Difference Between iPod Adapters?

[doubleA]

Hey guys,

I searched this forum and read the explanations on BMWUSA, but I can't seem to find the difference between these two:

+iPod and USB adapter

+iPod® Interface Adapter

Any info on this, as well as opinions on which is better, would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance!

[Dan203]

The iPod/USB adapter is installed by the factory and is more advanced. It allows you to plug in either an iPod or a standard USB mass storage device (i.e. USB key, USB hard drive, etc..) and then allows you to select songs by artist, title, playlist, etc... The UI for song selection is better with a nav system, but it still works without the nav system.

The iPod interface adapter is installed by the dealer and basically tricks the radio into thinking you iPod is a 6 disc CD changer. You setup 6 specially named playlists on your iPod and then select them using the CD selection buttons. It still works pretty well, but it's not as nice as the factory installed option.

Dan

[Bartleby]

glad i ordered it from the factory. i also heard the dealer install has had some problems working with the iphone, cant access music which sucks.

[Robert]

I didn't get it mostly because of cost. Didnt believe in paying an option that cost same price as my ipod. I rather buy a new iphone :-)

[NY SLC 93]

I thought it twas the same item.

[doubleA]

Originally Posted by Dan203

The iPod/USB adapter is installed by the factory and is more advanced. It allows you to plug in either an iPod or a standard USB mass storage device (i.e. USB key, USB hard drive, etc..) and then allows you to select songs by artist, title, playlist, etc... The UI for song selection is better with a nav system, but it still works without the nav system.

The iPod interface adapter is installed by the dealer and basically tricks the radio into thinking you iPod is a 6 disc CD changer. You setup 6 specially named playlists on your iPod and then select them using the CD selection buttons. It still works pretty well, but it's not as nice as the factory installed option.

Dan

Thanks Dan, you really helped me out on this one!

[KeithLM]

I had a similar interface adapter in my TL. For that one you have to run some special software that creates a bunch of audio files on the ipod that say the names of artists and albums. Then to navigate the ipod you choose disc 1 to navigate by playlist, disc 2 for album, disc 3 for artist, or something like that. If you don't use the software you can play all the music by using disc 6. However it was a pain to keep in sync, and didn't always work properly. I could never get my 60GB ipod to work with it right, it just wouldn't read the playlists correctly. My nano works for the most part, but sometimes when I update it gets out of sync and the playlists don't match the names it's saying.

The BMW one is very nice. I've had it for less than a day, but it seems simple and straightforward and I don't have the nav system. You select iPod, one of the preset buttons puts you in playlist mode, another in artist, another in album. Then you turn a knob to go up and down through the list. It's pricey for what it is, but then again, it's much better than FM.

[Dan203]

Yeah it is a little pricey, but I paid almost $300 for a aftermarket one for my PT Cruiser and it works basically like the dealer install BMW unit. So I figure $400 for one that actually allows me to browse my iPod via the head unit was worth it. Plus whats $400 when you're buying a $45K car anyway?

Dan

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by Dan203

Yeah it is a little pricey, but I paid almost $300 for a aftermarket one for my PT Cruiser and it works basically like the dealer install BMW unit. So I figure $400 for one that actually allows me to browse my iPod via the head unit was worth it. Plus whats $400 when you're buying a $45K car anyway?

Dan

That's exactly the attitude that got mine up over $44k. I was in the $43k range then I decided that just to be on the safe side I better go ahead and get satellite too. I also got Comfort Access using that logic, and damn that's cool. I kept locking and unlocking my car last night by just touching the handle. :biggrin: (Yes, I'm easily amused)

[doubleA]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

That's exactly the attitude that got mine up over $44k. I was in the $43k range then I decided that just to be on the safe side I better go ahead and get satellite too. I also got Comfort Access using that logic, and damn that's cool. I kept locking and unlocking my car last night by just touching the handle. :biggrin: (Yes, I'm easily amused)

Haha.. Hey you put in your hard work and bought YOUR car, why not enjoy every bit of it?? :thumbup:

[Dan203]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

That's exactly the attitude that got mine up over $44k. I was in the $43k range then I decided that just to be on the safe side I better go ahead and get satellite too. I also got Comfort Access using that logic, and damn that's cool. I kept locking and unlocking my car last night by just touching the handle. :biggrin: (Yes, I'm easily amused)

For some reason I'm really cheap when it comes to spending small amounts of money and will always look for the best deal, or just talk myself out of buying things. However when the numbers get high like this I take on a different mentality where I'm like "what's $400 in the scheme of a $40K car". Even though spending that same $400 to buy something aftermarket would be hard for me to do.

Whatever I got all the options I wanted and that will make me enjoy the car. It's only money right?

Dan

[KeithLM]

The random setting doesn't seem to stick after I shut off the car. Anybody know a fix for that? I wonder if there's a way to tell it to shuffle by default.

