The Ultimate iPod Info Thread

I figured I would throw my 2 cents in here.

Have a 2008 535xi with USB adapter in console. Instead of buying an IPOD, I bought a 16gb Sandisk cruzer stick drive off amazon for $25. Loaded my songs (about 5 gigs only) into 8 different folders, with 2 playlists. I must say, it works beautifully. For only $25, folder access is easy, quick, obviously cheaper than getting an Ipod. Also, the playlists are key. In order to get the playlists to work, I used this free online software to create them. All files are are MP3s.

http://www.oddgravity.de/app-opc.php

is the usb port in the console standard?

i have a ipod cable in the glove box..but i dont see a usb port?

i just got the same car.. can u let me know what you got?

Originally Posted by twindon98

i just got the same car.. can u let me know what you got?

No, the USB port in the console is an option you needed to have added.

Originally Posted by x3ronnie

Hmm, my G5 Nano does not charge,although it does display the BMW logo. My 2G iPod Touch simply says "Charging not supported with this device". I would be interested to see of the Scosche Passport charging adaptor would make the message on the touch go away.

Agreed. I just got a re furbed Nano 5 for xmas and it works nicely - once I figured out how to accesss through the CD but, it does not charge - just get the BMW logo. Nano has ^24 hrs battery life so not a big deal.

The old BMW dock connector won't charge recent model ipods/iphones, etc because it is a firewire cable. However, if you add an adapter it will charge your iPod/iPhone. I highly recommend picking up one of these adapters. I use it as my car charger for my iPhone and to play music through my BMW stereo.

Soche and Griffin both make adapters for firewire to USB power converter.

http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-passPO...5370533&sr=8-1


To link your playlists with your radio presets add prefix BMW1, BMW2, etc in front of each playlist you want linked to the applicable preset.

I name mine as follows: BMW1 - Favorites, BMW2 - Jazz

I hope this helps!

I'd like to contribute to this thread by saying that if you ever wanted to listen to Internet radio on your iPhone with the iPod cable you can by simply using multitasking on the iPhone to switch from iPod app to the required music app. Hope this helps. Enjoy!

I use an iPod Touch in my 2007 550. How do you get to the internet stations. I don't understand.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by mschuler

I use an iPod Touch in my 2007 550. How do you get to the internet stations. I don't understand.
Thanks.

Hi. You have to have a iPhone with Internet connection or a personal wifi like the verizon mifi.

I finally got an Iphone 4 and I am looking for a clean solution for charging and playing songs: I am pretty much settled on getting the Spec Dock BMWE60V2AV kit, which will allow charging of the phone and ‘dumb’ playing of the songs through the aux function.

I already sent a bunch of technical and installation questions to the manufacturer and I will wait for their reply before I ask here... but there is one question I am not sure they will be able to answer:

My Iphone4 is in an Otterbox Defender case, which is too thick for most docking stations. As the Spec Docks use an insert system (the white plastic parts) to support all apple products, is it possible I could dock my phone with the case on if I do not use an insert at all? If anyone with both a Spec Dock and a Defender case could confirm it works or try it for me, Id be ecstatic...

Hi everyone,

I'm new, so go easy on me. I'm not new to automotive forums, and so I actually realize there are some that will get exasperated with my post - so be it.

I have read through the 36 pages of this thread and, not feeling like I've gained a lot save for shared frustration, I think that the direct question, plus the addition of a curveball, may make my question post-worthy.

Some background first.

I recently recognized the need to buy a new/another car to use for work. Over the last 5 months since this realization, I've been doing my research and made the decision last Monday which car to buy. That Friday, I bought it.

To commemorate the noteworthy milestone that an additional to my fleet would represent, namely, having now owned one car for every year I've been alive, (37) I purchased a 08 535xi, in Platinum grey and black leather. It was delivered in excellent condition replete with the factory navigation system, 2 slots, but no changer or sat radio. As I listen to Pandora or music from my iPhone, neither seemed important.

