Has anyone wired their iPod directly to their car stereo?
 

Ok, I'm tired of using the FM transmitter since I live in a large city and am constantly having to change the station to accomodate for radio traffic. I just bought a used car that doesn't have a CD, but does have a cassette player. I got the cassette adapter, which is better than the FM, but I still don't like hearing the wheels of the cassette playing on quieter songs.

The stereo unit is already prewired for a CD changer in the trunk and has a CD button on the head unit. I would assume that I could run wires from the CD aux. input in the back out into the cabin and plug my ipod right in. Has anyone done anything similar or have any other ideas?

There are many options for what you are looking to do; some result in a bare-bones headphone-jack input, others have the full docking connection with charging and put the song title on your stereo display. Check out the iPodlounge Gear Guide for lots of information. I haven't done it yet myself, still using the cassette adaptor. Maybe for my next car.

Depending on what unit you have, it is possible to wire your iPod to your car. I know Alpine, the brand I have, has connectors for it to use the CD Changer input for the iPod.

those people who have MINI Coopers have an AUX option

I wired it to my car stereo. I installed a Pioneer receiver and the aux input adapter and plugged one of those audio input to miniplug cables into it. Then use sik imp for the line out and car charger adapter. The sound is a lot better than through those casette adapters.

I didn't have to buy a new receiver, but I didn't want to fool with cd changer to aux input adapters for my stock headunit and I wanted a new receiver anyways.

Here's a link to a thread at ipodlounge about everything for hooking an ipod up to a car - http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/sho...threadid=31503

I have a reasonably cheap aftermarket Panasonic head unit in my honda civic, which has RCA auxiliary inputs.

My honda has a convenient little cubby underneath the head unit that I never really use, so I pulled the dash apart and used a dremel tool to drill out a hole for a cable and bought a Monster Cable RCA -> headphone jack cable... Tied a knot in cable so it wouldn't slip behind the dash..

Hook up iPod... ta-da! Instant iPod audio with good quality sound and no interference from outside signals.

This sounds like a good plan. The unit I have is the stock "BMW Business" stereo w/ cassette and CD changer option if that helps anyone. I haven't yet pulled it out of the dash to get a look at the back. I can only assume the above plan would work since I know from a plug in the trunk that it's prewired for the changer and it has the CD button on the head unit.

I recall seeing something about the cassette deck and an Ipod.. where you can plug a cable from the ipod to a blank cassette, which can be played on the car stereo in real time. Sound quality is not compromised.

I had an alpine 7897 for awhile a year ago or so and used the ainet to rca adapter then got a mini headphone jack and fabricated it into my console soldered the rca wires do it then all I had to do was get one of those 4" patch cords and play away.

The sound quality is compromised, but it is better than an FM transmitter. A direct wire is still best. That said, I've been too lazy to get a direct wiring done, so I'm still using a cassette adaptor.

I went to a local custom audio shop and they informed me that the BMW radio isn't a simple RCA audio-in in the back of the head unit. They said they could order a special adapter from BMW (or SONY, I can't recall) and they could wire it to come out into the passenger compartment w/ a mini stereo plug. The adapter is $90 and the installation is $45/hr. They said they could do the job for about $150 total. I might have them do it after the holidays because I like the head unit that's in there and $150 wouldn't buy that great of a different head unit anyway.

Monster cables' ipod transmitter worked perfectly in new york ciTy. There was no interference going from Jersey to central park.

www.soundgate.com
www.peripheral-aamp.com
www.pac-audio.com

All have aux input solutions for factory radios.

I have a (very cheap, amazingly enough) stereo with an auxilliary in on the front panel in the form of a 1/8" female stereo plug. I just got a 1/8" male to male plug and ran it from my iPod to the Aux in and use my iPod in the car all the time (especially since the CD player in said stereo recently decided to stop working).