Sirius installation question

[BigRick]

Has anyone installed a digital radio in their RS4? I know the wirering is already there but a couple questions still exists
1) what's to add (only the a tuner like this (http://shop.siriuscanada.ca/edealinv/servlet/ExecMacro?nurl=control/StoreItem.vm&ctl_nbr=3560&siId=3149701&catParentID=22263&scId=22263&oldParentID=16688) or more like a complete set like this (http://shop.siriuscanada.ca/edealinv/servlet/ExecMacro?nurl=control/StoreItem.vm&ctl_nbr=3560&siId=2967383&catLevel=1&scLevel=0&thisCatLevel=&oldParentID=16688&catParentID=16688&scId=22262))
2) How did you do it (self install, audi dealer or third parties)
3) how much for the hardware and installation

Any advice would be appreciated

[PetrolDave]

Don't even think about getting the Sirius universal tuner - get the Audi Sirius tuner so that it fully integrates with your radio or sat nav.

[BigRick]

Ok I just called my dealer to get an estimate on the price.

Brace yourself...

The module is 670$
Installation about 100$

All that plus taxes gets to the sky high 850$

You can get the portable modules for anywhere between 50-150$ for god sake!!! and they have more features then the 2 years old Audi Interface.

Something is obviously wrong there :(

[MrBucket]

Ok I just called my dealer to get an estimate on the price.

Brace yourself...

The module is 670$
Installation about 100$

All that plus taxes gets to the sky high 850$

You can get the portable modules for anywhere between 50-150$ for god sake!!! and they have more features then the 2 years old Audi Interface.

Something is obviously wrong there :(

My car came with the Sirius module installed in it and it works great. I bought the car used and there was a paid subscription for it and its now been 1.5 years later and it still works and I've never paid for it. I'm not going to mention it to Sirius until it stops working, if that ever happens.

[BigRick]

My car came with the Sirius module installed in it and it works great. I bought the car used and there was a paid subscription for it and its now been 1.5 years later and it still works and I've never paid for it. I'm not going to mention it to Sirius until it stops working, if that ever happens.

That's good for you and I'm glad you like it... but it's like pouring oil on my fire!

I hope I'll find a way to get something similar without having to spend almost 1k to get satelite radio.

Enjoy your sat radio & cheers

[PetrolDave]

I hope I'll find a way to get something similar without having to spend almost 1k to get satellite radio.

Try looking on www.navplus.us, quite a few of the guys on there have updated their cars to add Sirius or XM when the added the Audi sat nav. Might be someone there who can sell you the module at a sensible price.

$100 for installation is having a laugh. All the wiring is pre-installed, IIRC all you have to do is plug it in and move one jumper.

[BigRick]

Try looking on www.navplus.us, quite a few of the guys on there have updated their cars to add Sirius or XM when the added the Audi sat nav. Might be someone there who can sell you the module at a sensible price.

$100 for installation is having a laugh. All the wiring is pre-installed, IIRC all you have to do is plug it in and move one jumper.

Thanks for the info I'll check that out for sure.

You're right 100$ is a lot of money for that kind of installation. Which adds to my "incomfort". My advisor doesn't seem to really know what she talking about regarding the setup. I even doubt the price of the module is right.

I went to a third party installer for a custom install and I can get the latest Sirius Radio for 130$ and they are installing it for another 60-80$ (without using the existing wirering)

Two problems in that setup
1) Since there's no other known input in the Audi Sat Nav they'll be using a "FM direct connect" (no wireless).
2) I'll be stuck with another antenna unless I figure out where's the current one. Something I might find on the site you refered.

So again thanks for the info,

[BigRick]

Here are the details of my experience (if they can be of any use to other members looking to do the same)

After posting the question over at a couple different boards I basically got the same answer everywhere. Don't ruin the car by going the custom install route. So I went with the flow and started looking for a used tuner on ebay. The prices are quite a bit lower on used unit (anywhere from 200 to 300 USD for a unit compatible with RSN-E)

I got the unit for 225$ and installed it myself after reading some post on how to acheive it.
It's basically:
opening the rear trunk drawer
getting the wires out
plug them in the unit (I had an adapter on one of the wire that I had to remove before it fits in the plug. I'll post a picture later tonight.)
Remove the passenger side footwell
Swap the jumper in the other pink connector (just left to the current position)
Snap the footwell back into position

The trickiest part is to remove the passenger side footwell (use some caution to make sure you don't break it)

Then you have to follow the Sirius/XM procedure to activate the tuner. Make sure you're outside (signal doesn't reach in a garage)

That's it for the installation. Overall the setup the dealer was quoting at 850$ actually costed me 250$ I think half an hour installing the thing plus another half hour searching for the tuner on ebay was well worth it!

Then comes the appreciation of the tuner and on that side I'm a bit disappointed. Most basic features on today's tuners are nowhere to be found on the Audi tuner. All you have is filtering per category and the possibility to add the stations in your memory list. You get no buffer, no replay, no alerts from that unit. All you really get is a tuner!

I hope this will help you decide, give you a better idea of what is involved in the process and what to expect.

Cheers!