Curse you, non-standard-shaped, aux- and tape deck-less radios!

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 12/16/2014 at 16:40 • Filed to: None

1

80

Since !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (and gaining a Hemi, Quadra-Drive, and much more refinement in the process) I am very happy except for one little gripe: trying to play music through my phone in this thing.

My '99 had a tape deck, which allowed me to use a very high tech tape deck adapter to plug in my phone and listen to some sweet tuneage. My '05 on the other hand, has no tape deck, and no aux jack. It does have bluetooth for hands-free phone calls, but not audio streaming.

Now, I could replace the factory stereo for an aftermarket one with relatively little fuss. But the factory stereo has a weird shaped opening, like this:

There is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to put a single-DIN stereo in this opening, but the end result looks like this:

Barf.

So instead of replacing the stereo, I've been using my Amazon Prime membership to buy FM transmitters, discover they suck, and then return them.

First I got an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which died when I twisted the power plug in the lighter outlet.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I then got a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which works ok. I haven't quite gotten a static-free station, but 93.5 is working ok for now. When it turns on a lady with a Chinese accent says "the bluetooth is ready for pairing," and then "the bluetooth is successfully connected," when the phone connects to it. Also, the volume from this FM transmitter is really quiet compared to regular radio stations. When I turn the car off, it cuts power to the lighter outlet, which turns off the FM transmitter, but the radio stays on. So I get really loud static from the not-a-station frequency I have the radio tuned to. Usually I remember to turn down the volume before turning off the car, but not every time.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Now I've ordered a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which is more expensive but has many more positive reviews.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I'm hoping this last one works out alright. I don't care about super high sound quality, I just want to not have static in the background.

If I can't find an FM transmitter that works reasonably well, my next option is this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It seems like it'd work fine, but it's $100 and I'd rather not spend that much plus have to take apart the dash to wire it up.

EDIT: 'Wägen !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the aux adapter is more like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Plus the cost of an RCA-to-3.5mm cable.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I just want to listen to my tunes, man.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:43

4

Get a double DIN kit

davedave1111 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:44

0

How about a bluetooth speaker? Has the advantage that you can use it other places too.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:44

0

Why not just wrap the 1-din kit and bezel silver? it would look real smooth!

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:44

0

Get on the forums and check to see if the standard head unit has input pins for aux. My stock stereo has no aux but you can plug an adapter into the back of it that gives you aux input. Certain other cars allow it too.

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:48

0

I forgot to mention that too - 06's had a jack IIRC

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:49

0

My younger brother's Astro has the weird intermediate size (kind of 1 1/2 DIN), so he currently has the cover removed from the center of the dash until such a time as he recuts it. My Ranchero's original radio is a funny shape and size like so:

So naturally the replacements do what you have shown, which is crap:

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:49

0

It could be worse. It could be something that Ze Germans have done with their cars.

Like this. Yes, that's the radio *inside* the speedometer housing.

Textured Soy Protein > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/16/2014 at 16:50

0

More info on that? All I'm finding is this one on ebay which is $100 before you add in any wiring adapters and such. That, or the other option is to get the factory navigation dash bezel and then put a double-DIN kit in that .

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:50

2

Could be worst, you could be stuck with a record player

Textured Soy Protein > davedave1111 12/16/2014 at 16:53

0

I have a bluetooth speaker that I use around the house, but I don't think I'd want to use it in the car.

VonBelmont > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:53

0

Man, I remember my dad's old BMW used to have a dummy cassette-XM/aux adapter back in the early 2000s. Something about it freaked the deck out and it would constantly eject itself, so my dad wound up having to stick with ye-olde FM/AM or CD-R's like the plebs til he got an Acura with built-in satellite in '05. Seeing one of those brought back a vague memory or two!

Also, why are aftermarket head-units fugly pieces of crap? They all look like they're meant for ricers and Eurotrash.

Textured Soy Protein > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/16/2014 at 16:54

0

Mine is a Limited so it has wood trim like the picture of the factory radio, not silver like the picture of the 1-DIN kit. If anything I'd try to find spray paint to match the color of the bezel, and paint the 1-DIN kit to match the bezel.

Textured Soy Protein > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/16/2014 at 16:55

0

I've been looking—the only way I've found to add an aux jack to the factory stereo is with that $100 adapter that hooks into the factory satellite radio inputs.

marvthegrate > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 16:55

0

I know this feel, all too well. My 2008 Mazda6 is missing an aux port. I typically only use this on long trips, but have a FM xmitter that works outside of cities.

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 12/16/2014 at 16:59

1

Pretty sure all the factory radios gained aux jacks in the '08 facelift. I can't even switch to an '08-'10 head unit, because they're a rectangle shape without the knobs sticking out the sides.

