some RNS-E questions

sting3rr

sting3rr

Registered User
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
68
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Got a few questions that i havent been able to find out or make my mind up on from searching etc...

1) Is the mk1 significantly worse than mk2? Im not bothered about SD card size at all, more concerned that the actual navigation is still good and the screen looks good (although obviously lower res than mk2) if so then might as well save some money

2) Do they go wrong much, and can you get them fixed if they do, or is it a throw away job?

3) Bit wary of ebay, good deals but i suspect 90% are stolen. Any suppliers/installers on here with reasonable prices?
 
Why? I've only seen positive reviews. Obviously the new one is better, but this doesnt stop the original being as good as it was in the first place?
 
1) The MkII could be fitted with AMI, which for other meida playback, is much better.
Mk II recalculates routes much faster. It could be an issue when you miss a turn and you need the next alternate turn right away.
Mk II has a little sphere around the vehicle's location so you could know the possible range of position your car could be in.
These are probably all relatively minor since the old already has features like split screen for lane-view, upcoming exits listing since 2007.

2. Most of the parts don't wear out much. The DVD is accessed once in a while when driving to access map of the upcoming area, and the screen could be on the whole time the car is running. If any of these part fails, you can get spare parts from members in RNSE forum RNS-E | Audi Forum

3. Seller in above RNS-E forum sells legit ones.
 
Mk2 is much less laggy. God the Mk1 was slow. Mk2 AMI compatibility is a big plus point.

Mk2 is nothing to write home about for the money. It looks good in the dash (OEM), but it's not exactly state of the art.

I hate setting up an aftermarket nav unit with trailing wires and ****ty integration so it was the only way to go.
 
If your not worried about the screen res. you can buy the gloss black screen outer on ebay and fit it to a MK1 and except for the lack of a media button it will look exactly the same. saving a few £100 :icon_thumright:
 
Other than a mk2 accepting SDHC cards, there's not a lot in it.

Silver buttons look nice, characters look a bit more defined on the screen.

My mk1 unit was way faster at selecting tracks, it's the mk2 that's laggy in that respect.

I'm a bit disappointed with the upgrade if I'm honest.

Unless you can get a mk2 at a discounted price, I'd go for a mk1.

Just my opinion from personal use.
 
s3ollie said:
If your not worried about the screen res. you can buy the gloss black screen outer on ebay and fit it to a MK1 and except for the lack of a media button it will look exactly the same. saving a few £100 :icon_thumright:
Click to expand...

Got a link?
 
wez3570 said:
Other than a mk2 accepting SDHC cards, there's not a lot in it.

Silver buttons look nice, characters look a bit more defined on the screen.

My mk1 unit was way faster at selecting tracks, it's the mk2 that's laggy in that respect.

I'm a bit disappointed with the upgrade if I'm honest.

Unless you can get a mk2 at a discounted price, I'd go for a mk1.

Just my opinion from personal use.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this...
 
wez3570 said:
Other than a mk2 accepting SDHC cards, there's not a lot in it.

Silver buttons look nice, characters look a bit more defined on the screen.

My mk1 unit was way faster at selecting tracks, it's the mk2 that's laggy in that respect.

I'm a bit disappointed with the upgrade if I'm honest.

Unless you can get a mk2 at a discounted price, I'd go for a mk1.

Just my opinion from personal use.
Click to expand...

+1, in my opinion the Mk1 is just as good as the Mk2, the only difference i honestly noticed was the media button instead of cd/tv!
 
Thanks some good information in here just what i was looking for. How easy is it to fit the new display frame then, surely it doesnt just push on? What about chrome knobs, i know they can be retrofitted but its not really possible to DIY is it?

Im not bothered at all about media playback other than cd and mp3. I understand the sound quality is better with the rns-e and standard speakers than with symphony + bose (thats what i've read anyway.) Which will be a bonus.

My main concern is with screen resolution and nav quality, but im used to using an old tom tom so surely the nav is better than that, plus can use the latest disc so everything is up to date and it points out speed cameras etc hopefully. The mk1 is still LCD screen so im guessing it looks pretty nice when its running and doesnt look too basic for the car.
 
audi upgrades
Agreed the MK2 screen looks better and is a bit quicker but I had my MK1 for about two years. I found it really good. Never had any problems with it. Nav with the latest maps is also pretty good. It also had chrome dials :)
 
stinger70 said:
My main concern is with screen resolution and nav quality, but im used to using an old tom tom so surely the nav is better than that, plus can use the latest disc so everything is up to date and it points out speed cameras etc hopefully. The mk1 is still LCD screen so im guessing it looks pretty nice when its running and doesnt look too basic for the car.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I haven't noticed any difference (between mk1 and mk2) when using nav.

Maybe mk2 is a tad faster but the detail looks the same to me.

The one I'm selling comes with 2011 maps:sign_plug:
 
MK2 has far better res screen, far better, sdhc upto 32gb so 64gig of tunes, faster nav, yes the sd card does have lag, but this seems to be down to the cards used I have found, so for me mk2 all the way.
 
Well i bought one anyway. Got a 2009 mk1 on ebay with chrome knobs for 380, seems to be genuine as had a few other bits from an a3 for sale and 100% feedback on 900 transactions. Hope it is worth the upgrade from my concert unit and that i can get it working easily enough.
 
It will work ok if your in a good reception area. it just dosent fine tune itself as you move around. What i do for a temporary measure is if it start to loose reception is just click the selector dial and it then fine tunes.

I have just brought a diversity box from ebay to sort the problem (even though its not really a prob where i live as i have pretty good reception here) It is a fix that dosent require re-wiring the boot hatch.

