Learning my way around the car--so what are these?

[mgerity]

So, my RS 6 didn't come with an owners manual (BTW, anybody know where I can get one, in either paper or pdf format?). I've come across a few things that I can't quite figure out. So, what are these:

There is a hole in my center console in the tray behind the mirror adjuster. What is supposed to go here?
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Directly behind that tray is another one, which is under the armrest (not the one inside the armrest, but the one under it). The front of that tray is blocked off, with a small plug located on the vertical wall of the block. I've provided a picture of the entire tray, and then a close-up of the plug. What is that for?

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Next up, there is a small speaker (or something that looks like a speaker) on the right side of the vehicle right next to the front passenger seat, kinda behind its seatbelt. What is that for?
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And finally, there is a cubby under the steering wheel. What is that for?
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Oh, actually one more. At the very back of the rear deck are a couple of vents grills. At first I thought they were speaker grills of some sort, but there is nothing behind them in the trunk. Are these to let the sound from the subwoofer in, or to let air out, or what?
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[lswing]

Let's see here...behind the mirror adjust is the space for nav buttons...below the armrest are connections for old cell phone...I want to know about the side speaker too, maybe for warning chimes....cubby under steering wheel is for owners manual:)....vent in back for defrosting?...I once had aspirations about scanning and PDFing the manual...

[mgerity]

So, in vehicles without nav, was there just a blank inserted in that spot? Am I just missing the blank?

As for the old cell phone connection, are you saying that is an aftermarket addition? Is that entire block an add-on, or just the plug installed in it?

[ben916]

1. behind the mirror adjust is the space for nav buttons... - IF your car came with NAV. You could replace that with a cup holder
2. below the armrest are connections for old cell phone - the cell phone option was the entire center arm rest (Speedtrapped might be able to provide a photo?)
3. I want to know about the side speaker too, maybe for warning chimes - WHA?!?!? never seen this...
4. cubby under steering wheel is for owners manual - or other items (lead vitamin holder)
5. vent in back for defrosting - I would think that is for the LOVELY Bose audio dual 4" subwoofer sound output... :)

[lswing]

Ben, I've been thinking the same about having something more powerful than the manual down there. I'll take a closer look at the side pillar "speaker" vent...

[JSRS6]

I tried my lead vitamin holder down there, wouldn't stay. but mine has a frame mounted belt clip (Kel-tek PF9). Probably need to mount a holster in there...

[Chung]

I always thought the speaker was for the phone but it is a weird location (it would be on the other side). Maybe it is for speaker phone on RHD :)

[JSRS6]

It is wired for the handsfree phone system. In the S4's it was in the driver door. On ours it is in the b-pillar.

4b0 035 411 4pk

illustration 035-35 in etka

[lswing]

It is wired for the handsfree phone system. In the S4's it was in the driver door. On ours it is in the b-pillar.

4b0 035 411 4pk

illustration 035-35 in etka

Score, nice one...

[lswing]

I tried my lead vitamin holder down there, wouldn't stay. but mine has a frame mounted belt clip (Kel-tek PF9). Probably need to mount a holster in there...

Yep, was thinking a holster attached, there is a guy in Arizona I think that makes nice custom leather ones, pocket style with no belt clip. Haven't checked my Walther PPS 9 yet, but thinking something even smaller, but the PPS is slender and super accurate.

[snoopra]

Lead vitamins....LOL! that's a great idea though, I'll have to fit check my HK P2000 and see how it fits. Black Hills Leather makes great holsters, bought a few from them/him. I'm sure they can make a custom holster to fit in the owner's manual slot. www.bhlstore.com

[JSRS6]

Ya know, I'm pretty happy with my PF9 on my hip. Even while driving i have access to it. Sometimes i forget its even there. Next step...lasermax micro.

[JSRS6]

And if i have to go in somewhere i can't carry, i just put everything in the door card....still concealed...:-)

[Born2be]

Lead vitamins....LOL! that's a great idea though, I'll have to fit check my HK P2000 and see how it fits. Black Hills Leather makes great holsters, bought a few from them/him. I'm sure they can make a custom holster to fit in the owner's manual slot. www.bhlstore.com

Mine sits there inside a bank deposit bag. Forgot it there when I dropped it off for service once. Got a phone call later that day from the Service Manager...guess the tech opened the bag expecting to find some lettuce and found some lead; shit a brick apparently.

[Chung]

Careful. I used to keep my manual there and when my friend opened up the throttle it hit him in the nuts. Moral of the story be nice or the car will hurt you

[ben916]

Mine sits there inside a bank deposit bag. Forgot it there when I dropped it off for service once. Got a phone call later that day from the Service Manager...guess the tech opened the bag expecting to find some lettuce and found some lead; shit a brick apparently.

Wade, I had to laugh when you told me that story!!!

I wonder what other surprises we will find on these 9yo cars....
Does anyone know what the handle above where the seatbelt is on the "B" pillar? Is that for releasing the seat belt lock?
It looks like it should adjust up/down but I will be damned if I could get it to move...

[JSRS6]

Wade, I had to laugh when you told me that story!!!

I wonder what other surprises we will find on these 9yo cars....
Does anyone know what the handle above where the seatbelt is on the "B" pillar? Is that for releasing the seat belt lock?
It looks like it should adjust up/down but I will be damned if I could get it to move...

If its been in that position for awhile, it'll get pretty stuck. You just gotta man handle it a little Ben...;-)

But to answer your question, its for height adjustment...

[bmlee007]

I got my owner's manual from Audi for $40. Just select from the drop boxes.

https://www.audi.techliterature.com/consumer/ProductSearch.aspx

Seriously, what happens with all of these manuals? I'm on my 3rd (used) Audi, and have had to buy one for each.

