Advice/input on 2006 A8L
04-08-2008, 07:33 AM
#1
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Advice/input on 2006 A8L
current ask is $50990 w/ 23k, bose, rear shade, heat front/rear seats, Nav, Parkaid, power trunk/ Premium pkg. FL car supposedly.
Few questions, given KBB price seems almost reasonable. any gotchas? things I gain with '06 over '05? Is ventilated seats separate option or is it in with Prem pkg or heated seats?
Given the yr/model, what are best options for adding iPod, etc.
Thanks for input and yes, I will do more thorough search if I ever get time.
Really appreciate all I've learned here and am committed to going from '01 7 Series BMW to A8.
(Owned A4 in past)
Few questions, given KBB price seems almost reasonable. any gotchas? things I gain with '06 over '05? Is ventilated seats separate option or is it in with Prem pkg or heated seats?
Given the yr/model, what are best options for adding iPod, etc.
Thanks for input and yes, I will do more thorough search if I ever get time.
Really appreciate all I've learned here and am committed to going from '01 7 Series BMW to A8.
(Owned A4 in past)
04-08-2008, 10:32 AM
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Re: Advice/input on 2006 A8L
The 06' is worth the extra $ - you get the updated nose and I think you still get factory service (?).
The ventilated seats are of limtied use if you live in a hot climate- they get air thru but it's not true AC. They didn't live up to my expectation.
Sport is a nice option, as is the Alcantra headliner IMHO... the Keyless feature becomes a nice thing - my first D3 had it, my second didn't and I truly missed it.
Where's the car ? if it's in CT it might be my old A8L ( Grey/ Ameretto).
That price sounds a bit high given the inventory sitting on my local lot unless it's loaded.
E
The ventilated seats are of limtied use if you live in a hot climate- they get air thru but it's not true AC. They didn't live up to my expectation.
Sport is a nice option, as is the Alcantra headliner IMHO... the Keyless feature becomes a nice thing - my first D3 had it, my second didn't and I truly missed it.
Where's the car ? if it's in CT it might be my old A8L ( Grey/ Ameretto).
That price sounds a bit high given the inventory sitting on my local lot unless it's loaded.
E
04-08-2008, 02:37 PM
#4
AudiWorld Super User
Confirming, 2006 was the last year for manufacturer 4/50 free service
2006's and 2007's also have very few differences--the newer comfort headrests and the rear camera being the only two to come to mind in 2007's. The 2006 has the pictoral representation display during parking that earlier ones may not.
Thus, before the latest facelift in 2008, 2006 gets into the more current group w/ the facelift as covert4.2 says. And by 2006 all the early shakedown stuff was pretty much rung out; car was bluetooth instead of OnStar for all of 2006 too.
I paid up on the AMI system for the ipod when it was finally released. Pricy but I'm sold. I'm not an ipod user historically, but having the whole CD library on an ipod hard drive right there on the MMI display is compelling. At high bit recording on the Bose system, good enough for me. My CD player and even XM are falling into disuse since I installed it.
Thus, before the latest facelift in 2008, 2006 gets into the more current group w/ the facelift as covert4.2 says. And by 2006 all the early shakedown stuff was pretty much rung out; car was bluetooth instead of OnStar for all of 2006 too.
I paid up on the AMI system for the ipod when it was finally released. Pricy but I'm sold. I'm not an ipod user historically, but having the whole CD library on an ipod hard drive right there on the MMI display is compelling. At high bit recording on the Bose system, good enough for me. My CD player and even XM are falling into disuse since I installed it.
04-08-2008, 07:27 PM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
AMI = Audi Music Interface
AMI ties in the iPod to the car's optical ring used for the entertainment system controlled by the MMI interface--the center console controls and display. You can also buy an MP3 interface cable instead of an iPod interface cable (either of which plug into the interface) if that is your cup of tea.
When you see the unit electronically on the MMI display, it looks like a second CD changer drive and you access it from the CD button on the center console. Once you are down inside of it, the controls are quite similar to the iPod. Physically, from the front it is shaped like a disk drive sized unit. If you look in the glove box carefully and assuming it isn't an early model, the space to the right of the CD changer is actually a second drive bay, and the unit fits there. It is tied electrically and optically into the car by wiring it with the available kit by cleanly splicing into the CD hookup, all without cutting any cables.
Steve Jobs' reported ride of a few years ago locally (I'm in the Bay Area) is a W12, hence some further sense Audi got some extra support on this behind the scenes.
AMI became available on new A8's as of 2007 as a factory option. Also used in C6 A6's and Q7's among others.
When you see the unit electronically on the MMI display, it looks like a second CD changer drive and you access it from the CD button on the center console. Once you are down inside of it, the controls are quite similar to the iPod. Physically, from the front it is shaped like a disk drive sized unit. If you look in the glove box carefully and assuming it isn't an early model, the space to the right of the CD changer is actually a second drive bay, and the unit fits there. It is tied electrically and optically into the car by wiring it with the available kit by cleanly splicing into the CD hookup, all without cutting any cables.
