Hi, appreciate this is a bit off topic! But hopefully someone might know the answer. I have posted on a couple of A3 forums as well.

 

My son has just ordered a new Audi S3.

 

He would like ACC, but only comes part of a £1,400 package and doesn't really want to pay that much for it!

 

Therefore, just wondering if it may be possible to code that in, as it already has the radar etc for Audi pre-sense and pedestrian/cycle detection.

 

Many thanks.

Hi Mac, welcome to the forum. Being able to code-in ACC depends on the correct camera being fitted (the one in front of the rear-view mirror) it also requires a different control stalk. You MAY have the correct camera installed as standard - but probably not. Does your sons spec. include lane assist?

4 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

Hi Mac, welcome to the forum. Being able to code-in ACC depends on the correct camera being fitted (the one in front of the rear-view mirror) it also requires a different control stalk. You MAY have the correct camera installed as standard - but probably not. Does your sons spec. include lane assist?

Thank you. Good point.

 

Yes, it has Lane Departure Warning.

15 minutes ago, SaintMac said:

Thank you. Good point.

 

Yes, it has Lane Departure Warning.

In which case I believe the correct camera is already in place - it should just require the correct stalk and coding. 

3 hours ago, Warrior193 said:

Hi Mac, welcome to the forum. Being able to code-in ACC depends on the correct camera being fitted (the one in front of the rear-view mirror) it also requires a different control stalk. You MAY have the correct camera installed as standard - but probably not. Does your sons spec. include lane assist?

 

ACC doesn't use the camera... It uses the radar behind the front grill.

1 minute ago, langers2k said:

 

ACC doesn't use the camera... It uses the radar behind the front grill.

Hi Langers, are you sure of that? I'm sure I've seen references that ACC used both the front radar AND the camera.

Yup, for bog standard ACC it's all done by the radar unit.

 

If you want some of the more advanced features like traffic jam assist/follow-to-stop, then you'll need both the radar and a highline camera capable of lane assist etc. Be warned, some radar units will only support front assist (emergency braking) and not ACC.

 

Retrofitting ACC is not cheap, you're going to need a suitable radar unit, replacement stalks, possibly wiring and then you need to deal with component protection, any applicable FeC/SWaP codes and other coding...

As above. It’s a lot of hassle. It’s possible but if the car is new or fairly new I would strongly advise paying for it if you want it. It’s not worth the risk of the cost spiralling on a high value car. It’s ok for a bit of fun if you can DIY but if paying for it it’s expensive. You might have a radar that you can have the FeC’s changed on and the right ABS pump but you might not.