Concert 2 in 1999 S3?

metricspaces

metricspaces

Registered User
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
674
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
NULL
My Concert I has the "eratic volume problem" so I want to replace it, and ideally with a Concert II.

From http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/audi/radios/ ... Does anyone know if this Concert II will fit into a 99 S3 (connection and facia)?
Concert II

Audi part # 8P0 035 186 (European spec A3)
Audi part # 8E0 035 186 (European spec A4, with chrome trim)
Audi part # 4B0 057 186 (European spec A6, no chrome trim)
  • 2002-2004 Audi TT
  • Single version, programmable for standard or Bose equalization
  • DIN standard size body with wide face plate
If the Concert 2 doesn't fit then I'm thinking of going for a recondition Concert 1 here from Audi Stafford http://cgi.ebay.ie/Audi-Concert-Radio-A2-A3-A4-A6-A8-TT-WAS-235-NOW-99_W0QQitemZ380075635747QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item38 0075635747&_trkparms=72%3A1301|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A 12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

Has anyone got any experience with these reconditioned stereos? Is the problem still there i.e. it will resurface again after a year or two?
 
The Concert II will fit, but it is likely to be a CANBUS controlled unit as used in the later Audi's 01 onwards. So it'll work but will turn itself off every 60 minutes as it won't be getting the CANBUS signal that the ignition is on. Also you'll have to turn it on/off manually. The only option is to buy a CANBUS simulator which are not cheap at around £90 or so.
The recon units have had the design flaw corrected as far as I'm aware, even without it takes 10,000 changes in volume/bass/treble before the problem resurfaces which is roughly 5 years at least.
 
Thanks.

Has anyone here actually put a Concert II into a pre 2001 Audi S3?

Does the facia fit exactly?

Do the Concert II's suffer from the same volume problem as the Concert I? I'm thinking of buying a second hand one of ebay and getting the CANBUS conversion cable.
 
sorry to hijack, but will it work fully with a 2001 facelift A3, and will all work in the dis?
 
AndyMac said:
If you're going to be spending that sort of money wouldn't it be better to go for a Becker GranPrix and actually benefit from better quality, MP3 compatibility and no worries about erratic volume:
http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/GP7992_becker-grand-prix-7992-cdmp3wma-tuner.html
Click to expand...

Haven't thought about that.

I just thought it would be easiest to go with a Concert.

Are there any problems with going with that Becker? Like
- Facia, does it fit exactly?
- Connection the same?
- Goes on\off with ignition?
- Synchs with display in dashboard?

Don't think I have BOSS so no issues for me here (if i had BOSS it would say so on front of the Concert I?).
 
It would be easiest just to replace like for like i.e. Concert 1 for Concert 1.
But if you are going to spend £60-£90 on a Concert2 and then a further £90 on a canbus emulator (which is a total waste of money as it does nothing other than make the Concert2 work properly), then it's worth looking at more benficial alternatives.
The Becker will still need a facia adapter.
The connections are identical, all you need to do is swap over the perm live & "ignition on" live as Audi wire them back to front.
It will go off with the ignition once you've swapped the connections as above.
No aftermarket HU's work with the DIS, but it's a pointless feature anyway. How many times do you really need to be reminded of what radio station you are listening to?
All the useful info like CD text and track/album names will be displayed on the Becker, this info would not be shown on the DIS even if the HU worked with it.
Bose upgraded vehicles use the same HU as non Bose. All they do is use VAGCOM to program the HU to display Bose when you turn it on. this feature has no bearing on whether you have Bose or not.
If you look at the tupperware sub in the boot it will either have a metal front and single speaker (non Bose) or a black plastic front and 2 x 4" drivers (Bose). You will also have a small amp in the righthand cubbyhole on the Bose system.
 
Hi Andy you obviously know your stuff. I have a 2001 facelift A3 with concert 1, do you know if i would have "can" problems if i fitted a concert 2? If not do you knwo which models would fit the dash correctly?

Cheers
 
I found this post here http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?p=622123 that suggests a Concert II with the part number 4B0 035 186 (then a letter) will fit into the place of a Concert I on an A4 exactly and work (apart from some problems due to no canbus).

Anyone know if this is true for a 1999 S3?


I also found a reference to Concert II on a A2 forum. http://www.a2oc.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-5026.html

msorel
02-03-2007, 11:11 PM

The partnumbers for the Concert 2 with 100% fit are:

Audi A2:
8Z0 057 186

Audi A6 & TT
4B0 057 186

There are some a3 models (early a3) that have the same size frontplate. I don't know if the color is the same.

Late A3, A4, A6 models will never fit as they have a slightly other design. Usually the ones with the metal strip on top.

Goodluck!
​

They suggest that early A3's have the same size Concert II as the A2's. Does anyone know if this is correct?

If this is correct then it seems like I need to find a Concert II with part numbers 8Z0 057 186 or 4B0 057 186.
 
They changed over to CANBUS around 2001, but you'd need to double check by pulling the HU. If you have both a red with white stripe perm live and a yellow with red stripe ignition live on the black power connector then your car is not CANBUS. If you just have red with white stripe and brown earth then you have CANBUS. The other way to tell is by unplugging the power to the radio, if it then prompts you for the radio code when you reconnect it you don't have CANBUS. CANBUS controlled HU's don't need the radio code when power is disconnected unless you change the HU.
All the HU's are the same size regardless of vehicle (oversized single DIN), it's just the profile of the HU surround that differs slightly. They should all fit OK, but some might not sit totally flush to the centre console.
 
Thanks andy for your response. When you say pull the power, will disconnecting the battery be ok? or from the back of the headunit?

