Need iPod integration kit

[az3579]

Can anyone recommend an iPod integration kit OTHER than the USA spec PA-12 or the DICE Silverline?

The PA-12 functions, but doesn't browse by album, which is a complete deal breaker for me.
The DICE has too many problems for me to even consider it.

Is there anything else out there?

[zhp43867]

You get a bunch of features, you have a bunch of problems.

Keep it simple, have no problems.

It's your decision, it's really a limitation on the business cd unit itself.

[az3579]

It's your decision, it's really a limitation on the business cd unit itself.

I do not buy that for one second. The features are possible, and so is the stability, so why not do both? WTF @ the DICE folks. Why can't you make a decent unit that WORKS?
There has to be an alternative solution, one that doesn't involve replacing the head unit...

[Mtnman]

I have the isimple kit. It keeps the wheel controls, and the ipod controls, but does not show songs or titles on the head unit. I dont mind though, cause i can control it through the ipod itself.

[az3579]

I have the isimple kit. It keeps the wheel controls, and the ipod controls, but does not show songs or titles on the head unit. I dont mind though, cause i can control it through the ipod itself.

It has to be controlled through the head unit for me. This is an absolute must. The last thing I need is to be holding a handheld device and a police officer pull up next to me.


Does anyone have experience with the DICE MediaBridge? This is the unit that supports Bluetooth, USB, Aux, and iPod, and seems to be a different unit than the Silverline. Are there any issues with this one versus the Silverline?

I'm willing to pay a little more for this module, especially since it has Bluetooth capability.

[mimalmo]

I was just at my local indie shop yesterday and he showed me the Dension kit which looked very slick (iPod, aux-in, USB, etc, etc.)

Check it out here to see if it has the feature you are looking for.

http://www.dension.com/



EDIT: Second pic on this page shows "Album"
http://www.dension.com/product/gateway-300

[3ZHP]

This is what I'm using on both of my Bimmers. My MP3 player is a Creative ZEN and not an IPod. Once installed I just plug it in to my headphone jack and change the head unit to AUX CD. I believe you can get these through an Ebay dealer for under $50 bucks.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss351/3zhpguy/BMW/Soundgate.jpg

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss351/3zhpguy/BMW/CD_Changer_Plug.jpg

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss351/3zhpguy/BMW/IMG_3091.jpg

[az3579]

3ZHP,
I already have an aux jack install. Problem is that it (1) requires me to hold my iPod and select music from it that way, (2) it doesn't charge the iPod, and (3) it's installed in a way that the cable sits in the sunglasses holder thingy and I have a hard time tucking the wire back in.


Eli,
The Dension looks promising, but I'm having a very hard time finding a full review on it, or a full features list to see if it has a few of the other features that I would like but don't have to have. At this point, it seems like the strongest contender...

My requirements are:
Must be controlled through at least the head unit. Will not hold iPod to control.
Must be able to browse and select songs by Album
Must charge iPod and be compatible with a dock (will buy a spec.dock later) [I believe all of these kits are compatible as the dock only terminates into a standard iPod connector]


Would like:
Ability to be controlled at least partially by steering wheel (not a priority)
Have Bluetooth
Be able to pause from headunit. Haven't seen this feature on anything yet though




I was just at my local indie shop yesterday and he showed me the Dension kit which looked very slick (iPod, aux-in, USB, etc, etc.)

Check it out here to see if it has the feature you are looking for.

http://www.dension.com/



EDIT: Second pic on this page shows "Album"
http://www.dension.com/product/gateway-300

[mimalmo]

Botond, the thing I loved about the kit was that a person could simply remove their radio, plug in the harness (No stringing wires to the trunk or cutting OEM wires!) and then plug in whatever combination of the Dension options they wanted - iPod, USB, etc.

Due to the holiday weekend I'm sure JB Eurotech is closed until Monday but it's worth a call over there to talk to Seth about this product. Chances are he could sell you one and ship it to you. If you do call, tell him I sent you his way. I know he gives referral credits (discounts for buyer & referring person) for service, not sure about parts.

http://www.jbeurotech.com/

[3ZHP]

Gotcha

[az3579]

Botond, the thing I loved about the kit was that a person could simply remove their radio, plug in the harness (No stringing wires to the trunk or cutting OEM wires!) and then plug in whatever combination of the Dension options they wanted - iPod, USB, etc.

Due to the holiday weekend I'm sure JB Eurotech is closed until Monday but it's worth a call over there to talk to Seth about this product. Chances are he could sell you one and ship it to you. If you do call, tell him I sent you his way. I know he gives referral credits (discounts for buyer & referring person) for service, not sure about parts.

http://www.jbeurotech.com/

Sweet; thanks. I'll give him a call at some point, depending on work load (weekdays).
I hope the whining issue with the Densions has been fixed. lol

[jjcools]

I am looking for a similar unit. Let us know how it works out.

