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D2 - Sat Nav, ICE, Audio & TV All in car entertainment discussions |
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#1
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RNS-E navigation drive replacement
Hi all
My RNS-E had started to get fussy about what discs it would accept for the navigation system. I know I can burn the discs reliably, so when cleaning the lens with a CD lens cleaner, and even stripping the lid off the drive and cleaning with IPA only worked for a couple of days, it was clear more surgery was required! You can buy just the laser if you're handy with a soldering iron, but I'm not. After much digging through ebay adverts I found a source for complete transports (they're actually an Alpine part) at not ridiculous cost. Including shipping and import tax it came to £95 (£75 for unit, £15 shipping and just under £5 VAT) I've attached a pdf guide that covers the whole process (written by someone else and with an e-mail address for enquiring about lasers), including laser replacement assuming you're just doing that. I also took some photos of my own as I went along. It did get a bit fraught towards the critical part, so photo taking stopped to concentrate on not breaking anything critical! With the RNS-E removed and on the bench, getting access to the laser and transport for cleaning is really easy: Remove the 3 marked screws from the top Then remove 1 screw on each side: Lift off the lid and this is what you'll find: The laser head itself is hidden under part of the metal frame, but you can get to it with a cotton bud soaked in IPA if you want to give cleaning it a go - the earlier the better if it's showing signs of weakness. To remove the drive you then need to free up the faceplate by removing 4 screws on each side: You can then very carefully work the fascia forward a little - this will pull the screen forward as well. You're not trying to remove the fascia at this point, so once you've pulled it forward a little if you push it back you want to be able to get hold of the bottom of the screen and then pull the screen forward on its mechanism. Watch out for the spring underneath which you really do not want to break! At this point you may wish to disconnect the cable between the fascia and main board: Mine just popped out when I was fiddling with the fascia, but much better to remove it in a planned way! The brackets on each side that hold the unit in place in the car will become detached as well - this doesn't matter so long as you realise they're handed and have little cutouts that need to be engaged with the fascia before you put the screws back in! I don't like ribbon cables and don't recognise how they work. The instructions attached are not very clear on this, and i didn't grab pictures but basically whenever you are removing a ribbon cable, there is a mini clamp holding it in place! On the screen there are recesses you can put a pointed tool in, but fingers will also free it off. Just tease the connector towards the ribbon and it should release. Getting it back together is fiddly but much easier if you've released the connector in the first place! Once you've released the screen ribbon there are 3 black screws holding the bottom of the screen to the frame. Undo those and you than then twist the screen and remove it completely to keep it safe. To get the disc transport out you only need to remove 4 screws. The 2 on the front: And less obvious from the guide are the rear ones: These are fiddly to get to so when I reassembled I put the rear screws into the holes before going near the main unit, to avoid having to try and fish them out of the inner recesses of the main unit! Once the screws are out you need to release another ribbon connector underneath the drive - this one has 2 plastic clips, 1 on each side, which release with finger pressure. I did find some of the screws really tight, considering how small they are. Jewellers screwdrivers fit perfectly but don't give you enough purchase to undo them. I found a mini pair of pliers useful to grip the screwdriver shaft to get them started. Also to make sure they were tight enough on reassembly. Then the immortal Haynes phrase on reassembly! Amazingly after getting it back together and plugging back in it is working perfectly! I burned a fresh 2015 map to avoid any risk of dust or disc damage carrying over. Popped it in the drive and it read it very quickly compared to the old drive and on a test run worked exactly as it should. I now have a spare disc transport sitting here, so if anyone is contemplating a laser replacement swap and you wanted to do it at leisure with a known good transport it's here Now to decide whether the Mk2 RNS-E is worth the extra cash, given I'll probably end up replacing the transport on that at some point! Final note on parts - my old one was marked DV35 and the replacement is DV36. They are compatible - no idea if there's a design difference, but it's a later part so you never know!
