For people with aftermarket double din headunits in their 8P

its_neil · Jul 5, 2011

Yo, as per my previous thread I've bought an 8P A3 that's currently fitted with the Symphony 2 headunit.

I'm umming and erring between getting an RNS-E, Dynavin or an aftermarket unit but was wondering if anyone had gone the aftermarket route and could post a picture of their dash? My only worry is that it'll stick out like a sore thumb. (I'm looking at the double din nav solutions see).

Also, my S3 has BOSE and so does my new A3 (well, the speaker grilles say BOSE) am I guessing there is little tupperware sub in the 8P too?

Khufu · Jul 5, 2011

I've only heard of one member who tried one & got it stuck in his dash & had to take the dash apart to get it back out! I dont know the make of it though.

N8 · Jul 5, 2011

2010 RNS ftw :wub:

Shane. · Jul 5, 2011

Pioneer and kenwood both do aftermarket options which have been designed specifically for the Vag range with that shape double din entry:

Pioneer: AVIC-F9210BT Navigation Multimedia System with 3D Interface exclusively for Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda cars (2010 Model) - Pioneer Sat Nav - GPS
Kenwood:Kenwood Electronics UK Ltd. | Volkswagen Group - Seat, Å koda, VW, VW Commercial

I haven't tested either of these units, both have bluetooth, ipod connection and navigation iirc. Personally the kenwood looks a much nicer looking, more oem solution but pioneer have usually been ahead with their sound quality so either or really

mike foster · Jul 5, 2011

Shane. said:
Pioneer and kenwood both do aftermarket options which have been designed specifically for the Vag range with that shape double din entry:

Pioneer: AVIC-F9210BT Navigation Multimedia System with 3D Interface exclusively for Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda cars (2010 Model) - Pioneer Sat Nav - GPS
Kenwood:Kenwood Electronics UK Ltd. | Volkswagen Group - Seat, Å koda, VW, VW Commercial

I haven't tested either of these units, both have bluetooth, ipod connection and navigation iirc. Personally the kenwood looks a much nicer looking, more oem solution but pioneer have usually been ahead with their sound quality so either or really

Unfortunately none of these fit Audi !

Shane. · Jul 5, 2011

Do they not? ah my mistake then I was under the impression from pictures that the golf mk5 and A3 headunits were the same shape/size?

Adam. · Jul 5, 2011

N8 said:
2010 RNS ftw

Changed your tune lad

nad · Jul 5, 2011

I personally am not a fan of the Dynavin units, they look out of place in the Audi's and cheapens the look of the car, their designs are more suited to the Merc's and BMW's. I especially don't like the front USB port and card reader slots on them with the printed logos, it makes the facia more over crowded and less appealing to the eye, I'd prefer these kind of features out of view. It's not like you would want to connect an mp3 player or USB drive at the front with an unsightly wire dangling down at the front!

I've recently purchased a unit that has all the features of the Dynavin, if not more, and the apperance is more like the OEM RNS units which gives it a cleaner look and looks as though it would blend in. I've included a photo below. It is fully compatible with Bose and has a subwoofer output, works with the MFSW and as far as I'm aware, it is the only aftermarket unit that also works with the MFD. It has Ipod, USB, Aux connections which are all fed from the back of the unit and can be mounted in the glovebox. I hope to have the unit by next week and so will upload some photos then of what it looks like installed in the car and will give you my verdict.

N8 · Jul 5, 2011

Adam. said:
Changed your tune lad

Come again?

Adam. · Jul 5, 2011

N8 said:
Come again?

NVM lol. Was thinking gloss surround but they were 2011.

N8 · Jul 5, 2011

You ****** tool box

Adam. · Jul 5, 2011

N8 said:
You ****** tool box

Snap-On iirc.

its_neil · Jul 5, 2011

nad said:
I personally am not a fan of the Dynavin units, they look out of place in the Audi's and cheapens the look of the car, their designs are more suited to the Merc's and BMW's. I especially don't like the front USB port and card reader slots on them with the printed logos, it makes the facia more over crowded and less appealing to the eye, I'd prefer these kind of features out of view. It's not like you would want to connect an mp3 player or USB drive at the front with an unsightly wire dangling down at the front!

I've recently purchased a unit that has all the features of the Dynavin, if not more, and the apperance is more like the OEM RNS units which gives it a cleaner look and looks as though it would blend in. I've included a photo below. It is fully compatible with Bose and has a subwoofer output, works with the MFSW and as far as I'm aware, it is the only aftermarket unit that also works with the MFD. It has Ipod, USB, Aux connections which are all fed from the back of the unit and can be mounted in the glovebox. I hope to have the unit by next week and so will upload some photos then of what it looks like installed in the car and will give you my verdict.

Where did ya get it from mate?

