Need Guidance with Concert 1, bad install?

Hi there, new to the forum here... great site, very informative. I've no previous experience with AUDI sound systems, but some with other cars, limited to upgrading to aftermarket HUs and amps though, nothing too technical.

Just bought an A3 Quattro 3 door, year is 2000.

When viewing the car before sale, it had an ipod HU with a screen, but the guy didn't want to include it. He said he would just put the Concert HU back in, which he did. It has a 6 CD changer in the boot, also a BOSE amp on other side of boot. The HU has a tape deck on it, and when powered up, it displays BOSE in the display.

First thing I noticed was the eject button on the changer doesn't do anything, not even a sound inside. I assumed the guy hadn't connected it up to the HU. Wrong assumption? - I dont know.

Then, regarding the sound from the radio (great reception but sounded odd), I noticed the front passenger side main (lower) speaker had no sound, but that the little one further up on the door with higher freq did. The opposite is true of the driver door, with the smaller speaker not producing sound, but the main speaker works. So, with the imbalance noted, I checked in the back, and you could say the main (lower) speakers have the same problem, only the other way round.

In short, I can hear left and right, but left in the back, right in the front, and one small (mid-range?) speaker working front-left.

I also notice there are tweeters front and rear-side of the door piller (at the top) and these don't produce any sound.

The sub in the back is working. There are no parcel-shelf speakers. I count 10 speakers + sub, should they all be working? I only have 3 working, as described above.

The following controls on the HU have no effect at all - balance, fader, bass and treble, is this due to the BOSE set-up, and in that case of no matter?

I have just ordered HU removal tools off ebay, so I am awaiting those. I thought I would whip the HU out, and have a look at what's behind, and what HASN'T been connected properly.... although I've tried looking over this board and some other googled areas, I'm not sure what I' going to find.

Does anyone here recognise these symptoms (obviously I want to get the changer working and have a balanced sound throughout) and could tell me, or hazard a guess at, what the previous owner has done here?

I will get right onto it when the keys come, and hopefully have a clue how to root the problems out.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the welcome, Andy.
Ok, I got it about the number of speakers now, and thanks for the pointer on the ultrasonic alarm in the pillars. 4 speakers less to worry about!

Got it about the BOSE amp running all the cabin speakers, and the sub running off an amp in the casing around the sub (the tupperware enclosure?).

CD changer - I have checked the plug you mentioned and it is connected. It is clipped to the bodywork where you said it would be. It still doesn't work. The previous owner did say he had never used it, although he didn't mention having ever disconnected it. Some other solution?

Ouch! Removal of door cards and a back panel! Yes, I suppose that should rule the connections out.

Quote: The Bose setup does limit the effect of Bass & treble but they should still have some impact. You can switch the HU to non Bose mode by cutting the earth wire going to the Bose pin on the back of the HU. This will drastically improve the response of the Bass & Treble controls.

Ok, thanks for that. Does it mean that the controls will start to work, ie show something up in the display, if the earth wire is cut? I have no idea what to expect the controls to actually do - they don't have increase/decrease - just a button that does absolutely nothing - no change in sound, nothing in display. Yes, I really don't know how to even use the HU yet. Maybe I'll wait and see what it sounds like before considering that, as I thought maybe it was connected with the speakers not working.

I will take a pic and post it when I get behind there really soon, sorry I can't do it until the keys come. See you soon.

Ok I'll wait and see regarding the CD changer.

Yes, they are effectively dead buttons. The rotating wheel doesn't alter the effect of any of those mentioned buttons when pressed once, or held down. All the wheel does is alter the volume. Could it be this is the BOSE effect? The idea that the EQ is set in Bose mode, and no further adjustments can be made? Or is this just wrong? Not complaining, as long as it isn't connected with the speakers not working, or a symptom of something else.

Thanks for your continued time. I'm very glad to have someone to help point the way.

when i press bass it doesn't alter the display. same with the others that are around the rotating wheel.

As far as I can tell it is just those sound controls. Of all the buttons on the front plate, they are the ones without diodes. There are some buttons to the right which maybe only have a function in a certain mode... just gonna check...

yes, dolby, RD, CPS on the right don't seem to have any function (in radio mode, and having no tapes handy, I can't check tape mode). Dolby is for tapes, right? Haven't a clue what RD or CPS are. The MODE button is in that section and that works.

Every other button works, all the station selection buttons, the scan and search, the RDS, the AM and FM, the TP.

Is this plot thickening?

Just got back from the garage - I had managed to flatten the battery, so jump started the car and went to get it checked out.

I asked the guy to take the HU out and have a look - and we found this -



So, whatever it is, it's out - and the system now works!!! Every issue I posted about, solved.

No matter about the fiver it cost me, the guy checked the battery out which I couldn't believe had flattened - just needs charging and watching apparently.
It saved me 2 minutes taking this out next week, and I can listen to decent sound over the weekend.

Thanks Andy for your help, you're a diamond. Now where is your pay button?