How to Install an iPhone or iPod in an Audi TT MKI

MKI Audi TT’s unfortunately do not come stock standard with any sort of iPod connectivity. Unfortunately you’re stuck with burning cd’s, or if you’re lucky, burning 6 cds to use in the 6 cd changer located in the back left side of the car.

After a little bit of research and navigating through a fair few forum posts I came across an American company that manufactures iPod & iPhone interface kits for just about any car. In this post I will explain how I got my GROM iphone interface connected to my Audi TT MKI (1998 – 2006).

What You Will Need

• A set of Audi Radio removal keys
• 1 x Either an i2, i3 or u2i VAG GROM Audio interface
• 1 x Single DIN Data Cable (VAG-S)
• 1 x Audi Adapter Harness (AUD-s)
• 1 x Audi Ipod Cable either in 5ft or 15ft (I got 15ft)
• Some Electrical Tape
• Your Audi Radio Security Code
• A Torch

Where To Buy

I purchased my Audi Radio Removal keys from ECS Tuning, however you can purchase these from Ebay quite easily. I purchased all the other Audi iPhone interface/cable equipment from an excellent online retailer located here in Australia. You can find them over at Cushie Audio. The interface that I purchased was the i2-VAG however any other models are perfectly fine to use, depending on your needs.

Getting Started

Before we get started, please ensure you have your Audi Radio Security codes handy, if not you will have to take your car into an Audi dealer to get them to reset the codes for you, which happened to me. Get comfortable in the passenger seat (no steering wheel in the way) and get ready to do a lot of reaching around.

Step 1. Removing The Radio

For this you will need the appropriate Audi Radio Removal Keys. Make sure you get the correct keys as forcing in the incorrect keys I am quite sure will hinder future attempts of easily removing the radio.

Place the left key into left slit under the volume knob. You should hear a distinctive click or ting once the key is properly inserted. Do the same for the right hand side, below the seek knob. If you’re having trouble locating these slits:

Next slide out the radio evenly until it comes out fully. You should now see three sets of wires. Remove all three, which will give you a lot more room to negotiate placing the iPhone interface box inside of the radio/climate control panel.

Step 2. Routing The Cable

Now that we have removed the radio we have a clear space to route the iPod to GROM audio interface box cable. I chose to have my ipod rest near the cup holders:

This part can be a real big pain, as I didn’t really want to take apart panels and what not, instead I used my arm to do most of the work. To route the cable to the cup holder firstly make sure the cable is in a coil, then on the ipod end, make sure you have 1 – 1.5 metres of slack (uncoiled). Reach in and place the cable inside where the radio was, preferably towards the back right, preferably down towards the climate controls.  Leave the round bit of the cable poking out the top of where the radio used to be.

Now with your hand grab the ipod end of the cable, reach down into the cavity. At the other end of the TT will be what can be best described as a small slit and two panels on either side, you can push that in to get your hand or a few fingers inside ready to catch onto the end of the ipod cable. This may take some time and you might even need to route the cable with a coat-hanger or something similar.

If that fails taking off the left triangle bracket and removing the left hand panel will give you adequate room to pull out the ipod cable. Route the cable up to the cup holders, pressing the cable along the way into the groove of the middle console. Tighten or increase the slack as required.

Step 3. Installing the Interface

This step is where we find a home to put the relatively bulky interface box. What you should first do is attach the ipod cable to the circular port on the interface box, and also insert the Single DIN Data Cable (VAG-S) to the rear side of the interface. Once connected reach into the radio cavity and place the box face side up and length side to a small area directly behind the temperature control dial:

It should fit underneath a little lip that the radio sits on. This will ensure that the radio can slide in over the top of the interface. Let the blue pin cable and the earth (single black wire) hang out the front of the radio cavity for now.

Step 4. Connecting It All Back Up

Now that we have the interface somewhat properly placed it is time to connect all the wires together. Because some Audi’s have a 20pin connector for the Concert radio we need to use the AUD-S splitter, which will enable us to connect the 20pin (the longer black plug) into the red adapter, and then plug the green and yellow plug into the appropriate, just as you would of have it before with the 20pin plug, except missing the 8pin cd changer plugs, which is where we will plug in the new blue plug.

Before we plug in the data cables we need to ground the adapter. Strip a part of the black single wire to expose the copper wires inside. Place a piece of tape over the top of it, making sure not to wrap it around. We will stick this wire to the top of the radio shortly before installation. So next up, this is what we’ll do. Grab the 20pin connector from inside the radio cavity and connect it into the red adapter. Now to plug in the remaining plugs. Start with the longest ones first and work your way to the smaller ones. Plug in the blue plug onto the far left side of the 20 pin plug space, the yellow and green plug follow after to the right side of it.

Next plug in the remaining cables to where they used to be and stick down firmly the single black grounding wire that we stripped previously. Now what you need to do is carefully push down the wires in a way that will give the radio unit the most space to slide back in with, as we did add a whole heap of new cables and components to the area behind the radio.

Ease in the radio but remember not to push it in fully as we will need to now remove the radio keys. To do so simply press on either side of the radio where some springs are located. These will allow you to unlock the keys from the radio and slide them out. Once removed attempt to completely push the radio unit in.

Step 5. Testing

Once the radio and all the cables have been plugged in, turn on radio unit and connect the iPod or iPhone. If you see the radio unit come up with the word SAFE follow your Audi manual on how to enter in your correct radio code, which you should of obtained before even attempting this guide. If it turns on then what you need to do is navigate to where your cd changer functionality used to be. Press CD on the radio to get to the cd changer, from there you can now control your connected iphone or ipod from the head unit!

All Done

You’re all set! If you have any questions or issues feel free to leave a comment below. I would be more than happy to supply extra photos if need be. But a lot of the task is to make sure you create enough space for the added components and getting the radio slide back in properly. I strongly recommend you purchase your components from Cushie Audio as they have excellent service and all the tools you need to get your favourite music in your car.