There is a thread on here for re-wiring the boot hatch somwhere. But you can just plug in this box instead and it does the same. here is a thread http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/new-a3...ting-symphony-ii-antenna-system-use-rnse.html
 
Last edited:
I dont want to be spending 100+ just to get better radio reception, so will have to put up with it. I've also got to find someone who can code it, local VAG specialist said he couldnt. Im not sure how much coding it needs, but i keep reading about it creating error messages etc which is a bit worrying. Starting to look more complex, and a lot more costly, than i imagined.
 
s3ollie said:
It will work ok if your in a good reception area. it just dosent fine tune itself as you move around. What i do for a temporary measure is if it start to loose reception is just click the selector dial and it then fine tunes.

I have just brought a diversity box from ebay to sort the problem (even though its not really a prob where i live as i have pretty good reception here) It is a fix that dosent require re-wiring the boot hatch.

There is a thread on here for re-wiring the boot hatch somwhere. But you can just plug in this box instead and it does the same. here is a thread on tyresmoke all about it. A few RNS-E retrofit questions (2007 A3) - Page 10
Click to expand...

TBH John ripped that kit out for the proper system as it wasnt perfect overall, once the kit was fitted for proper reception, was 100%.
 
NHN said:
TBH John ripped that kit out for the proper system as it wasnt perfect overall, once the kit was fitted for proper reception, was 100%.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me specifically what coding my unit will need? Only thing i need to work is MFSW and DIS directions, which may work anyway judging by other peoples experience. Does it still need to be coded so the car recognises sat nav, even if it all works normally?
 
Ah I see, looks like John says it sorted the reception just still had the ZF short code.

I think i might give it a go as i can live with the ZF short and its going to work out a lot cheaper than replacing the amps inn the back, unless i can get them a fair bit cheaper than off audi
 
Does the ZF short code affect anything, particularly if the car is under warranty?
 
sting3rr said:
Can you tell me specifically what coding my unit will need? Only thing i need to work is MFSW and DIS directions, which may work anyway judging by other peoples experience. Does it still need to be coded so the car recognises sat nav, even if it all works normally?
Click to expand...

Yes I always advise coding to the car, as some, if not coded correctly, dont turn of with key & sometimes dont integrate fully.

s3ollie said:
Ah I see, looks like John says it sorted the reception just still had the ZF short code.

I think i might give it a go as i can live with the ZF short and its going to work out a lot cheaper than replacing the amps inn the back, unless i can get them a fair bit cheaper than off audi
Click to expand...

Not sure reception was perfect tbh, but yeah give it a go mate.

I have a kit here, last time checked was £184 or so.

sting3rr said:
Does the ZF short code affect anything, particularly if the car is under warranty?
Click to expand...

No, just antenna reception & warranty shouldnt be affected, they just wont warranty anything retrofitted.
 
NHN said:
Yes I always advise coding to the car, as some, if not coded correctly, dont turn of with key & sometimes dont integrate fully.
Click to expand...

Thanks, hopefully will have a go at installing it tomorrow and then get it coded next week. I will probably try and fit the antenna above the rns-e between the vents. Do you have to use tape to fix it or is there something magnetic for it to attatch to? Final question...any ideas to stop excess wire from the antenna from rattling around?
 
Well i have fitted it in the car, although i wont have an antenna till tomorrow so will remove it again and fit that when it arrives. The nav turns on with ignition and stays on until you remove the key as it should. I was slightly worried as it was making a fan noise for a while after the key was removed, but after a few minutes it stops so i assume this is just a cooling procedure. Radio reception is fine sitting on my drive. One question, is there any way to get a cd out of my old concert unit without plugging it back into the car, as i stupidly forgot to do this!

Also, the removal keys i got from ebay are useless. They bend so easily, and one of them got stuck in the concert. I have got it out, but i dont want to risk using these keys to remove the rns-e when i fit the antenna. Do Audi dealers stock the official keys, as surely they are better?
 
Last edited:
Phoned audi who offered to get a technician to help with the install, as i bought the car from them. He said as long as all functions are working, there is no need for coding on the a3. I fitted the antenna above the nav, there is a triangular shaped hole just small enough to poke it into, not many flat surfaces anywhere though so im hoping the double sided tape sticks it alright. Getting between 4-8 satellites.
 
Always fit antenna next to the passenger air vent above glovebox with the tape.

Your choice, but I would check codings anyway if you have the chance.
 
mike foster
Removal keys are available from Audi dealers for about a tenner.​
Click to expand...

Please do not waste a tenner on stereo keys- ebay has a set of four for £1.48, used them today nothing wrong with them :)
 
TBH you could do better & buy a complete key set for £20 for all cars, excellent kit aswell.
 
I have a 08 audi a3 1.6 SE if i was to pick up one of these mk1 units how hard would the integration be? coding etc? I don't have the cluster dis or mfsw
 
My point was the kit is very good interms of strength & doesnt bend etc.
 
Deff get a decent set of keys like Nige says.
I got some of the cheap ones off ebay - got my old headunit out once, but after that wouldn't work again - rubbish quality..
 
A13 said:
Deff get a decent set of keys like Nige says.
I got some of the cheap ones off ebay - got my old headunit out once, but after that wouldn't work again - rubbish quality..
Click to expand...

Must depend which eBay seller you get them from.

Mine are from eBay, used them a few times, no probs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

jsosic
RNS-E questions
Replies
4
Views
636
B5NUT
B5NUT
B
RNS-E Questions
Replies
6
Views
1K
aristides
aristides
S
RNS-E Questions
Replies
3
Views
654
PH1L
PH1L
B
RNS-E Retrofit questions
Replies
3
Views
2K
Bil92
B
G
Few RNS-E Questions
Replies
13
Views
2K
PaulAr
PaulAr
Top
Back