Textured Soy Protein > marvthegrate 12/16/2014 at 17:00

0

As a former Mazdaspeed 6 owner, you're welcome .

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:00

0

I was going to recommend that, but for $100? Fuuuuuu

I wonder how cheap Mopar radios WITH an aux jack are, and if they'd be a direct plug in like they were back in the day....

JGrabowMSt > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:00

0

A more modern solution to this problem.

I have one in my SL, works great.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:01

0

Well shit, I bought the Mpow one for my girlfriend as a Christmas gift...

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:01

0

Do what this guy did: http://jacobbreach.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/aux…

Part here: http://www.installer.com/item/display_i…

FM transmitters blow.

Textured Soy Protein > VonBelmont 12/16/2014 at 17:02

1

My 135is came with a year of free satellite radio, which I listened to mostly when I was too lazy to plug in my phone to the aux jack. When the year ended, I didn't bother renewing, because the sound quality was awful, and I just stopped being lazy and used my aux jack.

marvthegrate > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:03

0

That is cool, I'll have to watch to see if they come back in stock.

jariten1781 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:06

0

Just do what I did in high school. Buy a double adapter for the cigarette lighter, use that to power a boombox and a Discman, run the cassette adapter from the discman headphone jack to the the boombox tape deck, then boom, d igital music. Replace the Discman with your phone and you've successfully ghetto rigged your system...and you don't have to worry about it skipping over slight bumps like I did.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:06

0

Why not replace it with a double din unit. Sure it'll still have the two semi cicles but it'll look better than the single din

Mosqvich > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:07

0

Plus there is an iPhone kit for BMWs.

VonBelmont > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:08

0

The sound quality's atrocious, especially on 90s on 9 or Comedy Central. And they expect people to pay for this!

Funktheduck > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:09

0

FM transmitters always suck. Had one, audio was flat and way too quiet.

Textured Soy Protein > Mosqvich 12/16/2014 at 17:09

0

I have an android phone.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:09

0

That's a shame. I wish someone would make a head unit that didn't look like a transformer's poop so changing them was less of a pain.

Textured Soy Protein > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 12/16/2014 at 17:11

0

In order to do a double-DIN unit you need to either get a factory navigation dash bezel then get a double-DIN kit, or get a kit that replaces the non-navigation dash bezel but you have to like dremel out the vents from the original dash piece and install them on this kit, and it costs $100+.

Mosqvich > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:11

0

So, if you plug it into the USB thing, it won't work? I have a 135i also.

Textured Soy Protein > jariten1781 12/16/2014 at 17:11

0

How about, no.

Textured Soy Protein > 'Wägen, EPA LOL 12/16/2014 at 17:12

0

Yes, I mentioned that's my next option if I can't find an FM transmitter that works alright.

If I can't find an FM transmitter that works reasonably well, my next option is this aux input adapter for the factory head unit . It seems like it'd work fine, but it's $100 and I'd rather not spend that much plus have to take apart the dash to wire it up.

Textured Soy Protein > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 12/16/2014 at 17:13

0

Make sure to tell her to not twist it in the lighter outlet! Could've just been a freak accident, there's plenty of decent reviews for it on Amazon.

Textured Soy Protein > JGrabowMSt 12/16/2014 at 17:13

0

My '05 Grand Cherokee doesn't have a tape deck. That would've been neat for my '99 though.

Textured Soy Protein > Mosqvich 12/16/2014 at 17:14

1

I've never tried plugging it into the USB port. I think that's just for playing stored music off the phone, not streaming audio from apps like Pandora or Spotify, which is the majority of what I listen to in the car.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:15

0

That's your answer.

mazda616 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:16

0

I feel your pain. During my last semester of college, I had to commute 1.5 hours one way to school twice a week. I drove my wife's 2006 Malibu since we would be trading it in the following winter and didn't care about putting miles on it. I tried several FM transmitters and they all sucked. This car had a CD player but no aux jack or Bluetooth. Pretty much one of the most annoying first world problems ever. Since I was on a desolate highway for all of the trip, eventually just listened to my headphones.

Textured Soy Protein > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/16/2014 at 17:16

0

I don't really want to spend $100+ on a dash kit on top of the cost of an aftermarket headunit. I'd do that aux adapter for the factory head unit way before that.

Nibbles > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:17

0

What you want is something like this. It doesn't transmit FM, rather it disconnects the FM antenna when you use it, giving your mobile device unhindered access to [insert frequency here]. Just plug in and hit play; once the unit receives sound it cuts out the FM reception

Nibbles > Takuro Spirit 12/16/2014 at 17:18

0

Nope, they're hardcoded to the vehicle. Pain in the ass to get to work :\

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:19

0

Post #5 over here lists all the stuff needed to do a double-din.

