Upgrading the Stereo of a 2003 RS6

[live.marc]

As new RS6 owner, and loving it :race: I am now thinking of changing the factory fitted Sat nav for a touchscreen Bluetooth DAB sat nav entertainment system, you know the sort!

There's a lot of 6" screens out there, and have seen an Alpine 8" screen but crazy price, so may just opt for a 7"

I have come across icartech in berlin, anyone know if they are any good? ICARTECH S730 for Audi A6 4B (C5)

Trouble is I am in the UK, so fitting it may be a challenge. Any thoughts, advice welcome as am quite new to this :vhmmm:

[Other_Erik]

As new RS6 owner, and loving it :race: I am now thinking of changing the factory fitted Sat nav for a touchscreen Bluetooth DAB sat nav entertainment system, you know the sort!

There's a lot of 6" screens out there, and have seen an Alpine 8" screen but crazy price, so may just opt for a 7"

I have come across icartech in berlin, anyone know if they are any good? ICARTECH S730 for Audi A6 4B (C5)

Trouble is I am in the UK, so fitting it may be a challenge. Any thoughts, advice welcome as am quite new to this :vhmmm:

If you're like a lot of us, and prefer going with Audi OE equipment, Zawa can fit you out with an RNS-E Nav+ with a Bluetooth adapter for a lot less than you might think. Once you hear the audio quality (in comparison to the stock system), you'll be convinced :)

PM incoming

O_E

[orcars6]

I am considering as well perhaps....what details can you provide Mr. extremely helpful other_Erik??? I am in Northern Cal. Thx.

[Other_Erik]

I am considering as well perhaps....what details can you provide Mr. extremely helpful other_Erik??? I am in Northern Cal. Thx.

No problem -

Zawa doesn't want his contact info or pricing made public, thus me coming into these threads and PM'ing the original poster with Zawa's contact info.

What I can say is you will go back and forth via email with him regarding every little detail on the RNS-E, that it's pretty customizable as far as Sirius/XM module, Bluetooth module add-on, etc... He'll want to know the model of radio (ex: Symphony II with Bose is the most popular in the RS6) you currently have and whether your wiring is stock, whether you're running an aftermarket subwoofer, etc... Whether you want slick or matte frame face, whether you're going to retain your stock navigation signal (EVERYONE should do this, it's about an hour job to pull the old Onstar crap and reroute the antenna cable to the back of the Radio bay), and so on. Lots of questions, and he'll provide pictures of functions and knob selection and different plate looks and every option you can consider.

Once everything is decided, he'll give you a detailed list of the parts he's going to put in his kit, and how much it'll cost you.

You'll pay him ($X) via PayPal, and you'll be at the end of the queue to receive an RNS-E. When I did this 2 years ago, it was a "6-week" lead time (I believe that was 5 others in front of me?), and I ended up getting mine in about 3 and a half weeks. Your mileage may vary on delivery speed, and he doesn't do rush jobs - he does right jobs.

What you will eventually get in a big insured box from NJ is:
RNS-E Unit, fully assembled and looking brand-spanking new
Any additional module(s) you requested
ALL the wiring harnesses you need to plug-and-play
A set of 4 Audi/VW radio removal keys
RNS-E radio code card (for the love of god, do not lose this)
Current year Audi Map DVD for the RNS-E (will not update MMI systems, unfortunately)
A length of green wire that you can choose (or not) to tap into your vehicle speed sensor wiring behind the cluster - optional but delivers better speed accuracy
DETAILED full-color printed instructions - maybe 60-70 pages full of pictures and text, plus wiring schematic/pinout drawings
A DVD full of pictures and movies of the RNS-E in action, how-to setup options, and much more info than you'll probably every look at.
And more packing material than you'll be able to fit back into the box. I don't know how he does it, it's like some kind of dark magic...

Disclaimer/full disclosure: I receive nothing for referring people to Zawa besides knowing that more RS6's are receiving a MUCH needed field upgrade - I have no reason to order anything else from him, and doubt that he'd give me a discount if I did. I don't know his pricing structure or how much he makes off these systems, it wouldn't surprise me if he was doing this entirely at-cost. After I received my system, I went back and forth with him and a trusted acquaintance of his trying to troubleshoot a problem with my RNS-E that in the end turned out to be my own stupid fault (self-installation error). 100+ emails back and forth, and he was always fast to answer, first to follow-up when I was slow, and kept the conversation on-track until we finally found my issue

orcars6 - you'll have a PM in your box momentarily :)

O_E

[kruat]

He sounds like a stand up guy. When I'm ready for an audio upgrade I'll have to ask you for his info. Although, I may just go aftermarket.

[Bi turbo]

Zawa is way to goo.

