Alright, this may be a long post, but it's been awhile and I'm wired on oolong tea right now...

I've been searching the BBS for something authoritative on TT installations, and while I found one excellent thread it didn't really answer all of my questions and was quite dated. My problem comes in two parts:

First, is it possible to install the Mark II in a stock 2001 TT Roadster without modifying the current sound system (aside from the head unit, of course)? My car is leased, so I'm not terribly interested in ripping everything out and putting it back in in a couple of years. I have the premium Bose sound package, which I like, so I'm not looking to replace speakers and/or the amp unless it's HIGHLY recommended. In addition, I'm wondering if it's at all possible that my dash display can reflect track information from the Mark II... okay, didn't think so ;-) I never use the thing anyway.

Second, does anyone in the Twin Cities (Mpls-St. Paul) area know of a GOOD installer that would be willing to work on my little baby? There's no way in hell she's going to Audio King or some similar large chop shop, and I don't know enough of the specialized installer community to risk it to the Yellow Pages.

I've had the car for a year now, and have read my morning Empeg BBS update religiously for almost two years, but have been finally pushed to get a damn Mark II because of the EOL situation. To be honest, I can live with a six CD changer, but there's no way I'm letting something like the Empeg slip past me. All this time I've assumed that the competition would catch up and prices would drop and sonic|BLUE (whatever) would be shoveling Mark IIs out the door. Wrong on all counts, so here I am trying rationalize the ultimate Christmas present.

Thanks for any help, and thanks again for being part of the best online community I've ever witnessed.

Wow, looking back on your posts, I'm surprised it's been this long before you got one. Based on your prior posts, I would have expected to see you with a Mk2 a long time ago. You sure did some long-term lurking.

Well, I've personally seen at least one empeg looking really nice in a TT dashboard, so I know it can be done. Whether or not it will be easy to integrate with the factory amp/speakers I don't know. I'm sure you've checked out the Installation section of the FAQ at riocar.org by now, but most importantly, if you have TT-specific questions, you might want to ask on a TT-specific bulletin board. Just say you have a standard aftermarket stereo but with only line-level outputs, and you want to know if there is a line-input converter available for the Bose system in your model of TT.

Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the product when you finally get it. After having waited so long...

Hi Mafisto,

Good news. As you've got the Bose system, then installing the Empeg is actually very simple. If you had the stock audio setup, then you would need to add an amp, and possibly replace speakers (depending on how you like the Audi supplied items).

There are three things that you need:

1) The removal keys for the Bose head unit (if you ask your Audi dealer nicely, they will probably remove it for you FOC).

2) An adapter loom to allow the ISO connector and the Empeg pre-amp outputs to interface to the Bose amp connector.

3) Facia adapters to make the opening on the TT standard DIN-E sized.

When I did the install in my TT, then you couldn't actually get an adapter designed specifically for the Bose system. From reading around, and from looking at the service manual for the TT, I was able to work out that the TT is almost identical to the A3 (with Bose). I therefore purchased the A3 adapter and modified it to suit. As I had the wiring diagrams for the TT, this was actually easy.

In the TT, the Bose system only has one set of L+R pre-amp inputs. All of the balancing of the speakers is actually performed by the Bose amplifier. This is most evident by the fact that you can't perform any front/rear fading in the Bose setup, but you can in the stock setup (at least on the TT Coupe). In the TT, the loom connector is configured with many more pins than it actually needs, as it comes from the A3/A4. If you look at the wiring diagram, there are two sets of pins for front and rear pre-amp inputs. On the TT with Bose, only the front pre-amp connectors are actually used.

The A3 loom adaptor is wired so that the pre-amp connectors are mapped to the rear pre-amp inputs on the connector. To make it work, you simply remove the pins on the adapter from the rear positions, move them to the front positions, and it just works. Fortunately, the Bose amp takes a 4v pre-amp input, so it matches the Empeg perfectly.

In the UK, a company called Autoleads can supply all of the parts that are required, but I don't know where you would get them in the US (Crutchfield, perhaps?).

I'm currently away from home, but when I get back, I will either post, or send you the pinouts for the Bose connector.

Alternatively, I do still have all of the bits for installing in the TT, as I no longer have mine. If you want them, then I'm sure we could work out a deal.

Hope this helps,

Andy.

Heh, I just looked back at my past posts and have noted the year-long lurk. Really, I've been reading the BBS for almost 2.5 years now, perhaps a bit longer. In July of 2000 I did something silly that exiled me to just reading the posts in the morning -- I started a company.

Now that I'm older, wiser and much more cynical I'm sure I'll have all sorts of things to say about my new Mark II

Andy, thanks so much for the information, that was quite illuminating. I would be interested in taking your TT components off of your hands as I have little time or inclination to hunt these things down. Email me at paul@brazelton.net to begin negotiations.

As I have a very car audio-savvy friend, do you think I could just get this done myself with some help? This is a guy who replaces the entire audio system of every new car he gets with a $5000+ system and is a mechanical engineer. Given that I can get all extra components from you, this should be a snap, right?

One last thing -- what happened to your TT? I'm terribly, tragically in love with mine and couldn't imagine leaving her for another. *laugh*

As I have a very car audio-savvy friend, do you think I could just get this done myself with some help?

Yes, but if you possibly can, see if Crutchfiled has Master Sheets for your particular year/model of TT. Even an expert stereo installer can damage a dashboard or trim panel if they don't know how to remove it correctly.

I'm not a pro, but I did my install on my jetta, and have done many other car stereo installs before.. and I live in Minneapolis. :)

Hey, do Crutchfield have their "dash din adapters" online somewhere? I'd like to check out what's possible with a new BMW 3 series dash, since everything is integrated in those dashes. I'm looking into getting such a car, but there's no way I'll go through with it if there isn't a way I can make my Empeg fit into that dash!
I've looked at crutchfields' site but can't seem to find such adapters on it.