Textured Soy Protein > 'Wägen, EPA LOL 12/16/2014 at 17:20

0

Yeah, I'd do the aux adapter for the factory head unit long before I mess with all that.

JGrabowMSt > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:21

0

Bugger. My Magnum has the same radio, I just keep CDs around of my favorite stuff. Works fine for me.

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:21

0

Ha, sorry - missed that part. It's less than a hundred though and a much better option than any fm transmitter. They all really really suck.

I put one these aux boxes in my last Acura and it honestly worked great. I highly recommend.

jariten1781 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:22

0

Alright, serious suggestion. I've, in the past, had luck finding pre-modded factory headunits on ebay where folks have added the aux in. If there's one of those out there grab it and sell yours.

This Durango one also looks to be a direct swap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-2004…

Textured Soy Protein > Nibbles 12/16/2014 at 17:23

0

Seems like if I'm going to the trouble of opening up the dash I might as well do it for the thing that adds an aux input to the factory head unit without messing with any FM stuff. It taps into the inputs for the satellite radio and optional rear-seat DVD player (which I don't have on mine).

Boxer_4 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:23

0

I'm pretty sure some Chrysler products have that same head unit, but with an aux jack on the front of the unit. Maybe try looking for a head unit out of a 2007 Caliber for cheap? I'm pretty sure SXT and R/T trim levels got those.

Cé hé sin > JGrabowMSt 12/16/2014 at 17:23

0

These are a thing? Seemingly so. I'm still on the wired tape adaptor.

Nibbles > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:24

0

To each their own, but this is a cheap and oddly high quality fix.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 12/16/2014 at 17:24

0

As far as I know, the Mopar radios with aux jacks are from '08 and up. They don't have the goofy knobs that stick out the sides so it wouldn't fit in my dash.

JickyJackXC70Attack > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:25

0

I used to be all about those tape deck adaptors, but when my last one broke, I got sick and tired of replacing them. Invested in one of these sweet things and haven't looked back. Works great, easy to connect to, has a usb for charging your phone, and manages to have pretty solid audio quality. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00…

Best of luck with the GOGroove!

Textured Soy Protein > 'Wägen, EPA LOL 12/16/2014 at 17:26

0

Hey that's a better price. I guess Crutchfield is charging quite the markup.

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:28

0

They are price gouging whores. Also it's on Amazon for ~$60.

Textured Soy Protein > jariten1781 12/16/2014 at 17:29

0

Hmm, interesting. The same seller lists one for an '05 Grand Cherokee . Pricey, but it'd certainly look factory.

Textured Soy Protein > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 12/16/2014 at 17:32

0

Pioneer used to make 1.5-DIN head units for GM and Chrysler cars. My mom had a '96 Town & Country, and when the factory head unit died, I talked her into getting one, instead of another factory one.

They stopped making them a long time ago, and I don't know if any of the old ones have aux jacks.

Racescort666 > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:34

0

Since everyone else is chiming in, I may as well too. I would do the aux adapter even if it's kind of expensive. I had to do this with my Audi. I had been using the fm transmitters and they all sucked. Plus, every frequency my car could pick up had a radio station already on it (yay Chicago with surprisingly bad radio choices). I did the swap and other than having to replace the RCA to 3.5 mm cable a few times, it has been well worth it.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:35

0

http://www.gromaudio.com/store/android_…

I have been using a GROM audio adapter for the better part of five years on my 2003 Mazda. They are expensive, but work really well.

Textured Soy Protein > JickyJackXC70Attack 12/16/2014 at 17:36

0

I've found several variations on that one you linked, where it's on a big stalk that sticks up from the lighter outlet. My dash isn't really shaped in such a way where the stalk would be useful. That's why I've so far gone with the cheapie VicTsing and now the stalk-less GoGroove.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:37

0

I would give the USB port a try.

Textured Soy Protein > Nibbles 12/16/2014 at 17:40

0

To put it another way, I've now been shown the aux adapter that I thought was $100 is actually available for $60, so if I'm opening up the dash, to me it's worth the extra 25 bucks to have a regular aux input instead of the FM flip-a-switch dealie.

Takuro Spirit > Nibbles 12/16/2014 at 17:41

0

I miss the old days. :(

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:41

0

I would find out how hard opening up the dash is before I pass judgement. Taking apart the dash in my Mazda enough to get to the radio is only requires a phillips head screwdriver.

