MDI plug location

[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

[BottomScratcher]

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 read this yesterday, and something clicked, but the light bulb didn't come on until I saw it again today.

WAFFLE WARNING: I'm stuck on a tarmac with nothing to do for hours, I'm bored, and have had 3 large coffees this morning already.

Yesterday proprietary interfaces were mentioned. Well, I doubt there isn't another product on the market that has as many proprietary software/peripherals than those of mobile phone makers. Even different models of the same brand have different chargers of different voltage and mA outputs. Thing is that the VW RNS510/Columbus head units are made by Siemens-VDO.

I was thinking it might be a German thing, but in another context than implied by woofy. Siemens was a very large German manufacturer of mobiles in Europe, and is still huge globally in electronics, and electrical engineering, but the mobile phone part of the business fell over in 2006, probably about the time the RNS510 was being developed. No European mobile manufacturer, especially Nokia, could've seen the threat to their market share that was about to come from smartphones, in particular Apple and Samsung. Nokia tried to keep up and posted their first loss quarterly loss since 1996. Nokia owns Navteq, the map provider for VW satnavs everywhere else in the world except Australia (Sensis). Nokia also have a partnership with Microsoft for an OS for their smartphones in competition with Apple and Android systems, but the late model VW BT units are based on a Nokia platform. They are made by Novero, a German company formed after it bought out Nokia Automotive in 2008. The Columbus/RNS510 and VW BT units are the product of some pretty convoluted, and in some cases, now defunct relationships.

It is reasonable to expect that the many complaints about the functionality of the Columbus/RNS510 satnav (my 4 year old TomTom is voice activated, gives me audible speed camera alerts, and I've several options for map updates), and the whole MDI not being a standard feature thing are issues that VW group are addressing. The point of all this is that I think VW, like Nokia, were already committed to existing arrangements when the smartphone/mobile music explosion took place. Most vehicle manufacturer's new builds have BT and iPod/Mp3 connectivity standard, and VW are following suit. The new model Golfs include the MDI and cable, and the MY12 Skodas have BT standard. Hopefully when current contractual arrangements are reviewed for the supply of OEM satnavs the eventual replacement for the Columbus/RNS510 will be as efficient as my old TomTom. It's not a huge deal for me, but the one thing about the car that disappoints is the below par iPod connectivity/functionality via a sub-standard satnav unit. And why did they put the MDI socket in the glovebox? If I had a dollar for every time I reach for my phone then realise that it's still in the car, I would be down the park with my dog instead of sitting on this ******* tarmac!

---------- Post added at 09:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:11 AM ----------

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

Sorry mate, but anyone driving a Fiat or an Alpha deserves whatever they get

[Mysticality]

... I always wondered why the connection of my N8, and now, E6, have been so seamless...