Muppet_man

Hi all, whilst this issue is actually on my A8, I know there's a whole load more people on the A6 forum here and the system is near identical, so I thought I would post here also in the hope of some help. I have an original MMI standard unit in my A8 4.2 TDi D4 with the very first firmware version. It won't play my hard drive plugged into the USB input with all of my music like my Allroad or my older D3 A8 as it seems the original firmware had lots of bugs. You can play an album, but if you then decide to play something else, you have to unplug it and start again or it won't see any other music as it thinks all of the folders are empty. I took it somewhere to have the firmware (and the maps, which are also old) updated. However the guy couldn't do it (ex Audi technician) because it had such an old version in it. When he went to update it, it told him that it would be updating twelve items when only ten originally existed and that it would possible corrupt the system. Needless to say he wouldn't continue. He therefore can't update it, and instead advised that I should try and get a newer MMI version. Either a later build date version of the same part number which had improved hardware inside which would take the new updates, or, an MMI 3G high plus which has the GSM module in it as well. He said I would need to fit the aerial lead to the shark fin for the GSM, plus Audi would have to remove the security protection when it was installed. Does anyone know if anyone has ever done this swap and succeeded. I would imagine it will need to be coded to get the right fit to the car, but other than that, does anyone have any thoughts or advice. Thanks all.

Hi, that part works fine. However I have (as I do in all my other Audi's) a 500GB hard drive full of all of my own music. This is the only car that it doesn't work in. Than's why I want to get the upgrade/update.

Hi all, I have an original MMI standard unit in my A8 4.2 TDi D4 with the very first firmware version. It won't play my hard drive plugged into the USB input with all of my music like my Allroad or my older D3 A8 as it seems the original firmware had lots of bugs. You can play an album, but if you then decide to play something else, you have to unplug it and start again or it won't see any other music as it thinks all of the folders are empty. I took it somewhere to have the firmware (and the maps, which are also old) updated. However the guy couldn't do it (ex Audi technician) because it had such an old version in it. When he went to update it, it told him that it would be updating twelve items when only ten originally existed and that it would possible corrupt the system. Needless to say he wouldn't continue. He therefore can't update it, and instead advised that I should try and get a newer MMI version. Either a later build date version of the same part number which had improved hardware inside which would take the new updates, or, an MMI 3G high plus which has the GSM module in it as well. He said I would need to fit the aerial lead to the shark fin for the GSM, plus Audi would have to remove the security protection when it was installed. Does anyone know if anyone has ever done this swap and succeeded. I would imagine it will need to be coded to get the right fit to the car, but other than that, does anyone have any thoughts or advice. Thanks all.

I'm not sure I know what PITA means! Is it anything like POS? I fitted these ones here - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Philips-D2S-X-treme-Vision-50-4800K-Xenon-Brenner-85122XV-2-Stuck-TOP-/161998426141?hash=item25b7dbd01d:g:SwEAAOSwT6pV5ecx Really pleased with the difference.

The light output on the Headlamps on my A8 4.2 TDi were so poor that it seemed if you drove fast enough you could actually overtake the light! So, I got myself two new HID lamps as I know that they dim down significantly after around five years average use. It is impossible to change them in situ and so I used the ramp at my friends garage and swapped them over for the new ones. The difference is quite startling. Much, much brighter than the old ones. I would recommend it to anyone who has old ones fitted.

That looks very nice indeed. I guess I'll have to take off a door card and see if the wires are there as standard to attach it to. If so, I might see if I can after fit them.

They look very swish indeed, even if I did have to turn my laptop upside down. I've got the ones in the door handles, but not that strip piece. Must be part of the door card I would guess, so no chance of adding them. Dang...

Can you notice a ride difference as well now that you've changed those? I would imagine it must have effected the ride a bit as well.

Well I bought one. A 2008 facelift version. Overall it's giving me around 29.5. That includes a mixture of 50 mile journeys and back and forward to work for wife which is around twelve miles. More than happy with that really. On a long run I expect a bit more, but that's not bad for such a big old lump.

I've ordered up a new gearbox filter and the oil, so will hopefully get to that in a couple of weeks. I bout myself a VAGCOM lead and disc and have now got dash reading in MPG instead of Litres per 100Km's. Much better. That just leaves the actual mileage clock itself. I bought a miles per hour dash (only £40!), but alas, have realised that the needle is not calibrated the same for MPH to KPH. So needle straight up in KPH is about 100KPH (roughly 60MPH), however on a MPH speedo, 60 MPH is more like 10:00 o'clock. On close inspection it seems that on a MPH clock the speedo is spaced evenly, whereas a KPH one, the first half gets you to about 100KPH and the second half covers the other 180KPH! Very odd way of doing it. Unfortunately it does mean that I can't just swap the dial face. A shame I didn't realise until I'd stripped the cluster and removed the face. Bummer. Never too old to learn I guess. It seems to be the light at the bottom, that I would expect to be a fog light that comes on as you turn wheel. Headlamps turn also as you steer. I'd like a picture of your door bits, I don't think I have them. Cheers

