Retro-fit SatNav???

[Skye-S3]

Hi Guys, I'm looking for some advice.
Thought about selling my 2002 (52) Noggy S3, totally standard with silver leather and 28,000 miles. Today I washed the car, spent hours tar removing, washed her again, now not sure I want to sell.
Now thinking of getting SatNav retro fitted. Am I right in thinking that larger Audi models have SatNav direction indicator in the D.I.S, or does the A3/S3 models have this too?
Is there anybody out there that does this sort of work, and would it require programming the car itself to operate. My S3 has a single din CD player just now but I would really appreciate any advice
My idea would be to hopefully make it look as though the car came from the factory with the SatNav installed.
Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[S£]

I'm sure that when i was looking for my S3 i came across one with the DIS sat nav they have a control unit under the seat i think.... But I've never seen the actual unit for sale, and i've spend hours looking through ebay etc.. at random stuff.

I bet if you call Audi they will be able to advise you and probably sell you one too, but for a very large fee i would expect!!

 

[Stewart]

You have 2 choices.

RNS-D or RNS-E.

RNS-D is the older CD based unit and was the optional unit available on later cars. It's fascia matches the piano black interior that all but the run out 225 model's of S3's had.

RNS-E is the later unit fitted to 8P's and other Audi's. This is a DVD based unit (with memory card slots) and the fascia is a very dark grey, not black. If you're being fussy this looks out of place on most S3's (as mentioned, all but the very last S3's had piano black trim).

To fit you will need the double DIN cage to physically mount the unit. I seem to remember this costs around £50 from vagparts.com. You will then need to trim down the sides of your air con control panel to allow it to sit at the bottom of your centre panel (it's narrower at the bottom), the cubby hole is then redundant. Of course you can look for the double DIN air con panel but these are like hens teeth with expensive price tags.

Once physically fitted, the SAT NAV unit will work independently of the DIS. For the DIS to work you will need a CAN BUS communication box. These are generally called TMC units as they not only allow CAN BUS communication but also allow TMC functionality. This particular function DOES need enabling with VAG-COM.

You don't necessarily need a unit from an A3, I believe the units from an A4 or an A6 will fit, I just can't remember which it is.

RNS-D units can be had for around £300-£400 (with GPS antennae) and TMC units for around £100. It's not rocket science to fit but patience IS required for a good job.

I have a TMC unit for sale should you need one, they seem to be quite rare and are fortunes from VAG.

RNS-D and RNS-E use the Blaupunkt Travelpilot (tele Atlas) system so the latest disks are readily available on Ebay. A 2007 Travelpilot DX CD will set you back around £90 off ebay.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Skye-S3]

Thanks for the tips. My S3 was September 2002, only has Piano Black above the Single CD and the Cubby below the Climate Control. The bit in between is dark grey. Would the RNS-E most likely suit this?

Thanks Guys

 

[Bobt]

This is my RNS-E Retrofit

Well worth the effort i think

 

[themanthatcan]

That looks very smart Bob :thumbsup: Do you mind me asking how much that set you back both in money and man hours?

 

[Ibzzzzz]

Bob. Did you get that map in the end?

 

[jbw]

I'm interested in a retrofit satnav but I'm under the impression it'll only go in an a3 if you've got a symphony 2 headunit due to the connections. Is this correct?
I think I've a double din symphony 1 headunit in my 1.8T quattro.

 

[Bobt]

That looks very smart Bob :thumbsup: Do you mind me asking how much that set you back both in money and man hours?

RNS-E with harness adapter (ebay) £400
GPS antena (ebay) £10
Double Din Cage (AUDI) £68
Home Made ipod lead £10
chrome section and connectors ect £10
already had vag-com to code it
about 6 hours fitting

 

[Bobt]

Bob. Did you get that map in the end?

Map for RNS-e or remap ? lol
i got both

 

[Bobt]

I'm interested in a retrofit satnav but I'm under the impression it'll only go in an a3 if you've got a symphony 2 headunit due to the connections. Is this correct?
I think I've a double din symphony 1 headunit in my 1.8T quattro.

check this pdf guide for some info !

http://www.nsxjr.com/docs/RNS.pdf

 

[Ibzzzzz]

The remap Bob, which one did you get? Whats it like?

 

[steve1975l]

I have a guide...send me a PM with your mail address. Before anyone asks again I can't post it here as it is over 47 pages long last count.

 

[Skye-S3]

Thanks steve1975l for the Guide, you're a Gentleman



Skye-S3

 

[Bobt]

ibzzzzz
Mapped by Vagcheck (WAK) spent a lot of time with car, made adjustments to wastegate ect. big improvement.

 

[sitrials]

that was an amazing write up on fitting RNS-E

 

[benr]

thanks for the guide steve1975l good stuff

 

[TheSpaceCowboy]

Guys, I've started looking for an S3 and want an immaculate example with all the options, since messing around with the silly audio is too much hassle I really would like the GPS unit, is this very rare on an S3 or did a fair few of the cars have it on? As I want a nogaro blue S3 with less than 50k I'm already limiting my options and i'm pretty picky.

 

[steve1975l]

The RNS-D is a very very rare option. If you get a car with a symphony head unit it is not too dificult to fit the RNS-E.