Thx!

Crutchfield doesn't have their car-specific adapters online. The best thing to do with Crutchfield is to call their toll-free number and ask to talk to someone about car installations. Their phone people are generally very good and will be able to tell you whether adapters exist for your particular make of car.

Nah, I don't think I'll bother since Crutchfield doesn't ship to Europe anyway. . I just asked about them because I thought they were the biggest and would be the most informative.

Actually I have found something about it here, but it's not very informative and the pictures are too small.

Does anybody know of a better site?

Thx!

Hi Archeon,

The following page on the Autoleads website has some more information:

http://www.autoleads.co.uk/Cat%201/bmw.html

Alternatively, the technical guy at Autoleads is called Derek McCrory, and he is always willing to answer queries on this kind of subject. If you want to give him a call, the number is:
+44 (0)1420 476767.

Be aware that Autoleads do not deal directly with the public, so you will still need to find a distributor who will sell you what you need, e.g. Halfords in the UK.

Andy.

Thanks!

I've seen that page too, bu tI found the pictures a bit too small to be clear. I'll look further into it, maybe I'll find another page with better quality pics.

On the good side though : here in Belgium we've also got Halfords stores. I may just pop into one of those in the next couple of days.

Thanks for the info!

Look for info and products from Scosche and Metra. I just did a scan of the Metra site and didn't find anything for visual appearance. Only wiring adapters. But Scosche does have at least one face adapter listed.

Metra's site www.metraonline.com

Scosche site: www.scosche.com

BMW 3-series link on Scosche site.

Lastly, Tune Town has a pretty good setup where they will show you all the wiring and adapter products they carry for your car (Metra and other brands). The link goes directly to the main BMW page.

All this talk about new cars is leaving me with the creeping desire for a new ride. Arrrgh. :) Especially when my car is still all torn down for this bloody installation. Must resist temptation. House has to come first. Otherwise, the little cars that appeal to me the most right now are: Honda S2000, Honda/Acura NSX, Mercedes C Coupe. I don't think stock options are going to cut it for any one of those cars *and* a house. :)

Bruno

Well, if it makes you feel any better, you will do well to wait for another year. Then, you'll have the 2003 model-year cars to choose from. That will include the new Mazda RX-8, the Nissan Z, and I guess the new BMW Z3...

Oh, the one car I did forget to mention was the BMW Z3 which I also quite like. I have seen pictures of the RX-8 and it looks like.... Umm.. Ass. And the Nissan Z looks pretty terrible as well (my brother took some pics at an auto show in February). Plus it's a Nissan. I might as well be buying a Suzuki. :)

Of course with a roadster I'd probably have to keep my current Integra for the winter.

Bruno

Thanks for the info Hybrid!

Everybody just keeps on talking about that S2000. Is that car so cheap where you live? Over here it costs about $36.000.

A great car, but way out of my price range.

The S2000 is about $48000 Canadian stock where I live. That's about $30000 US at the current exchange rate. Not "cheap" but less expensive than a lot of other cars. The NSX, new, is $140000 Canadian (or $87500 US), but can be found much lower for a used model of various years (even a 1991 model will last for a long time - they're excellent for maintenance compared to any other high performance car). Out of my price range right now because I want to buy a house and don't want to be making any monthly car payments. :)

If you like the Z3 but need a roof, then there's always the Z3 or M Coupe.


It look like 2002 will be its last model year. For 2003, they've got a radically new design coming out, and there probably won't be a non-convertible option any more.


As to the reliability of the Nissan or Mazda... I don't wish to start a flame war. Suffice to say that my old '91 Nissan 240SX lasted nine years with only scheduled maintenance and the usual things failing (i.e., rusting through the muffler, battery wearing out, etc.) and was still quite usable when I sold it. My '00 BMW Z3 Coupe has been to the shop at least ten times since I got it. My current thinking is that Japanese cars are radically more reliable than anything else out there.

I had a chance to ride in N6MOD's M3 coupe recently. Nice little vehichle.

You think that's bad. In the UK it is 25k, which works out at around $41,000, but cars are always more expensive in the UK than just about anywhere else.

No doubt it costs about the price of a Big Mac in Japan...

Older? You're still a pup.

Actually, I think that if you went to Audio King in Minnetonka, there would be some great installers. That's where the best ones go, because that's where the rich people live. You can tell them you're doing it yourself, and what pieces do you need. They will probably let you talk to someone from the install bays, I'm sure they've seen lots of Audi's come in. Best Buy and Circuit City are to be avoided with your Baby, but AK is pretty good really.

Bring that thing over so we can get to work! Also - I saw the TT install page - if you haven't contacted him yet - do so! Any hints will save a lot of time. I expect to get mine in my eclipse in about 30 minutes, but we may spend all day on yours being careful since you don't know how it comes apart yet.

I got a different head unit installed at audio king in burnsville, MN it was a brand new car I had the dealer bring it there to have the new stereo installed before I picked up the car. later I wanted to put back in the factory head unit and found they chopped the connector off the factory harness instead of using an adaptor.

there are no good car stereo install shops even if you may think you have found a good one it will turn out to be bad later.

Bah! It just takes that one lazy/stupid/ignorant installer to fsck your car up. I'd rather enslave you, 'cause I know where you live if things go awry.

The install seems like a snap from what Andy/Bagpuss stated above. I just CAN'T get a hold of him now (via email) for the TT parts. Andy? Where are you?! Anyone know him in RL?