when it's fitted. The RNS-E is the A4 unit trimmed at the bottom and a bit from the sides to fit but we didn't feel we needed to add any trim to the top. The unit has a slight dent on the top left corner but I'm getting a new fascia fitted by Hazzy Dayz when it goes back for the steering wheel.

 

[hilly]

Not the best pics but it gives you an idea. I'll post some of the steering wheel when it's fitted. The RNS-E is the A4 unit trimmed at the bottom and a bit from the sides to fit but we didn't feel we needed to add any trim to the top.

cant see them pics mate

 

[AJC]

that should work?

 

[hilly]

that looks spot on mate im wanting rns-e in mine,you will have to update when the steering wheel has been done!

 

[AJC]

I will do hilly, and I'll try and get a video showing how the sat nav works on the move, especially with the info you get in the DIS, works really well.
There's some info on the ICE SatNav forum regarding fitment of the multi function wheel and concerns over the operation of the airbag. This did put me off as it was suggested that the airbag won't work at all! However, according to Hazzy Dayz, as the 8L only has one speed sensor unlike the newer 8P that has two, they simply bypass the second stage so that the new airbag functions exactly as our original. Effectively, the airbag could accept a second input (if available) but will still work perfectly as intended and not throw up any fault codes. It would be helpful if someone far more knowledgeable could confirm this? AndyMac perhaps?
Apparently, they've done about a dozen or so mods now and all have worked perfectly. They are thinking of posting a video on You Tube showing how it works which would be good to reassure anyone thinking of doing the mod.