I posted this on the old A8 board by accident.

I just picked up my A8l the other day - having traded in my RS6. The RS was hit by a woman in a Cherokee unfortunately ...

Is there any way to add XM radio to an '04 A8 without taking the dash apart? I don't want major surgery done on the car but I quite liked the feature on the RS - where it was a factory/dealer option. It looks like it is a factory option on the '05s. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Its anyones guess!

Many of us who have '04 A8Ls have been anxiously awaiting the Audi sanctioned XM converter module. That module will be a plug-in adapter that fits into a bracket on the left side of the trunk. (The bracket , wiring and antenna are already there.) This will add XM radio to the factory installed stereo system and will be controllable from the MMI interface (the screen in the middle of the dash).

We have heard many conflicting opinions about when these modules will be ready. Originnally promised "before the end of '03", the arrival date has been pushed back several times. Some of the "less optimistic" members of this forum are wondering whether Audi will EVER release these converters. There'll be many disgruntled users if this happens, most of us were promised XM availability when we ordered our cars.

Here is what I did, as a solution and a response. I will not have a car without satellite radio, so I bought an XM Radio "Roady" unit for my '04 A8L. When the factory converter is released, I figure that I can sell the Roady on eBay, or use it in another car. The "Roady" is a self contained unit. The very small tuner fits perfectly in the front ashtray of the A8L. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and communicates wirelessly with the FM radio in the car. It comes complete with a very small, one wire satellite antenna. I put that antenna inside the car, right at the base of the front windshield. It is a magnetic mount, and that area was the only metallic area where I could mount the antenna. (Remember. the car body is aluminum.)

I've used "Roady" with the internally mounted antenna for the past week and I have been impressed with it. Sure, there are areas where the reception "cuts out", but these are few and far between. I tune the Audi radio to FM 88.1 mhz, and the Roady takes the frequency over. This works perfectly since OnStar muting and the NAV prompts still come in over the muted XM radio.

I suppose I could have tapped into the XM antenna on the "shark fin" on the Audi roof, but this seemed too much like work, and I am hoping that the Roady will be a temporary rather than a permanent solution.

The Roady cost me $119, and the price included the wireless FM modulator. A coupon also was included for a free, in-home mounting kit for the Roady.

XM Radio is $9.95/month. Believe it or not, there is no over the air country music station that broadcasts in NYC. XM has 4 country music stations, so I am happy.

back when i tried the roady, they didn't have the fm transmitter. i had to get a third party one which led to the interior of my car being strewn with wiring. it looked terrible and worse, the transmitter always emitted a high pitched buzz.

so, is the roady fm transmitter better in this respect?

cutting down the number of wires would also be a blessing. what to do with the wires? beauty is sometimes, not in the eyes of the beholder.

The FM transmitter and cigar lighter plug are actually one piece, exactly the size of a cigar lighter adapter alone. It has two LEDs on it to indicate power and signal strength, which look very nice. The antenna wire is snaked invisibly between the windshield and the dash. The antenna wire is routed to exit in the front ash tray. The Roady sits in the ash tray, all of the wires fit under it, unseen.

The XM antenna (mini-bump) looks great in the car, like it belongs there. It actually works surprizingly well, consideing it is mounted inside the car.

I can disconnect the Roady in a second, close the ash tray, and carry the Roady out of the car in my pocket. Most of the time, I just leave everything connected. It looks great and the display color even is color-coordinated with my dash lighting (4 choices of colors).

I'll try to post some digital pictures, but it is pretty self explanatory.

cow chip Roy, wouldn't it have been easier to just move to Nashville? :)

I believe, the Lexus SUV with the ability to view the rear of the car with video camera and being displayed, I assume, through their NAV screen. Would that be possible for MMI? Could you mount it in the shark fin?

The camera is mounted near the license plate on the trunk lid. I would think mounting one in the fin would be too high.

its available now! audi pays for software upgrade, new nav dvd and installation. you've got to buy xm (or sirius) module and then it works great!