imaddaoud

I bought my Audi TT that came with a basic stereo system that had minimal options. I wanted to replace it with a unit that included Blue Tooth, MP3, and most of all GPS. I didn’t want to spend $2000 on a RNS Audi unit but I wanted something that looks OEM and not just any unit you can tell was after market and was slapped in there.

I went online and found many sellers on Ebay selling a no name Chinese unit that includes the following:
7” touch screen
CD/DVD player
GPS (IGO maps included but other maps can be used like TOM TOM)
Bluetooth (for calls and music from your phone)
Radio (AM and FM)
Micro SD card reader
Mini USB Connection
HD-TV (additional parts needed that i didn’t bother getting)
Rear View camera (additional parts needed that I didn’t buy but you can get a camera for $20)
IPOD connectivity
VCD – Virtual CD where you can store 6 audio cds (not mp3s) in the units memory.

After doing a lot of research and reading reviews i decided to bite the bullet and try out the unit. I bought it for $550 including delivery and got it in 5 days. I had to pay $30 in taxes when they delivered it.

I installed it and been playing with it for a week and here are some thoughts:

First impression:
- unit and plastic around unit looks 100% OEM
- Installation was super easy (plug and play) and all needed keys was provided. All you have to do is remove the original unit and disconnect the harness and connect it to the extension harness thats provided and plug it in to the new unit. There are additional wires you connect like the IPOD cable and any other upgrades you got.
- The fit is about 98% perfect but not 100. There is a very very very small space from the top that can only be noticed with close inspection by **** people.
- When I powered it on, I was impressed with the Audi logo and the button light matches the red lights of the car layout
- Good sensitivity to the touch screen with good accuracy
- The options were a little confusing at first to navigate and needs to get used to but after a few days you get the hang of it.

After a few days:
- The VCD option is useless because its audio files only and you cant view the titles of the songs
- MP3 CDS, mini SD, USB are all accessed through the DVD software which has a really ugly software layout. The only way around this is using the IPOD connection for MP3s which has a good looking menu. You basically keep the IPOD in the glove compartment which is charged and use the unit touch screen to navigate all your songs and playlist.
- GPS has the IGO maps which I liked and I came from Garmin and I think IGO is a better software for all around use.
- DVD is good quality and i have no complaints with the picture.
- Bluetooth is great and clear
- There are some wonky features and you can tell its not an Audi unit with 100% usability. You have to get used to everything and find ways around some wonky features like the IPOD play list navigation can only be searched one song at a time from A-Z which can take some time if you have 400 songs
- Picture in Picture is a great feature that lets you do two things at once like listen to music while using GPS of having DVD movie running while using BT.
- Steering wheel buttons all work. Volume up or down, Mute, Call answer, BT, seek.
- The remote is SUPER UGLY and i don’t think anyone will end up using it. Looks like a cheap remote you get with those no name DVD players.

Over all:
Its a good unit but its perfect. I still think its worth the value and a very good alternative to the RNS Audi system. If you want to save money and have all the features, this unit is for you. If you are super picky and little minor details bother you, this unit might **** you off. I think the little things can be lived with and there are many options you have to deal with the little wonky things. I will keep posting updates on anything else that comes up. Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer.

qlaval

I was curious about this eBay product as well...

Thanks for your post and pictures Matt.
Good job!

mferreira424

That actually looks pretty good. Great job Matt. Now I know who to go to with all the questions when I plan to do the same.

imaddaoud

Yes for sure, ask any questions you have or even picture requests of the unit or screen.

I just connected my Iphone to the Aux in using an Iphone AV out cable i bought from Ebay. Now I can use the 7" unit screen to view my Iphone screen. You can only have limited control with the unit like FF, RR, Skip, Pause, play and volume and any other function you would need to use the actual Iphone. This works great if you want to watch You Tube video or want to use any app or even a GPS from Iphone instead of the units GPS.