(For those interested in the process, I did consider the new 5's, specifically the 550/535 GT xDrives, but my wife suggested that might be her next car, so I demurred…)

Moving on… as mentioned, i have the factory Nav. I have the factory bluetooth as well, which integrates with my phone effortlessly and is clear. I also have the usb and 3.5mm jack in the center console, which are nice but useless as neither my iPhone 4 or my iPod Video are recognized. They charge fine, but the car tells me they are incompatible. The iPod acts like it's connected to iTunes, so it can't be charged and used as a player at the same time. and the iphone charges, but the car says I'm SOL.

Despite having been on a number of forums besides this one to discover the answer to this oft asked question,Ii've yet to get a straight, definitive answer of how to appropriately pair my iphone 4 with my car.

I'd like to be able to leave the phone in the console or the glovebox, access the menus from the iDrive unit, and control tracks and playlists from my steering wheel. There is much allusion to this ability, and I've even attached videos of people doing it, but there still seems to be a great mystery on how it's actually been accomplished. Many times the solutions provided are specified, but either the links provided are dead or the unit can't be purchased, is discontinued, etc.

Closest I have to an answer is the 6FL cable from BMW ( which seems awfully simple for $350 and doesn't give a tremendous amount of detail), the Denison 500 unit (which Denison doesn't sell), and the Becker cable.

It seems to me that the easiest fix would be the CD changer emulator. I assume though that there is some programming involved - perhaps that's the reason for the $350 charge converter and audio/usb cable?

After all that, though here is the reality: Ideally, I'd like to play music through the bluetooth (A2DP), which was possible on the last Kia Sorrento I rented for work. In that case, iId quickly forego iDrive compatibility for the convenience of actually being able to use my phone wirelessly.

TIA,
Rob

2008 535xi, 2010 ML350, 1990 RRC

Originally Posted by estrov

I have an 08 535i with Navi. I want to add Ipod integration with the idrive. Is part number 65-11-0-439-429 or -425 correct?

First post just picked up the car yesterday.

so which part number is it????

Originally Posted by vtsuisse

Hi everyone,

I'm new, so go easy on me. I'm not new to automotive forums, and so I actually realize there are some that will get exasperated with my post - so be it.

I have read through the 36 pages of this thread and, not feeling like I've gained a lot save for shared frustration, I think that the direct question, plus the addition of a curveball, may make my question post-worthy.

Some background first.

I recently recognized the need to buy a new/another car to use for work. Over the last 5 months since this realization, I've been doing my research and made the decision last Monday which car to buy. That Friday, I bought it.

To commemorate the noteworthy milestone that an additional to my fleet would represent, namely, having now owned one car for every year I've been alive, (37) I purchased a 08 535xi, in Platinum grey and black leather. It was delivered in excellent condition replete with the factory navigation system, 2 slots, but no changer or sat radio. As I listen to Pandora or music from my iPhone, neither seemed important.

(For those interested in the process, I did consider the new 5's, specifically the 550/535 GT xDrives, but my wife suggested that might be her next car, so I demurred***8230

Moving on…. as mentioned, i have the factory Nav. I have the factory bluetooth as well, which integrates with my phone effortlessly and is clear. I also have the usb and 3.5mm jack in the center console, which are nice but useless as neither my iPhone 4 or my iPod Video are recognized. They charge fine, but the car tells me they are incompatible. The iPod acts like it's connected to iTunes, so it can't be charged and used as a player at the same time. and the iphone charges, but the car says I'm SOL.

Despite having been on a number of forums besides this one to discover the answer to this oft asked question,Ii've yet to get a straight, definitive answer of how to appropriately pair my iphone 4 with my car.

I'd like to be able to leave the phone in the console or the glovebox, access the menus from the iDrive unit, and control tracks and playlists from my steering wheel. There is much allusion to this ability, and I've even attached videos of people doing it, but there still seems to be a great mystery on how it's actually been accomplished. Many times the solutions provided are specified, but either the links provided are dead or the unit can't be purchased, is discontinued, etc.