[ThrillHouse]

I think the rear vent grill is for the rear sunshade if you don't have it

[PixieVC]

And finally, there is a cubby under the steering wheel. What is that for?
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Oh cool. I moved my manual from the glovebox to the cubbyhole - fits perfectly! Now I have more room in the glovebox for the typical things that go into a glovebox...

[mgerity]

Seriously, what happens with all of these manuals? I'm on my 3rd (used) Audi, and have had to buy one for each.

I hear ya, but it's not just Audis. I buy all my cars used, and I'd say I've gotten a manual maybe 10% of the time. Seriously, what do people do with these things? Why do they even take them out of the glove box (or in this case, the handy little under-steering-wheel compartment) in the first place? Annoying.

Thanks for the link, heading off to buy a manual now.

[kday]

I'm a noob too, and have only recently figured out most of these. I've had the car for a month and just got the owner's manual yesterday. One thing that surprised me is that my trunk unlocks with the doors with just one button press, contrary to my expectation as well as the owner's manual. Is that something that can be recoded with VAG-COM? (I don't mind it, but am curious. If possible I would recode it to not lock the cars and gas filler door automatically...)

I have a slightly more advanced question: where is the ECU and what is the easiest way to get to it? Hopefully no carpet cutting required.

[JSRS6]

Why don't you come to D.C. Saturday...

[PixieVC]

I hear ya, but it's not just Audis. I buy all my cars used, and I'd say I've gotten a manual maybe 10% of the time. Seriously, what do people do with these things? Why do they even take them out of the glove box (or in this case, the handy little under-steering-wheel compartment) in the first place? Annoying.

Thanks for the link, heading off to buy a manual now.

I have a few odd pre-requisites when buying used cars (the only cars I buy)...

1. Must have the manual.
2. Must have service records going back at least 3-4 years
3. Must have original license plates. In CA all license plates are sequential - so if you see a numberplate that was issued in 2007 on a 2003 car, that indicates a change of ownership. You see NEW plates on a car for sale, it means that it was not owned a long time - and likely is somebody trying to rid themselves of a problem. New plates on old cars = trouble. Not to mention, the police out here keep an eye out for that sort of thing, too. New plates on an old car immediately give your car a higher profile than others. Original plates on a nice car like an audi mean you're the original owner: stodgy old person on the way to the country club. NEW plates on a nice car like an audi = drug dealer, baller, troublemaker with a record, etc etc...

[ben916]

I have a few odd pre-requisites when buying used cars (the only cars I buy)...

1. Must have the manual.
2. Must have service records going back at least 3-4 years
3. Must have original license plates. In CA all license plates are sequential - so if you see a numberplate that was issued in 2007 on a 2003 car, that indicates a change of ownership. You see NEW plates on a car for sale, it means that it was not owned a long time - and likely is somebody trying to rid themselves of a problem. New plates on old cars = trouble. Not to mention, the police out here keep an eye out for that sort of thing, too. New plates on an old car immediately give your car a higher profile than others. Original plates on a nice car like an audi mean you're the original owner: stodgy old person on the way to the country club. NEW plates on a nice car like an audi = drug dealer, baller, troublemaker with a record, etc etc...

I have the original plates on the car I purchased, I don't think I was given an option.

[PixieVC]

Ben, you're not given an option if you go private party. Usually with dealer sales, they issue new plates.

I've done private party sales with the original plates retained... and that's a huge advantage for me. I have personalized plates because I can't count on finding a car with original plates on the used market. If it has ever been through a change of ownership, there's maybe a 70% chance the originals are gone. Anyway, disregard everything I say anyway - I'm the most opinionated person in area code 650.

[hahnmgh63]

Kday, the ECU is located under the plastic cowl by the firewall. You remove the rubber weather stripping and the plastic cowl will slide away from the windshield towards the engine. The ECU is on the drivers side inside the big black box. There are multiple screws to remove and one that is a PIA as it's in the very back and hard to get at. Most tunes don't require you to remove the ECU as the software can be flashed through the OBD2 port which is just below the drivers knee pad on the lower dash.

[kday]

Kday, the ECU is located under the plastic cowl by the firewall. You remove the rubber weather stripping and the plastic cowl will slide away from the windshield towards the engine. The ECU is on the drivers side inside the big black box. There are multiple screws to remove and one that is a PIA as it's in the very back and hard to get at. Most tunes don't require you to remove the ECU as the software can be flashed through the OBD2 port which is just below the drivers knee pad on the lower dash.

Ah, thanks. Glad I asked, I would have been looking all over the passenger compartment. I bought a secondhand MTM tuned ECU so I'll need to do the swap physically.

[hahnmgh63]

Maybe someone else will pipe in here but I thought there was an issue on swapping out ECU's? I thought the dealer had to recode a different ECU with the cars VIN or something in order for it to work (Anti-theft thing). Maybe MTM has a way around that and one of their chipped ECU's is swappable without a visit to the dealer?

[kday]

Maybe someone else will pipe in here but I thought there was an issue on swapping out ECU's? I thought the dealer had to recode a different ECU with the cars VIN or something in order for it to work (Anti-theft thing). Maybe MTM has a way around that and one of their chipped ECU's is swappable without a visit to the dealer?

I'd love to hear if other people have done this kind of ECU swap.

I know the ECU knows the VIN, and presumably some kind of immobilizer code from the key. There is a VAG-COM procedure ( http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/Immo3-ecu-swapping.html ) that might work. I don't know if the North American RS6 has "immo3" or some other version.

If that doesn't work I will try copying the EEPROM from my current ECU to the new one.