Adding Bluetooth to my a3

[motojoe]

Before I catch some heat, I did search but didn't see a good place to purchase, or one kit being recommended over another.

I'm looking to install Bluetooth in my 2008 Audi a3. I have the controls on my wheel and believe I have the concert 2 radio. (Single disc double din) I do not have a convenience package. What have you guys installed and what is recommended? I'd like to utilize the wheel controls and not splice into much. I have an iPhone. Thanks guys.

[mike3141]

www.audiforum.us has a lot of audio system installation information.

You'll need a Bluetooth module, antenna, microphone and a wiring harness.

[tiptronic]

http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/VWsteer2.htm

[cldub]

http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/VWsteer2.htm

Interesting! Whats the price for this? I didn't see it listed

[MisterJJ]

Interesting! Whats the price for this? I didn't see it listed

Ain't cheap, but works well. $290. Go to the main site and plug in your car info: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com

[MisterJJ]

You can use this for bluetooth and playing music: http://gromaudio.com/

[motojoe]

The gromaudio unit seems affordable but it doesn't say anywhere if you can use your factory steering wheel controls. The other one that's 290 seems more complete or oem

[MisterJJ]

The gromaudio unit seems affordable but it doesn't say anywhere if you can use your factory steering wheel controls. The other one that's 290 seems more complete or oem

I think that pretty much sums it up. I use my phone in the car about once or twice a week. I would not really miss the steering wheel controls.

[wishntoboutside]

Ain't cheap, but works well. $290. Go to the main site and plug in your car info: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com

do you have this for your car? just wondering I have been looking for something like this as well. Can one play music with I phone too? or is it just for the phone? Thanks

[MisterJJ]

do you have this for your car? just wondering I have been looking for something like this as well. Can one play music with I phone too? or is it just for the phone? Thanks

I was actually the first A3 to get the adapter harness. They are located near me. No real music though, since the Parrot "brain" does not have A2DP. I played music but it is the normal bluetooth quality, which is horrible for music. There are other Parrot units that have A2DP but not sure if they will work with the controller. You can email them and ask.

I have been considering the Grom for music.

[TBomb]

I have the Fiscon unit, which allows you to use the steering wheel controls, and all of my phonebook data shows up on the RNS-E. It is pretty good, but the microphone isn't the greatest. Nothing really beats the OEM unit as far as mic quality goes though, I don't think.

[MisterJJ]

Nothing really beats the OEM unit as far as mic quality goes though, I don't think.

I have heard that the OEM one isn't that great because it is located up in the roof panel. I tried the Parrot mic there and it was no good. So I put it on top of the rear view mirror and it is excellent. I have been on the freeway and had to tell people that I'm in the car because it sounds just like talking on the phone itself.

[TBomb]

I have heard that the OEM one isn't that great because it is located up in the roof panel. I tried the Parrot mic there and it was no good. So I put it on top of the rear view mirror and it is excellent. I have been on the freeway and had to tell people that I'm in the car because it sounds just like talking on the phone itself.

The difference I think is that the OEM mic is active and multi-directional whereas most aftermarket mics are passive and directional. So, the OEM mic in the stock location works pretty well but an aftermarket mic in that location sounds like you are down in the bottom of a well. I have been disappointed with the Fiscon mic in the dome light panel, but have heard it works well mounted where the a pillar meets the roof and pointed at the driver. I'm not huge on the idea of having the mic out in the open, but I will probably end up moving it at some point.

[VWAddict]

I had the Parrot with steering wheel interface.



Took it out to replace it with the OEM one.



OEM is a MAJOR hassle, and requires some soldering, pulling out the driver's seat etc...



The OEM works well with the DIS (if your car has one) and extremely well with the RNS_E display (if your car has navigation).

But if you don't have Nav. then the ball-ache of fitting OEM should be avoided, The Parrott also allows a couple of things that the OEM one will not do, like alternate transfer calls to and from the handset for 'discreet mode'.

The OEM allows scrolling through your callbook in the DIS dispplay and initiating/ending calls without ever taking your hands away from the steering position. the Parrott does name recognition without having to manually enter them though...

[mrlapou]

Fiscon, with mic on A pillar works great. It's controlled via steering wheel buttons.
Only drawback with my installation is, the Fiscon does not allow voice dialling using voice tags on the my WinMobile6 phone :-(

[MisterJJ]

I'm not huge on the idea of having the mic out in the open, but I will probably end up moving it at some point.

