RNS-E Retrofit, a big thankyou!

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phill1012k

Guest
I’ve just installed my retrofit RNS-E to my 08 S3 and I’m really pleased with how it’s gone. A big thank you to the people who have posted guides and tips on how to get this done, with all the posts from others it made this a doddle.

I had some problems with the unit I got from ebay. I contacted the seller before I placed a bid and asked if the unit had any scratches or marks either on the screen or the facia and he said no. When it arrived the screen was scratched to hell. On closer inspection the scratching was in the antiglare surface and not on the screen itself so I polished the antiglare surface off and it looks 100% again. I’ve also arranged with the seller to dispatch me a new screen; I’ll probably just keep it as a spare. Not happy that the seller lied but that’s the danger of eBay I guess.

Next up is the Bluetooth phone kit! Probably going to pay to get that done....
 
Congrats mate, welcome to the world of retrofit :) :)

What did you use to polish off the anti glare surface by the way?
 
phill1012k said:
I polished the antiglare surface off and it looks 100% again.
Click to expand...

Tell us how !
With what ?
Mine looks like its been hit by a sandblaster so if this can be done I'm interested.
 
Pics of the finished item would be good also :)
 
Oh forgot to say i think i read on nav. forum that some people use meguars plastic polish.
 
Yeah that's the stuff!

Meguiar's Clear Plastic Polish
http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Meguiar_s_Clear_Plastic_Polish.html

I ordered it from them and it arrived next day. I used cotton wool to slowly remove the antiglare surface, it took a while and getting around the edges was hard but it's well worth the effort. I'll post some before / after pics later for those who are interested.

The chap on ebay was called quickship.ltd, he has a few other nav unit's for sale so be careful.

Again, love the RNS-E I think it's great, really pleased with it.
 
Hi Phill,

Glad it's all working well. Hope you read some of my threads along the way!
 
I've just done the same in my A3, was so surprised how easy it was was, didn't even have to touch vagcom to get it all working. Fitting it in the dark in under 30mins!

Had a few problems with the guy I bought it from on ebay to, he originally stated he was from london, but then the unit was sent from Lithuania, few days after I had paid he deleted his ebay and paypal accounts, got pretty worried but the unit then turned up the next day... weird!

Currently only getting 4 satellites with the gps aerial stuck onto the back of the actual unit, planning to move it above my glovebox this weekend.

Have a pic of the install while updating the nav

rnse.jpg
 
welcome to the club LOL

It may not be the best satnav on the market but the OEM look is spot on. Guess a FBMSW will be next on list :icon_thumright:
 
Quick question,.. if the car never came with navigation from the factory, is it still possible to do this retro fit?
 
Yes. If you do a search you will find all you need to know, there are loads of threads about it. If you already have a double din stereo then is a piece of cake, but bit harder and more expensive if you dont.
 
ronald_adi said:
Quick question,.. if the car never came with navigation from the factory, is it still possible to do this retro fit?
Click to expand...
Yep - that's kind of what the word retrofit means! :) Do a search on the forum plus Google; there's dozens of write-ups.
 
Nickl said:
I've just done the same in my A3, was so surprised how easy it was was, didn't even have to touch vagcom to get it all working. Fitting it in the dark in under 30mins!

Had a few problems with the guy I bought it from on ebay to, he originally stated he was from london, but then the unit was sent from Lithuania, few days after I had paid he deleted his ebay and paypal accounts, got pretty worried but the unit then turned up the next day... weird!

Currently only getting 4 satellites with the gps aerial stuck onto the back of the actual unit, planning to move it above my glovebox this weekend.

Have a pic of the install while updating the nav
Click to expand...

I have my antenna behind the dash insert, much easier to get to than under the glovebox and it will have a better 'view' of the sky.
 
I would be looking to do this retrofit also. Are there different versions of the Navigation that I should be looking for? Does the newest 2009 version work on the 200 car?
 
Just moved my gps aerial from behind the rns-e to behind the instrument cluster. Had 4 satellites before now have 6 in the garage and 7 outside! Big improvement.

Ronald I believe any of the a3/s3 RNS-e units will work as long as it's an EU version rather than an American one (providing your in europe :))
 
Nickl said:
Ronald I believe any of the a3/s3 RNS-e units will work as long as it's an EU version rather than an American one (providing your in europe :))
Click to expand...

That's correct!
 
This retrofit is such a temptation!
Click to expand...

Definately. I want to do it but can't believe the price these units are fetching on e-bay.
 
Indeed - if they were a bit more towards £400 then I would probably tempt myself to do it, but as things currently stand then there are so many more things where my loot seems to be needed to be spent!
 
i took ages to get around to installing the RNS-E and i've got to say even though it costs a lot its great once it's in the car, i'm really pleased with it.

eBay is an ok route to go for picking one up, i watched a bunch of them come and go before i bid. Buy with paypal, use a credit card and look at the persons feedback else you're putting yourself at risk...i did all these things and ended up having a problem anyway. Thankfully I managed to sort this out without much drama.

My antenna is attached to the underside of the dash (above the RNS-E itself) and i'm getting between 4 / 6 satellites. I've not had any problems with the unit so far, i've been really impressed with it...but I don't live in a built up area.

Pictures of the before and after of my screen polishing coming soon for those who are interested.
 
How come these screens get so scratched - it's not touchscreen is it? What are they doing to them?
 
i have no idea what had been done to my one, it looked like someone had attacked with with a Brillo pad. Came out very well though, is 100% like new.
 
Are there any guys in the North east doing a supply & fit service for RNS-E?

Want this mod.
Oh, and is it true that if you have Bose the sound quality is better fron RNS-E compared to OEM Single disc CD?

Want the SD card facilty too, so I can ditch the millions of CDs I have bouncing around every available space.

cheers
Paul
 
Depends on what you can get one off ebay for. have a look at this Only 18 minutes to go, make him an offer!
 
Jeez, still top dollar.

Do I need any other hardware?

Car is 57 plate with Bluetooth, FBMFSW and sharkfin Antenna and Symphony.

Cheers

Paul
 
Not really, as long as it comes with a gps antenna. I can sort out a 2009 nav disc for you if required.
 
Hey John i would be intrested in this too.
But id like to have the tv tuner aswell, how hard is all this to fit?

Hi have the sharkfin, phone prep, bluetooth, bose symphony system its an 56 plate.
 
The TV option needs some antennas and a TV tuner. I hear the picture quality leaves a little to be desired. The audi TV tuner is very expensive, but you can buy quite cheap ones but I think these need a video interface as well.
 
audi upgrades
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