Connecting an i-Pod to a 2003 XKR !!??

[Cerby4.5]

HELP!!

Has anyone managed to do it without having to remove/replace the standard headunit??

After having 'i-Pod kits' in various other cars, I am getting rather fed up with the (rather limited) CD autochanger! I don't really want to have the expense of a total replacement.........surely there must be an option out there somewhere?????

N.B:
The Jaguar Audio Interface Unit was advertised on the website, but I have been told by the main dealer where I bought the car it is not available for an XK8/XKR ????? What is the point of this and anyone know if it's likely to be made available anytime soon???

Thanks in anticipation..............

Cerby4.5

[sjwb]

Try an iTrip (Griffin), now legal in this country.

[Phil Hopkins]

sjwb said:

Try an iTrip (Griffin), now legal in this country.

[cerby4.5]

sjwb said:

Try an iTrip (Griffin), now legal in this country.

I had avoided these some time ago as have heard that sound quality can be mediocre??? What is the quality like compared to a regular CD?? and are there versions available that charge the i-Pod as well, as the bettery is knackered (only holds charge for about half an hour) hence why I just use it in the cars.(I have used the Dension Car Kit in a VW and the Alpine unit in the Grand Cherokee and Omega), how do the FM transmitter type solutions compare?

Cerby4.5

Edited by cerby4.5 on Wednesday 3rd January 11:14

[sjwb]

In truth, not as good as the CD, but equal to the FM reception. For such a small outlay I have been very happy with mine.
My party piece is to set the iPod on the landing and drive 3 hi fi systems in the house at once! Drives the Dragon batty

[RingSpanner]

Whilst still on the subject of alternative music sources - is there anything available aftermarket, or even dealer-fit, that will play WMA files burnt into CD.....??

[wokkadriver]

cerby4.5 said:

sjwb said:

Try an iTrip (Griffin), now legal in this country.

I had avoided these some time ago as have heard that sound quality can be mediocre??? What is the quality like compared to a regular CD?? and are there versions available that charge the i-Pod as well, as the bettery is knackered (only holds charge for about half an hour) hence why I just use it in the cars.(I have used the Dension Car Kit in a VW and the Alpine unit in the Grand Cherokee and Omega), how do the FM transmitter type solutions compare?

Cerby4.5

Edited by cerby4.5 on Wednesday 3rd January 11:14

I had one and thought it was absolute sh!te - particularly on the way into London where ther just aren't enough free frequencies to stop interference. I dug out an old tape-with-a-wire from the old portable CD player days (remember those?) and it works a charm. You can get them now, most places from HMV on sell these sort of things, although they all seem to be (annoyingly) white and expensive. I've seen ones by everyone from Belkin to Sony.

[fenderbender]

I bought a new black Griffin iTrip from eBay for under thirty quid. Quality will never be as good as CD as you are playing MP3s which are heavily compressed BUT in my view the results are adequate for in-car use and it avoids paying the extra for the CD autochanger Jaguar sell as an option at a ludicrous price. I have a JVC head unit in another car which has a bespoke iPod interface. This plugs into & plays iPod - charges the battery as well. Sound quality is better than the iTrip but the way the unit controls iPod is not optimal and anything more than about 500 songs becomes difficult to search. the iTrip scores well here.

When I get my next new Jag I will not opt for the CD autochanger as in my opinion MP3 is the future for in-car entertainment.

[RingSpanner]

fenderbender & wokka....

It looks as if an iPod MP3 player and Griffin is the only way to go, until Jaguar get it sorted to playing WMA files through their in-car kit...which is a shame really - cause the quality of the music system is pretty good otherwise.

[fenderbender]

Incidentally my i-Trip has a switchable frequency facility with LCD display which makes it a more useful unit in areas prone to interference. A pal of mine has a fixed freq job which is a nightmare.