My S3 & Future Plans....

haywoon

haywoon

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Eyup everyone from the sunny midlands.... (by sunny, I mean peeing it down with rain).

Just got myself a 2007 S3 which is, as they say in the trade, "a credit to its former keeper". Have been a previous Audi owner, A4 1.8T Sport in silver with 18" RS6 fitted and an S4 Cab with 19" RS4's plus had a couple of Boxsters, Focus ST225 and most recently a Mondeo Titanium X Sport 2.2 TDCI (temporary stop gap between petrol guzzlers).

My new pride and joy has 19" BBS CH, Short Shift Kit and KW variant coilovers already fitted by the previous owner along with OEM stuff such as RNS-E, Bose, hot seats (no bluetooth though :sadlike:)

Car drives superb and is in very good condition inside and out. Spent three hours giving it the once over yesterday (found some Swissol Best of Show wax I had from previous Porsche owning days) only for it to rain just as I finished.... :wacko:

Booked in next week for the RNS-E head unit to be removed and a Pioneer AVIC-F920BT to be fitted - the RNS-E will be up for sale in the near future....nowt wrong with it, just car doesnt have bluetooth, didnt want a parrot kit and I thought if Im paying £400 for Audi bluetooth to be fitted I may as well just say feck it and have a new headunit fitted instead (thats my logic for justifying the spend.....the Mrs werent impressed, she will be less impressed when she finds out the cost :w00t: ).....

AVIC-F920BT Navigation Multimedia System with 3D Interface (2010 Model) - Pioneer Sat Nav - GPS

Once my bank account recovers from the shock, may consider a Miltek system.....maybe.

Excellent forum BTW, picked up loads of info. from browsing through the posts!

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A lovely example I'm pretty sure that it was owned by a guy from vagoc.co.uk if your car has phone prep I have a rasp adapter that will turn the phone prep into Bluetooth
 
Sweet looking example.

Not sure about ripping the OEM rns-e out for a pioneer 'all because the lady loves bluetooth?' Might hurt the resale value and as P5' above has said you might want to retrofit something instead. Also have a look at : FISCON Bluetooth Handsfree

Not sure if Nigel (user: NHN) supply-%-Fits these? drop him a PM.
 
Yeah, know what your saying about ripping out the Audi Nav - was in two minds about it - no phone prep in car AFAIK - no arm rest either - sommat else that might need to be retrofitted too!!
 
I didn't have bluetooth, so it got retrofitted, for cheaper than £400. The RNS-E is win, because its OEM/factory looks like it belongs in the dash, all aftermarket headunits are FAIL imo because they stick out like a sore thumb:

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Yep I'm with you on after market head units .... and the Audi Nav looks sweet but it just doesnt do enough for me - I need to check with the bloke who's fitting the pioneer - I might not sell the audi nav yet if it can be put back in and the pioneer removed at a later stage..... Dunno if its a case of once its gone, its gone.....
 
Nice car. First ive seen a pre face lift S3 in silver!
 
so in a nutshell, what does the Pioneer do that the RNS-e doesnt?

PS - you don't need a centre armrest for phone prep \ bluetooth. It is a completely separate issue \'nice to have' than your rns-e\pioneer dilemma.
 
There are a few things I prefer with a newer after market unit - One big thing for me - I cant be bothered to mess around formatting MP3's so they play on the RNS - complete PITA

The iPOD/iPhone connection in the glove box isnt great for controlling my iPhone either. I have no CD changer so if I want to play a CD I need to remove the Nav disc (which is way out of date BTW and i didnt fancy paying Audi £160 for a new disc).

I completely agree that I dont think my new unit will look anywhere near as nice as the Audi OEM one though.....Im assured the pioneer will be a flush fit with the rest of the dash and if it aint, they can take it back out, I have made it clear to the guys fitting it that if they cant make it look "part of the car" then they are not to bother and I'll spend me cash on sommat else. Who knows, maybe this will be an expensive mistake and I'll regret it.....or maybe not....I'll know in about a week though ! :)
 
nice car

i agree with the sentiments above. leave the RNS-S in. if not, then swap it for the latest MY10 RNS-E. don't go aftermarket

best of luck

S.
 
Congratz on the new car and Welcome to the forum.
Looks good with the bbs on. Don't really see many silver S3 lol
 
haywoon said:
Am I to assume the comments about not seeing many silver ones are sarcasm??? :laugh:
Click to expand...