[amybang]

Random works persistently for me with an iPod. I scrolled all the way down to U2 this morning (I have a 60GB iPod, that was a lot of scrolling), and put it on artist shuffle. I ran some errands mid-day, and again this evening. Lots of powering the car on and off and taking the key with me. It shuffled the whole time. And damned peppy songs too. Sometimes the iPod just knows.

amy!

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by amybang

Random works persistently for me with an iPod. I scrolled all the way down to U2 this morning (I have a 60GB iPod, that was a lot of scrolling), and put it on artist shuffle. I ran some errands mid-day, and again this evening. Lots of powering the car on and off and taking the key with me. It shuffled the whole time. And damned peppy songs too. Sometimes the iPod just knows.

amy!

Do you use your ipod outside of your car and if so do you usually have it on random? It might be that the stereo doesn't set the flag on the iPod itself, but if you have the iPod set to shuffle it does it automatically. :iono: So far I've had to hit random every time I've started the car.

[Dan203]

I have an iPod I use exclusively in my car and it always holds the random setting. (via my 3rd party iPod adapter) My wife has a similar setup in her Miata and the random setting gets turned off if she even skips a song. So I think these adapters can have an effect on the random setting of the iPod itself. Hopefully if this is an issue it only effects the iPod when you remove it from the car, as mine will never be removed and as such I'll never have the issue.

Dan

[amybang]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

Do you use your ipod outside of your car and if so do you usually have it on random? It might be that the stereo doesn't set the flag on the iPod itself, but if you have the iPod set to shuffle it does it automatically. :iono: So far I've had to hit random every time I've started the car.

So far, I haven't used the iPod out of the car since I got the car. And no, it's not permanently set on random. But it still comes back playing random. The only thing I noticed that it doesn't remember is the songs that it played last time I was driving, so there's a song that might repeat. But it retains the other settings.

amy!

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by amybang

So far, I haven't used the iPod out of the car since I got the car. And no, it's not permanently set on random. But it still comes back playing random. The only thing I noticed that it doesn't remember is the songs that it played last time I was driving, so there's a song that might repeat. But it retains the other settings.

amy!

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to look into this further because mine never starts up on random, I always have to manually set it. I've always found iPod/iTunes to do a poor job on shuffling in general, it repeats songs and gets stuck in patterns on a regular basis, so I doubt that's related to your car.

[amybang]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to look into this further because mine never starts up on random, I always have to manually set it.

Just some more data -- I bought a CD yesterday and played it in the car on the way home. Then I popped it out when I got home. The car switched from the CD player to the radio (which I hadn't actually used yet because I installed the iPod before I put in the key when I picked up the car). This morning, I decided to set some radio stations for the drive to work, so only used the radio. Then, this afternoon, I went out to run a small errand and decided to put the iPod back on. It was still set to shuffle all my U2 songs. And still remembered where it was in the middle of the last one it had been playing.

I've always found iPod/iTunes to do a poor job on shuffling in general, it repeats songs and gets stuck in patterns on a regular basis, so I doubt that's related to your car.

Yeah, I didn't think it was the car. But iTunes does have a memory of what it played in a shuffle rotation and won't repeat until it has finished all of the songs in the shuffle set. (so if you play, say, The Joshua Tree, on shuffle, it will only play each song on the album once until it has played them all, then it will stop). That I know does work on the iPod. So whatever memory it has of what it has already played does get erased when you power off the car.

amy!

[WishBone33]

If you get the Nav system and you get the iPod/USB adapter option installed and you have videos on your iPod, can you get the videos to play on the nav screen?

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by WishBone33

If you get the Nav system and you get the iPod/USB adapter option installed and you have videos on your iPod, can you get the videos to play on the nav screen?

I believe it's typically illegal to have video on a monitor in the front of the car. At least, I would hope at the very least it's illegal while the car is moving. I don't think it's supported, but I can't say for certain.

I think I have my issues sorted out with random play. Seems I wasn't in playlist mode after all. The iPod had a particular playlist selected already and was feeding those to the stereo. So the random mode wasn't sticking properly because of that. I put in a different iPod and because no playlist was selected on it at the time I plugged it in, it was playing from all the songs on it. Once I selected a playlist on the stereo then the random mode stuck when I restarted the car. I've plugged the original iPod I had in there back in and will check it later, but I think it's going to work fine now.

[Justin(OKC)]

I guess I need to play with mine more because my ipod will do random play in my X3 just hooked up with an aux cable, but it won't random play in the 135i. Is there a setting in the car to make it random play or is it totally the ipod.

[amybang]

Originally Posted by Justin(OKC)

I guess I need to play with mine more because my ipod will do random play in my X3 just hooked up with an aux cable, but it won't random play in the 135i. Is there a setting in the car to make it random play or is it totally the ipod.

If you have the iPod option, it's a setting through the radio. If you don't have the nav option and just have the base radio, it's as follows. When you have the iPod controls up on the screen, there are options at the bottom for Artist, Album, etc. Near the right side of the list is RND - that's random. If you hit it without choosing something specific to play, it shuffles your whole iPod. If you first choose an Artist or Album to play, it shuffles within that.

If you don't have the iPod option, I don't know how it works.

amy!