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Dickimuss
30-06-2011, 10:12 PM
Hi All,



I am glad at last to have found some other A7 owners. We are certainly a rare breed at the moment. I wonder if any of you can help me.



I have an A7 SE which I love. Apart from the metallic paint its standard off the page. I upgraded from an A6 2.7 SE Avant automatic and to be honest all the ‘extras’ such as leather seats with memory, auto gearbox, satnav, phone prep, ambient lighting etc I had before are all standard on the A7 so I could not see any extras I felt I really needed in addition. Really unusual for Audi to put out such a complete car. I have had the car for about a month now and absolutely love it – well nearly. I have been having a few issues with the MMI and I wondered if anybody else has had similarproblems.



First of all I paired the MMI with my HTC desire runningandroid 2.2. For about a week it worked absolutely perfectly. Then one day I got into the car and the phone was not detected by the MMI and refused to pair when I tried to connect manually. I wrestled with the problem for a few days – but in the end I had to do a factory reset on the phone. This cured the problem for a few days and then the same thing happened again – and so it continues. I do a factory reset, it works for a few days and then it stops working. It is obviously very annoying and as usual with Audi they have no knowledge of this issue so I am on my own. Has anybody else come across this – or have any ideas for a possible fix? The phone worked perfectly on the A6 right up until I changed the car – so I think the phone being faulty is a bit unlikely.



The other issues revolve around the sat nav. It’s really strange – but the voice guidance randomly switches between miles and kilometres. There is no pattern to this and I get different results driving inthe same area – so its not a mapping issue.

The second issue is more serious as its potentially dangerous.On occasions the MMI screen and the binnacle display disagree. For instance I may come up to a round about and the MMI screen will correctly show a roundabout. The binnacle display will however show a junction with a right turn and the voice guidance witll say ‘turn right in X yards or metres’ as it feels like. I have had instances of the sat nav telling me to turn left at a round about but both the sat nav screens showing a right turn, I have been told to turn right coming out of Heathrow airport (which would take you to central London) when I need to turn left to join the M25. It has also on both screens and by voice tried to take me the wrong way around aroundabout!

This is all well and good when you know where you are – but if you were actually relying on the sat nav to get you somewhere it could be areal problem. Fortunately I managed to get some video of these problems and Audi could not deny they exist – as they tried to initially. I am told that Audi are now working on a solution to this problem – but again I wondered if anybody else had come across anything like this in their A7’s?



This sounds like an awful lot of complaining – but in the scheme of things the delight which is the rest of the car means that I can live with the issues - in the short term at least. The A7 is the most beautiful car I have had – and I love it to bits – Dodgy MMI and all.

aurora7
02-07-2011, 08:51 PM
Hi; interesting set of problems.

No idea re your phone issue; I've not had any problems with my iPhone (apart from it not working at the same time as online services from a separate SIM in the dash, as documented in an earlier post).

On my previous car (A8) I used to get a similar problem once every few weeks or so, when the car and phone would suddenly stop recognising each other. A reset of the iPhone usually solved it, but on a couple of occasions I had to pair from scratch. But I've had no issue with the A7/iPhone pairing so far/yet. I assume your HTC is right up to date with its software versions? The A7 will presumably have a newer version of the interface to bluetooth/phones than your A6 did, so maybe some incompatibility there if you are not completely up-to-date on the android software?

Re your MMI problems.... I always have sat nat voice guidance switched off so have never noticed this. I'll switch in on for the next few days and see if I get the same mileage/km confusion. I think I've noticed what you are describing with the binnacle directions; I must admit I had assumed they were a new way of showing exits from roundabouts (on my binnacle they display differently to a standard right turn, so I interpreted it to be a visual depiction for taking an exit off a roundabout - which of course it is). As I don't have voice guidance on, I haven't heard it talk about right exits, and I agree that would be very confusing - maybe something as daft as a wrong translation from the continental guidance where of course they would turn right off a roundabout rather than left as we do?!?

Hopefully once I've driven around with voice guidance on for a few days I'll have a few more ideas.

