iPod Car Kits

GilesGuthrie · Sep 7, 2005

Does anyone have any experience of car kits for iPods? I have a Focus, with the Ford in-dash CD player. It has controls and connections for a separate CD Changer.

I want to be able to use those connections for my iPod, but I'm not hugely bothered about being able to get to the finer parts of the iPod interface. Frankly, I'll just set it playing something and then leave it. Or my passenger can control it (dangerous, I know!!)

I found this thing, which looks like it does the job: Densen ICE-Link Plus

Anyone got any experience of these or similar?

Just to summarise:

Must be able to work with standard Ford stereo
There is no cassete player in the car, so headphones-to-cassete units are out
FM transmitters are usually rubbish
I would prefer it if it charged the iPod too
Must be compatible with 4th-gen and Mini iPods

Cap'n Jack · Sep 7, 2005

Try the Apple iPod store, I havn't looked right through there my self, but on the first page it was mostly FM transmitters.

GilesGuthrie · Sep 7, 2005

Ah that's interesting. The UK Apple Store actually stocks the BMW and Fiat versions of the product I linked. Whilst that's not likely to count as an endorsement of quality, it's probable that it means the device isn't total toilet.

Emohawk · Sep 7, 2005

It sounds like you could just get a 5$ cable to go from your Ipod's output to the stereo input and leave it at that.
I'd just do that and throw it on the passenger's seat, but maybe you're not so ghetto.

icandriftbetter · Sep 9, 2005

go with the monster icruze or if you are willing to change your deck use the alpine set-up, that ones the best hands down

1X83Z · Sep 9, 2005

Is there a reason you can't get an iTrip?

blargonator · Sep 9, 2005

emohawk, what kind of cable would you need for that? i know completely nothing of audio equipment except no radio is a bad radio.....and i have no radio....just some wires.

Emohawk · Sep 9, 2005

It's like a set of headphones, only it's got a jack on both ends.
I've actually got one right here. I'd tell you the technical term, but it doesn't seem to have one.

Like that on both ends.
Plug it into the headphone or line out jack on whatever, plug it into the line in on the stereo. Since you don't actually have a stereo, this might be difficult. Maybe you could get some car audio place to wire the plug in for cheap. Then just thow a discman in the hole in your dash. :lol:

Young_Warrior · Sep 15, 2005

Would a headphone jack with phono left and right lead work?

Emohawk · Sep 16, 2005

It would if you cut the headphones off and spliced the right and left leads together.
But then it seems like you'd get only one channel from the input going to the opposite channel of the out.

VIPFREAK · Sep 16, 2005

I got a Monster cable FM Transmitter but I didn't pay $50 :sick:

Works great to me!