2005 Corolla And Ipod Questions - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

Guest steronz

My wife's getting an ipod for christmas from her family, and it's my job to wire it up to her 05 Corolla LE. I want to avoid FM modulation; there are a small handful of products on the market that will connect an Ipod to an AUX or cd-changer port so that it can be controlled by the head unit. Here's a link to the one that caught my eye:

http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PACAUXPOD

It requires a seperate harness to be purchased to plug right into specific makes' head units. Which is all well and good, but we stupidly opted for the 6-disc in dash CD changer, which isn't compatible with the system. Now, I'm not opposed to replacing the CD changer with a lesser factory unit, but I'd really really like to maintain a factory unit. Since my wife had mentioned once upon a time that she misses having a casette deck (she listens to a lot of books on tape), I picking up a used single CD/cAssette combo from an 03:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=38640

Now, just looking at the picture, it doesn't appear that that unit would help me out much either, since it doesn't have any buttons for AUX or external CD control. Can somebody confirm this? Does anyone know what I'm even talking about? My end goal is to have a factory head unit that will control an ipod. Oh, we also opted for the upgraded speaker system, so there's some kind of amp or something underneath the passenger seat. Dunno if that affects anything, but I decided to throw it out there. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give.

The only Headunit that i know of that will control an ipod are Alpine 2004 models. I have one, then you need a little adapter that you plug in the back of the headunit and the other end to the ipod, and you control everything fromt the Headunit, plus it charges at the same time. I just stick mine in my glove compartment. Also some BMW's come with this feature. But that is your ONLY way to control the ipod from the Headunit.

other options for non-Alpine headunits:

-fm transmitters

-Tape adapters

-RCA inputs (if your headunit has one)

But with these methods you need to change songs on your ipod.

Guest modestMouse

my friend has a 4Runner (not sure of the year, NEW tho) and his also will control an IPOD. It is connected by a little cord and he also keeps his in the glove.

Guest steronz

well, after a few days snooping around on the internet, i figured it all out... i'll go ahead and post it here in case anyone else in internet-land is searching for the same question.

the AUX-POD that I linked to in my first post plugs into the auxiliary port on the back of the stock head unit. The auxiliary port is there for trunk-mount CD changers. Since my Corolla came with an in-dash changer, I have no aux port. So the key to solving my problem was determining if regular stock cd players have aux ports. and the answer is, they do. So i tracked down an 03 or 04 stock CD/CAssette deck. The AUX-POD plugs into the back, then hitting the CD button twice will make the head unit think it's talking to a CD changer. The AUX-POD fills the roll of pretending to be a CD changer, and interprets the commands from the head unit to advance to the next track, etc, into stuff the ipod can understand. So now I just need to "downgrade" the head unit and find a handy place to mount an ipod.

It's amazing what you can learn with the interweb...

Guest aponteluis2

This is the best solution I have found so far.

If you've got an Apple iPod™, or you're thinking of getting one, then you'll love the new Aux-Pod from PAC. This revolutionary interface connects to your factory radio and allows you to listen and control your Apple iPod through the head unit. No more sound-degrading FM modulator or fumbling with the iPod's controls while you drive. Get clean, high quality sound playing through your factory radio. And you can change tracks on your iPod from the factory radio or steering wheel controls (vehicles with audio controls on steering wheel). The Aux-Pod automatically turns off the iPod when the radio is switched from the AUX mode or when the vehicle or radio is turned off, and it also charges the iPod battery when connected. The Aux-Pod is compatible with the iPod Mini and 3rd generation iPods. Not compatible with factory multi-disc CD changer.

The Aux-Pod consists of an Aux-Box Universal Auxiliary Audio Input interface and an Apple iPod™ interface connector. To use the Aux-Pod with your vehicle, you will need to order a vehicle-specific wiring harness, listed below.

Features

* Control your iPod™ through the factory radio

* Listen to all your iPod tunes through your existing audio system

* No need for sound-degrading FM modulator

* Automatically turns your iPod on and off

* Charges your iPod battery when connected

* Compatible with iPod Mini and 3rd generation iPods

* Not compatible with factory in-dash or trunk multi-disc CD changer

* Requires vehicle-specific interface cable, available separately

Applications

* Many Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Acura, Toyota, & Nissan Vehicles

* See Vehicle-Specific Wiring Harnesses Below

http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PACAUXPOD