Where to buy Sat Nav Question

[mnguyen1005]

I'm new to the forum. Recently bought 16 A3 Cab & it doesn't come with Sat-Nav. I did some search online to purchase and install myself. However, most of the sites are in German and the center console buttons are much different online.
I looked on eBay and doesn't seem to be the one either. Anyone can point me in the right direction?

Thanks

 

[Ormesome]

Think you need to do a bit more research mate as you cant simply buy it! Firstly, let us know the spec of your car, does it have a big screen, small? SD Card Sat nav? Either way, if you have an SD Card based Sat Nav then you will have to buy the maps directly from Audi and get them to install/activate them. Around 250pounds. If you have the higher tier system then you might have Audi COnnect which gives you 5 free updates, hopefully, you still have them. However, you say your car doesn't come with Sat Nav. Is this a Pre-Facelift? If you dont have it installed then i think you might have the lower end system, i recently paid for it to be activated (250) and then the Sd card on top (250). Hopefully, you can let us know the spec of your car so we can help you more accurately.

 

[Jakereeves96]

Audi quoted me £600 for the the SD Card nav

 

[Joxh]

Have been quoted £450 to £650 from 3 dealers. Does anybody have pictures or videos using the SD card satnav. I can't justify the price of activating it for something which looks a bit crap

 

[Jakereeves96]

Have been quoted £450 to £650 from 3 dealers. Does anybody have pictures or videos using the SD card satnav. I can't justify the price of activating it for something which looks a bit ****

I’ve seen this one on YouTube mate

 

[Joxh]

I’ve seen this one on YouTube mate

Me too, wish he went into the settings. Looks a bit cluttered on a screen that size.

 

[Ormesome]

Its rubbish! i activated mine last year. It cost around 500ish for maps and activation. I do a lot of miles so for me I loved the integration and little prompts on the DIS. but the quality of the screen is rubbish. It looks really basic. If you invert the colours, i mean to set them to night mode then this helps it a lot as the borders are black and don't stand out so much as the day time boarders. Im probably being a little harsh. If you're keeping the car for ages then do it. It is very nice to have it integrated but just dont go expecting anything amazing. Its a sat nav with basic Navigation functions. Your phone does way more!

 

[HertS3]

I don't have nav, get yourself a Clearmount phone holder (https://www.audiphoneholder.com/)which sits between the two air vents under the screen (looks very OEM) and pop your phone on there with Waze - job done and always up to date and has the best traffic avoidance/live traffic info you can get!

 

[Joxh]

Its rubbish! i activated mine last year. It cost around 500ish for maps and activation. I do a lot of miles so for me I loved the integration and little prompts on the DIS. but the quality of the screen is rubbish. It looks really basic. If you invert the colours, i mean to set them to night mode then this helps it a lot as the borders are black and don't stand out so much as the day time boarders. Im probably being a little harsh. If you're keeping the car for ages then do it. It is very nice to have it integrated but just dont go expecting anything amazing. Its a sat nav with basic Navigation functions. Your phone does way more!

Yeah you're right the prompts do look great but I still find it hard to justify. Have you gotta any pics with the night mode? It's embarrassing when I hop in the girlfriends 208 with cruise control and a decent looking nav in comparison.

 

[Ormesome]

Yeah you're right the prompts do look great but I still find it hard to justify. Have you gotta any pics with the night mode? It's embarrassing when I hop in the girlfriends 208 with cruise control and a decent looking nav in comparison.

Best i have mate sorry. I sold the car in September! It was ok like that. If you compare it to the day time images on that youtube video you can see the difference. The black surround isnt so prominent with the night time mode.

 

[AlS3BE]

I think you have to make sure that the car has nav prepared otherwise the equipment isn’t there.
So not just a straight forward activation and maps on Sdcard. Think the newer ones have the prep but check for the pr/option number.
Only know this cause my mate had a very basic spec a3 a few years ago and he thought he could just get the sdcard to work.

 

[Ormesome]

I think you have to make sure that the car has nav prepared otherwise the equipment isn’t there.
So not just a straight forward activation and maps on Sdcard. Think the newer ones have the prep but check for the pr/option number.
Only know this cause my mate had a very basic spec a3 a few years ago and he thought he could just get the sdcard to work.

All A3 8V have Sat nav installed, I mean prepared. The activation of the Sat Nav feature is 250. Then you have to buy the SD Card in order to have maps. This and the pairing of the SD Card to your car is another 250ish. The OP i think doesn't have either of these 2 features so it will prob be 500 ish. This is the situation i was in last year.

 

[mnguyen1005]

Think you need to do a bit more research mate as you cant simply buy it! Firstly, let us know the spec of your car, does it have a big screen, small? SD Card Sat nav? Either way, if you have an SD Card based Sat Nav then you will have to buy the maps directly from Audi and get them to install/activate them. Around 250pounds. If you have the higher tier system then you might have Audi COnnect which gives you 5 free updates, hopefully, you still have them. However, you say your car doesn't come with Sat Nav. Is this a Pre-Facelift? If you dont have it installed then i think you might have the lower end system, i recently paid for it to be activated (250) and then the Sd card on top (250). Hopefully, you can let us know the spec of your car so we can help you more accurately.

