how to connect the A4's radio ?

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <9701020221.AA17893@bazooka.amb.org> ti@bazooka.amb.org (Ti Kan) writes:

> I doubt it.  VW and Audi has wired their radios independently from the
> ignition switch long before that.  My friend's 1975 VW Rabbit (Golf)
> and similar vintage Dasher (Passat) also had always-on radios.

Well, it was a nice story.  When I was buying cars in quantity (around 90 over 
two years) the radio was always an option.  I seem to remember a fuss in the 
early 1980s when we actually had to buy a licence for every radio fitted in a 
company car.  There were three ways to buy an Audi 80:
 
a) No radio, and "Ablagefach" - part # 811 863 209B.  The wiring harness
   for the radio terminated in a VW/Audi standard connector.  The "Ablagefach" 
   simply lined the radio aperture with plastic so you could keep things in it.

b) No radio, and a blanking plate - part # 447 857 231.  I actually have one
   of these on my desk - what the parts microfiche _doesn't_ show is the fact
   that the rear has two clips mounted on it.  One is for the aerial cable,
   and one for the power cable.  The wiring harness had the same VW/Audi 
   connector, but it had a conversion kit to accept any standard radio 
   already plugged into the connector.
 
   (There are even "satin" and "matt" versions of 447 857 231!!)

c) The radio of your choice fitted at the factory.	

> Only recently had Audi gone to the fancy scheme as on my A4, where
> the radio does turn off when one removes the key, but you can turn the
> radio back on by pushing the volume control knob (radio power switch)
> off and on again.

If I get an A4, I will defeat that.  I'd _much_ rather have it work as it does 
now.

--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club