NHN · Jul 6, 2011

Adam. said:
Strap-On iirc.

Dude you got issues, go see a psychologist :jester:

N8 · Jul 6, 2011

WelshWoody83 · Jul 6, 2011

Yeah dont go for Dynavin, it was me who had to have the radio smashed out from the dashboard. Dynavin is the type of radio youd expect to find in a cheap Christmas cracker, if crackers were that big that is...

Ash187 · Jul 6, 2011

Here is my Pioneer system
It has Full bluetooth with audi streaming, Full ipod control, AUX and USB capability, and works with MFSW and Bose!

Crappy (blackberry) picture of the system turned on:

N8 · Jul 6, 2011

It just really doesn't belong in there :ninja:

Ash187 · Jul 6, 2011

Value for money N8, now i can have everything that a system should offer in the 21st century

N8 · Jul 6, 2011

I know, I can't wait to come out of the stone ages with my RNS, I hear you have electricity in the future?

Ash187 · Jul 6, 2011

N8 said:
It just really doesn't belong in there

says a man with purple seats :ninja:

nad · Jul 6, 2011

Hi Neil,

I bought it from a supplier based in Liverpool. They are selling them for £420 with the DVB tuner & reverse camera or £380 without DVB, making it cheaper than the Dynavin and includes a 2 year warranty as opposed to the 12 months offered with a Dynavin. The unit features a 6.5" full touch screen, navigation, TV (with optional DVB), radio with RDS, Bluetooth, DVD playback including DIVX, MPEG etc. It all looks and sounds good but until I've received it and tested it out, I'm not yet able to recommend it but will give you my thoughts when I do and if your then interested in buying one I'll be able to get you a good discount.

In the meantime, I did find a Youtube video showing a short demo of the unit, although not very clear, you get to see how it looks in the car and I got to say for an aftermarket unit it does look quite smart with all the features of the Dynavin but with the looks of an RNS. Here is the link to the video....
YouTube - ‪Audi A3 aftermarket sat nav‬&rlm;

N8 · Jul 6, 2011

itwasntme187 said:
says a man with purple seats

Aye lad, purple or not, they are still OEM equipment my son :wub:

Ash187 · Jul 6, 2011

tis true

fourcircle · Jul 20, 2011

itwasntme187 said:
Here is my Pioneer system
It has Full bluetooth with audi streaming, Full ipod control, AUX and USB capability, and works with MFSW and Bose!

what model is that mate? and does it have nav too?

nad said:
Hi Neil,

I bought it from a supplier based in Liverpool. They are selling them for £420 with the DVB tuner & reverse camera or £380 without DVB, making it cheaper than the Dynavin and includes a 2 year warranty as opposed to the 12 months offered with a Dynavin. The unit features a 6.5" full touch screen, navigation, TV (with optional DVB), radio with RDS, Bluetooth, DVD playback including DIVX, MPEG etc. It all looks and sounds good but until I've received it and tested it out, I'm not yet able to recommend it but will give you my thoughts when I do and if your then interested in buying one I'll be able to get you a good discount.

In the meantime, I did find a Youtube video showing a short demo of the unit, although not very clear, you get to see how it looks in the car and I got to say for an aftermarket unit it does look quite smart with all the features of the Dynavin but with the looks of an RNS. Here is the link to the video....
YouTube - ‪Audi A3 aftermarket sat nav‬&rlm;

What's the name of the unit? or can you give a web/ebay link pls?
cheers
nj

Ash187 · Jul 20, 2011

Its the Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD
AVH-P4200DVD (Archived) - Pioneer UK

Bluetooth adapter:
CD-BTB200 Bluetooth Adapter - Pioneer Car Accessories

for Nav get this add on unit:
Pioneer AVICF220 - Support & Media

iPod/iPhone adapter:
CD-IU200V Pioneer - Car Accessories - Car*Entertainment

you can add in a rear view camera as well... most rear view cameras work on the yellow phono connection so pretty much get any you prefer.

With all of that its still cheaper than an RNSE with Bluetooth and ipod and it does a hell of a load more!

fourcircle · Jul 20, 2011

thanks mate. Looks like a hell of a setup and cheaper/better than the RNS-E (I see the RNS-E as an alfa romeo and the aftermarket pioneer/kenwood as an A4 avant quattro. style versus substance)

rdhighoctane · Sep 10, 2011

Hi guys,

Iv been looking for a thread about this for ages.. Iv recently bought myself that same after market nav unit from ebay (heres the link) 6.5" GPS SAT NAV DVD MP3 SD USB For AUDI A3 / S3 *NEW* | eBay

Looks great, and the features make it a worthy buy, I am also purchasing a wireless rear view camera (saves dragging cables all over the car).

