Radio replacement.

[ScottD3]

My stereo is starting to really **** me off.
The display is missing pixels, it does not all ways play from the CD changer, it will display connect (Any ideas what that means), display NO CD, display disk 0 and track 98 (and other random numbers) but if you leave it on long enouth it will at some point start playing the CD but at a random track on that disk.

I was going to leave it untill I got all the kit for the facelift dash but thats taking longer (my fault, i'm being lazy) than I thought and traveling to and from work with no music is getting really annoying.

Apart from the casset units, is there any standard CD Audi units that will fit in to the PFL dash, run the cd changer, display on the DIS and not need any rewiring?

 

[aragorn]

Yes, sort of, but tbh they sell for so much its completely pointless when you can get a really nice aftermarket unit for less!

 

[ScottD3]

Yes, sort of, but tbh they sell for so much its completely pointless when you can get a really nice aftermarket unit for less!

Dont want aftermarket.
I want to stick with the standard look and lines which I much perfer than a aftermarket kit.

 

[eoeumc]

What about the concert one single cd ones?
As said they can go for silly money but there still going for around £40+ if your lucky

 

[ScottD3]

What about the concert one single cd ones?
As said they can go for silly money but there still going for around £40+ if your lucky

I've seen them.
I assume they are a simple plug 'n' play and away?

 

[AndyMac]

No they are CANBUS controlled so would turn off after an hour

 

[ScottD3]

No they are CANBUS controlled so would turn off after an hour

any way to buy pass that?

 

[Oranoco]

Standard units are at best average. Go aftermarket and choose wisely, Beker make some cracking units that blend in pretty seamlessly with the factory dash. First thing to come out of both my A4's has been the radio

 

[aragorn]

There are ways around the CANBUS issue, but they're not cheap. Probably talking in the region of £80-100 for an emulator.

Add that to the cost of the Concert2 unit itself and its quite simply silly money for a piece of crap.

 

[olds_kool]

i run concert 2's in both my a4's because there kept in a pub car park overnight and i dont want them broken into (and because i got them brand new for £25 each)

i wouldnt recommend them though, sounds ok in my saloon with bose but crap in the avant
they dont colour match the dash (dark grey not black), they dont display in dis, they still need an aerial amplifier and the can bus simulator disables the dim function at night

having heard aragorns stereo i couldnt believe it didnt have uprated speakers as it sounds awesome, ok its got a sub added but the speakers are crystal clear

id be tempted to go with oranoco's suggestion and look into becker (expensive new but usually plenty used on ebay) oem styling and available with red illumination

 

[aragorn]

Cheers mate, it just seems to have turned out a really well balanced system, more by luck than anything else. Hopefully i can replicate it in the saloon.

The discreet amp does make a huge difference to the stock speakers, and tbh i'm glad i spent the extra going down that road instead of just patching it in as most do when they go aftermarket.

I like my music and I'd considered replacement speakers, but after doing the amp/hu install i decided that it wasnt worth doing any more.

I've gone thru quite a few iterations of Audi audio, first being the old avant, with four standard doors speakers running off my pioneer HU, and then later with the 12" sub added, then the quattro with its standard concert system with the OE 8" sub, then the current setup with the pioneer HU, discreet amp running the door speakers, and the 12" sub and its amp.

The concert was by far the worst, and TBH even when i ran the current setup for a bit without the 12" sub hooked in it sounded better than the stock concert system with its 8" sub.

 

[ScottD3]

Thanks for the info lads.

Looks like after market is the way to go.
I don't really want gaudy head unit in the middle of my dash and I've heard alot of good things about the becker systems.
I'll take a look at the beckers I think.

 

[ScottD3]

 

[durham-dazzler]

Sorry to hijack, but I've been looking at Becker units on the bay...
They're all listed as BMW/Porche(sp)/Merc/Land Rover etc etc - do they all retrofit into an A4? I presume I'll need adaptors for the wiring?
Cheers!

 

[Oranoco]

As long as it's a single DIN you will be fine. If you want to retain the factory amp you will need a special loom regardless of what you fit. To be honest the factory amp is pants and it's no hardship to to run a fresh set of speaker wires up the car or put your own amp in the boot

 

[ScottD3]

As long as it's a single DIN you will be fine. If you want to retain the factory amp you will need a special loom regardless of what you fit. To be honest the factory amp is pants and it's no hardship to to run a fresh set of speaker wires up the car or put your own amp in the boot

The stereo has not produced music for the last two days so i'm tempted to get something this week and fit it this weekend.

I read different things about the amp, sub and speakers and I think its making me think its more complicated than it is.

how much of hardship is it to try and use the amp and sub?
Only for the short term till i get something else sorted out.

Not bothered about the changer, i'll take that out.

 

[griswold]

I fitted a clarion in mine with new rear speakers and ran new cable to rear spkrs

 

[aragorn]

what age/spec is your car?

My old avant didnt have an amp at all, everything ran off the head unit.

At some point, they moved the rear amp to the rear speaker, or in the case of avant models, added a sub and mounted the amp for the rear speakers and sub inside the sub enclosure.

The amps are fed a line level signal from one of the mini ISO plugs on the head unit, and theres also a switched live sourced from the same place.

All the adaptors do is stick a set of RCA's on the end of the line level wires, allowing you to plug it into the headunit, and patching an switched live into the amp from the headunits remote.

You could do it yourself with a soldering iron in about 5mins.

 

[ScottD3]

I fitted a clarion in mine with new rear speakers and ran new cable to rear spkrs

The little plastic bits on the side of the stereo, do you now if they will work pre-facelift models as well as facelift models?
I dont really want to buy them twice.

what age/spec is your car?

My old avant didnt have an amp at all, everything ran off the head unit.

At some point, they moved the rear amp to the rear speaker, or in the case of avant models, added a sub and mounted the amp for the rear speakers and sub inside the sub enclosure.

The amps are fed a line level signal from one of the mini ISO plugs on the head unit, and theres also a switched live sourced from the same place.

All the adaptors do is stick a set of RCA's on the end of the line level wires, allowing you to plug it into the headunit, and patching an switched live into the amp from the headunits remote.

You could do it yourself with a soldering iron in about 5mins.

98 avant with rear sub.
I wont buy a ISO unit i'll do it my self.

I'll rip the back down and take a look.

 

[griswold]

The side panels it depends who sells them and if they label them correctly
FP-05-03 is for 99-2001 and FP-05-00 is for upto 99
they look the same so just check where you buy from if they are the right ones

 

[ScottD3]

Small update.
I picked a Sendai head unit it comes with USB, Bluetooth, SD reader, Aux in put and all the other modern gadgets that comes with it.
Best of all the LEDs are the same colour as the current LEDs in the car.