I've received my VW PhatBox and it seems to be the same as our Audi model, but with a VW connecting cable instead of the Audi one.

The necessary Audi cable has a separate part number and can be bought from the dealer -- except its on "national backorder" and there are none available! :-( I whined and complained and I think PhatNoise is sending me one in the mail.

Playing around with the installation, I have discovered that it is exactly the same size as the factory CD changer, but the mounting holes are drilled in the wrong location. I want to mount the box in the same spot as the current changer, so that the install appears seamless. There's just one "rub" remaining...

Playing with the VW cable and box mounting, I see that the PhatBox will need too much clearance to the rear of the box. The cable assembly sticks out the back by a good 2 inches! If I mount the PhatBox far enough forward to clear the back cable, the trunk panel that covers up the stereo won't fit because the PhatBox disk cartridge sticks out too far.

So it looks like I'm gonna have to make my own cable after all. The connector on the PhatBox is a male 26-pin 3M MDR connector. The other end is a female 13-pin DIN connector.

After I get my official Audi cable, I'm going to ohm it out and make my own from a ribbon-style 3M MDR connector. The ribbon connector will come out at right angles and provide the clearance I need on the back of the PhatBox. I'll post the pinout when I get it made. Stay "tuned" for the next "installment"...