rns-e nav plus unit [Archive] - RS6.com

troyjgaspard

November 4th, 2007, 04:12

hey there guys.i am interested in buying a nav plus rns-e unit to install in my 2003 rs6 sedan.where on earth can i buy one?i have been on rns-e.us for the last couple of days asking where could i buy one or if anyone had one for sale and all i kept seeing was all of the problems that everyone keeps having with their units.is the problems with this unit really this bad?if any of u guys have any valuable input for me please dont hesitate to let me know if i should be just saving my 5 thousand dollars that it will cost to get one put in when i can find where to get one.thanks men and enjoy ur rides.

PeterH

November 4th, 2007, 04:48

I bought mine new at clairparts.com It was a US-version brand new. These were available for the 2005 Allroad so the fit is perfect for the RS6.

Also check out navplus.us site. It is probably the most complete for information and sales. There are several very reputable sellers on that board as well.

Easy upgrade and well worth it. I would highly recommend the bluetooth/onstar swap upgrad at the same time. You can use all the existing wirig for the microphone and GPS antenna if you pull out Onstar (which is going away anyway)

I got my Bluetooth module from nsxjr over at navplus.us

Check out Nene's writeup on this board as well for great pics and step-by-steps.

DuckWingDuck

November 4th, 2007, 05:08

I'm in the process of looking to tear out my double DIN unit and putting in an in-dash nav/audio even though I've got the factory nav (which I think is a piece of garbage) and have been over to navplus.us, NOBODY it seems has one available. Well, at least none of the reputable dealers (a few haven't responded and it looks like for a while). Several of the people I've contacted on the boards though have said that even an used unit will be around $1,500. With that in mind, I'm thinking about getting an aftermarket unit. But, I have a few questions..

1. I know that with the RNS-E, song information is displayed in the instrument cluster/computer screen. Will that be possible with an aftermarket unit?

2. Any units in particular folks recommend? I'd like one with some sort of ipod integration.

Thanks!

rubyblack

November 4th, 2007, 14:55

Wot PeterH said...and Nene's fantastic install guide.

RNS-E...the way to go, plus here are some more..

:thumb:

http://www.navplus.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=462

skiwi

November 4th, 2007, 17:49

1. I know that with the RNS-E, song information is displayed in the instrument cluster/computer screen. Will that be possible with an aftermarket unit?

2. Any units in particular folks recommend? I'd like one with some sort of ipod integration.

the song display is in 2 parts, the rns/e to cluster controller can-bus dialogue, and econdly the availbility of the information from the source media. you need to check the former, and the later is dependent on what your source is.

ipod doesn't support tags, so you just see "song xx". ditto cds. mp3's/flash integrate fully which makes them the best way to integrate podcasts...

skiwi

November 5th, 2007, 05:53

i should add that the audi b/t fully integrates, if it can access the phone book than it will deliver the caller id on send/receive. depending on the degree of integration, it will also let you scroll/use your sent/received lists....

DuckWingDuck

November 5th, 2007, 06:42

ya, the BT unit seems widely available and a nice option to have. Pricing doesn't seem too unreasonable either.

skiwi

November 5th, 2007, 08:38

ya, the BT unit seems widely available and a nice option to have. Pricing doesn't seem too unreasonable either.

also worth noting that if you want to dispense with the sports steering wheel and put the mf sw in, you can use voice commands as the interface with the bt/rns-e - with the addition of the odd relay and controller. full details on navplus.us

DuckWingDuck

November 5th, 2007, 14:35

I like the RS6 on the SW too much for that. Though the MF SW does seem cool and it is useful on some of my other cars.

Copper

November 5th, 2007, 19:41

I love my RNS-E upgrade. Bet upgrade for thr RS6 you can get IMHO.

Expensive, but would do it again in a heartbeat. No issues with mine, so I'm not sure what sort of problems others are having?

NOTE: The Bluetooth does not work with Palm Treo phones. I've tried everything and don't use it now. It will connect and disconnect randomly and frequently. I went back to the Treo Bluetooth headset. Everything else works great however.

I also hightly recomment NSXJR for the parts and installation (if you are in the Eastern US). He has performed work on both of my RS6s.

