RNS-E install

Took a couple of pics of the install now its complete :

Off
RNS-E1.jpg

On
RNS-E2.jpg

DIS
RNS-E3.jpg
 
That looks spot on. I am getting this done at the end of the month. Can't wait to be able to play MP3's. Only got 5 CD's in the car, and bored of them now.
 
Cheers chaps it wasnt the easiest thing i have done but am really pleased with the results. Looks so OEM as if it should always of been there and the fact it still displays stuff on the DIS screen is such a bonus. Defo adds value to the car i think and for everything so that the RNS-E itself 2009 Map DVD gps aeriel and FM connector and RNS-E adapter the cost was about £500 so not too bad.

Got my Symphony 2 HU to sell on so that should get a few ££`s back and bring the cost down a little.
 
Dan-Jnr said:
That looks spot on. I am getting this done at the end of the month. Can't wait to be able to play MP3's. Only got 5 CD's in the car, and bored of them now.
Click to expand...

If you do the retrofit yourself and need any advise just drop me a pm or post it in here and i will do what i can to help out.
 
If yours has a double din stereo then it must be a facelift S3 which is a good start.

What you will need to do this is as follows :

RNS-E unit from an A4 (obviously with the code etc)
4 x Stereo removal keys
Map DVD (i got a 2009 one off ebay for the UK)
GPS Antenna
RNS-E conversion harness (get it from the kufatec website)
FM Antenna adapter (I bough a bundle deal from kufatec which had the harness, fm antenna, and stereo keys)

You will also need to be able to use VCDS (VagCom) to reprogram the RNS-E and your car to work properly.

During the install you do have to run a few wires from behind your dash clocks to the RNS-E but this is the most complicated bit and once you know what to run where its not too bad.

Last thing you have to do which is a tad scary is the RNS-E as it was designed to fit in an A4 is a little large to fit in the space in the A3 8L so you have to trim the bottom edge and the sides a little using a hacksaw or as i did a dremmel and a cutting wheel.

If you are keen on doing it i have a few PDF guides that i used that i can forward onto you just PM me your email addy.
 
Last edited:
Sorry my mistake lol I dont get to see the car very often as the mrs uses it I have a van. Anyway its not double din and looks like way to much hassle to be bothered with in all honesty. Thanks tho. cheers jared
 
vrbob said:
If yours has a double din stereo then it must be a facelift S3 which is a good start.

What you will need to do this is as follows :

RNS-E unit from an A4 (obviously with the code etc)
4 x Stereo removal keys
Map DVD (i got a 2009 one off ebay for the UK)
GPS Antenna
RNS-E conversion harness (get it from the kufatec website)
FM Antenna adapter (I bough a bundle deal from kufatec which had the harness, fm antenna, and stereo keys)

You will also need to be able to use VCDS (VagCom) to reprogram the RNS-E and your car to work properly.

During the install you do have to run a few wires from behind your dash clocks to the RNS-E but this is the most complicated bit and once you know what to run where its not too bad.

Last thing you have to do which is a tad scary is the RNS-E as it was designed to fit in an A4 is a little large to fit in the space in the A3 8L so you have to trim the bottom edge and the sides a little using a hacksaw or as i did a dremmel and a cutting wheel.

If you are keen on doing it i have a few PDF guides that i used that i can forward onto you just PM me your email addy.
Click to expand...

Bob, thanks a lot for posting all your work on this install. I've got a few questions I hope you can answer:

I understand the A4 unit is physically the correct shape to install, but are there specific versions/part numbers of RNS-E that are compatible with the A3 8L? Eg is it possible to buy the latest version but then use VCDS to "downgrade version X to version 0650" ?

Finally I might off the mark here, but originally did your car have a TMC unit, IE did your original RNS-D correct your navigation/route based on traffic conditions, I believe this unit is the key to getting the information to display on the DIS.
 
No Probs,

Any A4 RNS-E will be ok as long as its out of a B6 or B7 car so up to 2008 as after that the actual shape of the RNS-E changes. The one i put in my car was a 2008 model. The reason you need this version is that its almost the right size to fit in the hole in the 8L you fust need to remove about 2-3mm off the bottom edge and shape the sides a little.

My car had the double din symphony 2 HU in it so i have upgraded to RNS-E from that. The TMC thing i believe is built into the RNS-E and if you use the software version 0650 then it seems to work as i get traffic info and the route adjust accordingly.
 
Ignoring the physical size for a bit, the reading I've done on the RNS-E suggests that 2010+ versions of it can't be used in 8L cars because effectively when you code the unit to 0650 you are coding it to be an A6 compatible unit and the 2010+ version won't accept that coding.

I imagine everybody would be retro-fitting 2010+ units if they could because it is a superior model, the screen resolution, memory slots, connectivity etc.

I hadn't noticed the shape of the RNS changing after 2008, the only difference I noticed was the obviously completely different later A3 shaped bezel. Will have to put my glasses on and look more closely!
 