I'm often in Ringwood at weekends and a friend recently saw an A7 ("dark") one evening somewhere near Haskins/West Parley, so that was either you or we are finally growing in number!!

AndyMic
03-07-2011, 02:38 PM
I've had many problems pairing my iPhone with my current vehicle (mercedes.... A7 on order).
This presents itself as either not connecting at all or, calls not coming through the bluetooth interface but ringing on the phone.
Each time this happens I have to turn off bluetooth on the iPhone and then turn it back on.
This works sometimes but occasionaly this won't fix the problem. If the car is left overnight it would usually connect the next morning.
Tres strange and annoying.

Dickimuss
03-07-2011, 10:35 PM
Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies. Re the phone software this is as up to date as it can be a the moment. There is a new software release (Android 2.3) floating around - but as I write this is not available for the Desire. I am hoping that this may provide a solution - but in reality I think it is intended to bring added functionality rather than bug fixes.
I am currently trying my wifes iphone and this so far is behaving very well. I am going to see how this pans out over a period if time as the HTC was fine as well initially. It will take a little while to do as the Mrs obviously won't allow me to nick her phone for extended periods whislt I try to wreck the software on it. Not sure what to do if the iphone proves ok as I normally have a policy of not letting Steve Jobs get his control freak mits on any of my cash.

Interesting comment about never using voice guidance. I have to admit I generally find this very useful so I don't think I will be turning it off any time soon. I would be grateful if you could give it a try for a few days to see if you are suffering from the same problem. I have to say that if you have not listend to the voice guidance before she does have an unusual turn of phrase on occasion - but this is mainly down to the mapping/programming. The one to listen out for is when she says to' turn right/left at a round about' instead of 'take the third exit' or something similar. This is usually accompanied by the incorrect binnacle graphic.

Finally yes I am frequently in the Parley area and the car is in Moonlight Blue -which looks almost black in most lights so it was alomst certainly me your friend spotted as I don't think there are many other A7's around in the area yet.

aurora7
04-07-2011, 08:00 PM
Hi again,

I've now driven with voice guidance switched on for the last few days and I haven't yet been able to reproduce your problems.

Whilst she is indeed most strange at times (in fact the voice guidance almost sounds half finished whereas it was very smooth on my previous Audi) and I haven't yet worked out why she persists in pronouncing an "a" as an "e" (so "Wales" becomes "Weels", "Way" becomes "Wee" and so on!!) I haven't yet heard her switch between miles and kms, nor have I heard her give incorrect directions so far. At roundabouts she is consistently talking about "take the third exit" etc.

I've tried it on both "complete" and "compact" voice guidance settings, albeit for longer on "complete". Which setting are you using?

Might be worth checking whether we have identical settings?
- My instrument cluster is set to "street" not "arrows"
- My MMI measurement units are set to mph/miles/Centrigrade/mpg(uk)/gal(uk)
If any of yours are set to something different then let me know and I'll test again with your settings... that might narrow it down?

In "setup MMI" my Version information is HN+R_EU_AU_P0358 (media) and 8R0060884N ECE 5.12.5 (nav database version); it would also be interesting to know if you are on the same versions.

I used to turn voice guidance on only if I was really confused about where I was going, but these days I just rely on the binnacle and HUD pictorial guidance, which has so far been accurate, but then again I haven't been very lost anywhere yet so I might yet eat my words.

Let me know how you get on.

Dickimuss
05-07-2011, 06:06 PM
Hi Aurora7,

Thanks for your reply. I think we are probably on a bit of a loser here as I suspect you have upgraded to a higher level of MMI - did you go for the techology pack by any chance? I have only the standard system which comes with the car.

I have got the MMI set up to miles and the complete voice guidance selected. My software is RMC-EU-P10396 and the sat nav version is 8X0919884C - so both very different to yours. It would seem a little unlikley that they would build the same errors into different software versions. anyway at least Audi are on the case following the video/audio evidence I was able to provide at the risk to life and limb driving whislt filming the MMI at the same time.

