"Rest of World" Owners: Question on Nav Controls

[theskipper]

Question for those non-US (what Porsche terms "Rest of World") RS6 owners whose cars are equipped with the Blau Nav+ unit: what control panel do you have on the center console, just ahead of the parking brake lever? My guess is that it's a jog dial and single "Menu" button (as fitted to US cars without navigation) that brings up the basic menu in the display in the instrument panel, vs. the 4 buttons and jog dial fitted to US cars with the US-specific nav system.

Reason for the question is that I'm looking at upgrading my US car, which came with the US nav system, to the Nav+ and want to ensure I can get all the subsystems configured as Audi intended.

Thanks
Skip
'03 RS6

[Bauer]

I have done a little research on the subject and found that the info screen in the dash (speedo/tach) will not work with the nav+ and you will have to get a cd changer for the trunk as you will loose the cd in the dash. The one in the nav+ system is for the nav cd's

don't know about the other functions becasue I stopped my research when I found the above....good luck

[theskipper]

Thanks Bauer. From what I've found out, you can use a TMC/CAN gateway to make the Nav+ work with the info screen (think Audi calls this 'DIS'). TMC is the Euro Traffic Master system, that part obviously doesn't work in the US but the CAN gateway allows the directions to be displayed on the DIS.

As far as CDs go, I use a PhatBox which again the Nav+ apparently works with, so the loss of the CD changer up front is a non-issue (350+ CDs on a 60 GB PhatBox cartridge!).

My further understanding (to be confirmed) is that the Nav+ will work with the Motorola integrated phone and OnStar. So my remaining question is just what to do with the existing Nav control panel and whether that can be reverted to the simple menu controller.

I'll keep the board updated on progress.

Skip

[Bauer]

Skip-

Did not know that, I guess my inital research was incorrect. There is a shop in LA that will put the system in, I can't remember the name, but they were the one's that told me it would not work with the 'DIS'. I would be intrested to hear about your findings.....good luck.


Oh' and welcome to the board:D

[theskipper]

Thanks. I'll actually have the Nav+ unit in hand shortly and playing around with the integration - simple wiring changes, all reversible so I can revert back if it goes astray. Will keep you posted.

[TheBrit]

Originally posted by theskipper
Thanks Bauer. From what I've found out, you can use a TMC/CAN gateway to make the Nav+ work with the info screen (think Audi calls this 'DIS').
'DIS' is the name for the screen in the dash (Driver Information Display).

I can confirm the TMC tuner contains the necessary CAN bus gateway to allow Nav+ to send data to the DIS screen - my TMC tuner suffered some kind of failure and as well as having no dead reckoning (ABS sensor data based), under route guidance I didn't get any nav display in the DIS (which was mildly annoying - I had to use the Nav+ map exclusively and it's not that clear on busy intersections).

[theskipper]

Thanks again Bauer and ChrisB. From some research with the ETKA, looks like US cars without nav or other options had just a blanking plate on the center console, the two buttons on the instrument cluster being used to control the DIS. I was thrown off by our former Allroad, which had a single button/wheel control there for the tire pressure monitor. So this space will be available for other options ;-)

Bauer, from another post I believe you're in the SF Bay Area as well (I'm on the Peninsula), if so you're welcome to check the Nav+ out in person. I got the unit Friday, just waiting on the TMC/CAN gateway from vagaparts and I'll tackle the install. Looks straightforward.

Regards
Skip

[TheBrit]

Skip,

I forgot to answer your original question!

The UK-spec RS 6 has a jog dial and single menu button as you guessed. The menu has options for setting the clock, trip computer, DIS radio station display, speed warning #2 and tyre pressure monitor options and also can display miles to next scheduled service.

[rs6_newyork]

OT:

How is the nav system anyway?
Is it linked to wheel speed and g-sensors so it copes in tunnels and other bad coverage areas? is it dvd based? do they issue regular updates? how is the screen? voice instructions etc?

I'm used to a streetpilot. I want to know if this nav system is as cool as the advanced japanese units (which have 3d display options as well) or as lame as the last factory bmw system i saw.

[Bauer]

Bauer, from another post I believe you're in the SF Bay Area as well (I'm on the Peninsula), if so you're welcome to check the Nav+ out in person.

Yes, I live in the East Bay (lafayette) and I would love to come check it out if you wouldn't mind.

[TheBrit]

Originally posted by rs6_newyork
How is the nav system anyway?
Position is via GPS with backup dead-reckoning through the ABS wheel sensors. To be honest, it's far from infallible and without a sat signal it can lose track of where you are, for example when spiralling up or down through multi-story car park ramps.

Audi's systems have been CD-based, up to and including the RS 6. The A8 uses DVD as does the upcoming new A6 (actually it's optional CD or DVD nav here in the UK) and there is a new Navigation Plus unit that's DVD-based and has self-contained 'MMI-ish' functionality.

The DVD unit in the A8 does 3d-ish junction representation in the driver display area, but it's not as detailed as the bird's eye views you can get from say a Clarion or Panasonic system.

[rs6_newyork]

thanks.
cd based.

how many cds for USA? interstate travel means changing constantly?

[TheBrit]

Sorry, I don't know for sure how many CDs for the whole US, but I seem to recall seing a map posted some time ago (on another forum perhaps) that had quite a few map areas on it - we could be talking over a dozen CDs here.

IIRC, one complaint is that you can't plot a route outside of your current map, so you need to know where to go that's in the boundary between two CDs, plot that and then swap CDs when you get there and plot the next 'leg'.

[theskipper]

ChrisB is correct about CDs, the full set is about 10 discs. My RS 6 came with the 2002 set, our '04 Allroad included the 2003 set. You have to purchase upgrades from Navteq (www.navtech.com), AFAIK later versions WILL let you plan a route that "spans" multiple CDs, though you have to swap to get detail as you move into a new map area.

Overall I'd say the US nav system is fairly clunky; it only has the DIS panel in the instrument cluster for display, so no detailed graphics or maps, just text and basic pointers on the DIS and voice prompts for directions. Data entry using the jog wheel and control buttons is straightforward; voice prompts are good and the DIS does make it easy to watch the directions without diverting your eyes from the road. The lack of a map though is a big step back from the 16:9 LCD moving map in the M5 I traded for the RS6, hence my desire to upgrade to the Nav+.

If you're addicted to the map, the StreetPilot will be much more user-friendly than the Audi nav, but obviously not as integrated with the radio and other systems.

Bauer, it's going to be several weeks before I have this installed; dealer is busy replacing the antenna splitter to get base nav and OnStar working -- they failed within the first 400 miles. Want to have a stable baseline before I tackle mods. Will post an update once I'm done.

Hope this helps
Skip