Nibbles > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:42

0

Oh well sixty is a whole lot better than a bill, so definitely changes that up

Didn't know, my bad, all that jazz

('`)

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:43

0

Shoot. Coulda swore I saw one that did.

JGrabowMSt > Cé hé sin 12/16/2014 at 17:43

0

Yeah, my boss didn't believe me about it. Wired adapters are fine, but often I find the wire by the jack gets messed up, or the tape deck starts going crazy and tries to rewind it indefinitely.

The rewinding issue can still happen with these, but no wires to break. Lasts about 7ish hours non-stop, which isn't bad. I've been thinking of hardwiring power to mine so I don't have to do that, I can just run USB power to it from the cigarette lighter. That way I don't have to deal with batteries.

ilostmypants > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/16/2014 at 17:44

0

Look up reviews and get a decent used unit online, double din would be the best bet to fill that great expanse of plastic.

Nibbles > Takuro Spirit 12/16/2014 at 17:44

0

Me too

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 17:46

1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUX-INPUT-…

Textured Soy Protein > Boxer_4 12/16/2014 at 17:48

1

Looks like some '07-'09 Caliber and Durango radios might do the trick. The Grand Cherokee gained an aux jack in '08 but they switched to a normal rectangle-shaped radio that didn't have knobs on either side.

Textured Soy Protein > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 12/16/2014 at 18:00

0

Hmmm I don't really store a ton of music on my phone, but if I could use this thing to stream audio from Pandora & Spotify over USB then that would be very interesting.

Textured Soy Protein > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 12/16/2014 at 18:04

0

Hmmmmmmmmmm....I think that's actually a radio from an '07-'09 Caliber or Durango which also fits in the '05-'07 Grand Cherokee. I wonder if that will integrate with the bluetooth phone (which is part of the rearview mirror).

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 12/16/2014 at 18:05

0

Actually I did a little more digging, and I was sorta correct.

Grand Cherokee radios from '08-up have aux jacks and are rectangles.

Some '07-'09 Caliber and Durango radios have the side knobs and aux jacks.

Textured Soy Protein > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 12/16/2014 at 18:07

0

From what I've seen, it's relatively easy .

Mosqvich > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 18:18

0

I think you might be right. I don't stream stuff. I should try though.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 22:19

0

Cool. Now are the plugs on the back the same? Because Chrysler went all crazy lately with their harnesses. Even the same model in the same year can have two different hookups from experience at work fitting junk yard radios into used cars.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 12/16/2014 at 23:12

0

I'll have to look into it more to see which head units interchange into what vehicles.

Chrysler has 3 different head units with the knobs that stick out the sides, but multiple different part numbers for each.

REF: single-disc CD player, basic LED display, newer ones have an aux jack

RAQ: 6-disc CD changer with MP3 CD support, dot-matrix LED display & RDS, black or chrome knobs depending on part number (higher trim cars have chrome trim rings)

RAK: 6-disc CD changer with MP3 CD support, tape deck, dot-matrix LED display & RDS, black or chrome knobs depending on part number (higher trim cars have chrome trim rings)

For whatever reason, in this generation of head units, only the base REF head unit offered an aux jack. But not all of them.

They all are supposed to work with the Uconnect bluetooth speakerphone, which in my Grand Cherokee is built into the rearview mirror.

I have an RAQ with chrome rings.

So in theory, I should be able to get an REF head unit with an aux jack, and I would gain an aux jack. I would lose the CD change, nicer display, RDS, and chrome trim rings on the knobs.

One thing that concerns me is while I don't care about the CD changer, getting rid of it would in theory lower the resale value. And I know my gf would hate me keeping a spare head unit around the house for several years until I sell the Jeep.

All of which is to say, it could probably be done, but I think I'm going to stick with my plan of trying this latest FM transmitter, and if it doesn't work well then my fall-back plan is to go for that aux adapter for my RAQ head unit.

davedave1111 > Textured Soy Protein 12/17/2014 at 10:37

0

Any particular reason? I have a not particularly expensive one which sounds better than a non-premium car stereo.

Textured Soy Protein > davedave1111 12/17/2014 at 11:42

0

I have a fancy JBL Flip 2 which sounds great. But it looks like this:

Kinda hard to keep that in one spot in a car. And my stereo sounds pretty good, actually.

davedave1111 > Textured Soy Protein 12/17/2014 at 16:12

0

Strap it in? :)

I've got one of these, and I have to say, I've been utterly flabbergasted by the quality of sound from such small speakers. In fact, not just for such small speakers, but for anything short of a full hifi rig. Then again, I don't have a great deal of experience with very modern car stereo systems, so maybe they're better than I've come to expect.