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===SOLD===2002 Audi S8 D2 Final Edition (yes, really) in Avus Silver with purple extended leather===SOLD=== 2011 S5 Sportback in Phantom Black with black Super Sports leather, 9x20s, tech pack high, adaptive xenon plus, intelligent key, memory seats pack, sunroof, B&O, Audi Drive Select & quattro Sports Diff, DAB, parking system plus 2015 VW Golf GTI Performance Pack in Carbon Grey with black Vienna leather, tech pack (Discovery Pro nav & Dynaudio), DCC, factory towbar and retrofit RVC Last edited by Adrian E; 12th April 2015 at 07:57 AM. |
#2
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Nice work!
Out of interest, how much is it for just the laser head unit?
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Mark ------------------------------------------------------ 2002 FE S8 Ebony Black Pearl ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Cars Owned: The Tesla Era: 2020 Model S Performance Ludicrous+ (present) (Black, with all black premium interior and carbon fibre décor, 21" sonic carbon twin turbine wheels and FSD capability) The Audi Era: '97 A8 4.2 (Ming Blue) --> '96 A8 4.2 QS (Dark Green) --> '02 FE S8 (present) The Citroen Era: '84 BX 1.6 RS --> '89 BX 1.9 DTR Turbo --> '94 XM 2.0L Turbo --> '96 XM 2.0L Turbo Exclusive --> '00 Xantia Activa 2.0L Turbo The Banger Era: '76 1.2L Lada VAZ-2101 (Ruski Fiat 124) --> '80 1.7L Morris Ital HL, finished in Ermine White and Rust |
#3
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Good write-up thanks Adrian - I've added this to the section sticky at the top of the thread as a useful guide
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Confidence is the feeling you have before you know better . . . . Audi A8 D2 3.7 Quattro Sport 1999 FL - Melange 2nd Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2012 at Edersee 20" x 9" Bentley GTC Wheels with 385mm W12 Front Discs & Bentley Caliper Covers, Front Lowered on Coilovers, Xenons, Combined DRLs and LED Foglights to modified OEM front fog lamp position, Alcantara/Leather, Full Black Alcantara headlining + pillars and blind shelf, Bespoke Flat Bottomed Sports Steering Wheel, Dark Myrtle Wood, Autodim Mirrors, Bose, Blinds, Digital TV, Ski Hatch, Modified rear exhaust section for extra V8 Burble Audi S8 D2 Final Edition 2002, Avus Silver with Red Leather Interior Tiptronic with Sport mode button, Sony rear entertainment package, Bose sound system, Audi Navigation Plus, 20 inch Final Edition alloys, Full Cat Back Stainless Milltek exhaust, giving a great V8 burble Audi A8L D2 4.2 Petrol with LPG - Ebony Black Audi A8L D4 FL 4.0T Petrol twin turbo - Havana Black Audi A2 1.6 FSi Sport - Dolphin Grey with Votex body kit and Red Leather Interior and some other A8's A8L's and Mercs |
#4
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I think the laser alone can be had in the UK for about £50. For the total of £95 incl all taxes and super speedy delivery from Taiwan via DHL this seemed the less risky approach!
I'll post the company's details when I'm at home
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===SOLD===2002 Audi S8 D2 Final Edition (yes, really) in Avus Silver with purple extended leather===SOLD=== 2011 S5 Sportback in Phantom Black with black Super Sports leather, 9x20s, tech pack high, adaptive xenon plus, intelligent key, memory seats pack, sunroof, B&O, Audi Drive Select & quattro Sports Diff, DAB, parking system plus 2015 VW Golf GTI Performance Pack in Carbon Grey with black Vienna leather, tech pack (Discovery Pro nav & Dynaudio), DCC, factory towbar and retrofit RVC |
#5
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For anyone needing a drive, you can search for eBay user ID audio_navi_part
Or they also have a web site www.sune-tech.com or e-mail james@sune-tech.com
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===SOLD===2002 Audi S8 D2 Final Edition (yes, really) in Avus Silver with purple extended leather===SOLD=== 2011 S5 Sportback in Phantom Black with black Super Sports leather, 9x20s, tech pack high, adaptive xenon plus, intelligent key, memory seats pack, sunroof, B&O, Audi Drive Select & quattro Sports Diff, DAB, parking system plus 2015 VW Golf GTI Performance Pack in Carbon Grey with black Vienna leather, tech pack (Discovery Pro nav & Dynaudio), DCC, factory towbar and retrofit RVC |
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