I think i will ask in the a3/s3 forum for which models will fit properly, i dont mind a slight trimming of the facia of the stereo.
 
Just unplug the black power ISO from the back of the HU ensuring you have the radio code first of course!
 
AndyMac said:
All the HU's are the same size regardless of vehicle (oversized single DIN), it's just the profile of the HU surround that differs slightly. They should all fit OK, but some might not sit totally flush to the centre console.
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about canbus problems. I can live with them or get the emulator.

What I want is the Concert II that will sit totally flush to the centre console. Does anyone know which part numbers I need to be searching for? Or where to find them out.

Are the part numbers 8Z0 057 186 & 4B0 057 186 the ones I need to be looking for?
 
I'd be interested in knowing more about this too - I have the volume problem on my 99 1.8T, and would like to replace it with a Concert II as I don't want to mess around with fascia adaptors etc. (I hate how they cheapen the look of the car!).
 
metricspaces said:
I'm not worried about canbus problems. I can live with them or get the emulator.

What I want is the Concert II that will sit totally flush to the centre console. Does anyone know which part numbers I need to be searching for? Or where to find them out.

Are the part numbers 8Z0 057 186 & 4B0 057 186 the ones I need to be looking for?
Click to expand...

Surely someone here must have replaced a Concert I in a prefacelift S3 8L with a Concert that has a CD player i.e. Concert II?

Is there a Concert II that will sit 100% flush?

Has anyone got the part number for the stereo that I need?

I'm going to buy it of ebay, so I need the exact part number.
 
I've been looking for the same info, only for a '98 Cab. I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that the Concert I is exactly the same size as the Concert II, at least the two I have (Audi had a sale on audio gear, so I picked up a Concert II for $75). The depth and width of the face plates are the same.
Con II=3/4" Con I 13/16"

Side by side the face plates look like they were made from the same die. Only the buttons and knobs are different.

I looked into a CANBUS adapter, but it's a lot of money for little payout. I rarely drive for longer than an hour, and really, on-off isn't such a big deal. No lights on radio, that's a different story. Let me know if this was helpful.

Heybiff
 
i replaced mine last week, concert 2 part number 8z0 035 186 into my 1999 A3 sport. Wouldnt come out of safe mode so bought the canbus interface and works spot on....paid £150 for two dellivered from Germany (as postage was the same) so if anyone wants the other one they can have it for £70 delivered.
http://www.kufatec.de/shop/product_...lator-Audi-Concert-2--Chorus-2--Symphony.html
Thats the part i got

Cheers, Andy
 
andyg0141 said:
i replaced mine last week, concert 2 part number 8z0 035 186 into my 1999 A3 sport. Wouldnt come out of safe mode so bought the canbus interface and works spot on....paid £150 for two dellivered from Germany (as postage was the same) so if anyone wants the other one they can have it for £70 delivered.
http://www.kufatec.de/shop/product_...lator-Audi-Concert-2--Chorus-2--Symphony.html
Thats the part i got

Cheers, Andy
Click to expand...

How can it solve the safe-problem? I have the concert II and it's in safemode. Didn't you still need the code? Can you find the stereo in VAG-COM after installing the interface?
 
metricspaces said:
Surely someone here must have replaced a Concert I in a prefacelift S3 8L with a Concert that has a CD player i.e. Concert II?

Is there a Concert II that will sit 100% flush?

Has anyone got the part number for the stereo that I need?

I'm going to buy it of ebay, so I need the exact part number.
Click to expand...


I tried the one I've got on a shelf today, and it fits perfectly :)

Part number is 8E0035186, and fits really well. Note that there is a colour difference on my A3 1.8T between the fascia of the dashboard and the unit itself - the unit is a grey colour whereas the fascia is black.
 
Lidal said:
How can it solve the safe-problem? I have the concert II and it's in safemode. Didn't you still need the code? Can you find the stereo in VAG-COM after installing the interface?
Click to expand...

Thought I'd add to this - I got my cable from Kufatec today. The lights on/off and ignition on/off work perfectly :)

You still need to enter the code though - it doesn't solve the SAFE problem. And seeing as I've lost my code, I couldn't find out if it works with the DIS :(

Thought this might be useful though!
 
Just to update.

My original Concert I part number was 4B0 035 186C.

I just got a Concert II from Ebay with part number 8z0 035 186a.

The Concert II has precisely the same dimensions as the Concert I so it fits in 100%.

The only thing, as mentioned by AlexStanley above is that the radio is grey whereas my dash is black.

Maybe the 8z0 057 186 is black? Or maybe the later at the end of the part number signifies the color.

I hooked up VAG-COM to set it up the stereo for BOSE. I followed the instructions here http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/audi/radios/concert2.html and set my software version to "00017". When you restart the stereo it is meant to show BOSE in the display...but mine doesn't display BOSE.
 
The Bose on startup is purely cosmetic, the wiring on your system dictates whether the HU is in Bose mode or not. The only difference is Bose pin on the back of the HU is earthed on a Bose system which puts the HU into a flat EQ mode. VAGCOM settings are irrelevant.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Concert 2 stereo aux-in
Replies
0
Views
741
madstaff
M
Craig Kelly
Concert 1 > Concert 2
Replies
13
Views
7K
Craig Kelly
Craig Kelly
LJ_D
Audi concert 2 aux in....
Replies
0
Views
593
LJ_D
LJ_D
I
Symphony 2 -> Concert 2+ in a 2005 A3
Replies
1
Views
1K
s8craig
s8craig
A
Concert to Concert 2
Replies
4
Views
1K
mwarrey
mwarrey
Top
Back