[4everRS]

Upgrading the stereo? You mean exhaust work, right?.....

[Other_Erik]

He sounds like a stand up guy. When I'm ready for an audio upgrade I'll have to ask you for his info. Although, I may just go aftermarket.

Dropping a PM here in a moment with his contact info. Would definitely say he's a stand-up guy, but then I'm just a semi-anonymous voice on the internet.


Upgrading the stereo? You mean exhaust work, right?.....

:lovl: Gutted pre-cats + Open dumps = the best sound you'll ever hear from the RS6.

The RNS-E puts out much better sound than the stock radio, but that's like saying it's much better than getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick - the stock radio sets the bar pretty low. I've heard better sound quality from 2.1 speakers hooked up to an old laptop than the stock RS6 radio...

O_E

[audisscott]

I ended up with a Pioneer Avic X8610BS, very nice iPhone integration with carplay as well. List price is a bit high but Newegg had them for ~ 550 at one point.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/UnAssigned-Content/AVIC-X8610BS?tab=firmware

[rs6BC]

Erik, I am interested in the info plzzz

[Other_Erik]

Erik, I am interested in the info plzzz

PM Sent

Thanks!
O_E

[Turbowned]

I need to upgrade this and the PCM system in the Porsche; they're both archaic, and of course I want to keep them both OEM+. I just need to wait til my finances allow for it.

[Dmb408]

Wait what can you upgrade to from PCM!?!? That never dawned on me but I'd love to do it in the wife's cayenne s.

[JohnnyB]

I'd love the info for Zawa to upgrade my stock (non navi) system. My old A4 had an aftermarket unit that integrated so perfectly it looked like it OEM but I can't find an equal for the A6/RS6.

[Other_Erik]

I'd love the info for Zawa to upgrade my stock (non navi) system. My old A4 had an aftermarket unit that integrated so perfectly it looked like it OEM but I can't find an equal for the A6/RS6.

PM Inbound

[cch]

OK. Me too. You once sent me some of the info, but never the contact details. I might surprise my wife with this at some point.

[Turbowned]

Wait what can you upgrade to from PCM!?!? That never dawned on me but I'd love to do it in the wife's cayenne s.

I don't want to derail this thread but there's a lot of info on Rennlist and 6speedonline if you just google "PCM upgrade Cayenne"

[snakebitte]

I've been thinking about upgrading my non navi unit for a while to get the nav and blue tooth phone capability. could you send me the contact info please.

[Other_Erik]

OK. Me too. You once sent me some of the info, but never the contact details. I might surprise my wife with this at some point.


I've been thinking about upgrading my non navi unit for a while to get the nav and blue tooth phone capability. could you send me the contact info please.

PM Inbound to both of you

O_E

[live.marc]

If you're like a lot of us, and prefer going with Audi OE equipment, Zawa can fit you out with an RNS-E Nav+ with a Bluetooth adapter for a lot less than you might think. Once you hear the audio quality (in comparison to the stock system), you'll be convinced :)

PM incoming

O_E

Thanks for the reply, not sure about the RNS-E thinking i want an up to date system, not too concerned with stock look providing it still looks good. :-)

[Avus-RS6]

Upgrading the stereo? You mean exhaust work, right?.....

Exactly!

[Huzrjim]

I was in the same situation a few months ago with my new to me RS6. Looked at going the RNS-E route, but ended up with the Pioneer AVIC-6100NEX. Very nice unit and with the trim plate for an A6 the installation looks very professional. Tried using the shark fin antenna, but was getting quite a bit of noise through the Sat antenna as well as lots of cutting in and out. Bottom line is that I put both the GPS and SAT antennas that were included in the kit on the front dash, and since my dash is black, and they are both very small, they don't stand out at all. If I ever decide to sell the car, it will be fairly easy going back to stock. I'll try and post some photos in the future.

The sound through the stock speakers is quite nice and the Bluetooth connectivity for my Droid Turbo is seamless. Great upgrade.

[gregoryindiana]

I have sent you (Other_Erik) a PM. Thanks!

[Other_Erik]

I have sent you (Other_Erik) a PM. Thanks!

And answered. Thanks and enjoy!

O_E

[live.marc]

In the end I upgraded with an aftermarket Pioneer AVIC F70DAB, and installed a back up camera, still works with the factory amp and subwoofers and sounds brilliant.

I am getting a problem with my rear brake lights now though! Not sure if it's related to me taking out the old Sat nav and CD changer completely, or the rearview camera splicing into the reverse lights??? Problem is only when I turn my lights on, and then I get a brake warning light, and i lose power momentarily. Bit scary at first.

But the warning chime is the worst, as it's every 30 seconds or so!

Anyone had this before or have any knowledge in fixes?

Cheers, stay safe.