Question about headend and cd changer for Audi 1997 1.8T

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Mr DJ - 19 Mar 2004 18:18 GMT

Hi there. ive been looking for a suitable cd changer for my a4 97, but i
realise the geniuses at Audi made it a propreitary unit. not only is the
changer expensive as hell, no one even sells it. so my question is, can i
replace the entire radio deck to work with the later model cd changers
1998-2002? will this work with the existing 1997 speakers?

i appreciate you taking the time to read this and if anyone has any clues
let me know.
oh fyi - im in toronto - so if there are any stores that deal in this -
lemme know too.

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RIK - 20 Mar 2004 00:12 GMT

> Hi there. ive been looking for a suitable cd changer for my
> a4 97, but i realise the geniuses at Audi made it a
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> oh fyi - im in toronto - so if there are any stores that
> deal in this - lemme know too.

Regarding your question about changing your built in stereo.
The answer is a big YES, I have a 98 A4, and although the
built in unit was good the unit I have purchased is a damn
sight better. The solution however is quite simple, but
unfortunatley is the only one. You will need to purchase a new
lead set to plug into the leads you remove from the orig unit.
This MUST be done, I tried to make a patch lead up, but, after
eventually getting the stereo to work found the central
locking and alarm went nuts. After putting in the lead set no
probs at all. I see that you are in Toronto, I am in the UK,
so have a look around your end for a firm that sells specific
conversion lead sets for the Audi, if not try AUTOLEADS her in
the UK, I am sure they have a mail order service, but, the
leads are not cheap, roughly ?32.00 GBP. But the beauty of
them is that they work and work well, from there you will be
able to plug ANY up to date hi fi into your car. Oh, you will
also lose the radio data on the dash, but it is a small
sacrifice to make for the better audio quality. Regarding the
speakers, I dunno about your model but mine has amplified
speakers, I was a little concerned about over doing the power
output, but, providing you do not wish to blow out the town's
windows, the standard speakers are more than capable of
handling any new hi fi. I have installed a Sony Tuner MD/CD
changer with a 10 disc changer in the boot, the quoted output
is 50w per channel and to date it works real fine with no
major speaker worries even at a fair rate of knots on the
motorway. I hope this helps, if you need any more advice let
me know, also if you go down the route that I have you may be
worried about running a changer lead to the boot. NO problem
there either, by taking out only 2 screws you can run the
cable from the dash to the boot. That is another topic. Have
fun. RIK

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Victor Silva - 20 Mar 2004 01:26 GMT

Since you are in Toronto you can order this from www.crutchfield.com

USA SPEC SCD-AD44

Go into the crutchfield site car selector and put in your model. It plugs
right into the OEM connector in the trunk.

--Vic

> Hi there. ive been looking for a suitable cd changer for my a4 97, but i
> realise the geniuses at Audi made it a propreitary unit. not only is the
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> oh fyi - im in toronto - so if there are any stores that deal in this -
> lemme know too.

Reply to this Message

Mr DJ - 20 Mar 2004 22:26 GMT

if you look at that part you sent me - youll notice it is NOT compatible
with 1997 models. unfortunately audi's 97 a4 uses propreitary radio
technology.

i need info from someone who actually is aware of the 1997 problem im taking
about - i wanted to replace the radio AND the changer so that they talk with
no problems. but i was not sure if the input voltage to the radio unit will
be ok. i see some on ebay but if they do not have the radio security code
with them does it make them unusable?

> Since you are in Toronto you can order this from www.crutchfield.com
>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> > oh fyi - im in toronto - so if there are any stores that deal in this -
> > lemme know too.

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