Dab+ on b8 radio

[glenandem]

Recently lost heart 80s etc on my dab b8 2010 avant and done rescan etc but reading up I believe they’ve moved from dab to dab+.
Do the b8 radios not have this and is there any way to add it without swapping head units?

 

[Booboo]

I still have Heart 70's, 80's and 90's
I do have the latest firmware though.
Not sure if that will make mine Dab+ compatible or not.

 

[rum4mo]

I retro fitted an S5 late B8 Concert with DAB to my 2011 S4 B8 and it only has DAB, I'd not expect DAB+ to have appeared until sometime during the B8.5 production run.

 

[Booboo]

Mine is B8.5

 

[rum4mo]

Well, as far as I know, DAB without any fancy stuff like titles is just DAB, DAB+ brought a bit more like station labels.

 

[glenandem]

Dam lost radio x today after they updated to dab+ too, gonna have to look at upgrading the radio possibly!
Does anyone know if later head units will fit the earlier ones?

 

[glenandem]

Would a b8.5 mmi fit in place if I got the component protection sorted and then used vcds to code it?

 

[jdp1962]

Might be cheaper and more future-proof to retrofit a CarPlay/ Android Auto kit and stream radio from your phone.

 

[glenandem]

Just looked at those kits pal and they actually look pretty decent being able to access your phone through the screen touch etc.
I’d need to find out if my b&o system would still play ok and also I have reverse sensors that pop up on display and the climate control temp shows on screen too, wonder if that would disappear?
Has any of you guys got one of these car play kits?

 

[jdp1962]

Just looked at those kits pal and they actually look pretty decent being able to access your phone through the screen touch etc.
I’d need to find out if my b&o system would still play ok and also I have reverse sensors that pop up on display and the climate control temp shows on screen too, wonder if that would disappear?
Has any of you guys got one of these car play kits?

Yes, I have one installed; that’s why I suggested it as an option. It doesn’t replace the OEM system, it piggy backs onto it. So you still have all your original functionality, and just toggle back between old and new as and when you need to.

 

[glenandem]

Oh that’s good mate that’s you don’t lose any display etc and it just piggy backs everything!
How is it for loading and glitchyness etc
Also do you need the iPhone plugged in at all to play music etc or is it all just Bluetooth?

 

[jdp1962]

Oh that’s good mate that’s you don’t lose any display etc and it just piggy backs everything!
How is it for loading and glitchyness etc
Also do you need the iPhone plugged in at all to play music etc or is it all just Bluetooth?

I keep mine plugged in as it charges as well. The connectivity and control systems will vary slightly depending on which OEM equipment you have (mine is MMI3G+ so I can the MMI controls on the console or the steering wheel buttons). Best bet is to go on the website, open up a live chat session, tell them what your car has and ask all the questions you can think of. They're very helpful.

 

[Boundy]

I'm thinking about taking the plunge on this unit

￡268.65 36%OFF | COIKA 10.25" Android 9.0 System Car Radio Player For Audi A4 A5 2009-2017 IPS Touch Screen Stereo Google WIFI BT SWC 4G Carplay
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cRV3vlFq3

 

[AndrewW]

I'm thinking about taking the plunge on this unit

￡268.65 36%OFF | COIKA 10.25" Android 9.0 System Car Radio Player For Audi A4 A5 2009-2017 IPS Touch Screen Stereo Google WIFI BT SWC 4G Carplay
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cRV3vlFq3

I have a very similar unit fitted, it's a bit of a pain to fit (make sure you 100% check they're sending the RHD metal frame, I got the LHD one with my kit so had to modify it, they did offer to send a RHD frame but I'd already waited 3 weeks), it also needs a bit of cutting of the plastic screen surround on the B8, however it is removable on the B8.5, so you'd need a new screen surround if you ever went back to standard equipment. I also have B&O and there's no issues. I also got a wireless CarPlay USB dongle to go with it. There is a DAB USB dongle also but I've not tried this as I use CarPlay w/ Spotify or RadioPlayer for music.

Once it's fitted it's a pretty good unit and integrates well with the stock car system, massively better than the MMI system alone but does have it's nuances as you would expect

Bit more info in a thread I created here