Closest I have to an answer is the 6FL cable from BMW ( which seems awfully simple for $350 and doesn't give a tremendous amount of detail), the Denison 500 unit (which Denison doesn't sell), and the Becker cable.

It seems to me that the easiest fix would be the CD changer emulator. I assume though that there is some programming involved - perhaps that's the reason for the $350 charge converter and audio/usb cable?

After all that, though here is the reality: Ideally, I'd like to play music through the bluetooth (A2DP), which was possible on the last Kia Sorrento I rented for work. In that case, iId quickly forego iDrive compatibility for the convenience of actually being able to use my phone wirelessly.

TIA,
Rob

2008 535xi, 2010 ML350, 1990 RRC

Hey Rob -

There' a lot of information in here and my iPod compatibility competency is losing currency fast - but I do have a few key ideas that may help or disappoint you, maybe both at the same time:

Bluetooth streaming of music is not possible in an E60. They did not outfit the car with the right electronics to do that, even though the Bluetooth certainly works for the phone. Yes, that is silly when you think about how ridiculously good the Ford system is and that you can get Bluetooth streaming in a Kia. Yet, here we are.

Your car may have a USB input but not have the iPod interface - all iPod interfaces look like USB inputs in BMWs, but not all USB inputs are iPod interfaces. The best way to check is to plug an iPod - not an iPhone - into it and see if the system recognizes it as an Pod. If it does not, you can add the iPod interface to your car, which is not inexpensive.

If it does recognize an iPod, you have the iPod interface. But it's not exactly an iPhone interface. I have heard some stories about what it takes to get an iPhone to play music through the BMW interface. Some say that it's necessary to put it in Airplane mode and perhaps follow a couple other steps that make it unusable as a phone, which obviously is a showstopper.

So, if that is the case, or if you don't have the iPod interface and don't wish to add it, you have some other options.

You can move your auxiliary input to the glove box, and you can do that yourself if you are comfortable taking apart your console. I believe that very near the beginning of this thread, Stream posted the schematic and instructions to remove it. I've done it several times and it's not too hard.

Or, you can move it to the ashtray area and invest in a Spec Dock, which is a very tidy OEM-looking iPhone mount that replaces your ashtray. Check out that link. If you were to do that, I would suggest you buy the Spec Dock that carries the auxiliary interface (not the iPod interface; you can buy either). This will provide you with a line-out quality audio output from the Spec Dock into your auxiliary input.

Your iPhone will send whatever audio output it has to send through the audio line out in its dock interface. Music, Pandora, Sirius, maybe even phone calls, although I have not tried one. So you will get all of that via the auxiliary. And, while you would not have iDrive control of your iPhone, the Spec Dock mount's positioning immediately in front of the shifter is almost as good.

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Hey Rob -

There' a lot of information in here and my iPod compatibility competency is losing currency fast - but I do have a few key ideas that may help or disappoint you, maybe both at the same time:

Bluetooth streaming of music is not possible in an E60. They did not outfit the car with the right electronics to do that, even though the Bluetooth certainly works for the phone. Yes, that is silly when you think about how ridiculously good the Ford system is and that you can get Bluetooth streaming in a Kia. Yet, here we are.

Your car may have a USB input but not have the iPod interface - all iPod interfaces look like USB inputs in BMWs, but not all USB inputs are iPod interfaces. The best way to check is to plug an iPod - not an iPhone - into it and see if the system recognizes it as an Pod. If it does not, you can add the iPod interface to your car, which is not inexpensive.

If it does recognize an iPod, you have the iPod interface. But it's not exactly an iPhone interface. I have heard some stories about what it takes to get an iPhone to play music through the BMW interface. Some say that it's necessary to put it in Airplane mode and perhaps follow a couple other steps that make it unusable as a phone, which obviously is a showstopper.

So, if that is the case, or if you don't have the iPod interface and don't wish to add it, you have some other options.

You can move your auxiliary input to the glove box, and you can do that yourself if you are comfortable taking apart your console. I believe that very near the beginning of this thread, Stream posted the schematic and instructions to remove it. I've done it several times and it's not too hard.