Lol no mate normally see sprint blue, ibis White and phantom black. I've only ever seen one silver S3 by me.
And I think there only a handful on the forum
 
haywoon said:
I completely agree that I dont think my new unit will look anywhere near as nice as the Audi OEM one though.....Im assured the pioneer will be a flush fit with the rest of the dash and if it aint, they can take it back out:)
Click to expand...

Gaffa tape, botched ply-wood and superglue springs to mind matey....
 
Great to see another Silver S3 owner here!

Lovely example mate.
 
How you liking the short shift?

Love mine! Been driving my brothers Astra 17CDTI lately to save some miles and fuel on my s3 and when I get back into it I just cannot help myself lol

Get some facelift rear lights!!
 
Boydie said:
How you liking the short shift?

Get some facelift rear lights!!
Click to expand...

Yeah absolutely love the short shift - taking a bit of getting used to - hit 4th instead of second a couple of times!!

Am thinking about the facelift rears - I prefer the look of them....I'll do some searching and see where I can get the best price.....are they a straight swap?
 
car looks mint mate !
post some pics up when you get the pioneer fitted , looks a nice unit but was unsure how it would look when installed ........
 
Yeah, straight swop - 10 min job and makes such a difference!

Have CH's myself on mine, they are off for the winter and having the S3 wheels back on is a very nice change!
 
Straight swap ! Bonus....

I was wondering about a set of winter wheels..... sadly my pockets are empty right now until next pay day :-(

Where did you get your rear lights from Boydie if you dont mind me asking?
 
thebott said:
car looks mint mate !
post some pics up when you get the pioneer fitted , looks a nice unit but was unsure how it would look when installed ........
Click to expand...

Thanks chap. Credit to the previous keeper though really !!

I will post some pics of the pioneer - unless it ends up looking ***** in which case ill be crying into my beer or having an arguement with the fitters !!
 
Hey Haywoon,
Let me know if you are selling your RNS unit and what you want for it. I am itching to get my hands on one from a reliable source. Will finish my interior off nicely on my A3 I just bought..!!!!
Cheers
Lee
 
Lovely lovely motor. I need coilvers :wub:

I have a thing for silver S3's ever since I had one as a courtesy..

Please don't go aftermarket. Get a new rnse. Looks so much better mate!!
 
Lee78 said:
Hey Haywoon,
Let me know if you are selling your RNS unit and what you want for it. I am itching to get my hands on one from a reliable source. Will finish my interior off nicely on my A3 I just bought..!!!!
Cheers
Lee
Click to expand...

OK chap will do - I'll see how the install goes first and let ya know.
 
Thanks for all the positive comments guys - I love the car - really really pleased with it.

Saving up for face lift rear lights and then maybe a miltek system and thinking about some winter wheels as the BBS 19's are genuine and I really dont wanna wreck them !!
 
Nice car!

I looked into fitting that same Pioneer unit but was put off by other people's experiences, they don't integrate at all with the rest of the system and you get a massive popping noise each time you flick a track, it can be solved but it's a royal pain in the butt.

Have a read around on the ICE forum here and see if anybody has managed it.
 
beanoir said:
Nice car!

I looked into fitting that same Pioneer unit but was put off by other people's experiences, they don't integrate at all with the rest of the system and you get a massive popping noise each time you flick a track, it can be solved but it's a royal pain in the butt.

Have a read around on the ICE forum here and see if anybody has managed it.
Click to expand...

DAMN!!!

Thanks for the info chap......I'll look into that.....:readit:

AND mention it to the fitters too just to get them to confirm they are capable of integrating this into my S3 without fecking it up.....I defo wouldnt be able to put up with a popping noise every time I changed a track :bye:
 
audi upgrades
haywoon said:
DAMN!!!

Thanks for the info chap......I'll look into that.....:readit:

AND mention it to the fitters too just to get them to confirm they are capable of integrating this into my S3 without fecking it up.....I defo wouldnt be able to put up with a popping noise every time I changed a track :bye:
Click to expand...

I would. The work around involves sodering capacitors in somewhere if my memory serves me correct, and it may only apply to Bose equipped cars, but check first as i'm not sure. I just remember it stopped me bothering with it, and i'm a Pioneer fan but couldn't be bothered this time round.

Careful also as the problem seems to differ between Audi models, it may not be a problem on a B6 A4 for instance.
 
Last edited:
Looks lovely mate. Nice purchase.

And when you decide you want some aftermarkert wheels (I hear spinners are quite cool on silver S3's....) let me know as I will gladly take the BBS off your hands.......
 
Hi Mate,
Love the look of the Silver S3... not usually a fan of silver cars but yours just works.