I'll try my best to give specs. I'm new to the European car scene.
A3 Cab Premium FWD (Basic) equipped with MMI Radio, about 7" screen. The Multimedia only have a CD & 1 SD slot. No Push-Start. NOT Pre-Facelift. There'a a "NAV" button on center console. When it's pressed, "Navigation not installed" displayed on MMI screen.
Also I'm located in the US.


To my understanding the SatNav Equipment must be coded to the vehicle specifically. Must purchase SD Card & get it activated.
Also is the Tech Package SD or SSD?

 

[AlS3BE]

Tech pack with MMI high has an hdd and not use an sdcard.
If this was to cost around £600 would it not be better to try and retrofit the MMI high with second hand parts? At least that would be a big improvement or maybe get one from a later car that has CarPlay/android auto.
Not sure how much coding and things like component protection would cost.

 

[6EGA3]

I just got my 2015 A3 with satnav installed inc the SD card that came with it. Compared to Google Maps it is pants. Too cluttered, not updateable except for a high price. I had to leave Wembley Stadium last weekend with heaps of nearby traffic. I decided to run the in car system alongside Google on my phone. Google immediately steered me on a longer route but away from the worst of the traffic in a way I would never have attempted. Audi nav decided to send me the main route, straight into most of the traffic.

Also, Google is great for easily checking alternative routes as you drive, Audi is very fiddly and it's hard to quickly see the overall route once you are driving, and make changes from there.

My tip is to save the money and use the phone.

 

[HertS3]

@6EGA3 give Waze a go - I find it much better, it gives you the quickest route by default but shows alternative routes which may be more direct (it can take you round the houses sometimes for the sake of saving a minute off the journey time)

 

[6EGA3]

@6EGA3 give Waze a go - I find it much better, it gives you the quickest route by default but shows alternative routes which may be more direct (it can take you round the houses sometimes for the sake of saving a minute off the journey time)

I was using it for a while but it felt a bit like a video game! And now that Google owns them, the info is pretty well the same. I may have another look at it.

 

[HertS3]

Oh I didn't know they sold to Google, makes sense I suppose

 

[mnguyen1005]

Tech pack with MMI high has an hdd and not use an sdcard.
If this was to cost around £600 would it not be better to try and retrofit the MMI high with second hand parts? At least that would be a big improvement or maybe get one from a later car that has CarPlay/android auto.
Not sure how much coding and things like component protection would cost.

I wouldn't mind second hand parts, just not sure where to obtain them. Just want the accessibility to view on MMI screen. Of course would have to find authorized Audi dealer that can code and remove component protection.
What do you mean by CarPlay/Android Auto? Sounds an OEM alternative?

And help me understand the MMI....there are so many varieties. MMI Radio, MMI Nav Plus, MMI High? 3G? It's mind boggling.

 

[AlS3BE]

I wouldn't mind second hand parts, just not sure where to obtain them. Just want the accessibility to view on MMI screen. Of course would have to find authorized Audi dealer that can code and remove component protection.
What do you mean by CarPlay/Android Auto? Sounds an OEM alternative?

And help me understand the MMI....there are so many varieties. MMI Radio, MMI Nav Plus, MMI High? 3G? It's mind boggling.

Newer cars have Audi smartphone which basically is Apple CarPlay and android auto. Let’s you use apps on your phone in the MMI screen.

2 main versions of the MMI.

MMI low or rmc as it’s called is the sdcard nav unit with a low res screen on the dash.
MMI high has a hdd MMI unit and high res screen. Nav is on the hdd not sdcards.
I believe there’s different variants of MMI high as some have SIM card slot and some not. Ones with SIM cards has a 4g modem/router.
There’s also the add on bits like ami, usb and wireless charging.

 

[Adam14]

The Audi sat nav is rubbish, wouldn't pay to get it activated / installed. Use Android Auto or CarPlay if you're car has it or a phone mount with Google maps.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[mnguyen1005]

Newer cars have Audi smartphone which basically is Apple CarPlay and android auto. Let’s you use apps on your phone in the MMI screen.

2 main versions of the MMI.

MMI low or rmc as it’s called is the sdcard nav unit with a low res screen on the dash.
MMI high has a hdd MMI unit and high res screen. Nav is on the hdd not sdcards.
I believe there’s different variants of MMI high as some have SIM card slot and some not. Ones with SIM cards has a 4g modem/router.
There’s also the add on bits like ami, usb and wireless charging.

Thanks for clearing up the MMI variants.
So in order to get Sat Nav I’ll need:
- MMI High
- Multimedia (HDD? Not sure where the HDD is located)
- GPS Antenna
- center console touchpad

And where can I purchase these hardware?

 

[mnguyen1005]

The Audi sat nav is rubbish, wouldn't pay to get it activated / installed. Use Android Auto or CarPlay if you're car has it or a phone mount with Google maps.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

My phone doesn’t get good GPS signal when I’m in the city. Constantly rerouting and usually have to take the long way around.

