[JesseS]

I've got an 80GB iPod "classic", and by "classic" I mean that it predates the branding of the actual "iPod classic" and about seven times out of ten when I fire her up iDrive (4.2 in a new 2014 NBT F30) can't see it at all. The iPod appears to function perfectly though and works for every other usage (including other cars). I've tried different cables and can't seem to find the culprit. Sometimes if I reboot the iPod while the car is running it will see it, other times it will not. iDrive has no problem seeing various types of flash media I have inserted.

Anyone experience anything like this?

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by JesseS

I've got an 80GB iPod "classic", and by "classic" I mean that it predates the branding of the actual "iPod classic" and about seven times out of ten when I fire her up iDrive (4.2 in a new 2014 NBT F30) can't see it at all. The iPod appears to function perfectly though and works for every other usage (including other cars). I've tried different cables and can't seem to find the culprit. Sometimes if I reboot the iPod while the car is running it will see it, other times it will not. iDrive has no problem seeing various types of flash media I have inserted.

Anyone experience anything like this?

This is a known problem. It has nothing to do with iDrive, everything to do with the fact that a hard-disk based iPod is ancient technology that is no longer able to keep up with today's drives and user interfaces. iDrive wants to pull in the data faster than the iPod Classic can deliver it, and that's the root cause of all woes.

Additionally, depending on where you live, an iPod Classic will only last about a year before the extreme temperature swings of boiling heat and frigid cold found in a car cockpit make the fragile physical drive slowly wear itself out.

Sell your Classic on Craigslist, use the cash towards a beater iPod Touch, and move on before your Classic is nuked and worthless.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by joewalton

This is a known problem. It has nothing to do with iDrive, everything to do with the fact that a hard-disk based iPod is ancient technology that is no longer able to keep up with today's drives and user interfaces. iDrive wants to pull in the data faster than the iPod Classic can deliver it, and that's the root cause of all woes.

Additionally, depending on where you live, an iPod Classic will only last about a year before the extreme temperature swings of boiling heat and frigid cold found in a car cockpit make the fragile physical drive slowly wear itself out.

This iPod has been sitting in cars for three or four years and nary a problem. In fact, there's nothing all that environmentally extreme for a magnetic hard disk where I live (maybe a few cold days a year). The spindle motors in traditional drives generate a good deal of heat and can handle it as long as their operating environment isn't too extreme for long periods of time. Drives often last many years in constant operation at +100F. They can be very sensitive to shock, but that's another matter entirely.

Sure, it might fail spontaneously in the next year, because hard drives do that sometimes, but it's not acting like it's on it's "last legs" at all -- and I know the symptoms of a drive that is likely about to fail.

Sell your Classic on Craigslist, use the cash towards a beater iPod Touch, and move on before your Classic is nuked and worthless.

There's not a Touch made that's big enough to replace this one.

But ... you say this is a known issue. Do you have any links with more info on it?

[JesseS]

I think, or rather I hope, that I have found the problem.

*wood knocking ensues*

While researching this I started to notice a pattern of certain people with the apparently identical issue (hard to tell sometimes because people often don't reveal sufficient info) all having "Replay All" turned on in the iPod. These cases are mixed in with all sorts of other reports which may or may not be related (locking up sometimes during playback, "disconnecting" randomly, etc). The problem I'm talking about is very specific, the iPod only has an issue when you first start the car -- once you get it to "talk" to iDrive it'll be fine until the HU powers down.


So ... I checked the iPod, and sure enough, "Replay All" was turned on. I turned it off, plugged it in and it rapidly appeared in the iDrive menu. I've tested at various intervals and situations a good 8-10 times now and it has worked every time.

Time will tell ...

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by JesseS

There's not a Touch made that's big enough to replace this one.

You move the genres that don't change (Classical, Jazz, etc.) to the hard drive in iDrive, load 'em into the glove box USB.

That opens up the space for a smaller iPod Touch flash drive to handle the genres that do change often and that you mix/match for Playlists (Rock, Classic Rock, Techno, Alt, etc.)

[teen335]

Sell it on eBay and purchase yourself a newer iPod classic. I use one with no problems at all in the 335

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by teen335

Sell it on eBay and purchase yourself a newer iPod classic. I use one with no problems at all in the 335

I'll do that if I continue to have problems.

