ipod2car

i have this interface installed in my 05 prius. i helped the installer put it in and while it wasn't what i'd call difficult, it IS involved. basically, you have to remove several sections of the dashboard which are modular and literally "snap" out. once you get to the radio, you simply add the correct radio harnass and the ipod2car box connects to that. when finished, the stock head unit will think the ipod is a CD changer.

i had them drill the plastic storage box beneath the radio and install the connector there. that way, i can control the ipod from the steering wheel, but leave it out of sight where it's less likely to draw attention from would-be thieves.

a few things i noticed:

1) audio quality is very very good. it keeps the ipod charged and gives you control of volume & track up/down.

2) i have noticed that i have to turn the volume up much higher than i do with other sources. where 32 is normally loud for the radio or CD player, i have to turn the ipod2car up to 45 for a similar volume level. changing between audio sources can scare the hell out of you the first time...be warned.

3) sometimes i lose ipod control from the steering wheel. in my unscientific testing, i find this seems to happen when i let the ipod2car module turn my ipod on and off with the car's ignition. if i do this long enough, i will sometimes lose control on startup. i've had very good luck, however, with keeping the ipod connected and simply powering it down manually before turning the car off. then it comes back just fine. i don't know if this is a quirk of my particular unit, or others experience this

4) i haven't found a way to scan through a track. you can hop forward or backwards, but i haven't found a way to skip through

5) no MFD support...which would really tie things together nicely. still, it's much better than my old cassette & power adapter combo.

i hope this helps...

david r.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jonmac243\";p=\"82274)</div>

As it's just a matter of plugging the cable into the appropriate connector on the head unit, I'd say no. There's no wire cutting/splicing involved.

 

Did you find that since the car thinks the ipod is the cd changer, installing this adapter prevented you from using the cd changer?
Josh

 

I have the same wheel control idiosyncracy with my 04 Prius. Since I listen to audio books most of the time, it doesn't really make a difference to me.

As far as the CD changer goes, the car defaults to the CD changer on startup. Once you go to the iPod, you can't get back to the CD changer unless you power down and back up again. I have noticed that I haven't used the CD changer since getting the ipod2car, though...

 

I'm glad some people got this to work.

The interaction is unacceptable to me, however. I unsnapped my entire dash to remove the stereo and it worked fine. After snapping the stereo into place and putting the first bolt back on, I'd lose control of my ipod every single time. I've spent nearly 6 hours trying to get it to remain functioning after my unit is reassembled with no progress. I've unhooked ipod2car now and snapped my dash back together.

I'll be looking for a refund, unfortunately...

 

cdweller --

What do you mean by losing control? If I shut off the car with the ipod on, I have to switch to another input (like AM radio) and back to CD to go back to the ipod (when I start the car up again). Are you talking steering wheel controls for track movements? Those seem to work depending on the order that you powered up the radio and ipod.

If you can be more specifc, we may be able to help. If all else fails, I found the ipod2car guys tech support to be quite good.

 

Has anyone installed this as their ipod solution in the Prius?(see link) http://www.vaistech.com/aic100i.html If I am reading it correctly the track and artist will be displayed on MFD as well as being able to use steering wheel controls. A little pit pricey, but would be nice!

 

I partly mean the track buttons on the steering wheel. Additionally, pressing the mode button cycles to the radio frequencies and does not return to the CD (ipod). Even though it was recognized moments before, at this point it is not. Turning the power off and on again has the same effect, the iPod is not recognized at all.

 

It scares me a bit that there are mispellings on the website and the shop link is broken.

I've no need for this at this time, but it does sound great.

 

So, today I had my local stereo shop install the ipod 2 car. It plays fine, however there are 3 problems.

First, I can't control the ipod from the steering wheel.

Second, the track names do not dispay on the monitor.

Third, someone above mentioned that the ipod turns off when the car is turned off -- but mine doesnt do this.

Does anyone have any advice?

I have a 2005 prius and a 3g ipod. Thanks!

 

Looks like some of their cables had a problem, leading to loss of control issues. See link below

http://peripheralelectronics.com/pdfs/iPod...ech%20Breif.pdf

 

Thanks! I think that's exactly the problem. I'm going to call them tomorrow.

 

Ok -- so I spoke to Peripheral's customer support this morning and they said that the iPod2Car is not fully compatible with all Prius'. They said that it seems to work for some, and not for others. So Toyota is probably using slightly different types of stereos.

I have the basic CD changer -- but am not sure of the exact model or make.

They said that they are working on something that will work for the Prius, but can't guarantee when it will be out.

The iPod2Car plays fine in the car, but doesn't allow me to change tracks via the steering wheel or stereo interface -- which is a pain.

I will probably return it -- and hopefully Coastal will come out with one soon that works better.

 

It seems like the steering wheel controls and the auto-off depend on what state your ipod is when the car is turned on and you switch to the ipod. Since I generally listen to audiobooks in the car, I don't use the steering wheel controls much. However, it seems to work best when the ipod is completely off before you turn on the car. Switch to the ipod, and it turns on; if the ipod is playing when you turn the car off, the ipod switches off after about 3 seconds. This doesn't always work perfectly, but it is way better than my monster FM transmitter, which was my precious solution.

As far as the track names go, I don't _think_ they were ever supposed to display on the monitor. At least, I never expected that. Of course, none of my CD's displayed track names, either....

As far as coastal goes, I received an email from them in May 2004 (literally!) saying they were 6-8 weeks out from an ipod solution. I eventually gave up waiting. If they come up with and actually release something better, I'll go back to them. I'm still waiting for the NAV bypass that I ordered in January (with a 6-8 week delivery time...).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cdweller0\";p=\"87020)</div>

I have a 2005 Non-JBL Prius and added XM. I have to say, I love XM.

The iPod2Car does Not Work. There is no control of the iPod and the volume of the XM radio is drastically reduced. If I disconnect the iPod2Car, the volume is back to normal.

The iPod can be manually controlled, but it doesn't switch on or off and will even play at the same time when I switch to XM.
I called their tech support and they seemed a bit surprised it didn't work and that it was a known issue that the XM couldn't be used with it.
Maybe it is the XM that is the problem, I don’t know, but why do they bother adding the connection for XM or CD changer when nether work with it. It didn't say anywhere it wouldn't work with XM.

I made the mistake of buying the iPod2Car at Audio Sensations Exton, PA. They refuse to refund my money or even give me a store credit.

If you check Peripheral Electronics application guide, you will see the Prius is list as not compatible, thanks to me.

Bob

 

I am getting a Prius with the AM package. This is the standard stereo system. Will I be able to use the ipod2car?
[email protected]

 

Yes.

 

I beleive Bob's issue with Ipod2Car audio is that the Ipod2Car is not releasing the shared audio lines going to the header. If you have multiple devices to an input, only the activated device is to use the input, the rest need to go to high impedance. On the Prius, the devices have to be told through the AVC network whether they are being used or not. Sounds like the IPod2Car is not being addressed properly.
What device does the IPod2Car emulate?