RNS-E install

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doublem_1

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Having seen pics of the 8l's on here with the A4 RNS-E fitted I have, understandably become very interested in doing this mod myself. I understand that I would need to enable it in vag com to show up on the DIS but I have a couple of questions.

1. Will it fit the existing wiring loom?
2. Which lead is needed to enable sat nav on the DIS?
 
I want to do this too. Be interested to know how to do this!
 
Think i am going to do this too so if anyone has a definitive how to guide that would be really helpful.
 
And will the steering wheel controls operate the head unit etc?

Saw this, quite fancy it myself.

Chris
 
I have a guide if you're interested and some pics of the install. PM me if you're interested. If you already have a multifunction wheel then yes it will work with the RNSE. If you want to fit the original 8L multifunction wheel then no problem, the newer style flat bottom one from an 8P is a lot more work but possible.
 
Having a Symphony II head unit is a good starting point as it make things so much easier. I thought about doing this upgrade so many times but never got round to it because my car doesn't have the can-bus module which later S3's have. Not saying its impossible but more than I can be bothered with right now.

Have a look at this guide, http://www.f1computers.force9.co.uk/Downloads_Audi/RNS.pdf
 
AndyC-S3 said:
I have a guide if you're interested and some pics of the install. PM me if you're interested. If you already have a multifunction wheel then yes it will work with the RNSE. If you want to fit the original 8L multifunction wheel then no problem, the newer style flat bottom one from an 8P is a lot more work but possible.
Click to expand...

Hi mate,

I'm interested, sounds like a few folk are, may be worth sticking something in here, or a new thread for a sticky?

At the very least i'd like to throw the 8L multi function on if it is easy enough.

Chris
 
AndyC-S3 said:
I have a guide if you're interested and some pics of the install. PM me if you're interested. If you already have a multifunction wheel then yes it will work with the RNSE. If you want to fit the original 8L multifunction wheel then no problem, the newer style flat bottom one from an 8P is a lot more work but possible.
Click to expand...

PM`d :)
 
Well jumped the gun a little and just won a RNS-E on ebay so thats a good start.

Also picked up a 2009 disc too.

So just need to work out what cables i need and should be good to go. Defo need a GPs antenna the only question i think i am unsure about is does it mean i need any different cables to normal as my car has the Bose upgrade speakers, amp etc?

AndyC-S3 has kindly said he will send me his guide later today - Cheers
 
dunno if this is useful mate but check on ya RNS as the A4 and 8P RNS-E's have different facias around the outer edge, therefore only one shape will fit the 8L...i dont know which
 
1animal1 said:
dunno if this is useful mate but check on ya RNS as the A4 and 8P RNS-E's have different facias around the outer edge, therefore only one shape will fit the 8L...i dont know which
Click to expand...

The 8L never came from the factory with RNS-E fitted it only had RNS-D so infact none of them fit directly in the hole so to speak. You have to adjust the facia with a bit of cutting/filing to make it fit. Supposedly the A4 RNS-E is the closest fit so therefore less cutting.

I want Sat Nav in the car and as i retro fitted RNS-E in my last A4 it seemed this was the best way to go as i do prefer the OEM look of the RNS-E unit compared to aftermarket solutions.

Am sure with a bit of assistance from the more knowledable peeps on here that i will be able to get this sorted.
 
no probs mate, just thought id mention as the 8P RNS seems to be more available and has the edges curved, therefore less likely to fit.....nothing worse than ordering the wrong one ;)
 
No probs mate any advice is always welcome :)

recieved a good guide last night off AndyC-S3 and i think it basically has all the info i need from start to finish but there may still be a few hiccips to overcome eg exactly where behind the dash on the plug to splice the wire in for the DIS to talk to RNS-E and again exactly where that wire goes in the connector on the RNS-E itself.

Then i just think its a case of trimming the RNS-E to fit nicely in the space and some coding via VCDS. The GPS aeriel can be fitted behind the dash clocks whils you have them out to do the wire for DIS.

So will be on ebay later on today to buy the cable i need and then will be good to go.
 