:rs6kiss:

skiwi

November 6th, 2007, 07:05

ditto to the above (and nsxjr) who supplied mine. i did the upgrade myself whcih wasn't a big deal.

believe me that if you spend much time in your car you will appreciate
1) the better sound
2) the better user interface (scroll and select)
3) the better look, and
4) bt rocks! i will chose a phone for no other reason than it works on all counts with the rnse/bt. after personally wiring 2 phones into this car it was great to be able to rip all that crap out...

DuckWingDuck

November 6th, 2007, 14:38

on the BT, if you have the OnStar option in your vehicle, you can just swap that out for a BT nit and since the OnStar already have a microphone, no real extra hassle. RNS-E first THEN BT!!!

troyjgaspard

November 6th, 2007, 20:08

thanks guys for all of ur help i have finally found a unit for my car.through yalls help i got in touch with mr albert (haaggieaudinav) he was very helpful and gave me alot of detailed information about the unit and its capabilities.i am very pleased with the price of his unit and he warranties the unit so this says alot about this man and the product he sells.having been burned by several cons on ebay getting trash and broken items when they arrive it is very pleasing to finally deal with a man who is really a buisness man just making a living through the internet.i highly reccommend anyone dealing with mr albert.i havent got the unit yet but i have a feeling that everything will go very satisfactory.thanks again for everybodys help and direction on this forum.what a way to look out for other rs6 brothers...

Copper

November 6th, 2007, 21:34

Awesome.

YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Ditto what Skiwi says. It updates the cars electronics by 5 years. If my whole damn company didn't run on Treo phones, I would get a different one to use the BT as well, but small price to pay for such a great upgrade.

troyjgaspard

November 7th, 2007, 23:49

so basically what u are saying is that i will have the same technology as a new 2008 nav system in a new car has then.and the unit is capable of being upgraded every time new upgrades are done to any audi navigation systems then?thats awesome and yes a small price to pay as well as a very good addition to make to the car and should increase the vehicles value for resale then.thanls for ur info.

PeterH

November 8th, 2007, 00:44

Thats correct. We just took delivery of a new 08 RS4 Cabriolet. I took out the Nav DVD (software 0200) and put it into my RS6 and updated the firmware. I can then use the older map disk (software 0150) until I purchase a new one.

I have upgraded the RNS-E in my RS6 at least 3 times now without issue. It is the exact same unit as in my RS4.

The RNS-E/Bluetooth upgrade is not cheap, but the best update you can do IMO.

DuckWingDuck

November 8th, 2007, 01:14

It's all a question of whether you have OnStar. Double the price for the full unit according to nsxjr.com

DuckWingDuck

November 8th, 2007, 22:42

Questions for you folks who did the RNS-E upgrade:

1. Easy enough to do yourself or better to go with another provider?

2. In the below image,

http://www.htms.org/img/rnse/fig041.jpg

The plastic cover which covers those two screwholes. How doe it come on? Is there anything anchoring it or do I just tug on it??

PeterH

November 8th, 2007, 23:17

The RNS-E upgrade is a fairly simple upgrade, just follow the step-by-steps in the writeups mentioned above. I took quite a long time with mine, but it was the first time I ever took apart the car (or any other car for that matter) The only difference in the writeups is if you use the OnStar GPS antenna for the RNS-E (Onstar/Bluetooth swap.) You can get a small wire connector to use the sharkfin antenna for the nav and therefore do not have to get another GPS antenna to mount behind the cluster.

Which part are you referring to? The one in the diagram? If so, just lower the steeringwheel (you do not have to remove it) and the part is simply held in by clips. It should pop right off so you can see the bolts holding in the cluster. Those bolts, by the way, are a real bugger to get out. Mine were TIGHT! Taking out the knee bolster is also good just to get access behind the cluster.

skiwi

November 9th, 2007, 08:07

to remove the trim pull it straight out (not up)....

DuckWingDuck

November 9th, 2007, 19:18

Awesome. Thanks!!!

hahnmgh63

November 10th, 2007, 22:21

One thing to keep in mind is if you have XM radio in your RS6 you will need to upgrade to a the newer XM module with the E or G suffix for the XM to work with RNS-E. I just did the upgrade myself. I also love the RNS-E. Great database for searching, I can't belive how much is there. I also love the use of SD cards for MP3. With these, there is no reason to ever install a trunk mounted CD changer. I got 12 complete CD albums on a 1GB card in the mid quality MP3 sampling rate and it sounds great plus I still have the second SD card slot available.

