[Karly]

I am considering getting myself a new ipod mini (in pink of course) and I wonder if anyone has had any experience of these using them in their minis? My other half tells me that itrip is the best way to do this, using an FM radio signal (slightly illegal but..).

Considering the mini I've ordered will have a CD player so can't use a cassette adapters does anyone have any tips or recommendations? And are they any good?

 

[r34ver]

the itrip is good for surburban/rural areas but suffers greatly if you are in an area of high radio wave activity..i.e the city. The reception also isnt fantastic due to the aerial being outside the car, unless you want to tape your ipod to the roof . i just got my 20g 4th generation one and im gonna get the BMW kit for the ipod i think. ideally i want to be able to view/ change tracks through my existing headunit (cdx s2000) but im not sure if that'll work... ..and pink!?!

 

[ButtonIt]

Karly, have you got Multi-func steering wheel on your MINI?

If you have then you can use an ice-link which means you can use the steering wheel buttons to control your i-pod. It's very cool, a LOT of M2'ers have them fitted. Chat to user mikeythemini or visit http://www.newministuff.co.uk/new_page_2.htm to have a look at his companies website for ideas

 

[Karly]

Unfortunately I have just gone with the normal boring steering wheel

Do BMW do their own ipod kit then? I wasn't aware of this

 

[rgsmini]

Karly, the FM transmitters is one of the easiest ways to go, but from what i've read on here and other boards it is the least desireable...quality wise. Santa is bringing me a new iPod (20g) for xmas, so here's what i've done. I got the Aux Input from MINI and put it in myself. Do a search here online for that info. Then i got the Belkin Auto Kit for iPod w/ Dock Connector ( http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProd...=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id=149006 ) Just hook up the Belkin adapter to the Aux Input and you've got it made. You still have to use the controls on the iPod, but it's a much less expensive solution than the Ice-Link which costs almost as much as the iPod itself!

 

[Pru]

I can't believe anyone thinks the iTrip is more than a bizarre little toy. In my last car I used a cassette adapter, then I had a rental car on a two week business trip so I picked up an iTrip. If you want to hear your music--don't bother with one.

On my MINI I had the dealer install the auxilary input jack, and it works great. I think it cost me a whole $40, and then $5 for the cable, which I already had around my house. In an ideal world I'd have a two-foot cable, but the one I have does fine, I just tucked the excess under the floormat.

 

[icheatatscrabble]

Yeh, buy one. Buy the dension car kit, one available for most aftermarket headunits(around 70 quid) along with bmw one (129.99 though). Got one fitted in my Mini. www.dension.com

 

[geminiCS]

My husband has an ipod. He had it playing in his car via the itrip, and while it works okay, he just got the kit installed (not BMW, aftermarket) to connect the stereo to the ipod. The sound quality is MUCH better. Instead of FM quality you get CD quality--huge improvement and worth the extra money if you have it.

 

[kapps]

Definitely stay away from FM transmitters. The sound quality is usually poor and reception is questionable. An aux in is the way to go. If you've got a newer MINI ('03 or newer), you can get the aux imput to the stock headunit. This would be the cheapest way to go. If your willing to spend a little more cash, get the BMW iPod link so you can control your iPod like you would a cd changer. Either way, the sound quality would be much better.

As a side note, are you sure you want an iPod mini? A regular 20gb iPod is just $50 more and can hold 5x as much music. The mini, IMHO, is more of a fashion statement if you have lots of songs that you want to listen to. Remember that you will have to encode music at a lower quality to fit more on.

 

[feverdiva21]

As a side note, are you sure you want an iPod mini? A regular 20gb iPod is just $50 more and can hold 5x as much music. The mini, IMHO, is more of a fashion statement if you have lots of songs that you want to listen to. Remember that you will have to encode music at a lower quality to fit more on.

I'm with you on this one Kapps... I've seen the mini ipods and while they are small and cute, when i upgraded from my old 2gen 20gb IPOD to a new 4gen one - I decided to stay with the 20gb size... I can encode at high quality and get every CD I own onto my IPOD and still have space for using it as a portable hard disk.. and (in uk prices) it was £179 for 4gb or £217 for 20gb... I 've only seen the blue and pink Mini ipods in the flesh and I can't say I liked the colours either..

Its also to be the Denison for me ..

 

[Pru]

It's worth noting that with the BMW-branded integration piece that you can really only use 5 playlists on the iPod (I have forty, at least) and the playlists have to be named something to the effect of BMW1, BMW2, etc. It's been several months since I was researching it --well prior to my MINI order-- so I apologize if I'm slightly off, but I know I have the gist of it.