I'm going to get it professionally valeted as we've just got it, then I'll post some photos. They all seem to have so much on them anyway that I'm not sure what is standard and what is an extra. Metallic black, black leather, memory seats driver and passenger, front and rear heating controls and heated seats, DAB and Media, Pre-Select sunroof, Dual Xenon that turns with the wheel and cornering extra lights (uses the front fogs), auto dimming rear and side mirrors, reversing camera and everything else I think is probably standard. I spent a good portion of today trying to trace a leak in the headlamp washer jets that keeps emptying the washer bottle. Finally found a split in a high pressure pipe above the o/s intercooler. What a nightmare to get too! Couldn't repair it as it is some odd corrugated pipe. So I've blocked it and will have to order a new piece. Looks like I'll have to remove the front bumper to fit it which is a bit of an arse. Also gave it a full service today, oil, air x 2, fuel and cabin filters, 9.5 litres of oil and a good check all round. The underneath of the car is like new. Rear driveshafts and prop still have all their original part labels easily readable. I'll have another good go in a couple of weeks and flush all the brake fluid and then do a four wheel geometry check and alignment. Then I should be happy. Also ordered myself two new tyres for the front and will keep the cheapie's they had on the rear until they wear out, but can't live with crap one's on the front so have ordered a pair of Avons. Who would have a car like that and then fit budget tyres?! Been averaging about 28 so far with no meaningful steady runs at all, which seems OK to me. That's as good as my wife's 1800 TT Quattro and about twice the power, cylinders and weight, so not bad. Points to a mid to high 30's on a run I hope. Goes like the stink and just seems to keep pulling regardless. Putting your toe down at around forty to go past someone makes a very pleasing sound and then it pulls like a train. Aside from just around a half a dozen bits that have to be sorted I'm more than pleased. This should last a couple of years and then hopefully on to the newer shape one including as you say the gear shift which I'm sure come's straight off of the Starship Enterprise.

Thanks for the links, but sadly, they all seem to relate to the older RNS-E systems and not 2G High when it comes to seven digit searches. Although a couple of places seem to say they have seven digit searches on 2G High, when I e-mailed them, they replied back that it was an error in the listings/websites and it was not the case. Which probably means they put it down in the hope people will just buy anyway and worry about them complaining later. I think the latest SW is actually 5570

Yup. Got one yesterday. I started to look a little early last week, and found one on EBay in Yorkshire. Was thinking of buying when the guy reported to me it had gone into limp mode with the engine management light on. He said he was dropping it to a local specialist on Wednesday for them to sort it out and he would let me know. I spoke to him Thursday and they had told him they couldn't find out the reason. It had a fault code for an imbalance on one MAF, but they'd checked and cleaned and it didn't make any difference. It was also making a strange noise when revved. They advised him it could be a blocked DPF, faulty EGR or perhaps some other exhaust related item. The guy was a bit depressed. I got him to send me the sound as a clip by e-mail and I heard the noise. Told him I thought there was either an induction leak or a diversion flap issue in the airbox somewhere as I'd heard that kind of noise before and know it would bring up that kind of fault code. He texted me Sunday to say he'd taken out the airbox, found that the arm had fallen off the flap because the clip was broken. He put it back on with a new clip and it was working perfectly. He was very happy indeed. By then however, I'd already seen the later one I've now bought. I spent all of the weekend looking for one, but all the ones I really liked were about £11 to £12k which made them dangerously close to being a D4 version. So we went and looked at both the newer D4 shape A8 and an A7 3.0 TDi Quattro, which were all around the £16k mark. Couldn't decide. Then thought we were being too frivolous so decided to look cheap again. Was just about to settle on a 2006 one when I came across the facelift 2008 one. Comes from Ireland. 2008 4.2 TDi in Black metallic. One previous owner, FASH, 11 months MOT, very clean just over 100k miles. Can't find a fault on it except for brake pad warning light comes on even though it has new pads. I'll check that out later. Plus an LED light in the passengers inner door handle doesn't come on (no idea if you can replace that). The only real downside is the display for fuel is all in Ltrs per 100 klm and the speedo is in KPH. Getting the readout changed is only a Vagcom thing, but the actual clock would need to have a different face. Found one on E-Bay for £60.00, but I'll need to get it all out, change just the speedo (or else the car won't start any more!) and put it all back. My only one concern is all the instrument panels for sale are for A8's pre 2008 which have an oblong readout panel in the middle. The 2008 and 2009 models have a full width readout so I need to be sure that it doesn't effect speedo dial. I might ring BBA Reman tomorrow and ask them if they could swap it for me if I send them both sets of clocks. All in all, it's not the worse thing in the World and the car was really cheap at just £7500. Sadly, I'm still stuck with the crap 5 digit post code search (what on earth was Audi thinking when they sold £70k cars but were to cheap to buy a full postcode search licence), also I'm not a fan of those flat looking wheels, but that's my only two complaints. Now off out for a good drive even though it's chucking it down out there and blowing a gail.

