# Retrofit Satnav - failure



## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

I had Satnav installed in my TT today by Alex at *VWRetrofit*. It all looked fine, but within a few miles of driving away, the map showed me several miles away from where I was. The road-name just said "offroad". :?

I took it straight back to Alex and he reset it (two buttons up and centre dial). The Nav reset and showed me back in Redditch outside his workshop - but again within a few miles the map went way off course. :evil:

I reset it myself, and bizarrely the map came back on showing me outside VW Retrofit, even though I was now over 25 miles away!. I presume his code includes Retrofit as the 'base' location.

I am gutted. I don't know whether it's a fault in the GPS antenna (though it manages to navigate fine for a few miles, so it must be getting a signal) - or a bad installation. The car is only 2 years old, but obviously I can't take it to Audi for warranty as it's not a dealer install.

So looks like I have just thrown £150 down the toilet..... [smiley=bigcry.gif] unless anyone has any clever ideas?


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

take it back, if it doesnt work get you money back and have it un installed
Have you asked VW retrofit ? im sure they wont just take you money if it doesnt work ?


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

j77drs said:


> take it back, if it doesnt work get you money back and have it un installed
> Have you asked VW retrofit ? im sure they wont just take you money if it doesnt work ?


Yeah I took it back to Alex and he reset it (two buttons up and the MMI wheel). That reset the map back to the correct place so he said see how you get on. Unfortunately within a few miles it was off course again.

I had to go to work then so haven't been back yet - but I reset it in the work carpark (using same method) and it moved the map back to VW Retrofit unit despite me being 25 miles away!


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

best to take it back when you can, im sure they will sort it for you, dont mess with it yourself


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

Now really strange - I just got into the car and it now shows me in exactly the right place, so the GPS Antenna must be working. I've only driven a couple of miles in it and it's tracking the roads fine - but the alititude isn't changing when I go up/down a hill, so it's still not right.

Is there a way to show the number of Satellites being received in the MMI?


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## pcbbc (Sep 4, 2009)

AudeeTeeTee said:


> Now really strange - I just got into the car and it now shows me in exactly the right place, so the GPS Antenna must be working. I've only driven a couple of miles in it and it's tracking the roads fine - but the alititude isn't changing when I go up/down a hill, so it's still not right.
> 
> Is there a way to show the number of Satellites being received in the MMI?


Yes...

On the map screen press the right button to bring up the context menu
Scroll down and select "Store Current Position"

Here you will have active satellites, plus your current lat/lon. Quite usefull if you ever need to give it to the emergency services or roadside recovery.


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## Tebor123 (Sep 20, 2014)

Mine kept losing connection to the satellites immediately after being activated. When I got in the car the next day it was absolutely fine and has been ever since. Must be some kind of reset with the ignition off for an extended period.


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

Tebor123 said:


> Mine kept losing connection to the satellites immediately after being activated. When I got in the car the next day it was absolutely fine and has been ever since. Must be some kind of reset with the ignition off for an extended period.


Yeah was hoping the same, but no such luck. When I tried it this morning it showed me back in Redditch even though I was 100 miles away.


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

pcbbc said:


> AudeeTeeTee said:
> 
> 
> > Now really strange - I just got into the car and it now shows me in exactly the right place, so the GPS Antenna must be working. I've only driven a couple of miles in it and it's tracking the roads fine - but the alititude isn't changing when I go up/down a hill, so it's still not right.
> ...


Many thanks for this. It shows minimum 7 satellites connected, sometimes going up to 10 satellites.... But the map is still miles off where it should be.

I got back in touch with Alex - he said to bring it back in and try it with an aftermarket aerial. I'm not sure what difference that will make as MMI is already showing good reception. And being 100 miles away it's going to cost me half a day off work to get back there. So I've ordered an aftermarket Fakra GPS aerial from Amazon, which I'll install myself to prove whether the antenna is the problem or not. We'll go from there :-(


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## MarksBlackTT (Nov 29, 2016)

Really hope I'm wrong but think he's still had your pants down. Get a refund for the activation failure. It just doesn't work correctly and you want reimbursement.


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## gAgNiCk (Dec 25, 2017)

MarksBlackTT said:


> Really hope I'm wrong but think he's still had your pants down. Get a refund for the activation failure. It just doesn't work correctly and you want reimbursement.


Pretty trivial to activate sat nav, total bummer if it's a hardware problem. Either way, if it doesn't work he should refund you...


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## kevin#34 (Jan 8, 2019)

I remember having read a similar post in the past somewhere on the forum...
Personally, I think the antenna is not the problem


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

So.... stole the software and then debating the ethics of a refund for it not working due to other issues.
Didn't he do what was asked, it appears on screen? So he's spent the time, would he not be expecting to be paid?

Maybe swap it for carplay.. Interesting moral dilemma.
Could always take it to audi and ask them to look at it.


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## GoodThunder (Jul 19, 2016)

AudeeTeeTee said:


> ... looks like I have just thrown £150 down the toilet..... [smiley=bigcry.gif] unless anyone has any clever ideas?