Mounted on top of the rear view mirror is pretty stealthy and works great.

[cldub]

Ain't cheap, but works well. $290. Go to the main site and plug in your car info: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com

Honestly that's better than what I was expecting. For such a straight forward installation, would you consider it worth it? I'm debating whether or not I even need one because I rarely talk on the phone while in the car, but it would be nice for the times that I do

[Evo V]

I just looked on groom audio web site and it says that supports steering wheel controls. You can add bluetooth dongle for $50 and it allow you to stream music as well (A2DP)

[MisterJJ]

I just looked on groom audio web site and it says that supports steering wheel controls. You can add bluetooth dongle for $50 and it allow you to stream music as well (A2DP)

But... I believe it will only play music off of memory. No Pandora or the like. I would get this in a heartbeat if it worked with Pandora.

It would be interesting to see how well the steering wheel control works. Somebody needs do this and let us know.

[motojoe]

I tried to call them for some info on the product but there is no number. I think the other one is worth the money. I'd like to know how do you make a call go through your contacts. Will it show up on the mfd?

[motojoe]

So I spoke to the people at quickconnect and they basically told me the kit is plug and play and with the parrot module it's 280. She said the mic should be mounted directly in front of the driver somewhere. I didn't pull the trigger. I just wanted to know for those who have it is it worth the money and is it close to oem quality?

[VWAddict]

Audio is about the same as OEM. DO NOT use the in-roof mic spot... been there, tried that, no good.

i put mine in the instrument cluster. -Close. Easy cable run. sounds clearest. -I also tried the mirror.. no good with Parrott, can't say why beyond idle speculation, so I won't try.

If you want to use smartphone music, why not wire an aux-in if your radio can support it: it's what I did. -FAR better than bluetooth audio. -My Porsche has BT audio in, but no aux-in, and the othr benefit of aux in is that other people in th car can plug in, pipe video sound through the speakers, future-proof etc. A2DP... -I has it in a other car. -I fink is waste of time, I no use.

The Parrot doesn't show in the MFD, no. It uses voice recognition from your phone book... just watch the Youtube videos and you won't have to ask so much... these questions are all pretty well covered already.

The OEM shows in the MFD and the RNS-E if you have it, and for things like 'caller [mom] waiting, ignore?/switch to caller?' displays in th enav screen, it's awesome... but if you have no RNS-E, then that's half the benefit of the OEM gone. MFD isn't that awesome, though phone book scrolling is good. -I just used it today in fact for looking up the Audi dealership phone number while driving back from my 75k service. -VERY simple... but with the Parrott, I could have just pressed the button and said "Classic Audi" and it would have dialed the dealership for me.

Unless you're seriously into soldering/crimping and testing wires, get the Parrot. Fiscon is somewhere between the two, but still more complicated than the Parrot.

To install the parrot:

Remove and unplug head unit.
Plug in the adapter harness.
Run the mic cable.
Plug in the mic.
plug the head unit back in
Finally, test and if all's good, slip the head unit back in, tucking the parrot boxes away where they hide behind the unit.

If you MUST have the OEM, you can get them on eBay, typically from Poland. You'll also need some important Vag-Com reprogramming to get the rest of your stuff (multi-function display, steering wheel controls etc) to recognize the added BT module.

[MisterJJ]

I pulled the trigger and got the GROM unit with bluetooth. Phone bluetooth functionality is pretty bad. It's all handled through the CD interface. So to make or answer a call you first have to switch to the cd player and then hit track up or down. But I really bought it so I could stream music from my smartphone. For that, it works great! Pandora or any music player will stream over A2DP bluetooth or direct connection.

The phone bluetooth probably would have been fine for my limited use but I already had my parrot bluetooth with steering wheel control so I attached it along with the GROM unit. I was worried that there would be some problem with two phone bluetooth devices working through the same CD interface but all is well. The music will even pause when I use the phone.

If you get the GROM and you have the separate plug connectors (not one big connector) in the back of the stereo I highly recommend getting the special adapter they sell. Otherwise you have to cut the cars multi-connector plug into two pieces without damaging the connectors, which is not a pleasant experience.

You can also plug in a USB stick with music. I thought this would be good for holding some of my "go to" music but it kinda sucks because it is limited to 6 "CD's". So you have to divide your music into just 6 different groups and it will sequentially play from the group you select.