Steve Jobs' reported ride of a few years ago locally (I'm in the Bay Area) is a W12, hence some further sense Audi got some extra support on this behind the scenes.
AMI became available on new A8's as of 2007 as a factory option. Also used in C6 A6's and Q7's among others.
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04-09-2008, 09:53 AM
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Re: Yes, as a dealer or self install.
My dealer swears up and down that the Audi Ipod integration kit is not compatible with the 2006 A8L that I'm in the process of buying, and that my only option is the Dension 500, which they want $1300 to install.
Can somebody confirm that the AMI is compatible with an 06 A8L? Is there any official way to confirm this?
Is this something that I can install myself? The dealer told me it takes their service shops five hours to do the install.
Any opinions?
Can somebody confirm that the AMI is compatible with an 06 A8L? Is there any official way to confirm this?
Is this something that I can install myself? The dealer told me it takes their service shops five hours to do the install.
Any opinions?
04-09-2008, 05:17 PM
#10
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Read my prior posts. Once again I own a 2006A8L, built 5/05, did myself and use every day perfectly
W12 is irrelevant for this purpose by the way.
Audi's own instructions that come in the expensive factory parts make clear it can be done on all D3 years. Tell them they really need to read even just the cover page of Audi's own document--WSK 014 720A, the install instructions--where it says right there it covers all years from 2003 (first year in Europe) forward. At the physical level, it's just the early ones may need a glove box change if they don't have the second bay space already there. My 2006 was all ready to go.
At the Dension quote price you got, people are getting it done by dealers. Search the archives on it, including the C6 board where the same issues and electronics are involved.
And yes, I did it myself. You need a VAG COM to do it at the near final step where you tell the car to look for a second drive unit. I think only a few have, or at least reported it here or on the C6 board. I bought the parts and did it once I saw the first successful C6 post, then becoming the first A8 self install. I recall one post before mine where a dealer had done it.
As I recall, may you need the 3360 level AMI update, so be sure you have that to start. The instructions are only generalized about this; there may be posts on the A6 board about it. I can confirm I was at rev 3360 when I did it. That rev. isn't the new one (4140) that led to the recent nightmares some have experienced with the latest tweak. Get the dealer to do the 3360 rev if possible in any case to be more AMI ready and clean up some other older bugs that the TSB's address. Again see the archives if you are not familiar with it--the "I lost my surround sound settings every so often/overnight" explanation. My dealer did that for me in mid 2007. Read Gwelch's recent post confirming she got it done on a 2004 too (aka, the "no more lawyer screen" update).
If your dealer is resisting that MMI update work too, that is telling me they likely aren't comfortable with MMI and the car electronics in general, and you need to find one who knows what they are doing, let alone frankly knows what they are talking about.
Summarizing, at rev 3360 of AMI (and a v. 8 NAV disk, if that matters), I did it following the instructions with only a VAG COM with no issues. Car was a 2006 A8L with a stock Bose sound system and CD player.
Audi's own instructions that come in the expensive factory parts make clear it can be done on all D3 years. Tell them they really need to read even just the cover page of Audi's own document--WSK 014 720A, the install instructions--where it says right there it covers all years from 2003 (first year in Europe) forward. At the physical level, it's just the early ones may need a glove box change if they don't have the second bay space already there. My 2006 was all ready to go.
At the Dension quote price you got, people are getting it done by dealers. Search the archives on it, including the C6 board where the same issues and electronics are involved.
And yes, I did it myself. You need a VAG COM to do it at the near final step where you tell the car to look for a second drive unit. I think only a few have, or at least reported it here or on the C6 board. I bought the parts and did it once I saw the first successful C6 post, then becoming the first A8 self install. I recall one post before mine where a dealer had done it.
As I recall, may you need the 3360 level AMI update, so be sure you have that to start. The instructions are only generalized about this; there may be posts on the A6 board about it. I can confirm I was at rev 3360 when I did it. That rev. isn't the new one (4140) that led to the recent nightmares some have experienced with the latest tweak. Get the dealer to do the 3360 rev if possible in any case to be more AMI ready and clean up some other older bugs that the TSB's address. Again see the archives if you are not familiar with it--the "I lost my surround sound settings every so often/overnight" explanation. My dealer did that for me in mid 2007. Read Gwelch's recent post confirming she got it done on a 2004 too (aka, the "no more lawyer screen" update).
If your dealer is resisting that MMI update work too, that is telling me they likely aren't comfortable with MMI and the car electronics in general, and you need to find one who knows what they are doing, let alone frankly knows what they are talking about.
Summarizing, at rev 3360 of AMI (and a v. 8 NAV disk, if that matters), I did it following the instructions with only a VAG COM with no issues. Car was a 2006 A8L with a stock Bose sound system and CD player.