Shark fin antenna functions

[46lukasz]

Hi Guys,

The car is a A5 B8 sportback 2016

My navigation is showing zero satellites so the shark fin antenna is in for a replacement.
The car also has DAB radio on the MMI but it never worked for me. Currently it is only listing one channel which doesn't even work when selected.

I am wondering what the shark fin antenna is used for exactly, apart from GPS? And if replacing the fin antenna will fix the DAB radio too?
Would FM radio be the 2nd feature, and DAB radio the 3rd?

Obviously I want to buy the correct replacement fin, but when looking at used ones, I noticed that some only have 2 connectors while some have 3.
I am sure the blue one is for GPS, not sure about the rest though.

 

[NHN]

It is for GPS, phone, remote heating, the dab works of rear glass antennas or if it's a cab it has a thin film antenna built into the boot roof cover which is not fun to replace.

 

[46lukasz]

Thanks for the reply, that clears it up a bit. Can you explain what remote heating is exactly?

I also had a look in the cars schematics and that can help a bit more:

The fin itself is device R52

And it houses those devices inside of it:
R65 - Telephone aerial (* only models with phone)
R50 - GPS aerial (* optional equipment)
R170 - Satellite aerial (* only models with satellite radio) - at first I assumed this is DAB radio but like it was said above, aerials for FM and DAB radio are on the glass
R182 - Auxiliary heater aerial (* only models with auxiliary heater) - no idea what that is, anyone can explain?



So looks to me like my fin would only need one connector - for the GPS.

Also I think the pictures I posted above are not the right fin. I think the A5 has a fin where there are wires coming from it through the roof and then connect to their own connectors, as opposed to having connectors on the underside of fin itself.

I think the correct part number is 8T0035503 and looks more like this

 

[Frizzley]

It’s a feature on some cars in colder climate.

The auxiliary heating and ventilation systems heat and cool the interior independently of the engine.

The auxiliary heating works in conjunction with the air conditioner system, but does not rely on heat from the engine. Instead of this, the system burns fuel. The system's main function is to warm up the interior of the vehicle and to defrost the windows in cold weather.

The auxiliary heating system can be used both when the vehicle is stationary and when driving (to provide extra heat while the engine is warming up).

You can switch the system on and off remotely using the Audi App.

 

[EXSpartan36]

Thanks for the reply, that clears it up a bit. Can you explain what remote heating is exactly?

I also had a look in the cars schematics and that can help a bit more:

The fin itself is device R52

And it houses those devices inside of it:
R65 - Telephone aerial (* only models with phone)
R50 - GPS aerial (* optional equipment)
R170 - Satellite aerial (* only models with satellite radio) - at first I assumed this is DAB radio but like it was said above, aerials for FM and DAB radio are on the glass
R182 - Auxiliary heater aerial (* only models with auxiliary heater) - no idea what that is, anyone can explain?

View attachment 257351

So looks to me like my fin would only need one connector - for the GPS.

Also I think the pictures I posted above are not the right fin. I think the A5 has a fin where there are wires coming from it through the roof and then connect to their own connectors, as opposed to having connectors on the underside of fin itself.

I think the correct part number is 8T0035503 and looks more like this
View attachment 257350

I replaced the sharkfin in my 2016 sportback last year. I don't know what the part number is offhand but it looked like the one in your first picture.

 

[46lukasz]

It’s a feature on some cars in colder climate.

The auxiliary heating and ventilation systems heat and cool the interior independently of the engine.

The auxiliary heating works in conjunction with the air conditioner system, but does not rely on heat from the engine. Instead of this, the system burns fuel. The system's main function is to warm up the interior of the vehicle and to defrost the windows in cold weather.

The auxiliary heating system can be used both when the vehicle is stationary and when driving (to provide extra heat while the engine is warming up).

You can switch the system on and off remotely using the Audi App.

Thanks for the explanation, my car definitely does not have that feature so that is one connection less on the fin aerial.

I replaced the sharkfin in my 2016 sportback last year. I don't know what the part number is offhand but it looked like the one in your first picture.

That's great to know! Could you give me some tips or instructions on how you did it? I think the biggest challenge will be dropping the head liner at the rear.
Did you have to remove the C pillar trim for that?
Did you have to take out the rear light in the head liner?
How did you approach actually dropping it and where is a good place to start prying at it?

 

[EXSpartan36]

Thanks for the explanation, my car definitely does not have that feature so that is one connection less on the fin aerial.

That's great to know! Could you give me some tips or instructions on how you did it? I think the biggest challenge will be dropping the head liner at the rear.
Did you have to remove the C pillar trim for that?
Did you have to take out the rear light in the head liner?
How did you approach actually dropping it and where is a good place to start prying at it?

Its is a good idea to remove the C pillar trims as well as the D pillar trims. I done it without removing the C pillar trims but i ended up kinking the headliner slightly by the trim which isn't really noticeable since its all black. You will need to pull the tailgate seal up and out the way. Once those bits are out the way you should get enough flex in the headliner to slide your hands in to undo the screw and remove the retaining clip. I did pop the rear light out to do it but that just pops out.