DuckWingDuck

November 11th, 2007, 01:54

Somebody over at navplus said that you can't use SD cards for video, is putting in a DVD the only way?

skiwi

November 11th, 2007, 06:19

the rnse won't play video from the dvd - you need a separate dvd player for that, and a bypass for the gala wire, or a coding hack to remove the restriction from playing video while the car is in motion....

DuckWingDuck

November 11th, 2007, 19:59

Ya, the unit that I'm looking at, the guy will hook me up with the video in motion hack. But honestly, the more I look at it, the more I'm wondering, is the RNS-E really worth it? I mean, the guy's wanting $1500 for the unit, I gotta figure out how to install it (or pay another $100~$200) to get it installed and then having to use a video-input to play DVD when I can buy an aftermarket unit that's got a hard drive, can play video (avi/divx/etc) at probably half that price.... DILEMMA!!!!

skiwi

November 12th, 2007, 05:40

imho the key features you need to replicate are b/t and the sd card option. if an after-market unit will do this (e.g. allow you to have full access to your contacts through the big screen) then go for it.

playing dvd video in the car is nuts to my mind....

RS6-4dr911

November 12th, 2007, 19:19

Duckwing,

Thinking the same myself. Pioneer has a pretty capable unit (actually better nav features, including a lookup by phone number!) for right at $1000 plus ~$200 for BT mod and can make use of my Phatbox, so no need for the SD cards. If I want they'll do the VIM hack as well. Only non-OEM look item is a brushed stainless knob that I bet a can of flat black would take care of. If I go RNS-E, numbers I've found are similar to yours plus I have to figure out if my Treo650 (Verizon) will actually even work at all, much less with all features, with the BT module. OEM look is nice, but . . . . :vhmmm:

Let me know what you decide. Anyone looking to buy an RS6 want to chime in as to how they would view identical cars, one with RNS, one with a well installed aftermarket?

DuckWingDuck

November 12th, 2007, 22:48

Thinking the same myself. Pioneer has a pretty capable unit (actually better nav features, including a lookup by phone number!) for right at $1000 plus ~$200 for BT mod and can make use of my Phatbox, so no need for the SD cards. If I want they'll do the VIM hack as well. Only non-OEM look item is a brushed stainless knob that I bet a can of flat black would take care of. If I go RNS-E, numbers I've found are similar to yours plus I have to figure out if my Treo650 (Verizon) will actually even work at all, much less with all features, with the BT module. OEM look is nice, but . . . . :vhmmm:

Let me know what you decide. Anyone looking to buy an RS6 want to chime in as to how they would view identical cars, one with RNS, one with a well installed aftermarket?

Dilemma, thy name is navigation system! Incidentally, the $1500 that I quoted DOES NOT include the $450 BT module from NSXJR (or double that if your RS6 doesn't have OnStar for the mic). Truthfully, BT integration is nice but not a dealbreaker for me at this point in time. But anyway, RNS-E + BT module = $2K and you doing your own installation.

Which Pioneer unit are you looking at? The two units that I think I've zeroed in on are Eclipse AVN5510 and the Pioneer AVIC Z-1. More and more I am moving away from the RNS-E simply because the price points don't make sense for a 3~4 year old system!

BTW, I recall someone saying that their Treo didn't work with the RNS-E...

aarong

November 12th, 2007, 23:00

got an RNS-E because I wanted to keep things OEM. I just don't think an aftermarket head unit would look very nice no matter what kind of fittings I get on it.

Duck: if you decide on the RNS-E...we should install ours together :mech:

DuckWingDuck

November 12th, 2007, 23:22

aarong - heh, sure. How much did you end up spending? Did you get the BT module?

troyjgaspard

November 12th, 2007, 23:48

i have researched the aftermarket navigation systems comming and going and decided that the pioneer avic z1 was the way that i was going to go.it is absolutely amazing and will look just like it was factory installed when it is in.i saw a picture of one in my buddys rs6 and it looked factory.there are no modifications to do to the car or anything.i just changed my mind about the pioneer for one reason.i dont know what the display in the middle of the guages will read while the car is in navigation mode.if anyone has any info ablut this please tell me.will it read the same as the nav screen reads or will it have to be blacked out or something.at this point i am back trying to find a rnse unit simply because of this delimma but if someone has actually installed a aftermarket unit please tell me how the display between the guages works with the aftermarket unit.thanks.