Yes Rob, best place for the aerial is behind the clocks. I agree it is not clear where and how the DIS/CANBUS connection is made behind the dash. That's ultimately why I paid to have it done although for those guys who understand these things the wiring diagrams and pictures should make things clearer. The 8L specific guide makes no mention of the connection required to prevent inaccurate distance readings if driving in reverse at any time, whereas, the A6 guide does (connection in the lower A pillar trim) so make sure you complete this part by referring to the A6 guide.
 
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I placed mine on top of the glovebox ;)

6 satalittes all day long which is plenty..... if the clocks aren't already out,then dont waste ya time fitting it there!
 
AndyC-S3 said:
Yes Rob, best place for the aerial is behind the clocks. I agree it is not clear where and how the DIS/CANBUS connection is made behind the dash. That's ultimately why I paid to have it done although for those guys who understand these things the wiring diagrams and pictures should make things clearer. The 8L specific guide makes no mention of the connection required to prevent inaccurate distance readings if driving in reverse at any time, whereas, the A6 guide does (connection in the lower A pillar trim) so make sure you complete this part by referring to the A6 guide.
Click to expand...

What sort of innacurate readings do you mean by driving in reverse? that sounds a little weird to be honest have not read the A6 guide yet so will have a looksie in a while and see if i can work out what it regards to.

Out of interest (you can PM me if you prefer) what sort of money did HazzyDayz charge for the fitting? as i can happily source all the bits so it would basically just be labour.
 
1animal1 said:
I placed mine on top of the glovebox ;)

6 satalittes all day long which is plenty..... if the clocks aren't already out,then dont waste ya time fitting it there!
Click to expand...

i did exactly the same in my A4 mate and as you say never had any issues at all with picking up satellites.

When fitting RNS-E in the S3 you have to remove the clocks as a wire needs to be run from one of connectors to the RNS-E block to either enable the DIS to appear on the dash or its something to do with RNS-E picking up the correct speed of the car. This is why this job isnt as plug n play as fitting it in other cars. So as the clocks are coming out anyway and there is a nice metal bar for the magnet it would seem silly not to use this opportunity and as its closer to the satellites by about 1 foot so it must be better lol :)
 
audi upgrades
vrbob said:
What sort of innacurate readings do you mean by driving in reverse? that sounds a little weird to be honest have not read the A6 guide yet so will have a looksie in a while and see if i can work out what it regards to.

Out of interest (you can PM me if you prefer) what sort of money did HazzyDayz charge for the fitting? as i can happily source all the bits so it would basically just be labour.
Click to expand...

Rob, I've sent you an email.

Hazzy Dayz charged me £195 + VAT for fitting. Their website is: Home - Vw & Audi Sat Nav, Bluetooth , TV Tuners, Cruise Control Installations UK
There is another guy on this forum who can do the job, his website is: http://www.tclsatnav.com

 I've seen some pics of his work and the finish was excellent, think he can travel to your home address too.
 
AndyC-S3 said:
Rob, I've sent you an email.

Hazzy Dayz charged me £195 + VAT for fitting. Their website is: Home - Vw & Audi Sat Nav, Bluetooth , TV Tuners, Cruise Control Installations UK
There is another guy on this forum who can do the job, his website is: http://www.tclsatnav.com

 I've seen some pics of his work and the finish was excellent, think he can travel to your home address too.
Click to expand...

Cheers Andy :)

Yup got your email and just replied. gonna have a go myself first off and see what results i can get on my own and then shout for help if it all goes wrong lol.

Just picking the cables off ebay needed to for the install.

Hopefully i can get it to work and do what i need and then if it needs a few final tweeks i can do that at a later date.

Will keep those 2 contacts handy though
 
this is why your doing the install and not me haha....i'll have a go at a lot of things but dont think i could be ***** with clocks out :)
 
1animal1 said:
this is why your doing the install and not me haha....i'll have a go at a lot of things but dont think i could be ***** with clocks out :)
Click to expand...

Well yeah to be honest its a little more involved than i was expecting but the results should be worth it.