Really thinking about doing this now. Just nervous about hacking away at my new RNS-E unit to get it to fit...how difficult is this? Any tips on cutting it? Is it just the chrome bit of trim at the bottom that needs to be cut off?
 
Erf said:
Really thinking about doing this now. Just nervous about hacking away at my new RNS-E unit to get it to fit...how difficult is this? Any tips on cutting it? Is it just the chrome bit of trim at the bottom that needs to be cut off?
Click to expand...

Yeah the chrome strip has to be romoved off the bottom edge and the sides at the top need to be shaved down to fit in the 8L`s dash i was left with a gap above the RNSE under the piano black trim so i filed this using some black plastic cable that fitted nicely.

I found the best way to find out how much to trim was to slot the RNSE into the dash and see what was outside the hole and put a littl mark with a pen onto the RNSE i then removed the RNSE and carefully removed some of the RNSE and then repeated the process so that i would not cut too much off.
 
for those of you looking to purchase RNS-E from an A4 here is some model number info that may help with your purchasing :

8E0 035 192 C Audi A4 Europe, MY 2004, 8E B6
8E0 035 192 D Audi
A4 Europe, MY 2005, 8E B7
8E0 035 192 E Audi A4 North America, MY
2005.5, 8E B6
8E0 035 192 F Audi A4 North America, MY 2006, 8E
B7
8E0 035 192 G Audi A4 BNS 5.0
8E0 035 192 H Audi A4 Europe, MY 2006, 8E B7, with SDS
8E0 035 192 J Audi A4 North
America, MY 2006, 8E B7
8E0 035 192 K Audi A4 Europe, MY 2007, 8E B7,
sw 0500
8E0 035 192 M Audi A4 BNS 5.0
8E0 035 192 N
Audi A4 Europe, MY 2007, 8E B7, with SDS
8E0 035 192 P Audi A4 North
America, MY 2007, 8E B7
8E0 035 192 Q Audi A4 Europe, MY 2008, 8E
B7
8E0 035 192 R Audi A4 Europe, MY 2008, 8E B7, with SDS, sw
0650
8E0 035 192 S Audi A4 BNS 5.0
8E0 035 192 T Audi
A4 Europe, MY 2008, 8E B7, sw 0650
8E0 035 193 Audi A4 Europe, MY
2008.5, 8E B7, with SDS
 
Also thought i would mention that i have been looking into getting the largest capacity SD cards i could so i can get as many MP3`s as poss on my RNS-E

So after a little research it looks like the only cards the Mk1 RNS-E can read have to be SD cards not SDHC cards i currently have 2 x 2gb cards which hold quite alot of music but i want to put more on as i like to have quite big MP3 files as they are better quality.

Finding SD cards is a little bit of a mission as pretty much all cards now are SDHC but i managed to come across some 4gb ones on Amazon and they are only £4 each so i am gonna grab a couple and double the amount of storage i have on the RNS-E.

here is a link to the cards i bought incase anyone wants to purchase some for those of you looking to purchase RNS-E from an A4 here is some model number info that may help with your purchasing :

Platinum 177106 Secure Digital 4 GB SD Card: Bestmedia: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
 
i'm still on the hunt for a decent RNSE :( that is in the UK and not flipping Lithuania!
 
Schlaag said:
i'm still on the hunt for a decent RNSE :( that is in the UK and not flipping Lithuania!
Click to expand...

i have bought 2 RNS-E`s one i put in my old B6 A4 and the one i now have in the S3 and both were off ebay from Lithuania and had no probs with either of my purchases. Make sure they have good feedback and offer some sort of warrranty incase its faulty plus as long as you pay via paypal you should have no probs getting the money back if they try to fleece you.
 
Im really interested in doing this mod, just want to find out as much information as possible about it before i try to do it, if anybody has done it or is doing it could you pm me with some details of which parts i need to get and where from?
 
Vrbob & AndyC I would be awfully grateful if you'd email me any fitting guides you have. I have been toying with this for a long time now,and think it's about time I committed! Only difference is,my 02 S3 has a single DIN Chorus. I haven't yet found anywhere for the cage/dash adapter. If anyone could give me any pointers I'd be grateful.
 
Erf said:
Hi Rob,

Can I just check a few things? For the wires I need to run for the CAN High, CAN Low and the Gala speed signal, will the following wire suffice? 5M 0.5mm 12V AUTO CABLE 11A 16/0.2 CAR BOAT LOOM WIRE | eBay

Did you have to have to buy any pins from Audi or were there spare pins you could use?

Cheers!
Click to expand...


Sorry mate didnt spot your post till today, I used some old speaker wire i had to run the new wires so am sure the stuff you posted on ebay will do the trick.