[az3579]

I am looking for a similar unit. Let us know how it works out.

I've done some research and have found that there doesn't appear to be a single unit that does 100% of what I want it to do, with the exception of the Dension Gateway Five. The DICE kit has many bugs and don't want to risk buying one with an issue, the PA-12 doesn't do album searching, and the iSimple has numerous features missing from it that I want.

I still have to call Seth at JB Eurotech as I'm not quite ready to buy yet. Once I do and if I buy the unit, I'll do a writeup on it.

[zhp43867]

I would look into the Pioneer Z120BT for that down and dirty, cheap (whatever works) solution. :eeps

[az3579]

Is that an aftermarket head unit? If so, Pioneer can keep it. Aftermarket radios (with the exception of the Dynavin) generally look like crap in an E46.

[zhp43867]

It's a touchscreen Double Din head unit that retails for $1,600. :rofl

The reason I've been looking at is the voice command feature. Play artist John Mayer. Bam it's there.

No other integration kit or head unit I know of can even come close to rivaling pioneer voice control. You can voice command addresses, points of interest, and yes search by album or playlist. It controls pandora through the screen, has bluetooth hd and Sirius expandability, and finally has musicsphere; which is like apple genius playlists, but if you click the "angry" musicsphere playlist for example it will build a playlist with a mixture of what it thinks is your pissed off music.

Here's a demo, sorry if it's sort of a threadjack, not sure.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfgKGoAjD0k

[pyreguy]

post a pic of it in your car please? I would like to see it.

[az3579]

$1600? Sounds like a bargain. :rolleyes

[zhp43867]

$1600? Sounds like a bargain. :rolleyes

Hahaha.

I don't have a picture pyreguy. I may soon though ;)

You can get it for under $1k new.

[az3579]

Does anyone actually have a Dension unit? I can't seem to find any reviews worth a damn on YouTube (I want to see it in action) because they all seem to be in foreign languages...
Every time I think about the DICE, I always restart the research and immediately get put off by immediately finding bad posts about it. This sucks...

I'm wanting to buy a Dension at this point.

Eli,
Do you know if JBEurotech is open tomorrow?

[mimalmo]

Not sure if they're open tomorrow Botond. I know Seth had a Dension setup in his E46 when he sold the car so he could probably answer any remaining questions.

[az3579]

Not sure if they're open tomorrow Botond. I know Seth had a Dension setup in his E46 when he sold the car so he could probably answer any remaining questions.

I actually found a place a lot closer to where I live that sells the kits, over in NJ. I'll call them and see if they have it; if so, I'm going to drive over and pick it up today. I haven't seen many bad reviews on this unit and it does EVERYTHING I want. :)

[mimalmo]

Sweet! Can we expect a full install write-up and review with pics?

[az3579]

Sweet! Can we expect a full install write-up and review with pics?

Sure thing. I believe this unit differs from the DICE and other units in the sense that you have to slide the radio out and plug something in back there. The other units I've seen have to be installed in the trunk where the CD Changer is.

Now I just have to figure out how to take out the radio and trim; wish I had a Bentley.

[mimalmo]

Once you get the trim piece around the radio off, it's just a couple screws to remove the radio.

[kayger12]

Sure thing. I believe this unit differs from the DICE and other units in the sense that you have to slide the radio out and plug something in back there. The other units I've seen have to be installed in the trunk where the CD Changer is.

Now I just have to figure out how to take out the radio and trim; wish I had a Bentley.

Super easy BP. Just pry the trim pieces straight out with a non-marring tool and you'll see thor two screws holding in the unit. I think they were torx. I'll check the Bentley for you when I get home.

I installed an aux line in the 325 and remember it being very easy.

[kayger12]

Ok BP. Here's some pics I had from when I did the aux cable in the 325. The square red mounts in the dash are where the trim pieces attach. The back of the trim piece has a straight peg on it that just presses into that mounting hole. There's one on the left edge of the picture that has a coupler over the top of it. Just get something under the trim piece, work it out a little, and then pull it straight towards you. It'll take a little force, but it'll come.

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG00264-20100430-1734.jpg

The right side mount point for this one is just out of frame. The screw that holds the radio in is a phillips head and is already removed in this pic.

