MDI plug location

[zei20t]

Hi Guys,

I have the 3.5mm audio jack in the centre console in my MY12 vRS, however Ive purchased an ipod/iphone MDI cable. Apparently to have the 3.5mm input the car would be equipped with a 'UF6 MDI option'. Where does this MDI cable plug into? Somewhere above the glovebox or in the centre console?

cheers!

[dazag]

It's actually in the glove box - at the back on the right hand side

[BottomScratcher]

"Apparently to have the 3.5mm input the car would be equipped with a 'UF6 MDI option'."

Just to clarify, the 3.5mm jack (referred to as the AUX jack), and the MDI are two different connections. You can use the AUX jack without MDI via a standard 3.5mm cable connection, but to have full device integration, and functionality via Columbus/Multi-function steering wheel you need the MDI.

As dazag said, on later models the rectangular socket can be found mounted vertically inside the glove box on the right hand side.

[K1W1]

MDI is one of the biggest cons in the auto industry. VW should hang their head in shame every time they rip somebody off by selling them a MDI cable and the stupidly inflated prices they charge.
If they weren't so arrogant rather than having their own proprietary serial interface (MDI) they would simply use USB like virtually every other auto manufacturer.

[tooch]

MDI is one of the biggest cons in the auto industry. VW should hang their head in shame every time they rip somebody off by selling them a MDI cable and the stupidly inflated prices they charge.
If they weren't so arrogant rather than having their own proprietary serial interface (MDI) they would simply use USB like virtually every other auto manufacturer.

This. It really ****s me, as my car has neither MDI nor Bluetooth, and in order to add them both it will cost me around $700 if I install it myself, and then has to be coded to the damn car. Not to mention, I have to install 2 bulky modules with cabling, whereas my old $800 Pioneer AVIC that I had in my Polo had it all built in. Even $20k cars now come with both of these things as standard.

[K1W1]

Even $20k cars now come with both of these things as standard.

$15K cars do as well.

[BottomScratcher]

MDI is one of the biggest cons in the auto industry. VW should hang their head in shame every time they rip somebody off by selling them a MDI cable and the stupidly inflated prices they charge.
If they weren't so arrogant rather than having their own proprietary serial interface (MDI) they would simply use USB like virtually every other auto manufacturer.

Have you seen this/? BT and MDI with cable in 2012 Comfortline and above VW's. Note that the announcement was made 2 weeks after the the launch of the new Jetta. Ouch!

To be fair, VW aren't the only one's with a proprietary interface. The MDI is definitely Apple-centric, but Apple products simply don't function via standard USB sockets. I don't profess to understand the difference, but I read somewhere that there's a difference in the plug/socket pin numbers and function allocations. Even the Apple 3.5mm jack has another tier to standard 3.5mm headphone sockets, and you can't charge via the VW AUX jack in any case. After the huge, and rapid uptake of iPods and then iPhones globally I imagine VW were under pressure to make those devices compatible with their cars. For better, or for worse, MDI was their solution. I don't mean to start an Apple bashing thread. I use Apple products, and enjoy them.

The other options are to put music on the Columbus/RNS 510 hard drive, or play it via SD cards, which is probably what I'd do if I didn't have any Apple gear.

---------- Post added at 10:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 AM ----------

This. It really ****s me, as my car has neither MDI nor Bluetooth, and in order to add them both it will cost me around $700 if I install it myself, and then has to be coded to the damn car. Not to mention, I have to install 2 bulky modules with cabling, whereas my old $800 Pioneer AVIC that I had in my Polo had it all built in. Even $20k cars now come with both of these things as standard.

After reading my last post, don't get me wrong. I agree with your comment entirely. Mrs BS had bought me a radio for $550 fitted for my previous car about 2 years before I traded it on my RS. It had excellent BT and iPod compatability, and was more user friendly than the 9W7 I have recently imported and fitted. At least the 9W7 is much better than the "factory" option available here, which unless it's changed in the last 12 months is IMO rubbish.

Considering what the car cost I do not feel completely at ease when I'm watching TV ads for bottom of the range Kias, Mitsubishis, and Fords all boasting Bluetooth via MFSW, and iPod connectivity standard.

[K1W1]

The MDI is definitely Apple-centric, but Apple products simply don't function via standard USB sockets. I don't profess to understand the difference, but I read somewhere that there's a difference in the plug/socket pin numbers and function allocations.

Somebody is telling you porkies.
My daughters $17k Suzuki has a standard USB interface and when you plug and iPod into it you can control the iPod perfectly from the steering wheel mounted controls including having the track names scroll across the face of the head unit of the radio. Recently when I was in the USA in a hire car, a Chevy exactly the same thing happened and I'm sure anybody with a late model Holden, Ford, Toyota, Hyundai or Kia will also tell you that a standard USB does work with an iPod. All you need is an Apple cable the one that is supplied free with the device or can be purchased for $2 on the Internet if you want a spare unlike the $100 VW try to extract from suckers in Australia.
The implementation of iPod control via the MDI is clunky at best and a disgrace to the profession of software development at worst if that's what the resources of the VW group have been able to achieve in 10 years since the iPod was released then I feel extremely sorry for them.

[woofy]

Actually what they said was true KIWI, standard USB ports don't work, but the ones fitted in most cars also have the Apple circuitry and do both. I have plugged my Iphone directly into the Commodore one before and it just works, but in our Santa Fe, the USB port reads USB keys and other types of USB players, but to use an Apple device you have to plug another cable into that port that has the Apple circuit. The other Hyundais now have USB ports with that built in so you just use the normal iPod cable.

As for it being standard, yes there is no reason they all can't have the port that does both, and not charge for it. It is nearly 10 yrs ago that BMW first put iPod connectivity in and charged the earth for the cables but some makers still think its a new thing. Maybe its a German thing?

