A4 2004 Avant - Symphony Stereo to iphone - losing will to live.... :(

[tom fenton]

Ladies and Gents

I am trying in vain to fit an IPod/IPhone kit to my 2004 A4 Avant, it has the Symphony head unit with in-built 6 disc changer. Apart from not being able to connect to my IPhone its a cracking bit of kit so I don;t want to change it.

However try as I might I just cannot get the damm thing out of the fascia. I've tried various different keys, had the glovebox out to wiggle at it from behind, done pretty much everything short of getting a 2 ft prybar on the job.

I've read up and it seems others have had similar issues, the car has a different piece of glass in one door so I'm wondering if someone has previously tried to nick the head unit and that is why the clips won't release.

So what I am hoping to do is install the connector kit without removing the stereo (I cannot remove it even if I want to).

Can anyone advise what connector type I have? They don't appear to be Mini ISO but I stand to be corrected? I've just managed to get them free from the back of the Head Unit.

Here is the front of my Head unit

Many Thanks in advance to anyone that can help

 

[Woorlord]

Some compatible radio keys just don't work! Try a better quality key maybe - a mate had the same problem. I bought a good set of quality keys years back on Ebay claiming to be originals and they work every time - although the seller does not seem to be around any more and can't find a similar set when searching for them.

The lower 20-pin connector (8-6-6 contact groups) in the top picture is the connector carrying the external CD-changer connections - which an i-pod adapter would connect to.

 

[AndyMac]

That is mini ISO (the bottom connector in the pic), the other 2 are black power ISO and brown front speaker ISO
Are you sure you have the keys in the correct way? angled sides should all be facing inwards (towards each other)
From the picture it looks like you have all the keys way too far in, they should only go about 1" into the slot, and then lock in place, and you won't then be able to pull them out. This is how you know they are located properly.
If the keys are sliding that far in, then you have managed to push the springs all the way out to the sides (away from the centre of the HU).
Try bending the bottom keys down a bit, then insert and at an angle with the visible ends of the keys as far over to the centre of the HU as possible to try and locate the lugs on the displaced spring clips. You should feel pressure when you have them correct as they pull the spring clips in towards the centre of the HU. Release each one separately by pushing the HU out from behind each corner at a time.
Or persist with wiring it up in situ, but you must have very small & shredded hands to have got those connectors out

 

[B5NUT]

They look like cr@p ebay keys that cut your hands to bits and are usless as radio removal tools. I would get them out ASAP as they could end up stuck in there. If you cover the postage costs I can send you a genuine Audi set.

 

[tom fenton]

Gents,
Thanks for the tips. They are indeed the crap ebay keys, by now I should have known better. I managed to get the top left corner to unclip and it will move by pushing from behind, but the lower left corner will not budge no matter what.

The wiring plugs suprisingly were not that hard to get out, certainly my hands are not small by any means.

The bit that is confusing me is looking at the Dension pdf they show the Mini-ISO being "modular" and splitting into 3 seperate bits- certainly on my old B5 this was the case, but that black plastic 8-6-6 plug is one piece.
Does anyone know if the Dension comes with a break out loom that plugs in between the car loom and the head unit, with an output to its control box? If so I may have cracked it....

Thanks again for the help, it frustrated me to hell as I've had a couple of attempts to get the swine out now!

Cheers
Tom

 

[Woorlord]

The Dension i-pod unit I had several years back had a break in adaptor - i.e. one 20pin male mini-iso and one 20pin female mini-iso connectors. The only wire I had to find a connections point for was a chassis ground.

 

[tom fenton]

Thanks buddy, that is what I wanted to hear. As per usual the people selling these adaptor kits cannot be more unhelpful.

 

[tom fenton]

Well massive thanks to B5NUT who has very kindly posted me his proper Audi release keys. Took a couple of attempts as I think the stupid wrong keys had bent the springs slightly. But with a bit of a wiggle sure enough out it came.

My Dension arrived today so I'm now connected for ipod, what is very impressive is how much the Dension can do, and also it displays on the screen in the centre of the clocks too.

Happy now indeed!