[gli1.8turbo]

I called to order the Quick Connect setup shown here: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/VWsteer2.htm

They asked if my radio deck has the VW style single plug in the back or a multi plug?

I have a 2006 A3 and have never popped my radio out to check. Does anyone know the answer to this?

My radio can be seen below.

[crew219]

I purchased an OEM bluetooth unit from this guy on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-Au...3&cmd=ViewItem

Proper OEM microphone and new sat unit with a build date of 5/2012

Dave

[MisterJJ]

They asked if my radio deck has the VW style single plug in the back or a multi plug?

I have a 2006 A3 and have never popped my radio out to check. Does anyone know the answer to this?

I also have a 2006 with what appears to be the same stereo. I have the multiple plugs in the back. YMMV.

[MisterJJ]

I purchased an OEM bluetooth unit from this guy on ebay.

Does the factory bluetooth have voice dialing? I seem to remember that as being a reason to go with the Parrot. Along with a much simpler installation.

Are there any other advantages to the OEM? Not that it matters for me, but I think it would help others to know.

[gli1.8turbo]

I also have a 2006 with what appears to be the same stereo. I have the multiple plugs in the back. YMMV.

My mileage may vary? Is it not always the same? Hmmmm.... Sounds like I need to pull my stereo deck out and double check just to be safe. I don't have a stereo puller tool.

Does anyone else know for certain which plug configuration my stereo has in the back?

[MisterJJ]

I just make my own stereo pullers. Cut up an unused credit card or similar.

Make it like this:

|\
|.\
|..\
|...\
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
|....|
-----

Width is just a little smaller than the slot width. But I've found that on the A3 I have to angle them up a little to catch the latch. Insert with longer side towards outside edge of stereo. Helps to remove frame above stereo first so you can pull on stereo.

P.S. I forgot how ugly that yellow airbag warning light is.

[mike3141]

You have a Concert II--it has multiple plugs.

And the OEM BT will dial from your contacts, by spoken digits, or by a saved voice tag.

[mike3141]

I purchased an OEM bluetooth unit from this guy on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-Au...3&cmd=ViewItem

Proper OEM microphone and new sat unit with a build date of 5/2012

Dave

BTW over on audiforum.us there are members who are claiming that this guy sells stolen parts.

http://audiforum.us/threads/naviservice.16373/

[VWAddict]

BTW over on audiforum.us there are members who are claiming that this guy sells stolen parts.

http://audiforum.us/threads/naviservice.16373/

I read that thread in full and didn't see a single assertion about stolen parts... Only non-shipment after payment.

In the LINKED thread (at the bottom of that page) there's discussion about a SEPARATE seller (with myself as a poster from a couple of years ago) which involves some supposition about the merchandise being stolen, but not in the first thread, unless I missed something?

In addition, the creator of the first thread says 'Google them... they rip loads of people off', but a swift Google a few moments ago only turned up multiple postings with different places (ripoffreport.com and similar) by the SAME PERSON, for a single event... The same exact person and event which led to the creation of the thread.

So while I have no dealings or connection with the company, I think it's a little misleading for that poster to suggest that they 'regularly' do it, unless he can provide corroborating or supporting proof, and in addition, it'd probably be better to clarify that I don't know of anyone other than that person, and that the item may very well be 'lost in shipping'.... although I would suggest for their sakes that they 'shut him up' by just making him another one!

As for the OTHER Polish company, my experience was not great (as posted) but was nothing to do with theft; merely that they used awfully slippery wire labels which left me with unlabeled wires, and a wrongly-pinned Molex connnector, and I received no follow-up communication, although admittedly that turned out to be my ISP's spam-catcher software which leaped on their email messages because they came from Poland, and apparently there's a LOT of nasty stuff coming from there.

[crew219]

BTW over on audiforum.us there are members who are claiming that this guy sells stolen parts.

http://audiforum.us/threads/naviservice.16373/

Looks like they're two different people.

The link you posted was for naviservice.pl, the guy I purchased from is VAG-navisystems.com based in Spain.

I purchased on 8/2 in the late evening. 8/3 in the early morning I received a UPS tracking number and it was delivered on 8/6 by UPS from Spain.

The seller has always been very communicative and would answer any question I had for him within 24hrs. All parts had genuine vw/audi stamps on them and the harness is of very high quality.

Dave

[mike3141]

Ahhh--I see--I got the similar names mixed up--my bad....