About to take delivery of 2nd hand A8....satnav disk question...

[kpTTnuts]

Trading in A4 for A8 and have a couple of questions for A8 owners or those with knowledge thereof...

Car details - A8 3.2 CVT LWB 2006 model

The sat nav system is already installed but there didn't appear to be the original CD(s) with the car....do you think I would ever require the CDs in the future?

During negotiations I asked how much it would be for an map update and couldn't believe my ears when I heard the number...so I don't intend to purchase updates in a hurry! I could almost by myself a TomTom system!

Perhaps there is a way I can obtain a backup of the original install disks as after all I will be the legal owner of the sat nav system that is present :D

Any thoughts appreciated.

[hibberd]

Mine has a DVD player in the boot for the disc not cd, you can look on ebay for a slightly newer disc as they are cheaper than the newest from Audi.

[kpTTnuts]

Mine has a DVD player in the boot for the disc not cd, you can look on ebay for a slightly newer disc as they are cheaper than the newest from Audi.

Thanks for info....I have asked the salesman to find out if the previous owner has the original discs. I didn't see a DVD player in the boot when I looked the car over but I will now add this to my list of things to double check. (I have also asked salesman to let me know what he thinks the best option would be for me, to have a back-up of original or new version discs...before we hand over the dosh for the car!)

[hibberd]

The DVD is located in the boot behind the left side wall where the small holder net is placed. Undo the two twist screws and the panle can be removed, you should see the player there.

[kpTTnuts]

Thanks, I'm now guessing that the 'original' DVD is already in the DVD player too?

[hibberd]

If the disc is not in there if my memry is coreeect it will give a warning on the MMI when you turn the ignition on.

[happydan]

I had an update done by Audi on my A8 and they quoted me about £350 which incl a software update as well. I argued with them about the cost and after a few phone calls they agreed to split the cost 50/50 however it still cost me about £175. It had to go back a few times as well due to the update messing up certain set up ie Battery level indicator disappeared from my mmi menu!

hope this helps you

[Han Solo]

As far as I know, Audi are doing a 'summer special' and offering 2010 maps for £169, saw it last night on their site...

[kpTTnuts]

I still find £169 or £175 big numbers for an update when you can buy a TOMTOM system for less than £100 (albeit UK and ROI maps only)

[bigandyt]

I have bought both MMI updates and the very latest sat nav disks from Vadim, all worked great. They came with instructions that were straight forward.
He can be contacted on vadimdonik@hotmail.com
He had a listing on ebay originally and now I get an email each time a new version is available, I have paid him via paypal and had no issues at all. He is well worth a try.

[kpTTnuts]

I've drop an e-mail off to Vadim, I'll wait and see what happens. Also had a quick look on e-nay. I'll need to find out what current versions of software and Sat-Nav maps I have installed....I'm sure I've read somewhere on the forum pages already on how to do that, but expect Vadim to tell me what to do too.

[Gerbil]

I had an update done by Audi on my A8 and they quoted me about £350 which incl a software update as well. I argued with them about the cost and after a few phone calls they agreed to split the cost 50/50 however it still cost me about £175. It had to go back a few times as well due to the update messing up certain set up ie Battery level indicator disappeared from my mmi menu!

hope this helps you

If the DVD is not loaded the sat nav will not work at all display says Load DVD.
I had mine upgraded after a fault (Audi warranty paid for it all!) I also lost the battery indicator at this point. Dealer said they did not work accurately enough so were removed!

I am hoping the battery low warning still works as I once spent three hours in the channel tunnel and after two and a half the MMI warned me to "shut down everything or the car may not start" Scary thought!!!!

I have heard from others that DVDs are prone to "wearing out" as they get physically knocked by the laser when running if you are on rough ground (engineer mentioned changing them on off road audi was common) so I copied my DVD so I have a back up.

One warning, do not rely on petrol station info. My 2007 dvd which was installed in 2008 shows a local petrol station which stopped selling petrol in 1997 and was knocked down and has been a block of flats since 2001!! I have driven past a lot of ex-petrol statoions indicated by the sat nav since.

[kpTTnuts]

If the DVD is not loaded the sat nav will not work at all display says Load DVD.
I had mine upgraded after a fault (Audi warranty paid for it all!) I also lost the battery indicator at this point. Dealer said they did not work accurately enough so were removed!

I am hoping the battery low warning still works as I once spent three hours in the channel tunnel and after two and a half the MMI warned me to "shut down everything or the car may not start" Scary thought!!!!

I have heard from others that DVDs are prone to "wearing out" as they get physically knocked by the laser when running if you are on rough ground (engineer mentioned changing them on off road audi was common) so I copied my DVD so I have a back up.

One warning, do not rely on petrol station info. My 2007 dvd which was installed in 2008 shows a local petrol station which stopped selling petrol in 1997 and was knocked down and has been a block of flats since 2001!! I have driven past a lot of ex-petrol statoions indicated by the sat nav since.

Thanks for all of this...I have been in regular comms with Vadim and have now decide not to bother with the MMI update at this time (particularly for all of the issues I have read about battery indications and that there is not many major benefits to me). Since found out that he sells genuine MMI updates on e-bay.

I'll probably get map updates...all you can do with any map info is trust it to some degree if you don't have local knowledge.

Even if I decide to get a used set of maps I'll take a back-up of that just in case!

Cheers!

[Mike Bloom]

I have a 2002 A8 and I bought a 2009/2010 CD for £60.00 If you go for maps around that date you also get the TMC feature for free. Maps aftef this date no longer include the TMC as a standard. This is great feature as it shows where traffic problems are and can automatically divert you round the problem.