I'd also add that Bluetooth should be standard as well, I hired a cheap as Getz that had it built in and bluetooth streaming to the headunit, bit miffed that I've got essentially a top of the range Hyundai and it doesn't have that as they are using an older headunit in it.

[BottomScratcher]

My daughters $17k Suzuki has a standard USB interface and when you plug and iPod into it you can control the iPod perfectly from the steering wheel mounted controls including having the track names scroll across the face of the head unit of the radio. Recently when I was in the USA in a hire car, a Chevy exactly the same thing happened and I'm sure anybody with a late model Holden, Ford, Toyota, Hyundai or Kia will also tell you that a standard USB does work with an iPod. All you need is an Apple cable the one that is supplied free with the device or can be purchased for $2 on the Internet if you want a spare unlike the $100 VW try to extract from suckers in Australia.

Which is what the unit in my previous car did. I've already said I don't understand the difference, but I'm sure it's down to the head units today being "iPod compatible", and nothing to do with the cables. If you plug an iPod/iPhone into a VW USB socket you'll get an entirely different result.

In my early days with an iPod (a mere 7 years ago) to get the iPod to play through the car stereo I had a Belkin unit with its own suitcase that transmitted a FM signal via an unused radio channel. Bloody cables everywhere, and when on a long trip I'd always have a radio station break through on what was my "unused" frequency at the time of leaving home. I'd forgotten how it used to be a relatively short time ago until I looked here. And note the 2007 prices for what weren't all that great methods of connecting.

The implementation of iPod control via the MDI is clunky at best and a disgrace to the profession of software development at worst if that's what the resources of the VW group have been able to achieve in 10 years since the iPod was released then I feel extremely sorry for them

.

You certainly won't get any disagreement out of me there mate.

[Mysticality]

Recently when I was in the USA in a hire car, a Chevy exactly the same thing happened and I'm sure anybody with a late model Holden, Ford, Toyota, Hyundai or Kia will also tell you that a standard USB does work with an iPod. All you need is an Apple cable the one that is supplied free with the device or can be purchased for $2 on the Internet if you want a spare unlike the $100 VW try to extract from suckers in Australia.

The Kia cable, which combines Aux with USB (USB for control, Aux for actual audio signal) is priced at $40. US customers don't get this standard with the car.
Aussies and Canadians do.
I don't know about the rest of the world.

Standard USB cable does NOT work in a Jan'10 build Sorento. However, DOES in the NEW MODEL Rio.
So its probably a thing they're adapting.

(Sauce: Own trial and error)

[zei20t]

Wow so much to read.

Didnt realise this would turn into an MDI bashing and comparing a VAG built car to your average Kia or Great Wall lol the reason why those $15-20k have full ipod integration is becaue the people who are buying those cars are under 25 (within their price range) and cant afford the $40k+ pricetag of a better (IMO) car. Having those features on a cheaper car are a selling point, because realistically youre buying a cheap car with cheap build quality. Having ipod integration will dazzle people and take their attention away from the fact its a crappy car

Anyway, theres no plug in the glovebox, however there are a few punch-out points in the left rear, so i might remove the glovebox and see whats behind there.

Good to know about the 3.5mm AUX input using a different interface, thanks for clarifying that.

If i need the full interface device, i might give it a miss. Streaming audio over BT works fine, just smashes my battery!

[BottomScratcher]

Didnt realise this would turn into an MDI bashing and comparing a VAG built car to your average Kia or Great Wall lol the reason why those $15-20k have full ipod integration is becaue the people who are buying those cars are under 25 (within their price range) and cant afford the $40k+ pricetag of a better (IMO) car. Having those features on a cheaper car are a selling point, because realistically youre buying a cheap car with cheap build quality. Having ipod integration will dazzle people and take their attention away from the fact its a crappy car

Fair point mate. For what it's worth, the MDI is the best Apple compatible option for me, and I'm not sorry I've got it. I do however agree with K1W1 that the software is "clunky". The selection menus are so painfully slow that I dare not try to use them while I'm driving. You'd think a purpose built INTERFACE sold as an option could've been designed to be at least as functional, and user friendly as 5 year old Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood, etc , interfaces that are available in their far less expensive head units.

[woofy]

Wow so much to read.

Didnt realise this would turn into an MDI bashing and comparing a VAG built car to your average Kia or Great Wall lol the reason why those $15-20k have full ipod integration is becaue the people who are buying those cars are under 25 (within their price range) and cant afford the $40k+ pricetag of a better (IMO) car. Having those features on a cheaper car are a selling point, because realistically youre buying a cheap car with cheap build quality. Having ipod integration will dazzle people and take their attention away from the fact its a crappy car

Anyway, theres no plug in the glovebox, however there are a few punch-out points in the left rear, so i might remove the glovebox and see whats behind there.

Good to know about the 3.5mm AUX input using a different interface, thanks for clarifying that.

If i need the full interface device, i might give it a miss. Streaming audio over BT works fine, just smashes my battery!

Point was that it comes standard in pretty much every other make and its a cash grab. BTW our Santa Fe costs about 8k more than I paid for the RS 3 yrs ago, price doesn't dictate quality otherwise Mercs would be good value!

[zei20t]

Fair point mate. For what it's worth, the MDI is the best Apple compatible option for me, and I'm not sorry I've got it. I do however agree with K1W1 that the software is "clunky". The selection menus are so painfully slow that I dare not try to use them while I'm driving. You'd think a purpose built INTERFACE sold as an option could've been designed to be at least as functional, and user friendly as 5 year old Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood, etc , interfaces that are available in their far less expensive head units.

cool thanks for the input, and the others further back in the thread.

clunky i can handle, try using Blue&Me with the iPod interface adaptor