As for spare pins no i didnt have any and as your actually splicing into other wires already there i basically cut the wire behind the connector and then re made the connection using chock block and then fitted the wire i ran to the RNSE into the same bit of chock block.
 
morgan306 said:
Vrbob & AndyC I would be awfully grateful if you'd email me any fitting guides you have. I have been toying with this for a long time now,and think it's about time I committed! Only difference is,my 02 S3 has a single DIN Chorus. I haven't yet found anywhere for the cage/dash adapter. If anyone could give me any pointers I'd be grateful.
Click to expand...

send me a PM with your email addy and i will forward on the info i have given to others and that i used when doing my install.

As for the single to double din conversion i didnt have to do that but it is possible and is covered in the guide i can send you.
 
Hi Rob,

Thanks for your reply - can I check which wires you spliced on the grey connector for CAN H and CAN L? In the guides I've seen, two refer to just moving the CLK and DATA pins (12&13) to CAN H and CAN L (pins 6&7) and then move pins 8&9 to pins 7&12 on Connector I of the head unit loom. The other guide refers to running new wires to pins 6&7 on the grey connector and then connecting this directly to the quadlock adaptor...

Would really appreciate your advice here!!!

Still waiting for the harness to arrive from Kufatec - over a week now :-(
 
Erf said:
Hi Rob,

Thanks for your reply - can I check which wires you spliced on the grey connector for CAN H and CAN L? In the guides I've seen, two refer to just moving the CLK and DATA pins (12&13) to CAN H and CAN L (pins 6&7) and then move pins 8&9 to pins 7&12 on Connector I of the head unit loom. The other guide refers to running new wires to pins 6&7 on the grey connector and then connecting this directly to the quadlock adaptor...

Would really appreciate your advice here!!!

Still waiting for the harness to arrive from Kufatec - over a week now :-(
Click to expand...

Its been a while since i did it lol so off the top of my head i am pretty sure i just spliced into the 6 and 7 on the grey connector for Can H and Can L and then spliced into the relevent wires on the Kufatec loom. The Gala speed wire is on the blue connector (i think) and again i just spliced and raun that to the adapter too. So didnt have to move any pins at all.

I also had to wait a few weeks for the kufatec adapter as it is made in germany to order and then shipped to you so i would suggest you chase with Kufatec to see what sort of ETA they expect.
 
audi upgrades
Got the harness, but there are some issues with it. It's missing the v-signal wire (pin 3 on block B), the Alarm GND (pin 14 on block D) and the bose ground wire is incorrectly assigned (should be mapped to pin 1 on block III on the symphony II iso connector). Frustrating!!
 
get incontact with Kufatec and get it sorted as mine arrived ans was perfect almost plug n play
 
Hi Bob, on your Kufatec loom did it have a long "Gala" wire? If so,where did you wire that to?

I powered up the RNS this evening,everything seems good. I had directions come up on the DIS aswell, but I haven't run a CAN H/L to the clocks yet. Do you think I've been lucky and don't need to?
 
The same situation exists for me - I already had CAN-H and CAN-L connected to my symphony II so don't need to connect these to the back of the clocks. The GALA speed wire means that RNS-E can use the speed signal from the car rather than relying on just the gps signal. You need to tap into Cluster Blue T32/pin 31 behind the clocks to connect the GALA / V-Signal wire.

I'm still waiting for Kufatec / Richter Sport to send me the correct harness! Can't believe how poor the service has been.
 
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I've joined the RNS-E club! Thanks Rob for all your help!

7711758524_680566a662_z.jpg
 
Looking good mate and welcome to the RNS-E 8L club :)

Looks like you did a good job trimming the RNS-E to fit and you got left with the same gap at the top as i did under the piano black part. I filled this gap with a bit of black 2 core power cable as once cut to legth it fitted perfectly in the gap. See my pics above.
 
Me too! I'll get a couple of pics up soon,a massive thank you to you Vrbob! The flex you used,was it flat or circular?Ive got a van full of the flat twin stuff,only in white!:(

looking good Erf!
 
yeah the 2 core flat power cable fitted perfectly in the gap but i would suggest white might stand out a bit lol so maybe find some black if you can :)
 
Have any of you guys added bluetooth handsfree? I've got a parrot kit, but there isn't a lot of room behind the rns-e for more cables....
 
nope not added anymore additions the one i am concidering is the AV module so that you can play videos on the screen and also get a reverse camera fitted. The bluetooth might be nice but i think its a bit expensive for what it is so not gonna bother i dont think.
 
Can you guys watch digital tv on these also? And will they be ok with a BOSE setup? Looking smart!!
 
s3mad_dude said:
Can you guys watch digital tv on these also? And will they be ok with a BOSE setup? Looking smart!!
Click to expand...

With the AV module you can input any sort of video the the screen so a PS3 or such like so i cant see why you cant get freeview to work on it too.

As for Bose compatible it is as i have the Bose setup in my car you just need to specify you have Bose when ordering your loom from Kufatec.
 
Hi Rob, I`m from South Africa, please forward me the info how to go by to do this mod on the radio you did send to my email please, wesselroets@yahoo.co.uk thanksWessel
 
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