The phone is becoming the real pain - as I am lost without a reliable handsfree connection; plus if the phone won't connect you cannot access favourite locations in the sat nav.
The Mrs iphone is working well at the moment with the car - but that does not help me much.

DJM_A7
17-07-2011, 08:38 PM
Hi,

My wife and I noticed the "random" switching between KM and Miles on the Sat nav. Because i switch from Miles to KM all the time when travelling (alot of time in Europe), it hasn't bothered me though.

The only issue i have with MMI is on another post; i.e. pairing is absolutely fine with all functions working . . . . . as long as i don't want to talk to anyone. I can hear them crystal clear, but they can barely hear me. Won't go into details here as it's covered on the other post.

Dickimuss
17-07-2011, 08:49 PM
Hi,

Its good to hear ( in a strange way) that somebody else is seeing at least one of the symptoms I am with the navigation system. as you say the switching beween miles and Km is really not much of an issue - however the mapping issues I am discovering, and instructions which are different on the screens is. Have you seen any problems with the sat nav in any other ways?

Re the phone issues I have paired my wifes iphone to the MMi and this has been working well - so I am beginning to belive that the MMI is pretty fussy about the phones it will pair with on long term basis. It is beginning to look as though I will have to change the phone over to an iphone - which sucks as I dislike using Apple products of any discription.

DJM_A7
18-07-2011, 07:59 PM
Hiya,

I've been really pleased with the sat nav. the only issue i've seen is the switching a/above; certainly nothing like what you've experienced. that sounds properly scary! My wife has a Garmin standalone in her car and I only miss the speed camera displays, other than that, the MMI is far better imo. I have noticed that when traffic is very bad, it can get into a "recalculating" loop, but it's not been a real issue so far. I think your problem sounds like corrupt data on the SD card, but i'm no expert!

Re: Handsfree. I'm changing to a blackberry torch in a couple of weeks, so i'm going to see if i have the same audio problems with that. if i do, then it's a microphone issue, and the garage will have to fix it. i'm sorry to hear about your apple-phobia. i'm a 25 year experience IT geek, and i switched over to apple 4 years ago. my only regret? not doing it sooner! :-)

Dickimuss
18-07-2011, 09:10 PM
The products are OK - its the control freak Steve Jobs and his total disdain for non US customers I dislike. I am sure that once he finds out I am boycotting his products he will cave in soon enough though :). Let us know how you get on with the Torch.

TopherGeorge
05-10-2011, 10:04 PM
I have had my new A6 just over a week and it has the same MMI set up. So far I have had all of the above problems regarding the sat nav, the display sending me the wrong way around round a bouts and miles and km getting confused. Great system just it seems buggy at the moment.

I had the car at the dealership today and it is a known problem. Audi are apparently working on a solution but they haven't released one yet. Have you spoke to your dealership? What did they advise?

Dickimuss
06-10-2011, 07:11 PM
Hi TopherGeorge,

Great to hear from you. I was beginning to think that I was the only one with this set of problems with the MMI. I had another concerted effort to get some action from the dealer a couple of weeks ago. After some pushing on my part they contacted Germany directly and got confirmation that Audi were activley working on a fix. The ETA for this is supposed to be the end of this month or early in November - I tend to think November is more likely! The dealer has promised to contact me as soon as they have the information through to fix the problem - but I think I will be on the phone to them at the end ofhe month in any case to see what the current state of play is. Having had the car for so long I am beginning to lose patience with the whole thing. I will post on here as soon as I get any positive news.

TopherGeorge
06-10-2011, 07:22 PM
Unfortunately it's a problem that is generic to the current a6 and a7 mmi. Apparently it's something that may just randomly happy as you have found out and they seem to have advised that all the mmi units will need an upgrade because they are likely to suffer this problem at some point in their life if they are right hand drive. Therefore everyone please take note and upgrade your mmi when Audi have worked on a solution.

I will let you know if I hear anything from my end first.

kennyh
05-02-2012, 11:13 AM
Guys

Any update on whether a fix for these problems is available?

I'm about to pick up an ex-demo A7 this week and would obviously want it patched before picking it up.

