alexi7

Hi , I have just emailed info@enfig.com, can anyone on this site help please.


Hello I live in the UK and have a 2010 a3 Tdi with a single Concert CD player, I already have factory Bluetooth fitted but need a link for an ipod,
will the ipod be controlled from the steering wheel buttons and will I be able to see the info on the small screen in the dash.
is it possible to purchase whats needed from you please, if so how much and what is needed.



Regards Alex

Jai van Hardeveld

Hey Alex,

I have a 2010 A3 as well, I purchased the Dension 300.

It works, however, there are a couple of things about it that I don't like.

Firstly, there is a low level whine that comes through, it only happens on the iPod so I know there is nothing wrong with my head unit. It is the type of noise you used to get with aftermarket stereo not being grounded properly.

Secondly, it does display the song title being played but only on the small screen in the dash. This is a small display and is only able to display about 12 characters, so the entire song info is not available.

The Audi brand controller will only allow you to play songs from 6 playlists and the playlist can only have 99 songs in them. For this reason I went with the Dension.

The Dension was very easy to install. The hardest part was putting the iPod dock in the glove box. (I did not want the iPod out on display)

The Dension also has a USB connection option so you can play songs off of a thumb drive.

Here is a link to the Dension site.

http://www.dension.com/sites/default/files/car-compatibility/audi-12-04-11.pdf

Thanks
Jai

Jai van Hardeveld

Sorry link wrong

Here it is again:

http://www.dension.com/sites/default...i-12-04-11.pdf

3waygeek

I also have the Dension 300 in a 2010 A3. However, I don't use the iPod connection -- I use the USB port and a card reader with a 32GB microSDHC card, on which I have about 120 CD's worth of 320 kbps MP3s.

I routed the USB port to one of the blank buttons on the center stack; a couple minutes work with a Dremel made a nice hole in the blank button to accommodate the USB connector. With a small card reader, it blends in very nicely.

No whine on MP3 playback that I've noticed; then again, since I use only the USB port, grounding is less of an issue.

alexi7

Thanks guys a great help. I am also a member of The Audi TT Forum and one of them has also mentioned the hum and gave a part that can be fitted to cure the problem. I will have a look later for the link.
Thanks again Alex

Jai van Hardeveld

That would be cool! I will look back for your post.

alexi7

Hello,Have a look on the audi tt site, probably wont have to join, as I am having trouble with a link.
There is a bit about interference in the text.
Alex


I've just fitted the iPhone ready Alpine IDA-X305 into my TT, which has Bose, and, overall, I'm really pleased with it

Not only can I finally play my iPhone in my car, but it also sounds better than the original Audi Chorus that was fitted. It also looks as if it was designed for this car. The matte black plastic matches the dashboard, the red illuminations match the TT's EXACTLY, even the white illuminated ring on the main volume **** matches the white digits in the instrument cluster. Shhhwweeet!

*** Update *** when I first fitted this head unit, I didn't have an iPhone, just an iPod, but it's worth mentioning that I've now had an iPhone for a long while, and it too works perfectly with the unit. Just in case you're wondering whether you're iPhone will be compatible with the unit, it will!

Fitting took about 2 hours, though this could be done quicker if you know what you're doing, which I didn't, and most of the fitting time was spent feeding the iPod cable through to the glove box. I'll list the items that I used as well as a quick fitting guide after the photos below.


It looks as if it could be original equipment


I was a bit disappointed with the album artwork, which is quite pixelated


The red illuminations match the TT's perfectly and look really good






By undoing the retaining bolts that hold the glove box in place, I was able to move it down and thread the ipod cable through the interior light fitting, which clicks back in place allowing the cable to sit there nicely.

Items I used:

Alpine IDA-X305 head unit - best price £239
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-ida-x305.html

Release keys to remove the original Audi Chorus - £4.99
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/cels...se-keys-1.html

Autoleads PC9-410 adaptor lead for connecting RCA preouts to Bose - £24.46
http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Car_Stereo_f...ts/Audi/TT.htm
(when I originally fitted using this, I had issues with low-level interference when the engine is running. This was fixed using a Ground Loop Isolator, mentioned later)

Autoleads FP-05-04 fascia plates
http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Car_Stereo_f...ts/Audi/TT.htm

Installation

Step 1 - Remove the original head unit
I removed the original Audi Chorus head unit by using the release keys, which fit into two small, 10mm horizontal slots in the bottom left and right corners of the Chorus head unit.

