extension cable to the connector for the sharkfin antenna. I remember having seen detailed instructions on the forum, but a search has not helped me locate it. Does anyone have a link - I found one for Nene's installation of the RNS-E, but the link takes me to a medical site of some kind. TIA

<ul><li><a href="http://www.navparts.com/index.php?target=products&amp;product_id=29784">http://www.navparts.com/index.php?target=products&amp;product_id=29784</a</li></ul>

is it any different from the A6 antenna?

version. Honestly its much easier to skip that and just use an antennae placed in the back of the dash behind the cluster.

with a connector also at the back of the factory nav unit in the trunk. I could not get a signal at any of those connections for my RNS-E. Vag-Com showed an open ground but the factory nav worked fine! I chose the seperate unit in the dash and it works great.

up, and then I think it went to the trunk connection. I'll try to dig up my copy of the install if you have not found it yet and scan it...let me know if you haven't found it yet and i will do that.

...you should see the connectors for the sharkfin in there. Foam wrapped, maybe taped to the roof. There is a FAKRA antenna connection for the sharkfin there, into which you can plug in an extension.

You can route the cable along the rear of the headliner, down the C pillar, under the rear seat side bolster, then under the door sill trim to the front area under the dash. To do this, you can look at two links below that include the steps you need to follow to do this, although the links have a lot more information than you need.

<a href="http://www.audiworld.com/tech/int.html">Removing the C-pillar trim (from full headliner and pillar trim removal tech article)</a>
<a href="http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec136b.shtml">Removing the door sill trim (from the DVD player install tech article)</a>

Good luck!!!

...I've been using mine for almost 3 years now, and it works just fine....never had issues finding satellites.

I never had to drop the head liner, I had On-star that I replaced with Bluetooth. I did have the sharkfin already but didn't have the factory CD-based nav (Symp II headunit) It was VERY easy the only challenging part was moving wires around for the BT harness.

the email with your sig work?

shark fin wiring at the trunk then route back to the front under the rear seat and along the door trim and up to the dash. My only comment once you see the install is that i think you can skip fully removing the cluster to access the gala wire (only disconnect the harness you are working on and not the other two)...you can pull the cluster out towards you on the left side pop off just the light blue (left side connector) and turn the cluster perpendicular to the dash while rolling it over face down and then pull it out and over onto the top of the steering wheel (protect with painters tape and a towel so you do not scratch anything)to access everything you need to for tapping the gala wire and zip tying down that and the antennae wire through the dash space (to the metal framework at the back of the dash and other wiring bundles) over and down to the RNSE area. I was able to do everything without removing the knee bolster or anything else besides just moving the cluster. It is easy to fish through to the opening of the RNSE from above. I also put painters tape around the bottom of the AC unit and the radio opening on either side and a towel over the console and shifter just to again protect everything from scratches. Worth it.

As you get all the harness connectors clicked in to the car wiring and the antennae wiring done work them into any open space (to the bottom right in the radio opening for the diversity antennae adapter for instance) under and to the back of the unit (harness sections separately into any space in the wiring bundles under the unit) so that everything looks flat under where the radio will be. The more you squish it down early before you make the final connections the easier the unit will plop in and lock in place. If you have to push it in too hard you need to back out and squish things in better. I wasn't so successful on my first install and forced my unit in...2 years later i couldn't pull it out. Had to have the dealer rip it out for me. Second one i was way more careful about it and it slides in and out and pops loose very easy.

...the link I provided was for guidance on how to remove the C-pillar trim (upper and lower) and the door sill trim so he cam properly route the wire to the front of the car. I only posted those tech articles because I do not feel like posting all the pictures and instructions again. 90% of the tech artciles do not apply to what I was recommending (if he decided to try to tap into the sharkfin).

Regardless, he should just use the smaller antenna that came with the RNS-E and place it behind the instrument cluster. No extra things to remove.

one here still has nene's write-up as a pdf intact again...I am emailing you the one i did download in the day but the pictures are not showing up...you may try a new post asking just that.<ul><li><a href="http://rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7366&amp;highlight=rns-e">http://rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7366&amp;highlight=rns-e</a</li></ul>

...much easier than pulling apart the trunk.

FYI - all U.S. based RS6's came with onstar as standard...and some had the factory nav option.

You just need these parts from the dealer ($30):

000-098-692 (300MM male/male fakra)
000-098-653 (2M female/female fakra)
FYI - the 1M version isn't long enough

The istall is pretty simple, just remove glovebox, plastic kick panel at the bottom of the A-pillar, pull back carpet and you'll see the onstar box. Just unplug the blue fakra GPS cable from the onstar box and plug in the 2M cable. FYI-the C5 RS6 has analog onstar which is end of life in Dec 2008....so having a functional onstar system in the RS6 is a moot point.

drop me a line if you want pix of this install; I've done it in a few RS6 and other C5's.

- Ted
PS: If you are doing the Onstar/BT swap, then all the better. :)

...makes sense, and MUCH easier than dealing with trying to route the wiring from the sharkfin! Even though it may add a step (the glovebox removal), it seems a better choice to use the existing antenna over the small one behind the cluster.

Ted, does the sharkfin give much improved satellite capture over the small one behind the cluster? Have you ever compared the two? Just curious.