Cheers
Kenny

a8 tech
05-02-2012, 11:33 AM
km/miles issue will be addressed with new software update that may already be available, will check

TopherGeorge
05-02-2012, 12:09 PM
It appears that Audi Uk have issued a fix for this problem. However, it does seem like a lot of dealers are not aware of the issue and so do not know the fix is available. If your dealer tells you that there is no fix tell them to contact Audi technical in Milton Keynes for more info. Apparently this only got released in the last few weeks.



Guys

Any update on whether a fix for these problems is available?

I'm about to pick up an ex-demo A7 this week and would obviously want it patched before picking it up.

Cheers
Kenny

kennyh
05-02-2012, 07:02 PM
Thanks all. So what is the S/w version that fixes it? (so I can ensure I get my car delivered with the correct/updated version).

Cheers
Kenny

Dickimuss
06-02-2012, 01:28 PM
It so happens my A7 is in having the software upgrade done at the moment. I had a call from the dealership last week saying that the upgrade disk had arrived and that they could take the car in on Thursday. I asked for an intermitant buzz under the steering wheel to be sorted at the same time. By some miracle I was able to demonstrate the buzz to a technician who said he thought it could be fixed with some padding - which is what I expected. In the event a part was required which as usual had to come from Germany - so I am currently in a loan car to save them rebuilding the dash again.

The sat nav upgrade apparently takes about 1 1/2 hours and there is an additioanl software up grade to be installed which deals with the very occasional but really irritating issue of the car refusing to start. It has happended to me 4 times and you are helpless until the car decides it is ready to go. At this point I am not sure when I will get the car back - but I will let you know how I get on.

a8 tech
06-02-2012, 02:02 PM
Update disc p/n 8x0 998. 961 or b


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers

kennyh
06-02-2012, 04:18 PM
Update disc p/n 8x0 998. 961 or b


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers


Hi A8 Tech.

So is that "8X0 998 961 B"?

I didn't quite understand the "or" bit.

Cheers
Kenny

a8 tech
06-02-2012, 04:43 PM
There are two discs depending on mmi specification but both are available and should be auto issue to the dealers
The disc are run via the DVD drive then online connection via vas to encode changes and update vehicle build sw levels at factory
Tpi has yet to be released however the discs are ready


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers

By-Tor
23-06-2012, 08:24 PM
Hi Chaps

I've got an A6 with the SD satnav and whilst I've not experienced any problems alluded to so far in this thread, I do have a bit of an issue with some of the voice guidance terminology. In my previous car (Audi A4 with MMI high) the satnav would tell me to keep left or keep right on motorways where there was a biggish junction coming up (say where the M66 splits to the M62 2 left lanes and the M60 2 right lanes). The satnav in my A6 says things like "in 1 mile turn right" (on a motorway!) and also says "now drive to the left/right" rather than "keep left/right" or "take the exit".

Anyone had this with their satnavs?

Thanks

Dickimuss
25-06-2012, 04:10 PM
Hi Chaps

I've got an A6 with the SD satnav and whilst I've not experienced any problems alluded to so far in this thread, I do have a bit of an issue with some of the voice guidance terminology. In my previous car (Audi A4 with MMI high) the satnav would tell me to keep left or keep right on motorways where there was a biggish junction coming up (say where the M66 splits to the M62 2 left lanes and the M60 2 right lanes). The satnav in my A6 says things like "in 1 mile turn right" (on a motorway!) and also says "now drive to the left/right" rather than "keep left/right" or "take the exit".

Anyone had this with their satnavs?

Thanks

Yes mine does this as well. I love my car - but the satnav is total pants. Audi had the car for three days a while back and were able to replicate most of the problems I had reported. At the end of the exercise the result from Germany was essentially tough luck we know its faulty and may or may not fix these issues in a future software update as and when we feel like it. They really are ********* some times. As a result I have a car with a sat nav I cannot trust to take me anywhere i don't already know. Why they can't link up with an outfit like Tom Tom and use thier technology I do not know.