My gut reaction to the whole of it was that it was nice in theory to be able to control it via the head unit or the wheel controls, but in reality I was not going to be satisfied with my iPod being hampered. And frankly in my old car I'd gotten so very used to balancing it on my knee, I still do it!

 

[feverdiva21]

It's worth noting that with the BMW-branded integration piece that you can really only use 5 playlists on the iPod (I have forty, at least) and the playlists have to be named something to the effect of BMW1, BMW2, etc.

Good point - that idea of the BMW playlists put me off the BMW/MINI solution totally too!!! but I still fancy being able to use the MFSW though, so hence its the Dension for me...

 

[Karly]

I actually brought my boyfriend the original large ipod for Christmas last year and to be honest I would rather have the cuter fashion accessory. I would be quite happy to have about 1,000 songs with me at a time in the car. I only really listen to Britney and I think it would drive my passengers mad if I had more Britney songs than that!!!

Since this is my first mini and it hasn't even been built yet I am a little worried about adding wires and holes which will ruin my car. As I live in the UK does anyone know if any BMW dealers here would help fit the ipod to the car?

 

[Nameless]

The Icelink is a good accessory and unlike the BMW one you have a chance of taking it to your next car, just by changing the CD cable end of it.

I thought long and hard about whether to go iTrip or wait for the BMW one of go with the Denison one from Mikey the Mini.

Then when I had decided to get one from Mikey, I thought long and hard about whether to go for the cradle mount or just a cable. In the end I went for the cable because i thought the cradle was ugly.

I'm chuffed i did, because a full size iPod, with an iSkin cover, lodges perfectly in one of the cup holders, and even tilts back a bit so you can see what's being played at the moment.

Smiff.

 

[Karly]

Thanks Smiff.

How does the icelink connect to the mini stereo? What sort of connectors does it go into on the back and is it easy to route the cables out from behind the stereo into the car?

 

[Rich_IX]

I have pics of mine that I fitted - got them from MiketheMini, take a gander at my gallery!
It is very very good mod Im 100% happy with it

 

[gareth2512]

Alpine KCA-420i

I have just finished fitting the alpine ipod link. I think that this is definitely the best way of listening to the ipod in the car.

This is because:

You have full control from the alpine head unit.
You can select artist, album or playlists.
All of the names etc are displayed on the head unit.
You can also replace any quality lost in the compression process when recording from the cd with alpine media expander system.

I have an alpine cda 9831r head unit which looks and sounds amazing. The KCA-420i unit is hidden behind the shelving unit on the passenger side so it is invisible. The iPod itself is in iPod Armour that has been secured to the inside edge of the shelf, near the centre console, with velcro.
Am very happy with the install. All of the wires are completely hidden.
Will post pictures soon.

Gareth2512

 

[Nameless]

Thanks Smiff.

How does the icelink connect to the mini stereo? What sort of connectors does it go into on the back and is it easy to route the cables out from behind the stereo into the car?

OK are you ready... Deep Breath

First there's a CD connector. - There's a big male plug on a loom that plugs into the radio. This is connected to a matching female plug that the connector which would normally be plugged into the radio plugs into. Coming out of this lot sideways is a CD connection cable.

This CD connection cable plugs into one end of a Connects2 box of tricks, which I think translates your head unit CD signals so you could normally connect an aftermarket CD changer.

Out of the other end of the box is a cable which connects the Connects2 box to one end of the Icelink, which is a litlle black widget which I think converts the CD changing signals into ipod signals.

Out of the other end of the Icelink is either a Dock cable which plugs straight into the ipod, or a cable connected to an ipod cradle, whichever you prefer.

It sounds complicated, but loads of us have done it and send you instructions on fitting, and you can't put it in wrong because all the plugs and sockets are different, so you can't plug the wrong thing into the wrong place.

If I'm not mistaken, when you change car's you just need to change the first bit - the CD connector, to suit your new car. ( Check with Mikey cos that might be completely wrong ).

 

[Karly]

Has anyone got a copy of the fitting instructions which I could take a look at? (And when I say 'I' , I actually mean, my boyfriend)!

Thanks

 

[Nameless]

Has anyone got a copy of the fitting instructions which I could take a look at? (And when I say 'I' , I actually mean, my boyfriend)!

Thanks

Think I've ditched mine. Best thing to do is buy a back issue copy of the first or second edition of GOMINI magazine, where there was a photo guide to the job. It's dead easy though.

Stew.