Picked up an '08 A3 with the Nav and iPod interface in the glovebox. The controls are fairly sucky though. It is as described: 5 playlists with 99 songs each max. CD6 is the entire list of songs.

The one thing I noticed is that the volume is lower off the iPod vs. MP3s stored in the SD cards, probably about 50-75% higher in volume. I am not sure if this can be set up to equalize the volumes. Going from one source to another requires quick change in volume so as not to blow the speakers out!

I am wondering if Audi will ever come out with some software upgrade for the MMI that has a little bit better iPod integration, like the ability to bring in song titles in the future. Wishful thinking, huh??

 

My IPOD volume was also much lower than other inputs.Apparently, by default, the IPOD limits its maximum volume to about half of what it can do - ostensibly to ward off lawsuits from people who've damaged their hearing by listening at extremem volume. In my case, when I increased the maximum volumevalue (in some obscure menu under settings), the IPOD input level was pretty much evenly matched with the other inputs in the car. I just have to be careful with the volume control when listening with the earbuds.

By the way, what is a CD? Not really, we have hundreds, but none of them ever venture into the car. IMO, a few years hence, a CD or changer will be about like the cassette deck is presently. Now. How about an 80 GB hard drive and some 802.11n capability so that I can send music (and videos?, and maps? and BIOS changes? and ...) from my computer's library while the car is sitting in the garage....

 

I'm liking the sd card thing much better than the iPod interface.
The ipod is very easy to just open the glovebox and pop it into the 2008 dock, but with no track info and limited playlists it's pretty lame.

Here's a pic and a close in crop that shows the sd card screen. You can make folders to organize however you want. When playing a song it shows you the folder you are in at the very top as well as the current song that's playing. Then below that in the main area is the list of songs with the current song highlighted. You can scroll through the list of songs or whatever is on the current screen with your steering wheel. But to navigate back to other screens/folders you still have to use the button on the nav itself.

 

looks awesome

 

the DICE ipod integration works awesome for me (highly recommend it!)..plus i can read/control the actual iPod simultaneously. dont go with the Audi iPod integration -- let them stick to auto engineering, not audio engineering.

 

Not sure how the iPhone works with Audi's integration specifically, but from what I've read it has been pretty hit-or-mss across the board with any type of head unit (OEM or aftermarket). Also, the sound quality is reportedly sub-par when connected to a head unit due to RF interference from the GSM module. This can be alleviated somewhat by turning off the GSM, but that renders your phone useless.

As for the volume level from the iPod being lower, this is more likely a problem with the way Audi's interface and head unit treats the signal coming from the iPod. It is true that the iPod has volume-limiting capability, but this is only a factor when using the headphone jack (an amplified output). The signal that comes from the dock connector used by Audi's interface is a straight line out signal -- no volume limiting, or volume control whatsoever on the iPod's end. The signal is amplified only by the head unit.

 

Anyone know if there is a way to upgrade the software, so the SD card slot can read more than 200 mb? It took me a month to realize I was listening to the same songs a bit to frequent for 4 gigs of music.

 

Though Audi claims they only support 256MB SD cards, you can use 4GB ones just fine. Where you do run into a limit though is on the number of items stored on the card. You can only have 512 files AND folders on each card. I suppose that could be an issue if you have your music arranged in lots of nested folders.

Unfortunately, this limitation exists on even the latest version of the nav software (SW 0200 for the U.S. and SW 0600 for Europe).

For most people 2GB cards hit the sweet spot in that you can fill them up without hitting the 512 item limit. It seems with 4GB cards, you end up with around 1GB free after filling it with 512 items. Of course that also depends on the bit rate and average length of your songs. Also: if you do get 4GB cards, make sure they are SD and NOT SDHC. SDHC will not work in the A3's nav.

 

Our iPhones work fine in the A3 08 2T DSG BT. The address book loads correctly and shows up in the area between speedo and tach. I usually turn off wifi to prevent interference. The GSM stays on. This does not affect the operation of the phone. We also have an 07 BMW 335i with BT and the iPhone works fine there as well, except that the wifi must again be turned off to prevent interference with BT. It even hooks up to the iPod interface in the 335i and works as well as any other iPod, much better than the so-called iPod integration on the A3, which we passed on.

My wife uses an MP3 CD to keep her 100 or so favorites in the indash cd player on the A3.

 

What I posted about sound quality and turning off GSM was in reference to hooking the iPhone up via dock connector for music playback.