New Owner MMI Query

[Turborich]

Hi all, just got my B7 Avant Quattro a week ago and I'm getting to know her a bit better. I have the stock Audi MMI and am looking to upgrade, wondering if there is any system which suits the car more than others? I've been quoted nearly £800 for an Alpine 7" with fitting, steering controls etc etc. It's been a long while since I've done any audio installs (mostly MK2 / 3 / 4 Golf) so looking for some suggestions if poss? Cheers

 

[Charlie Farley]

Nice to see a new B7 owner on the forum
When say stock unit, can you expand a bit as options in B7 tend to vary a lot, pics are good too.
Alpine units are a good choice , I have one and it is brilliant, you will loose some remote functions when using aftermarket units but it’s a small price to pay for the plus points you get

 

[Inertiauk]

All branded good quality aftermarket stuff will have the same sort of result really, so that's down to preference. Obviously alpine sound quality is superior to any other options I know, however if you have bose or an amped system this won't make a lot of difference as you won't use the HU speaker outputs. They will come from The cars dated built in amps.

Depending what you want to achieve there are OEM retrofit upgrades possible which look a lot cleaner.

The thing I hate the most about the aftermarket option is the large plastic trim around the smallish double din in comparison to the space for the HU.
Some adapters are cleaner looking than others, but for me they all bug me.

The Chinese android units are crap if you go for a £100-200 one, but they fit perfectly. I like the looks of the all screen ones best they look clean.

If you go on aliexpress and pay £300+ for one with 8 cores 6gb+ ram 128gb+ ROM and wait 3 weeks for it to arrive then they are fast and half decent.
The best ones are all screen in and fill the gap and the sound whilst not being alpine quality is decent with all the DSP etc, I would argue they are an improvement over OEM sound when setup right. I mean the systems in these cars were designed and released in 2003.
Out of the box too they support MFSW and all the car integrations that the factory unit does. So DIS information, they can use the existing mic for phone calls if you have one.


The final option which is the way I'm going is to retrofit the newest possible OEM solution, with its optional features. So you can listen to music off your phone, skip tracks on the mfsw and have it all on the DIS too.

This video is a great demo of how to do that and the result...
You could do it for much less than £800

 

[Charlie Farley]

I have a Ilx720 HU which is excellent, being a single DIN height mechanism but in a double-DIN chassis, it's not a massive cram of wires as it is with a full-height unit.
Having fitted an rs4 fbsw a few years ago I've lost what steering wheel control I had but not an issue as voice control is better.
swings and roundabouts really , I'm happy with what i have and how it works.

with my homage to the original Quattro

 

[Inertiauk]

Nice one Rob, I like the splash screen, and in terms of SQ it doesn't get much better does it.

 

[Charlie Farley]

i cant fault the unit, sound quality is excellent.
I've been using the Alpine app recently for adjustments, so many tweaks to play with..lol

 

[Turborich]

Hi guys, thanks for this, it's greatly appreciated I've been away for a week with no signal in the lakes. Taking the b7 out on those roads has been a blast!

I've attached a pic of my factory fit but I might have to put the upgrades on hold for the moment though, I've got a couple of error codes causing me a headache with the engine so that's priority at the minute Possible air leak on the intake but not sure so getting a smoke test done this week. I've checked the plugs and coils but no issues there so it's a bit of a mystery!

 

[Inertiauk]

Hi guys, thanks for this, it's greatly appreciated I've been away for a week with no signal in the lakes. Taking the b7 out on those roads has been a blast!

I've attached a pic of my factory fit but I might have to put the upgrades on hold for the moment though, I've got a couple of error codes causing me a headache with the engine so that's priority at the minute Possible air leak on the intake but not sure so getting a smoke test done this week. I've checked the plugs and coils but no issues there so it's a bit of a mystery!

View attachment 247091

Check the evap system it's a one way valve on plastic pipes to the inlet. I am told they cam fail quite often and give the problems you have. It's not an expensive replacement.

 

[Turborich]

Check the evap system it's a one way valve on plastic pipes to the inlet. I am told they cam fail quite often and give the problems you have. It's not an expensive replacement.

Cheers for this, it's not something I've come across in my research so far. I've had the coil packs and plugs checked and there's no issue there now but after I clear the codes it runs straight for a few miles then the issue returns, feels like the engine is shaking the car apart! I can't get any of my planned mods done til it runs straight which is the most annoying aspect!!

 

[Charlie Farley]

what codes do you have.

 

[Turborich]

what codes do you hav

I've only got a basic reader so it only picks up these two codes, I know there are a lot more on the system when the garage scans it but I don't know what they are.
They changed the plugs over and it was still showing as misfire on 3 last week so we gave it a week while i was away to see how it got on.

 

[AvantAlexB7]

With regards to your Head unit, it doesn't seem to be showing a software version. Might be worth getting it updated first and take it from there.

Alex

 

[Turborich]

With regards to your Head unit, it doesn't seem to be showing a software version. Might be worth getting it updated first and take it from there.

Alex

Thanks Alex, definitely something to look into

 

[Inertiauk]

View attachment 247151View attachment 247152I've only got a basic reader so it only picks up these two codes, I know there are a lot more on the system when the garage scans it but I don't know what they are.
They changed the plugs over and it was still showing as misfire on 3 last week so we gave it a week while i was away to see how it got on.

What makes you think its an intake leak ?

 

[Turborich]

What makes you think its an intake leak ?

Been round to the garage today and when we've checked it over the engine runs fine if the intake pipe is blocked off. Going to try replacing the breather unit and see if that resolves it. It's an OEM part and I've not had the car long enough to know when it was replaced. It's unlikely it's failed but it's step by step diagnosis at this point. From the look of it the previous owner has tried to resolve the issue but then hit a brick wall and cut their losses. But I'm not giving in that easily!

 

[Turborich]

So it turns out the breather unit was fine, upon deeper inspection the rocker cover plastic has gone brittle and cracked, that's why the engine is running rough, too much air getting in. Bit worried about any plastic getting into the engine but it all looks clean and clear, fingers crossed. New rocker cover on order as well as plugs and coil packs for my peace of mind and that hopefully should solve the problems and I can get back to the fun stuff!!

 

[Charlie Farley]

Valve cover are known to dry out and fail, PCV will affected as well.

 

[Turborich]

Valve cover are known to dry out and fail, PCV will affected as well.

Cheers Rob, worth bearing in mind. Will speak to the garage tomorrow. Lucky for me it's an old mate who looks after the car for me!

 

[Turborich]

happy to say the car is back with me and running smoothly now. New rocker cover, breather and plugs later. The seals had all gone on the inside of the cover and when I looked at it the plastic had cracked and worn hence all the air getting into the system. Means no new head unit this month but I'm off out to the Moors tomorrow to finally get a proper drive in . Cheers for all the comments, much appreciated

 

[Charlie Farley]

happy to say the car is back with me and running smoothly now. New rocker cover, breather and plugs later. The seals had all gone on the inside of the cover and when I looked at it the plastic had cracked and worn hence all the air getting into the system. Means no new head unit this month but I'm off out to the Moors tomorrow to finally get a proper drive in . Cheers for all the comments, much appreciated

Enjoy