Looks like the clocks removal is the easy bit as its just a case of lower the steering wheel and then remove the cover to expose to screws, take those out and the clocks should slide out. Wont be a bad thing as somehow i have a dead fly inside mine which hopefully i can evict during this process.

All the bits i think i need are on their way and managed to source the lot for just over £400 so thats RNS-E T model 2008, A Genuine 2009 maps DVD, RNS-E adapter/connector, GPS fakra aerial, and a fakra Car Antenna connector.

Gonna try and flog my Symphony 6CD in dash player afterwards so that should help recoup a little of the cost.

All the bits shoud arrive by early next week so will have a play once they are here :)
 
well best of luck mate

you may have an issue with the antenna, i had to change the amps in my boot lid to get a decent signal from mine, pre face 8P's mostly had the correct amps up to 2007.... unsure what the 8L has, just be prepared for it mate if you dont get any radio after install
 
cheers for the heads up mate if i have any issues will give you a shout and you can try to explain to me what i might need to do to sort it.
 
very slightly off topic, but does anyone know where I can source late model map disks for RNS-E, but specifically I am chasing an Australian one.

Audi over here want A$800/£600 - - just for the map disk!!!
 
vrbob said:
cheers for the heads up mate if i have any issues will give you a shout and you can try to explain to me what i might need to do to sort it.
Click to expand...

If you hit any issues, google 'dviersity antenna' dude....that should get ya the part numbers, if not i can open mine up.... fingers crossed you dont hit any issues
 
1animal1 said:
If you hit any issues, google 'dviersity antenna' dude....that should get ya the part numbers, if not i can open mine up.... fingers crossed you dont hit any issues
Click to expand...

The 8L does not have a diversity antenna just a normal car aerial so according the guide i have you just get a fakra car antenna adapter and connect that up. and leave the diversity one blank/disconnected.

Still if i run into issues you will be my first shout for reception probs lol.
 
gareth_oau said:
very slightly off topic, but does anyone know where I can source late model map disks for RNS-E, but specifically I am chasing an Australian one.

Audi over here want A$800/£600 - - just for the map disk!!!
Click to expand...

Jeebus thats alot of cash for a DVD! i got my west europe DVD1 off ebay uk for £25 (its actually coming from Lithuania) so perhaps thats your best bet. obviously there are not any australian ones on the uk ebay as not really a high demand product over here.
 
Alex C said:
what if you already have RNS-D, is it a straight swap?
Click to expand...

Alex I'm pretty sure it would be a straight swap. You already have the GPS aerial so your signal will be spot on and the DIS should already be working for nav directions. Most of the units on eBay come with wiring adaptors which plug into your existing connector blocks and then into the back of the RNSE. Aside from the cutting and coding you'll have the simplest install of the lot!
 
AndyC-S3 said:
Alex I'm pretty sure it would be a straight swap. You already have the GPS aerial so your signal will be spot on and the DIS should already be working for nav directions. Most of the units on eBay come with wiring adaptors which plug into your existing connector blocks and then into the back of the RNSE. Aside from the cutting and coding you'll have the simplest install of the lot!
Click to expand...

Cant be 100% sure but i think the RNS-D runs differently to the RNS-E so i would guess you may still have to run a few wires to make it work as i am not sure how it picks up the signal form the speedo etc (the reason you need to run the wire in the RNS-E install) and the other wires so that it displays on the DIS.

Also check to see if your GPS aerial has a fakra connector as this is what RNS-E has on the back. Still it shouldnt be too tough as you already have a double din hole and if you get Andy to send over his PDF guide you can see whats involved as that gives you a good idea.

Still waiting for the stuff i bought to arrive looking forward to my parcels :)
 
Right have given my retrofit a whirl today and so far i have run into a couple of problems. I wanted to get it all wired up and working correctly before i start to trim the RNS-E to fit the car.

I have managed to solave one which was to do with the gala speed sensor wire so now the sat nav functions will and i have directions displayed in the DIS.

