I've read through the forum and it seems like the consensus is that the Audi iPod connector is not very good because it only lets you browse through those 5 playlists and it also locks the iPod so you can't select songs on there either.
I also read that the DICE option might be a good option to go with. My question is will it work with the NAV system in a new 2008 A3? And if so, which NAV should I get, the one with the CD player or the one with the iPod connection?

And one more question, with the DICE option, will I be able to still control songs, etc through the iPod? and will I also be able to advance songs (next/prev track) with the radio controls or the steering wheel?

Thanks for all of your help

 

Go with the Basic Concert and then spend $1500 on an aftermarket head unit with NAV, Satellite, and the iPod option that will give you full control of the iPod from a Touch screen.

 

I agree with you 4RINGS.

In the process myself on selecting the Head Unit.
Candidates are:
Sony XAV-W1
Alpine (can't remember the number) double-din, touch screen (pulses when you touch it) 1 disk, and can insert the Alpine mobile navigator if you buy it to add Nav features.
Pioneer Avic something...6 disc touch screen

Any thoughts or comments on the candidates?

 

Aftermarket sounds like a good option.

A couple of questions about that.

1) Will I lose any features if I decide to go with an aftermarket stereo?
2) Will I still be able to control the stereo from the steering wheel?
3) Will it affect anything else like climate control, bluetooth, etc?

 

I'm not at all sure what all of the fuss is about. Granted I don't have an iPod (yet), however, the description on the Audi web site says that I can use the steering wheel controls to select songs from the iPod via the CD changer interface. Apparently the first five "CDs" equate to five "Play Lists" (the first five?), and the sixth "CD" allows you to scroll through the entire contents of the iPod. Sounds resonable to me. What am I missing?

FWIW, given that the iPod interface is now a relatively modest $250, I'm inclined to order it.

 

Hi shipo,

The main beefs I have with the Audi ipod connector are:
1) relatively poor sound quality
-hissing and electrical interference (I can't accept this in a car of this calibre)
-diminished volume (but acceptable) but reduced clarity...sounds 'flat' compared to a CD or other ipod installs I have listened too
2) usability
-you can't read the playlist or any other song information from the head unit, so it's difficult to use
-you can only toggle through songs sequentially (or shuffled if you set the ipod to shuffle) but you can browse through a list through the head unit and just select the one you want. You have to listen to hear the song first, then skip if you don't want to hear it...sometimes my shuffle can't read my mind so it gets annoying!

To be clear, I don't think the ipod connector is terrible or useless. It is not bad. But for me, I really want to be able to visually see my playlists, and scroll through songs quickly while stopped at a light. I have over 8000 songs on my ipod, and i'm picky about my music, and my taste is eclectic, so controlling the song is important to me. If you like every song on your ipod all the time, and don't mind a small sacrifice on sound quality (which is in part caused by the ipod itself, not the connector) then I think the audi solution is good. But at $250, I can't really figure out what they are charging you for, seems a lot of money for it to me!

 

Thanks for the response.

I'm thinking that I'll order the iPod interface (and buy an iPod), and then dump my considerable CD library on to it (I'm thinking I've got somewhere north of 700 CDs), and see how it goes. Regardless, I'm sure it will be a whole lot simpler than schlepping around multiple CD cases.

By the way, Taipei is one of my favorite places in the world to visit and to do business. That said, the last two times I was there (in 2003) I had a badly broken leg and was on crutches. Taipei isn't all that handicapped friendly to begin with, but after that earthquake, getting from point A to point B was positively diabolical. Then there were my trips through the airport in a wheel chair. I'm sure that with my back-pack full of reading material, my laptop, my cast and crutches, I topped out an nearly 120 kilos, and I swear, the poor guys who were charged with pushing me around (and up and down the ramps that went around the earthquake damage) couldn't have even been 60 kilos.

Still and all, I didn't let my leg slow me down or dull my enjoyment of the sights, the people and especially the food. [8D]

 

ok, so as i feared, the audi ipod connector sounds like it wont work for me. i have an ipod with 80 gigs of music on it and i need to be able to control which songs are playing. if the DICE option still lets me control the music on the ipod itself, then that works for me.

one question though: I still want the nav. Can I get the nav with the cd changer and still use the DICE connector? can I plug the DICE into the SAT port or something like that?

Thanks