Mk V Golf Ipod adapter and iphone compatibility.

[Autosport]

Hi all, I have the VW factory adaptor in my 08 GTI. As many know it is tewrrible. I was lead to believe you had full control of you iPod but this is not the case. As such I am deciding what to do with it. Can it be removed at home so I can simply use the 3.5mm jack in the console? How hard is this?

As an alternative I considered the two options in the title.

Both seem to offer full control of the iPod. Ideally I want to be able to see the iPod info on the MFD (I understand the Denison will do this) and use the steering wheel controls to scroll etc. Would also be nice to control from the iPod too. Am I dreaming?

Would love to hear from anyone who has either of these units.

Cheers, grant

The factory IPOD connector is very easy to remove (would take less then 30 minutes)... there are a few links if you google search that have step by step guide with photos to remove the radio.

I installed the connects2 unit in my car last night and took me about 30 minutes, only 7 screws in total needed to remove the radio to gain access to the back, and it will be just a plug at the back you will need to remove.

[droplet]

Factory, I had the Denison Gateway 100 installed in my MY2008 Jetta a few days ago and I'm very impressed with it so far. Works with both my old 20GB 4G iPod and my new 16GB iPhone without any troubles. You get full access to all the iPod menus, as well as an alphabetical search function up on the MFD, controllable from the steering wheel controls. You can also control the iPod from its own clickwheel interface as well. I didn't install it myself, a tech from The Car Kit Company did. Only took him 10-15 minutes from start to finish. Sound quality is very good too. Quite happy with it. $404 installed.

Hi all, I have the VW factory adaptor in my 08 GTI. As many know it is tewrrible. I was lead to believe you had full control of you iPod but this is not the case. As such I am deciding what to do with it. Can it be removed at home so I can simply use the 3.5mm jack in the console? How hard is this?

As an alternative I considered the two options in the title.

Both seem to offer full control of the iPod. Ideally I want to be able to see the iPod info on the MFD (I understand the Denison will do this) and use the steering wheel controls to scroll etc. Would also be nice to control from the iPod too. Am I dreaming?

Would love to hear from anyone who has either of these units.

Cheers, grant

[factory]

Droplet,

Sounds great. One question...

What is the repsonse time like when changing tracks? The factory unit hasa massive delay which is annoying, that is, you click the steering wheel control to change tracks and it doesn't respond for 5 or more seconds. Quite annoying. Is the dension better?

[benough]

Glad it worked for you. I had the iPod adapter thrown in when I got my Pacific 2 weeks ago. Also a TDI - gotta love it.

I'm not impressed with VW radio/cd unit in that I find it hard to see the display in the daytime when wearing sunglasses. I sold my previous Camry to a family member and that had an Alpine head unit with the iPod adapter which allowed full control through the head unit. It was great. I'm going to get it removed from the Camry and refit the original Toyota unit and use the iPod adapter and just get a new double din Alpine head unit fitted to the Golf.

Are your sunglasses polarised? That how I found you couldn't see it very well. Probably just a LHD thing with the plastic on the screens.

Can I ask what alpine headunit you had?

Droplet,

Sounds great. One question...

What is the repsonse time like when changing tracks? The factory unit hasa massive delay which is annoying, that is, you click the steering wheel control to change tracks and it doesn't respond for 5 or more seconds. Quite annoying. Is the dension better?

I have the Dension 100 in my GT and the delay is very minimal. It's is the same speed as things in the trip computer.

Other than the forthcoming MMI interface for the MK6 and having an RNS-510 I believe this is the best on the market.

I am assuming you have the full height MFD?

[droplet]

I have the Dension 100 in my GT and the delay is very minimal. It's is the same speed as things in the trip computer.

Other than the forthcoming MMI interface for the MK6 and having an RNS-510 I believe this is the best on the market.

I am assuming you have the full height MFD?

Yes I would agree. Changing from track to track is quick...not instantaneous, but quick. It does take a few seconds to communicate with the iPod when you first plug it in or turn the radio on, but even then it's probably less time than it would take to insert a CD, have the player scan it and start playing it.

[SF.]

I've got the AUX IN jack in my GTI and use it with my iPhone 3G.
Possibly better than the ipod adaptor option IMO...

Still have to use the iPhone to control what you're listening to and the volume out is a bit weak, but...

The iPhone can stay plugged in when you take calls and the audio comes through the car, while you use the iPhone mic to talk.

And a 3.5mm stereo cable is substantially cheaper than VW's iPod & Bluetooth Adaptors:

($3.25 @ Jaycar)