The issue i am left with is that with the RNS-E installed (and coded correctly) i am getting a buzzing noise in the passenger door speaker and this noise gets louder with the engine running. If i put the old symphony headunit back in (which i have done for now) the noise dissapears so it must have something to do with the RNS-E setup.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
Think the noise i have is interference of some sort so might be down to the cheapy ebay rns-e adapter i have so have gone onto kufatec`s website and oredered one from there so fingers crossed it will solve my issue.
 
AndyC-S3 said:
I have a guide if you're interested and some pics of the install. PM me if you're interested. If you already have a multifunction wheel then yes it will work with the RNSE. If you want to fit the original 8L multifunction wheel then no problem, the newer style flat bottom one from an 8P is a lot more work but possible.
Click to expand...

Hey, could you possibly PM me a guide? i would love to have satnav in my 2001 S3, which is the better system D or E? and i would also love the new style wheel with steering wheel controls (no steering controls on my wheel) with the unit is it possible to use Bluetooth and speech command etc etc all the options with it. would you be able to fit it?? if so how much for the parts and fitting?
cheers
jords.
 
Jordysport said:
Hey, could you possibly PM me a guide? i would love to have satnav in my 2001 S3, which is the better system D or E? and i would also love the new style wheel with steering wheel controls (no steering controls on my wheel) with the unit is it possible to use Bluetooth and speech command etc etc all the options with it. would you be able to fit it?? if so how much for the parts and fitting?
cheers
jords.
Click to expand...

RNSE is the newer system and the better one to go for. If you're planning on fitting the new style 8P wheel then I would recommend you go to a professional for this. This is not a straight forward job as a custom loom needs to be made to ensure the airbag functions correctly. Hence if you're going to have this done, it might be beneficial to have the whole lot installed in one go? Rough prices as follows: RNSE unit £450 (eBay), 8P steering wheel with airbag (£500), Audi bluetooth £300, wiring loom for SDS £40. Then you've got fitting on top. Steering wheel takes by far the longest to do.
 
jesus, why is a steering wheel £500 thats stupid, and the bluetooth thats biblical pricing, for that fitted it would be half the price of my car!!!
 
audi upgrades
Right just to keep this thread alive thought i would post up my latest results.

I recieved my RNS-E adapter and FM antenna adapter today from Kufatec (took ages to arrive but its here now) plumbed it into the car and result perfect sound no hissing or buzzing so the last adapter (an A4 one) must of been the issue. The adapter i got from Kufatec is also Bose enabled so saves me grounding the Bose pin.

So now that it was tested i had to adapt it to connect up my Can High, Can Low, and Gala wires for the sat nav bit to work correctly and also display on the DIS screen.

So after tracing the correct wire in the adapter i snipped the wires and used a choc block to reconnect and splice in the wires i have previously run from the back of the clocks.

I have already coded the RNS-E so plugged it all back in and Wuhoo i have a fully funtioning RNS-E radio, MP3`s (from SD cards) and sat nav. The display on the DIS screen is really good telling you the road name and how far to the next turn etc. Sound quality over the Symphony 2 HU seems much better too so all in a very good upgrade i think.

Just got to trim the RNS-E to fit the space a bit better and fill in the gap above it with some silver/chrome trim and job will be done so will get a few pics once its sorted.
 
audi upgrades
i got a 2009 proper RNS-E DVD off ebay for £25 so i think i should be ok for now plus to be honest am basically broke now as buying the RNS-E itself was an extravagance :)

Did a bit more work last night and got the RNS-E to change its software from version X to version 0650 using VCDS to downgrade the software.

Then got to trimming the unit to fit. This is the scariest bit as taking a dremmel to my £400 stereo isnt the nicest feeling but made sure i took my time and tried to get it right. So took off the bottom edge first that sits ontop of the climate control had to do it in stages so that i didnt cut off too much but got that level and then did the sides as they need a little taken of at the top. Now have managed to fit it in so it sits flush and am happy with how it looks.

The only thing i need to do now is get something to fill in the small gap thats left between the top of the RNS-E and the piano black trim above.
 
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