WIRELESS Reverse Rear View Camera for Audi A4/A6L/Q7 | eBay

I have yet to install it.. which leads me on to this question - if any of you guys can help me?
The single din unit at the top with the hazzard light switch and cup holder, has the curved edges at the top corners, i want to keep that at the top... But the new radio unit also has curved top edges and i want that to go underneath.. How would it go in and be flush so to speak if its got curved edges, and how do i resolve that issue

Cheers

NHN · Sep 10, 2011

You have to fit the proper dd cage & buttons underneath the unit, unless you modify the new radio fascia with plastic welding, which is a hell of a job, then forget it.

Also, those units are by all reports crap.

paddy · Sep 10, 2011

Tomorrow i am taking a symphony 2 up the tip....i couldnt even get 99p for it on ebay ..........as well as a steering wheel and airbag........Sign of the times

NHN · Sep 10, 2011

paddy said:
Tomorrow i am taking a symphony 2 up the tip....i couldnt even get 99p for it on ebay ..........as well as a steering wheel and airbag........Sign of the times

You serious?

If you're binning I'll take it of your hands.

Shane. · Sep 11, 2011

I sold my old headunit, steering wheel and airbag easy, the wheel and airbag went withing a few hours of being online and the headunit went to a guy on here.

I personally prefer the aftermarket route, more features for your money IMO I'd stick to Pioneer, Alpine or possibly Kenwood (not greatest stuff in the world but very user friendly) the only advice I can give is try and opt for a newer model with Parrot bluetooth built or a module made by Parrot (Alpine KCE400 I think it is) as this will help with newer phone OS as they keep a much more up to date system (my pioneer BTB200 would not work with several Android phones)

1inchpunch · Sep 12, 2011

I'd also look at aftermarket solutions. My car came with the Symphony head unit so I was keen to change as it was just depressing having a tape player in the dashboard (I can't believe Audi had the cheek to fit a tape player in this decade). I bought a pre media button RNS-E unit but was completely underwhelmed by it to the point where I removed it and went back to the Symphony unit. For what the RNS-E cost you can get an aftermarket unit that does a load more, does it better and will also sound better. People go on about OEM but in my opinion OEM is only worth paying the extra for if it is as good as the alternative.

mkimjoon · Sep 12, 2011

my car originally came with symp ii with bose>got rnse and dice>now x930bt

i love my 930bt more than my rnse

old pic

with aftermarket slim sony amp and 10inch elemental sub

55_UK · Sep 12, 2011

I think a3's only and only suit RNS-E.

Couple of my mates have decent non-oem ones in their golf mk5's! they look good to be honest (may be due to the shape of the dash! but a3's only look good with RNS-e

Ash187 · Sep 12, 2011

55_UK said:
I think a3's only and only suit RNS-E.

Couple of my mates have decent non-oem ones in their golf mk5's! they look good to be honest (may be due to the shape of the dash! but a3's only look good with RNS-e

i kinda agree with you on that one... the Pioneer on mine could have looked a whole lot better in my A3... but to be honest i couldn't really care with it not looking as good as an RNSE if i am saving at least £500 and doing more on the pioneer (bluetooth - full ipod control, videos from ipod sd cards and DVDs, reverse camera) - all on a touch screen device costing less than £700 with all the mentioned functions!

55_UK · Sep 13, 2011

I think functionality and PRICE win over the looks as still yours doesn't look too bad. It's just missing some buttons on the side lol! But I'm impressed with the functions list Ash, what is the screen quality like on the Nav? can you update the maps?

Ash187 · Sep 13, 2011

i chose not to go for the nav option for a few reasons...
firstly i dont like looking down at the HU for nav directions. secondly i have tomtom on my iPhone with custom POIs and HD traffic updates... and the iPhone is always plugged into the dock which sits just beside my steering wheel so its easier to access and see. Thirdly i dont have to worry about updating maps as the Tomtom is always updating itself (imo the tomtom is a far more superior satnav than others on the market)
if i included the NAV it would be another odd £300 which still isnt bad.

55_UK · Sep 13, 2011

Ahh yeh iPhone's tomtom is pretty sleek i've heard! ok so if you wanted to, could you add the nav option to the pioneer ice? or will you be required to change the full unit?

Ash187 · Sep 13, 2011

yh all i need to get is this
AVIC-U220 - Add-on Navigation System for AVH Models | Pioneer Electronics USA

its about £200 now and with that i can run Nav off my existing Pioneer unit.
Pioneer AVIC-U220 Add-on Navigation System | eBay

the unit also has a removable part so i can take it indoors and connect to a laptop/pc and update it.

but still i prefer the iPhone tomtom as its so user friendly... i havent needed to 'resave' my old addresses in my tomtoms over the years as the data can be transferred from one to another (from windows mobile tomtom - original tomtom unit - iPhone Tomtom)

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