iPod/USB Adapter Question

[HappyNDing]

If I had that feature in my car, does BMW include the cable for the adapter? For iPhone owners, can I just use the USB cable to connect to the adapter?

[jeremydgreat]

yes to both.

[Dackelone]

I did not get a Y-cable with my USB option. I bought my car new. I was told it costs 44 euros extra. I was not interested anyway.... since I use a USB stick instead for my music needs.

[Bimmer-Bob]

The Y-Cable is only included free with US sales. IIRC, even Canadians don't receive it at delivery.

The 6FL option was only $350 for me vs the US price of $400, so even in the US the cable really isn't "free" (although I did pay slightly higher than the difference for the cable - $57, I think).

[fwmcb]

I got my 6FL cable at no extra cost, but I think that is a recent change from BMW Canada.

[dlmpesh]

Bought mine over here in Germany and I didn't get a cable at all. I use my own. Another BMW owner told me that I should be able to use the steering wheel buttons to change songs on my Ipod as long as I have the USB cable connected, but I have tried it and it doesnt work....not sure if I am using the wrong cable or what...anyone able to do that?

[Bimmer-Bob]

I can change tracks and volume with the steering wheel buttons, but I'm using the BMW Y-cable. What cable are you using?

[dlmpesh]

Just the USB cable that came with my ipod...wonder if I can order the BMW Y cable on the internet and make it work...

[fwmcb]

yeah, you need the y cable for it to work right!

[dlmpesh]

Originally Posted by fwmcb

yeah, you need the y cable for it to work right!

Anyone know where to get em for a good price online?

[Bimmer-Bob]

I got mine from Tischer (www.getbmwparts.com) for $57. Go to "Shop Parts" and plug in part number 61120440812. They ship APO/FPO, but I forgot how much more that was, probably about $15. All in all, it's a lot to pay for a stupid cable, but at least you know it's an OEM part. You can sometimes find these cables on ebay for a lot less ($20 or $30 shipped) but some of them are definitely Chinese knock-offs, so I was a bit hesitant to try any of them.

[dlmpesh]

I am calling the dealership out here but we're having a translation issue...hopefully I can find it out here and save on the shipping cost..

[dlmpesh]

Got ahold of the dealership..they have it in stock for 39Euro...which puts me at $52. I guess I'll get it from them! Thanks for all the info!

[HappyNDing]

Thank you for all your answers, I was just asking in case the dealer decides to "pocket" the $50 cable for when I take delivery.

[Ajumepke]

Originally Posted by dlmpesh

Bought mine over here in Germany and I didn't get a cable at all. I use my own. Another BMW owner told me that I should be able to use the steering wheel buttons to change songs on my Ipod as long as I have the USB cable connected, but I have tried it and it doesnt work....not sure if I am using the wrong cable or what...anyone able to do that?

I have the Y cable but apparently it doesn't work for me either. I can only control the volume.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by dlmpesh

Bought mine over here in Germany and I didn't get a cable at all. I use my own. Another BMW owner told me that I should be able to use the steering wheel buttons to change songs on my Ipod as long as I have the USB cable connected, but I have tried it and it doesnt work....not sure if I am using the wrong cable or what...anyone able to do that?

I think it depends on which version I-Pod you have. I remember reading something about the 4th or 5th gen and up players only working with the car. ? I don't use an I-pod so I am not 100% sure.

I really like jus putting songs on a flash drive and listening that way.

[suburban74]

Hi

We here in the UK don't get the cable either, however I did find out that the reason for the cable is so that the car can play DRM protected music.

Therefore, once I upgraded all my music in iTunes to 'plus' and removed the DRM it all worked fine. Yes, I had to spend about £30 upgrading the music, but it seems to be more elegant than a Y-cable, which I didn't like the look of, and heard mixed reports.

Additionally, my 2nd Gen Nano seems to work fine with the BMW professional radio in the car.

The one thing I HATE about the set up is the fiddly way the menuing works to move between artists. If I want to move from listening to ABBA to ZZTOP then I have to roll the dial endlessly to get to the other end of the alphabet.

I would prefer it if it worked the same way as the phone menuing where the A-Z appears and then you roll across and select the first letter of the artist.

Does anyone else have this horrid issue? Does anyone know of a solution?

Thanks

[perral1]

Originally Posted by suburban74

The one thing I HATE about the set up is the fiddly way the menuing works to move between artists. If I want to move from listening to ABBA to ZZTOP then I have to roll the dial endlessly to get to the other end of the alphabet.

I would prefer it if it worked the same way as the phone menuing where the A-Z appears and then you roll across and select the first letter of the artist.

Does anyone else have this horrid issue? Does anyone know of a solution?

If I'm not mistaken, the new (is it '09+ or '10+? I'm not sure) iDrive allows you to search for artists similar to what you're describing. I didn't have very long to try it out, but I did use it briefly in a '10 X5 and it seems to work ok. However, it seems to have replaced browsing artists altogether, which I found frustrating at times. Regardless, I have a lot of songs I don't listen to anymore, so I keep the songs I actually want to hear in playlists to make them easier to find.