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG00262-20100430-1730.jpg

[az3579]

Thanks for the pics Keith. Now I have a much clearer picture as to where to pry. I'm just afraid of breaking pieces...
Turns out the shop wasn't open today (damn it). Now I have to get it shipped. :(

[az3579]

Today I have ordered the following:

* Dension Gateway 300 (GW33BM1) -- ordered on eBay. Second lowest price I found ($209). The first lowest price was about ~$170's, but the vendor turns out to be a nightmare based on numerous reviews (www.autotoys.com (http://www.autotoys.com)). I read review after review, read something like this: bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, good, bad, good, bad, bad, bad. Too many bad reviews... All other prices were over $230-240.
* iPod cable for GW300 (IPO5DC9) -- purchased from Enfig Car Stereo located in New Jersey. Getting shipped. Had lowest price I found for this model cable ($34.9x). This should be the updated cable that doesn't require an adapter to charge the iPod, but will let y'all know when I get it.

[jjcools]

Nice, I can't wait to hear about the install and finished product.

[az3579]

Update:
Turns out I ordered the wrong unit. Here's the full rundown:

On Friday (New Year's Eve), I called Enfig Car Stereo of Carlstadt, New Jersey in hopes of buying the Dension GW33BM4 unit. Turns out, they were closed, so I carried on. Sunday, I did some final research before buying the unit, and checked Dension's website for compatibility. They recommended the Dension GW33BM1 for my car, which has a Business CD head unit, so I looked around for who had it cheaper, and finally settled on a vendor (powerseller on eBay). Today (Monday), I received a call from Enfig. I didn't expect a call from them last week as it was New Year's Eve. The person on the phone pretty much was saying he didn't stock it as not many people buy it, but he could have it by the end of the week. Unfortunately I already ordered and I told him this. Next he offered to install it for me for free for the sole purpose of using my car as the base for the creation of an instructional installation video. He had tons of videos for other makes, but none for BMW, especially a 3 series.

I'm impressed by the fact that they even offered to do it considering I didn't buy it from them. So, we talked for a while and found out that I actually ordered the wrong one. He was telling me that the BM1 was actually compatible with only the older E46's that used a different connector. So, he ordered up the correct one for me (BM4) and said he could have it this week.

He seemed very knowledgeable, and I am very pleased with the customer service. They do have a website (www.enfigcarstereo.com (http://www.enfigcarstereo.com)) so you don't have to go to the store to pick it up if you don't want to or are too far away, and I highly recommend them. I even have experienced their ordering side, as I ordered the cable (IPO5DC9) from them and they had it in the mail the next morning, tracking number and everything.

So, I'm not sure if I'm going to really have a writeup on this as it would be redundant; he is making a video of the install with my car. If he finishes it/when he finishes it, I will post a link to it here (or in a separate thread). I'll make an attempt to document the install with my own camera as well, as I'll be there when the install takes place, so I'll post that and will post the link to the video at a later date.

[zhp43867]

No! Write up please! I'd like to know how the SQ is, does it mess with your iPod iPhone, etc. Also if the video doesn't demonstrate navigation I'd like it as well. But do as you wish, I'm only saying what I'd thank you the most for :)

[az3579]

No! Write up please! I'd like to know how the SQ is, does it mess with your iPod iPhone, etc. Also if the video doesn't demonstrate navigation I'd like it as well. But do as you wish, I'm only saying what I'd thank you the most for :)

It's supposed to be a pretty easy install so even if I can't snap pics while it happens, I could disassemble and take pics then while reinstalling. No biggie. :)
Can't help you on the navigation front though; I don't have nav.

[zhp43867]

I meant navigation through the menu's, etc.

[az3579]

I meant navigation through the menu's, etc.

Absolutely. I'll try my best to document installation, and will definitely do a video on usage once installed.

[az3579]

Received the Gateway 300 (GW33BM1) in the mail today. Despite what we thought of it being the wrong one, it worked perfectly. Turns out the connectors were the right ones all along

This is an amazing unit. It is perfectly stealth; if you were to peek inside my cabin, you would have absolutely no idea I have an iPod integration kit (or an iPod for that matter). It works seamlessly with the head unit, and is not clunky to use, and has great responsiveness, not lagging like the DICE Silverline kit does. Steering wheel controls also work. Navigation is easy as you can select by playlist, artist, song, and album. Supports auxilary, USB, and iPod, and charges the iPod with the correct cable.

I found my kit for about $200 shipped. Worth the price for a unit that doesn't have any of the bugs the Silverline has, but has more features than any other kit I've seen (USA Spec PA-12, iSimple, etc.).

We did make a video with important parts of the install outlined, so if y'all want to check it out, keep an eye on Enfig's YouTube channel; they should be posting it up soon.
I myself will create a video review of the features soon enough, when there is enough daylight out.

[zhp43867]

Sounds great! Keep us updated.

[mimalmo]

Glad to hear it worked out Botond.

[az3579]

I made a video review, but the sound got all screwed up, so I have to reshoot it. Expect it soon...

[zhp43867]

sweet