RS6-4dr911

November 13th, 2007, 01:40

Dilemma, thy name is navigation system! Incidentally, the $1500 that I quoted DOES NOT include the $450 BT module from NSXJR (or double that if your RS6 doesn't have OnStar for the mic). Truthfully, BT integration is nice but not a dealbreaker for me at this point in time. But anyway, RNS-E + BT module = $2K and you doing your own installation.

Which Pioneer unit are you looking at? The two units that I think I've zeroed in on are Eclipse AVN5510 and the Pioneer AVIC Z-1. More and more I am moving away from the RNS-E simply because the price points don't make sense for a 3~4 year old system!

BTW, I recall someone saying that their Treo didn't work with the RNS-E...

Heard that too but haven't been able to get more details in spite of lots of searching. I was hoping to have a simple low cost OEM upgrade that would freshen the car up a bit but the complications and dollars keep adding up.

I was looking at the Pioneer Avic D3. $1000 plus BT for $180 and it can hook up to my 30GB Phatbox - hence no need for the Z1 or Z2 with internal drives.

The reality is I don't use Nav that much so it makes me think I would rather spend the $2000 on a chip, but then I rarely stretch the legs I've already got. Best bet is probably to stick the money in my pocket and enjoy what I've got.

DuckWingDuck

November 13th, 2007, 19:20

Heard that too but haven't been able to get more details in spite of lots of searching. I was hoping to have a simple low cost OEM upgrade that would freshen the car up a bit but the complications and dollars keep adding up.

I was looking at the Pioneer Avic D3. $1000 plus BT for $180 and it can hook up to my 30GB Phatbox - hence no need for the Z1 or Z2 with internal drives.

The reality is I don't use Nav that much so it makes me think I would rather spend the $2000 on a chip, but then I rarely stretch the legs I've already got. Best bet is probably to stick the money in my pocket and enjoy what I've got.

You know, the more I think about it the more I'm coming around to your position as well... It's true that I can't stand my friend's E55 screen mocking me every time I step into his car but I _do_ have navigation in the car even if it is turn by turn and really, I don't use it that much (if at all). And as far as video goes, I don't really care about that and my current solution of plugging my iPod in via the tape deck is a good enough solution. Ugh, dilemma!

StevieG.

March 11th, 2008, 18:29

Skaala

March 11th, 2008, 20:20

Wot PeterH said...and Nene's fantastic install guide.

RNS-E...the way to go, plus here are some more..

:thumb:

http://www.navplus.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=462

I'm currently installing an RNS-E in my RS2, and navplus.us is a great forum for info and help!:applause:

dwarfboy

March 11th, 2008, 22:17

Hi guys - I am in Atlanta and would like to upgrade my RS6 with the RSN-E, can anyone suggest a good source for one with BlueTooth and XM? I have both Xm and Sirius modules, and want to relace the OnStar system and the cell phone holder that is taking up the only storage in the center console.....

Thanks for any guidance!

Cheers,
Steve

NSXJr is located in Greenville, SC. He did a complete install on my RS6 and did a great job. I got the euro RNS-E, Phatbox, Bluetooth, TV tuner w/ video in motion and Sirius so it was a fairly extensive install and he was able to accomplish it all in one day. Look him up over at navplus.us. All I had to do was tell him what I wanted and schedule a time for him to install it.

snoopra

March 12th, 2008, 00:53

I purchased my RNS-E from a seller (kuko112) on ebay. Unit is EURO with US software. Excellent upgrade, no problems only praises for the looks, sound and functions (X2 SD card slots!). Seller's email is kuko111@o2.pl and he's in Poland.

DuckWingDuck

March 12th, 2008, 15:22

I emailed that bastard a while ago and he never responded. Drew, how much did you pay?

StevieG.

March 16th, 2008, 13:37

dwarfboy, thanks for the tip - I am hooked up with nsxjr for April 5th (first time my schedule opened up for a Saturday).

Will be going with the RSN-E, BT, XM, and also will be installing my Valentine 1 so the alerts/display are wired into the dash display. Not sure exactly how this will work, but will be glad to post pics after the install if anyone is interested.

Cheers,
Steve