So whats the deal with 96ti's and incompatibility?

[vapb400]

I just bought a 96 ti and now I am reading that many of the ipod adapters and such specifically say that they are incompatible with the 1996 318ti, just wondering what the reason for that is?
I would like hardwire my ipod to the factory head unit for now. What are my options? I have the stock unit with cassette. I also don't want to play it through the casette deck.

I have a wireless itrip right now, it sucks. I have looked into wired fm modulators and they look decent but I would like something that I could control the tracks with through the stock head unit.

Am I out of luck until I replace the stock unit?

Does the 96 have a wire run to the trunk for a cd changer if it did not come stock? The owner gave me a changer but havn't looked into whether it is compatible or not.

Thanks for any help guys

[drkblu318ti]

I dont really know much about the stock head unit... but if you do decide to change... i just bought a really cool JVC. Its got a usb port on the front, you can plug in flash cards or even your ipod through the usb its pretty cool and looks nice too check my gallery.

[Bluebimma]

Without the correct cords for a regular IPOD, the usb port on the jvc will not work. There is a line in/aux line that you can use though.

[drkblu318ti]

really? wel thats good to konw... but im using the flash drives for now, cheaper and wont run out of battery.

[jdehaan]

you could always go to bestbuy and get a cassette adapter for your ipod. it pugs into the headphone port, and then you put the cassette into the cassette player. I know it's not what you want, but its more reliable than the itrip, and it costs like $15 i think.

[m3outtanowhere]

Originally Posted by drkblu318ti

but im using the flash drives for now, cheaper and wont run out of battery.

Last time i checked iPODs charge from USB

[Bluebimma]

Originally Posted by m3outtanowhere

Last time i checked iPODs charge from USB

They sure do. I have an IPOD shuffle which plugs into the front USB port on my JVC, charges while you drive which is really cool if you were listening to it while working or somethin and ran the battery down. As for the regular IPODs, i think the cord they use sends and recieves data on the computer, but can only recieve data when using the USB port on a headunit (which makes it completely useless). If you do upgrade, maybe something cheap, make sure it has an aux outlet, that way the quality from your IPOD would be a lot better.

[m3outtanowhere]

There are sooOOO many radios with a iPOD compatible input/ for color screen too. Mostly in the back. I install at BestBuy

[pdxmotorhead]

Originally Posted by vapb400

I just bought a 96 ti and now I am reading that many of the ipod adapters and such specifically say that they are incompatible with the 1996 318ti, just wondering what the reason for that is?

Thanks for any help guys

Its 95 & 96 that get screwed...

Its the bus type they used between Pioneer and Alpinc and whomever made head units not being compatable....

Dave

[moku]

You may want to try Dice Electronics (http://www.diceelectronics.com/). They have a system that uses your CD changer connections to hook up your iPod to your factory head unit.

I almost went with that, but opted to get an Alpine head unit instead along with their iPod interface. That way everything is through the head unit, not just the controls; and I can store my iPod in the glove box.

[Tyler]

No stock HU on the ti is compatible with the ipod. Aftermarket Alpine HU's have a cord you plug into in and control from the HU.

I'm currently using my ipod through the tape deck. The fm modulators suck,it sounds like a radio station. Atleast the tape sounds better.

[teenibmwgrl]

I have a 96 ti and I just installed a JVC KD-G320 deck with iPod ready yesterday. You have to buy the Interface Adapter for your iPod separately though if you want to play music with your iPod. I got the adapter for about $50 and Circuit City installed everything for me. You could also try Best Buy. They didn't need to modify anything, so it was pretty fast and a perfect fit. Hopefully this helps you.

[scabzzzz]

The ti factory unit blows monkey balls anyways. Upgrade it with something up to date. Tons out there. check out ikesound.com or something and buy one that you like and have someone install it. i mean even if you were able to get the bmw unit compatible, it would still pretty much suck. The tape adapter is not a bad idea. my gf uses it in her 04 is300. sound is good just theres a cord hanging out. could always use Rca's and run them through the dash to come out somewhere so you could just use the ipod itself to scroll through tracks. you could work it out.

[JPerfect]

Ok, so I bought an Archos AV400 20Gb video/music player thing last year, and I loved it. I wanted to hook it in to my new stereo, so in order to be un-invasive, i bought one of those FM transmitter things... it sucked. Then I pulled out the stereo, and found there was an input in the back. Six dollars and thirty minutes later, after a quick trip to Radio Shack, viola! I have a wire that connects to the headphone jack of my Archos, hidden in the glovebox!

I upload my songs, set my playlists, and I'm set for six hours.

All this Ipod stuff is over-rated.

[Bluebimma]

I dont think my Ipod shuffle is overrated. Sure its only 1gig of space, but you can fit up to 250 songs on there. I have the Jvc Arsenal Kd-Ar770 unit with the USB port on the front...get in the car, plug the shuffle in, and it starts itself. You can preset your playlist when you put the songs on the shuffle or use the random feature on it...the quality is as good as the actual cd, plus theres no wires to deal with!