How to Wire an iPod Connection into Your Car

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How-Tos

How to Wire an iPod Connection into Your Car

Posted 03/30/2007 at 7:15:08pm | by Zack Stern

Step 1: Disconnect the Battery

Your car’s electrical system doesn’t pack enough juice to cause most people significant injury (read: people with their original hearts), but nobody likes getting shocked. (Also, you can better fake the gearhead aesthetic with a popped hood.) Disconnect the negative battery cable. If it can’t swing far enough away to avoid its circuit, insulate the connection with a cloth between the cable and the battery.

The great hope? That your battery is better tended to than this one. But a standard ratchet should help undo it quite nicely.

Step 2: Remove the Stereo

Getting to the stereo varies in degree of difficulty depending on both car and manufacturer, and owner’s manuals rarely give directions for this kind of thing. So search online to try to find free instructions, or barring that, visit www.carstereohelp.com to buy downloadable instructions, available for many car makes for a few dollars each. Also consider Chilton’s Total Car Care Manual book series ($20 to $30, www.chiltonsonline.com) for service manual directions to nearly every aspect of a car. Pulling the stereo may also require special tools, so reference this documentation to decide, and save money buying online at a retailer like www.cardomain.com. (We got a simple removal tool for $5.) Remove the stereo and cabling, and tape the wires together if you’re concerned that they’ll fall back behind the dash.

Once we figured out which way the hooks went, always toward the stereo, yanking it out was easy-peasey.

COMMENTS: 19

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COMMENTS

Cool!
Submitted by Tanner Fehr (not verified) on Fri, 2007-03-30 11:41

Actually a tip if you're searching for an aftermarket deck that's iPod ready, if you want to save a bit of money, go for a lower brand then Alpine or Clarion. Like JVC, Panasonic, Pioneer, etc. These are an excellent value. Look for one with a CD changer connector and ask about an available iPod interface unit. Mine (a JVC KD-AR560) required an ipod interface that cost about $60 and it plugs right into the back of the CD player. It's operated as a CD changer would be.

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iCruze
Submitted by Tony (not verified) on Fri, 2007-03-30 18:27

Personally, I use an iCruze system from Monster Cable. It's a little bit flakey, and it was a %$#@! to install, but the ability to use my car's stereo controls to control the iPod, and the way-cool blue LED display makes it worthwhile.

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If you have a radio in your
Submitted by Hugh Betcha (not verified) on Mon, 2007-04-02 07:26

If you have a radio in your car, just get the 3rd party FM transmitter!!!

Much cheaper and easier

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why would you do this when...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-03 07:12

I can't believe anyone would go through this process when the 3rd party FM transmitter/dock/recharger can be had for less than $15 and NO installation except for plugging it in. I mean really, must be a slow emag news day...

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connecting ipod to car stereo
Submitted by Neil Fiertel (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-03 08:28

I have owned two fm transmitters to connect the iPod to the built in car stereo. Conclusion...they suck! Solution is cheaper and easy....a Monster Cable cassette to ipod adapter...works a treat, instantly transferrable to another car with a cassette deck..No noise, no hum and no static. The FM system just does not do it. Even in a household environment they are noisy and static prone...A good idea poorly executed. End of story...

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Cassette Adaptor
Submitted by Rick Prather (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-10 08:53

You are assuming the car has a cassette player/radio. Many newer vehicles (such as my VW and my Audi) don't.

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Disconnecting Power
Submitted by Rick Prather (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-10 09:01

One major caution that is missing from this article is to make sure you either don't have a theft protected radio or that you know the code.

Since these have been common for the last 15 years it is very possible that you may have one.

If it is, when you re-connect the radio you will be greeted with something like "Safe" or "Code" on the display and the radio will not play.

If it is an early version the code was "soft-coded" which means someone made it up when the radio was new. If you don't have this code it may not be possible to get it.

Many later radios have a "hard" code that require you to either know it or you will have to go to a dealership, prove ownership and have them look it up for you.

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ADwIkPXmydCeu
Submitted by Yelkerson (not verified) on Thu, 2008-06-26 05:52

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FM transmitter
Submitted by Carl (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-03 09:53

The reason people go through this trouble, me included, is that FM transmitters are crap. I paid the $49 for an iTrip and it is awful. Worse than awful. Doesn't even work in areas where there are many stations and the best stereo separation in the FM band is in the middle.

Some us like to listen to our music. With an FM transmitter you cant even turn it up because of the SN ratio. You just amplify the background noise.

Still, you get what you pay for.

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FM sucks! They have a lot of
Submitted by Minimal Techno (not verified) on Thu, 2007-12-27 13:39

FM sucks! They have a lot of pitfalls, headed by the quality of sound!
Wires for analog sound - forever!!!

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Submitted by Albert (not verified) on Thu, 2008-06-26 06:13

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I must be one of the lucky ones then...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-04-11 20:42

because I've had my transmitter for two months now and have not had any issues; sound is fine, noise is nonexistant unless I travel out of the frequency's null range...inexpensive and certainly a lot less work to install. Maybe over time I'll join the ranks of 'transmitter is crap' but right now, everything is easy on the ears, pocketbook and leisure time...

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I have owned 3 different fm
Submitted by lantzn (not verified) on Thu, 2007-04-12 09:33

I have owned 3 different fm transmitters for my car with a basic no frill stereo. The Belkin little one with a battery, the monster cable one and recently the Roadtrip. The Roadtrip is by far the clearest of them all and has many stations to pick from.
What I don't like is when you are traveling, a la to Vegas, I lost my connection for almost 8 hours in the desert, a lot of good that did me.
The cassette or direct connection is the only trouble free way to go.

Here's a cheap device that will free up your cig lighter for other uses (cell).

http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=896

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Ground Loop Hum
Submitted by Macsamillion (not verified) on Mon, 2007-04-23 11:06

After several power supply / FM transmitters I was ready to give up. Every one had an obnoxious hum. Turns out it was a 'ground loop.' The solution was to get an isolation transformer. The best in the business is the JK Pureformer, a true stereo isolation transformer. Using RCA cords you place the Pureformer inbetween your iPod and the input on your stereo / head unit / amp. It will render really black blacks and clear highs. You won't regret it.

http://www.jkaudio.com/pureformer.htm

And, no I don't own any stock in JK... just obsessive about quality.

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You really don't want to
Submitted by TanyaL on Fri, 2009-05-08 02:17

You really don't want to have to deal with damage to your car caused by a raccoon. Raccoons are not covered in the owner's manual. If one of the little buggers gets into the wires, there will be damage, and that isn't a cheap auto repair. Installment loans also will be needed if one of the creatures manages to bite you or your loved ones. The doctor's bill won't be pleasant, and rabies is a painful treatment, consisting of some decidedly unpleasant shots over the course of a month or two. Short term loans to help keep the wayward raccoon population out of your yard are worth it.

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car cd changers
Submitted by thisidea on Fri, 2009-05-15 00:13

car cd changers

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I have done something
Submitted by michalraise on Mon, 2009-09-07 11:06

I have done something similar to two of my cars for my ipod. I bought my car stereo at crutch field with an auxiliary input in the back. When you buy it through them they send you everything you need to install the stereo itself. I went to radio shack to get the av jacks to headphone jacks wire. -----------------------Toyota Tacoma Headlights | Vehicle Tracking

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