As for aftermarket and Pioneer... i personally have the AVH-P4200DVD in mine as i couldnt justify buying a RNS-e, bluetooth kit and ipod kit that still doesnt display the song names properly and yet cost over £1000!
I already have the Bose system in the car and i have to say it sounds much better then it did with the Symphony unit that was in there.

Now i have a unit that will play ipods, has bluetooth hands free, play DVD's (without a hack), play SD cards, sounds better with the Bose, and cost a little over £600 all fitted in and still looks quite nice.
I don't get popping issues as others have described but i have lost the top part of the DIS as no radio info can be displayed but it doesnt change much for me as that part was pretty useless with the Symphony unit i had.
I have the MFSW and that works fine by changing tracks and answering calls.

In the end its up to you dude. If you like it then all good, and if not you can always go back to the RNS-e.
But post up some pics of it once fitted even if you dont like it :p
 
itwasntme187 said:
Hi Mate,
Love the look of the Silver S3... not usually a fan of silver cars but yours just works.

As for aftermarket and Pioneer... i personally have the AVH-P4200DVD in mine as i couldnt justify buying a RNS-e, bluetooth kit and ipod kit that still doesnt display the song names properly and yet cost over £1000!
I already have the Bose system in the car and i have to say it sounds much better then it did with the Symphony unit that was in there.

Now i have a unit that will play ipods, has bluetooth hands free, play DVD's (without a hack), play SD cards, sounds better with the Bose, and cost a little over £600 all fitted in and still looks quite nice.
I don't get popping issues as others have described but i have lost the top part of the DIS as no radio info can be displayed but it doesnt change much for me as that part was pretty useless with the Symphony unit i had.
I have the MFSW and that works fine by changing tracks and answering calls.

In the end its up to you dude. If you like it then all good, and if not you can always go back to the RNS-e.
But post up some pics of it once fitted even if you dont like it :p
Click to expand...

ok so you've saved £400, but how much will you lose come resale time? you might not mind that it doesn't all integrate it would certainly bother me and many potential buyers i'm sure.

RNS-E 2010 has full iPod integration including artist and track names, so i think it's a lot better than any aftermarket set up. and it looks like it belongs in the car.

finally, if for whatever reason it doesn't work as expected first time how much time and money could potentially have to be spent trying to fix the problem?
 
I have the AMI in the glove box, as well as a multi CD player.

I do agree the oem is lacking in many ways, but as others said it just works with everything in the car including the steering wheel.

TBH if you add the cost of adding a third party, all the wiring, and adapters for it to work with steering, I would just get a original blue tooth, and ami, and multi cd player, there are companies out there that will fit all this and code it.

Tough call though, there are some very nice third party units out there now days.
 
itwasntme187 said:
Hi Mate,
Love the look of the Silver S3... not usually a fan of silver cars but yours just works.

As for aftermarket and Pioneer... i personally have the AVH-P4200DVD in mine as i couldnt justify buying a RNS-e, bluetooth kit and ipod kit that still doesnt display the song names properly and yet cost over £1000!
I already have the Bose system in the car and i have to say it sounds much better then it did with the Symphony unit that was in there.

Now i have a unit that will play ipods, has bluetooth hands free, play DVD's (without a hack), play SD cards, sounds better with the Bose, and cost a little over £600 all fitted in and still looks quite nice.
I don't get popping issues as others have described but i have lost the top part of the DIS as no radio info can be displayed but it doesnt change much for me as that part was pretty useless with the Symphony unit i had.
I have the MFSW and that works fine by changing tracks and answering calls.

In the end its up to you dude. If you like it then all good, and if not you can always go back to the RNS-e.
But post up some pics of it once fitted even if you dont like it :p
Click to expand...

be good to have a pic so we can see what it looks like
 
sub39h said:
ok so you've saved £400, but how much will you lose come resale time? you might not mind that it doesn't all integrate it would certainly bother me and many potential buyers i'm sure.

RNS-E 2010 has full iPod integration including artist and track names, so i think it's a lot better than any aftermarket set up. and it looks like it belongs in the car.
Click to expand...


NO i do agree that the resale value may probably drop, but that is why i have kept the symphony unit so i can replace it when it comes to selling... (if i decide to sell)

As for the 2010 RNS-e I would love to have got it if they had released it when i did my Pioneer install. unfortunatly the only RNS-e out was the chrome button version that needed the alpine add on (£450) to get ipod fully working so i just decided against it. those dension things seem useless with its 6 playlist thing so definatly not getting that.


sub39h said:
finally, if for whatever reason it doesn't work as expected first time how much time and money could potentially have to be spent trying to fix the problem?
Click to expand...
huh? :uhm:
 
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