Step 2 - Loosen the glove box
I then undid all the retaining screws, which were star-drive, that were holding the glove box in place, and moved it down. I wasn't able to fully remove the glove box, but I was able to pull it down enough to get my hand behind it.

Step 3 - Feed the iPod cable through
With the old head unit removed and the glove box loose, I was able to feed the iPod cable from the head unit housing through to the glove box. The only way into the glove box, without drilling it, is through the interior light fitting at the top. This just pops out by pushing in the clasp. I then fed the iPod cable through and then pushed the light fitting back into place, which just 'clicked' back into it's original position but still allowed the cable to sit through.

Step 4 - Fit the fascia plates
Even though the hole that the Chorus head unit fitted into is standard head unit size, and indeed the Chorus' chassis is the same size as the Alpine's chassis, for some bizarre reason Audi decided to widen the front face of the Chorus head unit. The fascia plates fill in the gaps that this created on the left and right side, and just screwed into two holes that are already there.

Step 5 - Fit the Alpine's cage
Sounds obvious, but I needed to fit this before I could connect the head unit. It was a pretty tough fit, and I had to gently use a hammer to shunt it in.

Step 6 - Connect the wiring
It's worth noting that the block adaptors in the PC9-410 adaptor ARE NOT colour-coded to the car's existing wiring. The PC9-410 has three block adaptors - two black and one red. The wiring that went into the old Chorus head unit also has three block adaptors - two black and one red. It was easy to assume that they go together, and when they didn't fit I started to worry. But then I realised that the colours don't mean anything, you just need to plug the adaptors that fit into each other and the unit should work fine. As I stated before though, the PC9-410 adaptor is causing low-level interference at the moment.

Step 7 - Push the new head unit into place.
This was the easy bit, as it just pushes in and clicks into place.

So overall I'm really pleased with it. It's a great head unit, it sounds really good and it looks as if it was meant to go into the TT. I'd definitely recommend it!

Update No. 1 - Ground Loop Isolator (GLI)
If you just connect the PC9-410 to the RCA preouts in the back of the Alpine head unit, you will get some whistling interference when the engine is running. The Maplin GLI gets rid of this completely (http://www.maplin.co.uk/ground-loop-isolator-33172). Its about the size of a mini can of coke, so not small, but you will find space for it by pushing it far back and right, and then down in the space behind the head unit. If you've got a coupe you will only need one as the Bose amp only takes one RCA input, but the Bose amp in the roadsters takes two, so you will need two GLIs.

Update No. 2 - Getting the flap to close
In my instructions above, I wrote that you should fit the fascia plates before you fit the cage and head unit. This is how the fascia plates are designed to be fitted, and is probably okay with other, more flat head units, but with the Alpine IDA-X305 it means the flap wont close as it makes the head unit sit too far forward. If you want the flap to close, you will need to fit the cage and head unit first. However, this then causes a problem fitting the plastic surround that came with the head unit, as if you screw the fascia plates in place, you then cant fit the plastic surround. The way round this is to discard the parts of the fascia plates that screw into the dash. The fascia plates actually come in two parts on each side. Theres a base plate that screws into the dash, and a top part that then goes on top to cover the screws. Its the base parts that get in the way of the plastic surround. I haven't used mine. Instead I wedged some Blutack into the back of the top parts and stuck them over the screw holes. This sounds like a bodge but it works a treat and holds them firm in place, allowing you to fit the plastic surround.

Update No. 3 - Getting a switch live
If you've got a later model TT (facelift on) then chances are you wont have a readily available switch live, so the Alpine wont go off when you turn the ignition off. "But my old Audi Chorus/Concert head unit turns off with the ignition?" I hear you say. Thats because they use something called a Kan-Bus or K-Bus. They basically have one permanent live power supply that's always on. The K-bus is a system that senses when the ignition is turned off and just sends a signal to the head unit to power down. It doesn't actually supply any power. This is a problem for the Alpine, as it doesn't use K-bus to power down, it uses switch live instead. It needs two power supplies - a permanent live to keep all the settings and a switch live to turn the head unit off with the ignition.

To get over this you will need to run a switch live from somewhere else. You can take one from the fuse box, but I chose to take mine from something called the bus bar which can be found under the steering wheel.

Make sure you disconnect the battery!

First, you'll need to remove the plastic cover thats directly below the steering wheel, which is held in place by four screws (thanks to BigSyd for the pics):