Or, you can move it to the ashtray area and invest in a Spec Dock, which is a very tidy OEM-looking iPhone mount that replaces your ashtray. Check out that link. If you were to do that, I would suggest you buy the Spec Dock that carries the auxiliary interface (not the iPod interface; you can buy either). This will provide you with a line-out quality audio output from the Spec Dock into your auxiliary input.

Your iPhone will send whatever audio output it has to send through the audio line out in its dock interface. Music, Pandora, Sirius, maybe even phone calls, although I have not tried one. So you will get all of that via the auxiliary. And, while you would not have iDrive control of your iPhone, the Spec Dock mount's positioning immediately in front of the shifter is almost as good.

Will

Thanks! This is exactly what I needed to know, and while i'm disappointed that we can't stream bluetooth audio, I'm confident at some point someone will figure it out. For now I've actually come across the Thumb drive solution, which, while not ideal is a fairly elegant solution and works well enough. I might as well have the bluetooth audio in the case, tough i do miss Pandora.

Out of curiosity, i haven't seen it mentioned...Has anyone tried to use a bluetooth usb stick in the usb port?

Rob

anyone tried something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...#ht_1201wt_941

Rob

2008 535xi, 2010 ML350, 1990 RRC

Alos, for those of you using OS X…..this works great for exporting playlists from itunes to your thumb drive. as i have the usb port but no iPod interface, it's an easy way to have access to my playlists. YMMV.

http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/#Download

no affiliation, just found it…..

Rob

2008 535xi, 2010 ML350, 1990 RRC

also, what about something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TV-FR...ht_2560wt_1167

Rob

2008 535xi, 2010 ML350, 1990 RRC

Originally Posted by vtsuisse

For now I've actually come across the Thumb drive solution, which, while not ideal is a fairly elegant solution and works well enough.

As cheap as flash memory is, that is a pretty good solution. It's not out of the question to have 32MB of flash drive plugged into the car economically. I've never had great experiences with navigation of songs from USB sources in a car, so maybe the playlist export tool you mention would help out there.

Will, I had a 4GB drive laying around, 16 or 32 would be more than enough, but 4 works for me for most of my playlists. THe iTunes exporter worked awesome, though it won't play AAC files. Convert to mp4/m4a/mp3 and no problem.

Rob

Hey everyone. Poked around the forum and in other models, does anyone have any experience with the Dension Gateway 500. Other threads ask but not really getting a solid answer. Why would you choose the Gateway over the BMW iPod interface. I have a 04 545i and carry a large number of songs and artist on my 120gb ipod. Also carry and iphone and would really like to use that as well.

Potential work around for 500 artist/song limit. We all know it's frustrating not have ALL our songs. So I thought of this workaround. What I did was make a playlist a-z (not a smart playlist) I then added all appropriate artists under their first initial. Assuming you don't have more than 500 songs from your a-z artists you won't have a problem having your collection. * I should note that when you add the songs and you are playing them from the idrive you are going to have to search your song title from the artist. It's not quick if you have so many songs. Well that's it enjoy! Feel free to post if you don't understand.

Originally Posted by Skripter2k

I'd like to contribute to this thread by saying that if you ever wanted to listen to Internet radio on your iPhone with the iPod cable you can by simply using multitasking on the iPhone to switch from iPod app to the required music app. Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Can you please explain the steps to do this

Originally Posted by Gniruot

Can you please explain the steps to do this

Double tap the home button if you're running iOS 4.0 or higher. Older versions of iOS do not have this feature.

Can anyone confirm that the BMW ipod interface adapter is fully compatible with the current 6th generation ipod nano that came out last Fall? I would assume so, however BMW's website still lists only the 4th & 5th generation nanos as compatible. I couldn't find this discussed in any other posts.

Dock connecters stay the same as far as connecting to the unit goes. The only real big thing you have to worry about is power and it hasn't changed from ipod nano 5th gen.