 

[Khufu]

Thanks for clearing up the MMI variants.
So in order to get Sat Nav I’ll need:
- MMI High
- Multimedia (HDD? Not sure where the HDD is located)
- GPS Antenna
- center console touchpad

And where can I purchase these hardware?

You will at least need the MMI 2 high unit.
8V1035035 is the part number of the singing dancing version but its not cheap even 2nd hand.

since you have facelift car you wont need to fit the 7" screen as will already have.

the console controller will need changed if you want to use the touchpad feature but its my understanding that it will function without this. 8V0919614BE is a part number of high version but there will be others esp if you have keyless starting.

you may already have the GPS fitted.

 

[Ormesome]

Thanks for clearing up the MMI variants.
So in order to get Sat Nav I’ll need:
- MMI High
- Multimedia (HDD? Not sure where the HDD is located)
- GPS Antenna
- center console touchpad

And where can I purchase these hardware?

You already have sat nav installed. All A3 8vs do. You don’t however, have it activated!

 

[mnguyen1005]

You will at least need the MMI 2 high unit.
8V1035035 is the part number of the singing dancing version but its not cheap even 2nd hand.

since you have facelift car you wont need to fit the 7" screen as will already have.

the console controller will need changed if you want to use the touchpad feature but its my understanding that it will function without this. 8V0919614BE is a part number of high version but there will be others esp if you have keyless starting.

you may already have the GPS fitted.

You already have sat nav installed. All A3 8vs do. You don’t however, have it activated!

My multimedia only have 1 SD slot. Don't know if that matters or not.
How can I confirm I have GPS installed?
Does it matter if I'm in the U.S.?
Thanks

 

[Khufu]

https://procarmanuals.com/vag-ssp-618-audi-modular-infotainment-system-mib/

some info there. i guess if you look at the back and see if you have the blue connector and a wire connected then you will have the necessary hardware.

 

[Ormesome]

My multimedia only have 1 SD slot. Don't know if that matters or not.
How can I confirm I have GPS installed?
Does it matter if I'm in the U.S.?
Thanks

Mate! ALL 8V have GPS installed! All of them! no matter what! ALL A3's also have Sat Nav installed but only some were activated when the option was ticked when bought new! Now, the question is, how to get Sat Nav on your MMI. I think you might have the MMI that has an inbuilt hard drive and maps are programmed to the hard drive. The SD card Sat Nav system has 2 SD card slots and 1 is taken up by the maps. You need to call up Audi and get them to do this: 1, activate the Sat Nav feature, 2, Store the maps on your MMI hard drive. This will prob cost around 600 dollars, although I'm only guessing as that's what it is around here in the UK.

 

[mnguyen1005]

https://procarmanuals.com/vag-ssp-618-audi-modular-infotainment-system-mib/

some info there. i guess if you look at the back and see if you have the blue connector and a wire connected then you will have the necessary hardware.

Thanks for the info! The MIB I have is "Standard MIB, Radio version"
I'll need to get Audi radio tool to remove MIB

Mate! ALL 8V have GPS installed! All of them! no matter what! ALL A3's also have Sat Nav installed but only some were activated when the option was ticked when bought new! Now, the question is, how to get Sat Nav on your MMI. I think you might have the MMI that has an inbuilt hard drive and maps are programmed to the hard drive. The SD card Sat Nav system has 2 SD card slots and 1 is taken up by the maps. You need to call up Audi and get them to do this: 1, activate the Sat Nav feature, 2, Store the maps on your MMI hard drive. This will prob cost around 600 dollars, although I'm only guessing as that's what it is around here in the UK.

That's good news. Just hope the Audi dealer in the US aren't gonna be anal about to activate Sat Nav and what not.
Though still want the MMI High for better resolution display. For sure, if I replace the MMI display it must be coded? Or do I already have 7" screen?

 

[Khufu]

the display wont needed changed or coded but the mmi will. if you buy 2nd hand then the component protection will need removed. Unfortunately this will remove the satnav function as it checks if your car has them already and as you dont then it removes the function. You then have to pay Audi to add them back on. Its all adds up!

 

[Ormesome]

Thanks for the info! The MIB I have is "Standard MIB, Radio version"
I'll need to get Audi radio tool to remove MIB



That's good news. Just hope the Audi dealer in the US aren't gonna be anal about to activate Sat Nav and what not.
Though still want the MMI High for better resolution display. For sure, if I replace the MMI display it must be coded? Or do I already have 7" screen?

Forget my last message! i have never seem a system like yours, i dont think we have it in the UK or europe! I think the lowest we have is the Standard MMI, Navigation system version.... you need @DJAlix to give you some advice i think!!

 

[mnguyen1005]

Forget my last message! i have never seem a system like yours, i dont think we have it in the UK or europe! I think the lowest we have is the Standard MMI, Navigation system version.... you need @DJAlix to give you some advice i think!!

Once I get tools to remove the MIB I'll double confirm the hardware. But I'm positive its not Sat-Nav ready based on the info you gave me.