Be Excellent To Each Other

I'm trying to figure out the best way to play MP3s on my car radio/CD player.

I usually use my DS Lite as an MP3 player and that of course has a stereo audio output mini jack. So how best to get this to output sound to my car radio?

'Best' way seems to be to somehow remove the radio/CD player and plug in some kind of auxilliary unit into the back, but this looks like being a pain to do.

Next best option is to get one of the FM transmitters that people use for iPhones, etc that uses a radio frequency that you then tune your radio too, problem is that they are subject to interference and need retuning on long journeys.

Next option - buy a new radio/CD player! No thanks.

Any ideas please?

Nope. You've summarised and dismissed the only ways I can think of doing this. Well, apart from burning the mp3s to a CD-R, I suppose.

I can speak from experience and say that those tuners that fit to your iPod and play through your stereo are pretty rubbish sound quality wise.

Easiest way is to go to Halfords and give them about £40 in return for a new car stereo with an AUX in. Then, using a coat hanger, create a 'thief tool' which will slip into those two small holes below your current unit and pop the springs that hold it in. Then, install the new unit, and using a jack, its all good. Takes about 10 minutes, tops. Or, pay the lad a tenner to fit it. The outlay and the time is better than cocking about every journey trying to get something to tune in and stuff.

Have you tried any of the more recent units for this ?

I used to have one which i used with my ipod many years ago and it was pretty crap (but worked) and it required retuning every so often and was a bit fiddly , however I use one at the moment (a garmin branded one) which keeps on the same frequency , and sounds fine (i tend to listen to podcasts rather than music so i may well be missing out on some audio quality points)

It's in a car. "Audio Quality" doesn't really come into the matter, really.

In that case, leave the Dsi on the passenger seat and play tunes through the speakers on that. (Insert mr Winky face here, I'm on the mobile site.. I can't do it)

I'm fairly sure that a car stereo would make it louder, but chasing the 10% clarity in a tin box can only really happen with huge financial outlay, surely? (I can do a winky face as I'm at home again now)

If you don't want to do 2) you'll have to do either 1) or 3). HTH!

You should ask Joans.

Headphones.

Is it a standard head unit or a silly shaped one?

If it's a standard size I'd pick up a £50 (or cheaper 2nd hand) unit that has a cd and aux input (AT THE FRONT!). Easy to change.

If it's a stupid shaped one then I'd buy a new car.

I always used one of these in my mum's car:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/IOMAX-Car-Cassette-Adapter-Black/dp/B001AZKRQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324313289&sr=8-1

Easy enough to use and cheap, but does rely on you having a cassette desk in your stereo, which I guess are rarer than hen's teeth these days. Been a long time since I actually used a car stereo.

What car is it?

You guys are, of course, aware that you don't have to actually select the smilie from the set of images. You can just type the punctuation instead. (semicolon colon)

Yup, just a standard head unit, nothing flashy.

Toyota Corolla, 2003 model. Number on radio/CD player is 58807

Now if I could just figure out how to remove the radio/CD player ........ maybe I could buy some kind of aux unit and fit it.

There's normally a thin plastic trim around the front edge that will pop off. Then you need two prongy things to slide down each side to release it from the cage.

Sorry, not much help with that description.

I swapped my radio in my 2004 model Corolla (same as yours, basically) for a Bluetooth head unit that does iPod etc. as well.

You need:

Facia adapter
ISO loom adapter
and a suitable single-DIN head unit.

If you want the controls on the steering wheel to work too, you need another adapter but that's a bit more complex as it depends on the head unit you get.

Total time to swap - about an hour. Hardest bit is getting the old one out, and that's pretty easy.

Whereabouts are you? I'll come and do it for you if you want - I've even got an old stereo I don't need any more that has iPod connectivity and Bluetooth that you can have for £20.

Fuck. It's not this one is it?

Yeah it's that one. It's pretty easy to get out though once you know how.

That looks like the one, ta.

Now I need a plastic prongy removal tool ............

I think you mean semicolon close bracket.

Use a wire coat hangar, bent into shape.

No you don't. All you need is a screwdriver. Everything else is just a case of pulling trim off the dashboard.

Okay, ta. But if I break or dent anything I'll blame you guys.

Blame Gazchap. I think you should leave it. MP3's are evil.

Hardest bit is pulling the "assembly" out of the top part of the dash, that has the vents and radio in. You'll think you're going to break it, but it's pretty sturdy.

How is he still posting on the forum, mods?

Aldi are doing a blue tooth compatible car stereo for £49.

I have two and they're both complete shit.

The first is a Belkin (mistake one, but it was a gift) that wouldn't stay in place in the socket properly. This didn't matter, as the controls are on the actual plug that goes into the cigarette lighter, which on my car means it's hard to get it into first and almost impossible to get it into reverse without hitting it with the gear shift. Plus, the buttons themselves were horribly made and so would keep pressing themselves at will, toggling between the two preset frequencies (and causing the unit itself to play a 'beep!' though the stereo). I tried to take it apart to fix the buttons but just ended up smashing the LCD screen. It now lives in the car purely as an emergency phone charger.

I bought a second one from one of those phone shops in a motorway service area, I forget the name but it at least puts the controls up on the cradle itself. Good, right? WRONG! As Dimrill can tell you, the plug is far too narrow and so it shifts around inside the cigarette lighter as you drive, causing the electrical connection to be broken for a split second. This causes the unit to switch itself off and it won't come back on on its own, even if the switch is set to on... you have to push it off and then push it back on again.

My advice is buy one that's a cable only unless you're really that enamoured of having it work as a cradle too. And in that case, buy a proper cradle or get it professionally fitted as that will cost less than the damage to your car when you crash fighting with one of these pieces of shit.

He gets a "been in the pub all afternoon" pass on this occasion. It's gone on the record though.

Metalangel: yep, much the same experience here. Cheap plug-in ones are effectively useless, don't waste your money.

Real cars have a USB port.

meh, whatever. colon p

And a remote control in a little plastic cup?

I have a Highway Digital radio / cradle doo dad and I've never had a problem with it (apart from having to retune the radio every so often when on long journeys).

Yes!

Real cars, have iPod connectors, SD, HDD and USB inputs

Yeah, ok.

i've got a parrot bluetoothone for my iphone which works quite okay for me.. using the iphone as mp3 via a2dp , and as phone, obv

I've got a feeling that's against the law.

Real cars have a CD player AND a tape deck.

Quite. We don't need any more people not paying proper attention to the road.

REAL cars don't have a radio at all.

Why is it any worse than having a stereo as loud as most car stereos are designed to be able to go?

Do these FM thingies get picked up by the standard aerial one the roof? I wouldn't mind giving one a try, but monkeys ate my aerial and it doesn't work very well. If it gets picked up by some sort of internal aerial in the radio I might be ok.

There is no internal aerial. Chances are it will work anyway though, if you can get broadcast stations even poorly.

I don't think it is against the law, and I've done it loads. If it was, how would deaf people be allowed to drive?

Many thanks!