335d Coupe - iPod problems
Discussion
Hi All,
Had the USB connector fitted in my 335d and together with the upgraded stereo it gives fantastic sound. Unfortunately scrolling through my iPod menus is really slow using the buttons on the steering wheel or the rotary knob on the stereo.
To get around this I compiled a load of playlists on the iPod but cant seem to work out how to access them using the stereo interface.
Can someone please help out this techno-idiot so that I dont either end up listening to the same songs every time I drive or rear end someone as I am trying to get to the tracks that I actually want to listen to.
Cheers,
Mark
Had the USB connector fitted in my 335d and together with the upgraded stereo it gives fantastic sound. Unfortunately scrolling through my iPod menus is really slow using the buttons on the steering wheel or the rotary knob on the stereo.
To get around this I compiled a load of playlists on the iPod but cant seem to work out how to access them using the stereo interface.
Can someone please help out this techno-idiot so that I dont either end up listening to the same songs every time I drive or rear end someone as I am trying to get to the tracks that I actually want to listen to.
Cheers,
Mark
Easy, connect the iPod to the USB socket under the arm rest using the cable you normally use to connect to PC or laptop. This allows you to control the iPod using the steering wheel buttons or the ones on the stereo as the menu structure of the iPod is displayed on the screen of the head unit. The only thing I cant work out is how to get to the playlists as they dont seem to appear for some reason.
The USB connector is an option though, not all cars have it.
The USB connector is an option though, not all cars have it.
The car should have come with a grey lead that one end connects to the ipod and the other end has 2 wires 1 a USB and another that plugs into the aux audio jack. Although its possible to just use the usb lead that your ipod came with, the ipod does work a lot better with the BMW lead as this lead allows the audio siganals to be sent through the audio jack and file data to be sent through the usb port thus making it a lot faster for the playlists to transfer to the car and the controls are much more responsive, so far in my experience they work very well with this cable and selecting songs , artists and genre etc are a breeze.
Ive just connected my ipod to the aux port in the arm rest and I bought a 12v usb lead to keep it charged that I just plugged into the fag lighter,this way i have to chose my songs via the ipod,not ideal when you are driving !! the steering wheel would be spot on if possible.
but Cant say I noticed a usb port in the arm rest so guessing it must have been an option from new ,anyone know Is it poss to fit one after market ???
but Cant say I noticed a usb port in the arm rest so guessing it must have been an option from new ,anyone know Is it poss to fit one after market ???
Cheers for that info, looks like BMW owe me a cable as I didnt get one when I picked the car up. Is there a way that you know of to clear everything that has been transferred to the car so that you can start again?
Jeff, you should be able to get the USB fitted by a dealer. At least the dealer told me that he could fit one to a Z4 coupe after delivery.
Jeff, you should be able to get the USB fitted by a dealer. At least the dealer told me that he could fit one to a Z4 coupe after delivery.
I have been doing some research on this, the lead will enable you to play files from your Ipod that have Digital Rights Management (DRM).
With this lead those DRM files will be able to be played on the car as the sound files will be played from your ipod and the audio signals sent down the auxillary audio jack.
If you use a memory stick or the ipod cable you use to connect your computer the Ipod or memory stick has to work as a storage device,this means that the car has to transfer the lists and music files through the USB and through the cars bus system and onto the screen.
Now on some of the early cars the software in the car was not very good at this and it could take ages for the lists to transfer to the screen of the car, this has now been adressed with a software update to the car , however DRM files will not play in the cars system using this method so if you buy DRM files from Itunes etc you will have to use the BMW lead. I will find out the part number and post it on here.
With this lead those DRM files will be able to be played on the car as the sound files will be played from your ipod and the audio signals sent down the auxillary audio jack.
If you use a memory stick or the ipod cable you use to connect your computer the Ipod or memory stick has to work as a storage device,this means that the car has to transfer the lists and music files through the USB and through the cars bus system and onto the screen.
Now on some of the early cars the software in the car was not very good at this and it could take ages for the lists to transfer to the screen of the car, this has now been adressed with a software update to the car , however DRM files will not play in the cars system using this method so if you buy DRM files from Itunes etc you will have to use the BMW lead. I will find out the part number and post it on here.
Yes it can.
Sytners did mine for £312.00 inclusive of the part/fitting and it gives me full functionality through the iDrive.
It did take them 2 1/2 days to do though and they ended up giving me a courtesy car.
The problem was that they have to clear down the iDrive computer and then reboot it. It took four attempts to reboot successfully as it failed in the same place for the first three and each takes circa 3 to 4 hours.
They said that the problem was that because my car was so new the software they had was actually older and in the end they had to obtain an updated download from BMW in Germany.
The updated software loaded first time, and I've had no issues at all since fitting.
Sytners did mine for £312.00 inclusive of the part/fitting and it gives me full functionality through the iDrive.
It did take them 2 1/2 days to do though and they ended up giving me a courtesy car.
The problem was that they have to clear down the iDrive computer and then reboot it. It took four attempts to reboot successfully as it failed in the same place for the first three and each takes circa 3 to 4 hours.
They said that the problem was that because my car was so new the software they had was actually older and in the end they had to obtain an updated download from BMW in Germany.
The updated software loaded first time, and I've had no issues at all since fitting.
SKR said:
Hm, I dont have iDrive on my car, can it still be done?
Not sure if BMW can do iPod for older models, but you could check out:http://www.dension.com/icelinkgateway500.php
who offer integration with the steering wheel buttons, and the standard BMW (ie non-iDrive) stereo.
UV
Ultraviolet said:
SKR said:
Hm, I dont have iDrive on my car, can it still be done?
Not sure if BMW can do iPod for older modelsHave had a look on the link you gave me and they do not have the latest model on there. What do they call the latest 3 series coupe out of interest? E92?????
I was quoted £320 to retro-fit a usb lead in lieu of my cd changer on my 04 Z4 by my local BMW dealer. I've not had it done yet. A local installer quoted £230. I don't know if the track listings will display on the sat nav screen, though by using the usb connection (on my 120d) it tracks can be choosen via the hifi controls (though not playlists).
Given that my iPod is always in the car when I want it somewhere else and vice versa (it didn't come with an intelligent operator), has anyone tried copying all the music data onto a memory stick, which you could leave in place? You'd need to sync it occasionally but would be better.
Given that my iPod is always in the car when I want it somewhere else and vice versa (it didn't come with an intelligent operator), has anyone tried copying all the music data onto a memory stick, which you could leave in place? You'd need to sync it occasionally but would be better.
Hodgson 100 said:
Sorry for the delay , The BMW usb Ipod connecter cable part number is 61 12 0 422 099.
Do you have to pay for this seperately (if so, how much?), or should it be included if you spec the USB option on a new 3-series?Just considering which options to spec on my 335, so interested to know if the dealer will try to sting me for more on top of the USB. Thanks.
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