What are the best performing options for Ipod and Bluetooth for our cars? I have a 04 and a 05 both with Navigation that I am looking to ad these features. I have not herad any good feedback on the dension units.... Both from installers and people who have owned them. FWIW

 

I have the Nav-TV stuff in my 08 GTS. Phone works pretty damn good and only a handful of times did it not work properly. The ipod...well, mine isn't working at the moment, but I've been too busy to get it looked at. Overall, the way you select items to play is a little strange because you have to go in and out of menus, select what you want, and then go back to play the selection. I'm sure its explained on their website somewhere. Other than that, I have a Sirius tuner as well. Sometimes on long trips using the phone, sat, cd, etc...the satellite goes out, and the way to fix it is to restart the car/PCM.

 

I just purchased a '06 CS with PCM 2.1. Looking to install a bluetooth and have heard that "stand alone" units like Parrot are better than the ones that integrate with PCM. My preference would be to integrate with PCM and use the keypad and phone features of PCM. Anyone have experience with aftermarket bluetooth that integrates with PCM 2.1?

 

Subscribed to this thread. I would really like to understand our add-on options versus aftermarket. Keeping the steering wheel controls would be great!

 

subscribed.

 

OK, I'm going to be visiting La Jolla Audio and will let ya'll know what options are recommended by the pros.

 

From previous searches I have done, it seemed to me like m0bridge was the choice I would've gone with for my needs (ipod and bluetooth). Seemed to me you got more bang for your buck with them and more features than the others, but I could be wrong.

That being said, my CTT had 30,000 miles on it when I got it and already had Nav-Tv's Tooki installed in it. The Tooki bluetooth works great and I just ordered their ipod interface. I can tell you Nav-Tv's customer service has been great to deal with so far (I need to send my Tooki in for a chip upgrade and firmware). And I can also tell you it seems to me like their tech support is there for any install issues I may have. I'm not sure how the other companies are with this, but if you plan on doing anything yourself, Nav-Tv seems to me like the better route to go. I'll update after I get my OPI installed for my ipod and the Tooki back in after the upgrades. I should also mention, they're upgrading the chip and firmware in my Tooki free of charge which is pretty sweet.

 

Be very careful with the '04 Cayenne Turbo. It has a different stereo than later models. I spent all day at a very reputable car audio store while they attempted to install a Parrot9200 then a Mobridge for Ipod/phone and determined the stereo locks out the ?aux output so the sound would only come out of 2 speakers. Sounded like crap, so I had them stop, put it all back to stock and will just have to go old fashion--- burn CD's and use a bluetooth earpiece.

It was a huge pain. I learned my lesson; Do your homework first.

 

What did you end up doing on your 04 Cayenne Turbo for Bluetooth?

 

I believe the Parrot can be used independently with an outboard speaker. Just have to figure out a good spot to install the speaker. This could be my last resort if I could not figure anything out with my '05 CTT. My '05 didn't come with the phone buttons, therefore, I believe BT kits like those from Dension, DICE, and Mobridge won't be able to integrate. Does the '04 and '05 CTT use the same or different PCM?

 

Sure you could use the parrot with a single speaker or a pair of existing. However, since the bose system is all single cone - no matter which pair you pick, it won't be full range and will sound like crap. Really is no option, without getting a super trick (and expensive $2K) auxilary setup.

Really, just burn CDs.

 

I was scouring the forums for the same answer and what I netted out:

3 real options, Nav-TV, MoBridge and Dension. I went with the latter due to the cost and optional USB port.

I had it installed ($400) and out of the box worked farily well. I struggled with the Bluetooth, but eventually got it figured out; I had to jailbreak my iphone to get the bluetooth controls to work when streaming. The other issue I had was mic pickup, which I was able to fix with the patch from Dension and some trial and error.

One thing I really like is the USB port; very handy if you don't have your ipod available.