So far (after turning off "Replay All") it's been mostly okay. Sometimes there is a bit of a delay when first starting the car before it can see the iPod, but no more than a minute or two.

Does your iDrive "see" your Classic immediately or ...?

[speeddeacon]

Originally Posted by teen335

Sell it on eBay and purchase yourself a newer iPod classic. I use one with no problems at all in the 335

So the current generation classics don't have the same problem as the older classics? My Gen 2. 160gb crashes constantly.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by speeddeacon

So the current generation classics don't have the same problem as the older classics? My Gen 2. 160gb crashes constantly.

That's actually not the problem i'm having (although it certainly is a problem). My older "classic" is rock solid in terms of just running.

[narlus]

Originally Posted by speeddeacon

So the current generation classics don't have the same problem as the older classics? My Gen 2. 160gb crashes constantly.

no, the newer ones have this problem too.

at least mine does.

[speeddeacon]

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

[teen335]

Originally Posted by JesseS

I'll do that if I continue to have problems.

So far (after turning off "Replay All") it's been mostly okay. Sometimes there is a bit of a delay when first starting the car before it can see the iPod, but no more than a minute or two.

Does your iDrive "see" your Classic immediately or ...?

The idrive sees it immediately unless I add music to it, then it takes a few minutes to see it for the first time. But every time I start the car after that its comes on immediately.

[teen335]

Originally Posted by speeddeacon

So the current generation classics don't have the same problem as the older classics? My Gen 2. 160gb crashes constantly.

Mine crashes (freezes) every once in a while but once I restart it there isn't a problem. It did it more in my vette than the 335. So far it's been pretty solid in the bmw.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by teen335

Mine crashes (freezes) every once in a while but once I restart it there isn't a problem. It did it more in my vette than the 335. So far it's been pretty solid in the bmw.

I have concluded that my old pre-classic "classic" is now rock solid w/ "Repeat All" disabled. Or rock solid enough (don't care too much if there is only a problem once a month). Available every time I get in the car although sometimes there is a bit of a delay before it can be seen (same thing happens to my iOS 5 and iOS 6 iPhones using BT even after they become available for phonebook & calling).

Now if only you could playback video with an iPod like you can with usb mass storage (+ coding).

[ric124]

Originally Posted by narlus

no, the newer ones have this problem too.

at least mine does.

I have a 160GB iPod classic that i bought for the car in May 2012. Not sure what generation that is but mine crashes about once a month. A simple reboot and hitting play on iPod resolves the issue.

I would love to find a better replacement in terms of size and functionality. like itunes playlist, album art and video

[kneesliding]

Why not use a USB stick?

Works perfectly and there is no limit as to what size can be used.

Leave it connected, plays all files, videos....

And it even fits in youre wallet.

And the biggest.... NO DAMN CABLE!!!

[ric124]

Originally Posted by kneesliding

Why not use a USB stick?

Works perfectly and there is no limit as to what size can be used.

Leave it connected, plays all files, videos....

And it even fits in youre wallet.

And the biggest.... NO DAMN CABLE!!!

Does it show album art?

[kneesliding]

If you have one of the newer Navi's (NBT)

Then yes, album art from USB works fine.

[speeddeacon]

Originally Posted by kneesliding

Why not use a USB stick?

Works perfectly and there is no limit as to what size can be used.

Leave it connected, plays all files, videos....

And it even fits in youre wallet.

And the biggest.... NO DAMN CABLE!!!

Do you have an iTunes library saved to it or just the media files themselves?

[kneesliding]

Just the media files.

Its just the folder structure from the PC to the USB copied.

[speeddeacon]

Originally Posted by kneesliding

Just the media files.

Its just the folder structure from the PC to the USB copied.

Out of curiosity, how many files do you have on your USB drive? The reason I ask is that, in past vehicles (non-BMW), there was a max number of files it would read, something like 5000 or so IIRC, so having a high capacity usb drive was useless. So, I'd like to be certain it will read as many files as I load up.

[kneesliding]

at the moment I have something like 7000 MP3's on the stick and so far no problems.