Let's face it: the modern cars are quite sophisticated, and every retrofit and remap, unless performed by the manufacturer or authorised dealership, is a gamble. Seeking a bright idea here is a gamble too, unless the Audi engineers who designed this car are sitting on this forum waiting to offer their help. May be you get a bright idea, may be not, it's a probability and a considerable amount of risk. All for the sake of getting a bit more out of this life while paying a bit less.

To save your time and, hopefully, reduce stress: just reverse it back to stock if it's reversible. And then enjoy the horsepower and features that you paid for originally. Use them proudly, as intended by the engineers and enjoy every minute of it.


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

Toshiba said:


> So.... stole the software and then debating the ethics of a refund for it not working due to other issues.
> Didn't he do what was asked, it appears on screen? So he's spent the time, would he not be expecting to be paid?
> 
> Maybe swap it for carplay.. Interesting moral dilemma.
> Could always take it to audi and ask them to look at it.


its a fair and valid point,


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

Nobody knows yet if the install that VW Retrofit did is wrong. It might be a Hardware problem. So his suggestion to try a replacement antenna is reasonable at this stage. Regarding the ethics of a refund - I have neither asked for a refund, nor has he declined to give me a refund - the discussion hasn't even happened yet.

The reason for asking on here if anyone had any ideas, is because Retrofitting SatNav is something that a lot of people seem to have done successfully - and therefore there's a chance someone might have encountered the same problem, or at least have info that helps me diagnose.

I 'get it' that some people will feel aggrieved at having paid £1500+ to Audi, for something that is available for £150 aftermarket. And yes, if I'd paid Audi £1500, it would be their problem to fix and I wouldn't have to be asking on here. C'est la vie.

Oh, and when I bought the car from the Audi AUC Main Dealer, I asked whether it was possible to add SatNav, and they said they could do it but they use an external company as its cheaper - so if an Audi Main Dealer are willing to go the aftermarket route, then I see no reason why I shouldn't do the same. I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it.

Anyway.... replacement antenna is due today - it's a 10 minute job to plug it in, so let's wait and see!


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

AudeeTeeTee said:


> j77drs said:
> 
> 
> > take it back, if it doesnt work get you money back and have it un installed
> ...


I looked on the VW Retrofit website and it says "Our work is also fully insured and comes with warranty as well".
OK, so what does the warranty say?

Getting aftermarket work like this done is a "double risk" if the workshop is 100 miles away, as you then have to weight up all the additional costs of returning the car etc. If repeated resets haven't cured the problem, then the issue is obviously non-trivial. Hope your new aerial fixes it, but that sounds like a bit of a long shot.


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

It *was* the antenna!

Amazon delivery arrived with a new fakra active antenna for £6.99. Pulled the unit out of the glovebox, plugged the new antenna in and turned the ignition on - 45 seconds later the map shifted to the correct position! I went for a quick drive and it seems fine - the altitude is updating and the position is spot on.

I've tucked the aerial behind the head unit for now - it seems to be getting a signal just fine from behind the dash, so I might get away with not mounting it in view.


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

AudeeTeeTee said:


> It *was* the antenna!
> 
> Amazon delivery arrived with a new fakra active antenna for £6.99. Pulled the unit out of the glovebox, plugged the new antenna in and turned the ignition on - 45 seconds later the map shifted to the correct position! I went for a quick drive and it seems fine - the altitude is updating and the position is spot on.
> 
> I've tucked the aerial behind the head unit for now - it seems to be getting a signal just fine from behind the dash, so I might get away with not mounting it in view.


Good news! I can hear your sigh of relief from here. Lessons for next time though I'm sure..


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## AudeeTeeTee (Sep 7, 2020)

Blade Runner said:


> Good news! I can hear your sigh of relief from here. Lessons for next time though I'm sure..


I'm not sure I'd do anything different next time to be honest - I knew that paying £150 instead of £1500 would carry a degree of risk, and for the sake of 10 minutes fitting a £6.99 antenna, I'm very happy with the outcome. It's all working as per factory spec now.

Job done.


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## chelspeed (May 6, 2017)

Pleased to hear it's sorted.

But I think you should edit the thread title to reflect the final outcome to avoid misleading people in the future who come across the thread by search but don't read to the end.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I take it the roof fin is u/s so this should be covered by warranty?


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## BarrieB (Aug 24, 2011)

Glad the story had a good conclusion. By the way, how Covid friendly was VW Retrofit? Did they disinfect the car interior after the work? If the technician sneezes and the droplets stick to the headlining this is quite a risk, apparently.


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## jbond (Apr 7, 2021)

AudeeTeeTee said:


> It *was* the antenna!
> 
> Amazon delivery arrived with a new fakra active antenna for £6.99. Pulled the unit out of the glovebox, plugged the new antenna in and turned the ignition on - 45 seconds later the map shifted to the correct position! I went for a quick drive and it seems fine - the altitude is updating and the position is spot on.
> 
> I've tucked the aerial behind the head unit for now - it seems to be getting a signal just fine from behind the dash, so I might get away with not mounting it in view.


Hi,

I am having exactly the same problem as you did. I had my satnav retrofitted from vwretrofit (Alex). May I know how hard is it to fit the aftermarket antenna? Are there any videos showing the same? Many Thanks


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