I think that must be the newer sat nav than the ones in the models around 2006 to 20111. Where did you get the disc?

If that's right I wished it were the case for my Allroad. The nav in that is pretty much useless with just the first four digit search only. There are so many places up here that don't have road names or distinct town areas you may as well not have it. I end up using my phone, which given the reception here is also pretty useless. Nice one Audi. Cheers as always

Hi, does a 2007 A8 have a full post code search or just the hideous missing last two digits version? Thanks

Thanks for the handy links.

2007 I've managed to find out all of the ratios and there are about four gearboxes that could be used, but unfortunately they need me to swap the mototronix box from inside of the gearbox over in order for it to work with my engine management. However, as this is probably the part causing the shift irregularities that seems to be pointless. So I really need to find a correct box, which I now know to be a JMQ type. A gearbox type that they only used for a very short production run from 06/06 to 05/07 making it about the rarest box to find. There is a low mileage second hand one, but unfortunately it's in Poland and they don't want to ship it to me. They have some in Germany also, but they also require the mototronix box to be swapped. I'll have to keep looking and hope for one to come up over here. Onwards and upwards....

Smooth going up and smooth coming down except between 6th to 5th and 4th to 3rd which points at one particular set of three solenoids in the valve chest. If had the sump off today and valve block down and can see some silvering in the oil. Looks like the microswarf from the diff bearing which is causing the noise is effecting the solenoids making them stick. Sadly looks like the end for this box. Bummer.

Not getting rid of the Allroad. It's my everyday vehicle. Already oil serviced it around a year ago. All clean and no sign of contamination. Not sure what you mean by the MAF since it's not related to any of the issues with the car. Hopefully you know something I don't about it and it will cure all of my problems.

I mean, Wow! How on earth did you find that? Sadly it doesn't cover the Allroad or later 3.0 TDi gearbox for A6, but I'm astounded you found it to start with. What did you put in as a search to find it. Maybe I can find one that covers mine? Thanks again.

Hi all, the diff bearing on my 2007 3.0 TDi Allroad have become very noisy and it's lumping down from six to fifth and fourth to third. So it's not looking good. I haven't rebuilt an gearbox since I had an S8 nine years ago, and remembering back, I'm not keen on repeating the task. Allroad gearboxes seem to be like hens teeth and cost the earth. However A6 3.0 TDi quattro boxes, which are physically the same as an Allroad in every way are available for around a quarter of the price. Does anyone know where I can check the gearing etc to see the differences between a KHC and KJC gearbox? Much appreciation to anyone who's more in the know than me as always. Thanks.

Thanks Cruiser. I got your meaning, I was just wondering if by having a LWB instead would spoil the ride/handling combo. I've never seen, let alone been in a LWB version. The 6.0 looks great, but I don't think I could afford to run it. But I do see what you're saying, the back seats look like you could have a party in them there's so much room. The 4.2 link you sent me might have only been an example of non LWB advertised incorrectly, but I got very excited about for a moment there as I didn't notice it was a petrol one. I thought for a moment I would be traveling to pick it up tomorrow! Cheers for the examples though.

Thanks all. Ta for the link NewNice. So urban looks like around 28MPG if I take the lower figure to be nearer the truth. Obviously runs make a substantial difference, but I wont be using it for that most of the time. I haven't had an A8 for around six years when I sold my S8. It would be nice to be back in something larger again. My main car for work use is an Allroad 3.0 TDi which is in the two years where the tax was really high, then it drops. But well noted Cruiser. I'm guessing that the LWB ones are slightly less wieldy that standard cars, and given I live in the middle of nowhere, most of my miles are country lanes which is perhaps not great for a LWB one?

Hi everyone, I've been looking at an A8 4.2TDi. I would guess an early one around 2006 to 2008. I would appreciate what the real world MPG was as I see great differences in published figures. Not so much on a run where I assume it will be pretty good anyway, but backwards and forwards daily traveling without exaggeration. I would also be interested in someone who's gone from an early shape one to the newer 2010 onwards shaped version about what improvements there are in ride, performance, MPG and general driving/ownership. If it is quite a bit, I might be tempted to sell several of the older smaller cars and a bit of a loan to get just one nice newer one instead. As always, any comments much appreciated. Cheers chaps.