Also, there is a seller on EBAY (yes I know im an Ebay freak) that sells mixed top 40 videos on DVD. You basically use the DVD as a music player but you also get to watch the video (well more the passenger) which I thought was pretty cool. I havent received the item yet but the seller says its HQ video and sound. For $10 you get about 20 songs that are popular now or you can choose from other genres.....

qlaval

What was the eBay item number for this item if you don't mind.

mferreira424

Does satellite radio work through this too?

imaddaoud

250853986852 here is the Ebay item #. The seller is autodvdgps2011 and the reason I got it from him is because he got good reviews and has a positive Ebay rating of 100%. He ships the item with express shipping and I got it in less than a week.

You can also look at Dynavin units, just google it.....they make what looks like the same unit but the screen layout is slightly different. I cant give any reviews as I have never used it myself.

imaddaoud

There is no SAT radio option in this unit. You can buy the XM system or Syrus from futureshop but you will have to set it up as a separate unit but my knowledge of sat radio is very limited considering i never used it before. I am personally not a fan of paying a monthly fee but it is a cool concept.

Mayhemm

Thanks a ton for providing this thread! I have several questions about this unit. At first I was leaning towards paying the premium to have the official Audi NAV system put in my TT (I only have the Bose system at present), but I recently discovered that it doesn't have Satellite radio (a desirable option for me) either, so this unit's lack of that feature is not such a big deal.

Regarding Navigation: You make it sound like any map system (Garmin, TOM TOM, etc) can be used in addition to the included maps as long as they are on an SD card. Is this the case?

Regarding the data ports: MicroSD and mini USB seem odd choices for playing MP3s and other file types. Have you tried using them for this purpose? Do they work well? (accurately displaying tag info, for example)

Regarding the user manual: Since the unit is from China, is the user manual any good? Does it adequately explain feature that aren't obvious? I've had some bad luck with poor user manual translations in the past (usually computer parts). On a unit this complicated, it would be a real pain to have a manual which didn't make sense.

Just got my paycheck, so I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. Do you know if installing one of these voids your Audi warranty?

Cheers!

imaddaoud

Regarding Navigation: If you look at the bottom left slot you will find a mini SD card which is used to load maps on the GPS player. So there is a gps system indipendent to the unit and a vatiety of maps can be loaded. TOMTOM, Destinator, IGO, Root 66 are some examples but I dont believe Garmin is one of them. I got the IGO (the one the seller sent with the unit and I only have my old Garmin to compare it to but I love it and would never go back to garmin. Garmin is too slow to search POI and doesnt have highway signs for easy navigation and 3D buildings.....yes i was surised but it had 3D. I live in Toronto so you see the big biuldings like CNE, CIBC, CN tower, musiums and all that stuff. Really its a useless feature (not going to get you there faster) but its really cool and passangers love it. If you want a different map other than IGO i dont know where u would buy it from but some where from the internet im sure. I was going to check other maps out but really had no desire considering how happy and used to IGO i was.


Regarding the data ports: I agree that those data ports are premitive and ugly. I dont use them, I dont like wires hanging out and thr menue is ugly. If you use Mini SD the tags are wonky aned the full usb is in the back which makes no sense. I found a perfect work around that turned out great. I got a used I POD and it is in my glove box at all times. The menu looks nice, I have unlimited storage for songs and tags are not silly like the port spots. The touch screen is a little sensitive but all i did to get rid of this problem is make playlist on my Ipod in elphabetical order and that made my scrolling so much easier. I suspect you would do the same after you see the ugly menu with the ports.

Regarding the user manual: YOu hit it on the head, This thing is so useless you can tell some asian guy used google translate and hand cut the pages with followed by stappler. You are not buying easy comfort, you are buyinh features, and lots of them. It took me a good 2 weeks to get used to evertthing and it will take you some time but once you learn the unit it really is amazing. I will take pictures of the manual and GPS and you will know what im talking about. For 500 bux i cant complain considering a the bluetooth, IPod, reverse camera, and aux in for an I phone.

Install is super easy ,,,,,all plug and play but i had issues with a tight fit and 1 FM station so i took it to a radio guy and he fixed it for 5o bux, I dont think it voids any warranty sinse you really just take one clip out and connect it to the back on the new unit but im just guessing about that.

Let me know what pics you wanted posted and if there are any questions i can help out with.