An update on this one for you guys:
I finally picked up an RNS-E (193 B) on eBay for $900 total last week, which included shipping from Europe, removal keys (to get my Concert II+ out), the latest 2011 North America navigation DVD, and a GPS antenna (which was ridiculously easy to install.. I wouldn't even call it an "install"). You can find EU-specific hardware for even cheaper, but you end up needing to do some conversions to make it work in the US, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with that.
Since I got the A3 without Bose, the unit really was plug-and-play. The wiring harness went right in, Bluetooth just worked, etc. Even the turn-by-turn updates in the driver information screen (the little LCD in the instrument cluster) worked without needing VAG-COM code changes, which I thought it would have needed. The RNS-E unit coding itself was done by the business that I bought it from.
If I had the A3 WITH Bose, I would have had to change a few wires in the wiring harness, since the pinouts are slightly different, but I was a cheapo (and didn't feel like waiting for one with Bose), so it ended up being easier in the end.
You'll see a couple of different RNS-E 193's.. namely the B and the G. The difference is that the G has a glossy, piano-black border around the LCD screen (just part of a recent design refresh), whereas the B does not.
If you're not comfy with the eBay route, vagnavs.com recently got a shipment of A3 RNS-E kits in (I got an e-mail from them the other day, AFTER I ordered the one from eBay), and they're selling them for $1450.
There's also a guy named Albert (whose handle is haaggie.. he is twitter.com/haaggie, and
haaggie@gmail.com). He also sells both new and used kits. His used kits go for $1400, and his used kits go for $1800-1900.
Hopefully this was semi-helpful! If you end up upgrading from an old RNS-E, or retrofitting from a Concert II+, etc, lemme know how it goes!
