06E60

Hello everyone,

New to this site and the BMW cars; just bought a Silver Gray metallic '06 530i, with SMG, Premium, Sport, Premium Sound packages.

Would like to add iPod connector but have been told that I can not do it because I have CD changer; so I have to choose between CD changer or iPod. Any suggestions if this can be done? Do not want to loose the CD changer, but if there is no option I could always sell it

BTW, the SMG thread posted on this site helped me decide to buy this car. I was a bit concerned on hopw it would drive. Have had the car for 2 weeks and SMG feels great. Need a bit more time to get use to it.

Thanks for any feedback

wees75

to the forum.... why would you need a CD changer if you have an iPod interface??

kscarrol

I made the swap in my old 545. In my mind, it is a question of quantity vs quality. The iPod sound is not quite CD quality but you can fit so much more music. There are some restrictions on the number of songs or playlists the adapter can handle. Some folks with 80 Gb iPods and thousands of songs have run into these limitations.

In my opinion it was well worth it. I had a small iPod Nano which lived in my glove box and never saw the light of day except to periodically update my music.

06E60

The car came with the CD changer, I just want to add the iPod interface. I do not really wnat the CD changer.

06E60

Thanks for your suggestion....... That is my thinking too, to replace the CD changer...... I rather have the iPod than a CD changer, although a have an 80 GB, so I guess I will have to be careful not to load too many songs. Then again that is the whole point, isn't it?

Should I just get the radio adapter then and handle the music via iPod instead of the car's interface? I would like to use the entertainment system to handle the music in the iPod.

Any other suggestions are welcome....

kscarrol

Yes, do what I did. Pick up one of the smaller iPod Nano's for the car. You may not be able to fit your whole library but make some special playlists for driving and enjoy. In my case, my daily commute is only 10-15 minutes so having 1,000+ songs loaded that I will never get to hear is a waste. I keep a larger iPod and even my iPhone for carrying or plugging to my household stereo for greater enjoyment.

06E60

kscarrol thanks for the information.... Do you get the music information in the iDrive display when using the iPod connector? That is one of the reasons I would go for adding it.

Thanks again .......

kscarrol

Yes, works well. Keep in mind its a fix on BMW's part but in place of CD1, CD2 etc, the iDrive shows CD1*, CD2*... These CD1*'s = Playlists, CD2* = Artists, CD3* = Genre, etc, just like an iPod. Can't recall the exact order but they are there. So you select CD1* and it will show you all your playlists. You can then select individual playlists and choose Random or just let it play. The iDrive also displays artist and song title.

There are some quirks, but maybe a later version of the software has fixed them. For instance if you shut down the car in the middle of a song, when you restart the iPod will start playing at the beginning of that song again. I found it worked very well and was quite pleased, so much so that I rarely listened to Sirius after I got it

06E60

I guess I am sold on the iPod connector. That is exactly what I am looking for....

Do you where I can get it besides the dealer? Do I need to take it to the dealer to get it installed? or Is it easy to DIY?

Thanks again for your patience.

06E60

Help anyone,

I need to get a little more information on this iPod connector and CD changer business......

I contacted a BMW mechanic who advised me of the following:

iPod connector interface (from the dealer) = $299.95
Uninstall CD changer / Install iPod connector = $180.00
Re-program car for iPod connector = $135.00

(it sounds like a MC commercial...... Listening to iPod music in your car...... priceless..... )

He mentioned that the reprogramming can take up to 24 hours and if it does not go right, it could be more. Is this true? I am afraid that I may not have a car for more than 48 hours just because of an iPod connector .

What did I get myself into? or Is this just scare tactics?

Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. I need to make a decision soon. I hate the radio music and do not feel like carrying a lot of CDs with me.

Thanks in advnace,