Hi all,
I have a 56 Plate 1.2 Dynamic 3dr GP. It came with just the standard CD only radio no MP3 what so ever which is a bit of a joke I think but anyway.

I love my iPOD so I bought a genuine Fiat GP iPOD connection Kit off ebay
See Link Below:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....loc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

Anyways my Question is, does anybody know if these things are easy to fit? will I need special tools and the such, or will I be better off getting it done by a garage. I am a techie person by default a programmer by profession and can like most people strip and Build PC's but to MS & CISCO levels so I am not afraid to get my hands dirty.

However I have no experience with cars, so i don't want to break my new pride & Joy.

Any help would be great.

Jason

DelG 1.2 said:

Hi all,
I have a 56 Plate 1.2 Dynamic 3dr GP. It came with just the standard CD only radio no MP3 what so ever which is a bit of a joke I think but anyway.

I love my iPOD so I bought a genuine Fiat GP iPOD connection Kit off ebay
See Link Below:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....loc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

Anyways my Question is, does anybody know if these things are easy to fit? will I need special tools and the such, or will I be better off getting it done by a garage. I am a techie person by default a programmer by profession and can like most people strip and Build PC's but to MS & CISCO levels so I am not afraid to get my hands dirty.

However I have no experience with cars, so i don't want to break my new pride & Joy.

Any help would be great.

Jason

Click to expand...

Hi Jason,
It is a five minute job. remove the radio : either with tool made from an old steel coat hanger made into a u shape or buy some from Halfo**s (some radios have screws covering the holes on the radio - remove these first).
The kit has 2 cables one connects to radio then to interface box supplied - this stays behind radio, the other connects from the interface box to your ipod. Fiat recomend you thread the second cable down to the cup holders in centre console.

Tip: if you connect the cable and disconnect then reconnect the cable to the ipod you can the use the ipod screen to navigate ipod.
Job Done

Thanks Shauncorwyn,
Can I ask another question mate?

How does the ipod work with car, can you use the steering wheel controls to change songs & stuff or is it just purley a link to the radio system?

Many thanks for all your help so far.

Jason

DelG 1.2 said:

I have a 56 Plate 1.2 Dynamic 3dr GP. It came with just the standard CD only radio no MP3 what so ever which is a bit of a joke I think but anyway.

Click to expand...

Why is it a joke?

luvduvs said:

Why is it a joke?

Click to expand...

Well I think its a joke because almost everything you buy can play MP3's. Evan a basic £30 DVD player does. I mean even my £20 pound alarm clock plays MP3's. I am not trying to insult Fiat or anybody but I think its a bit low having a radio that at basic does not play MP3 CD's but only CD's.

Do you not agree. Maybe Its just the Fiat dealer I bought my car from but they wanted £250 + Labour for the fitting the mp3 version of the head unit or nearly £300 for the iPOD kit Talkabout rip off!! Sorry but like I said if a £20 Alarm clock can play MP3 via an SD card then I would expect a £7600 (Great Deal with delivery miles) Car to come with some sort of MP3 support as well.
I love the car, even the sound system is good for a factory fit, but I still think MP3 should be standard not optional. The iPOD kit I agree with but not a non MP3 compatible Head unit. Whats the point? I would think most people want MP3. And MP3 is almost a standard now, with the like of HMV / Virgin and iTunes rolling over and allowing you to buy unprotected MP4's which can be turned into MP3.

Most new cars of my friends (Toyota Yaris / Fiesta £20 extra for iPOD kit / VW etc) all come with MP3 Compatible head units as standard, and no they are not top of the range jobs either.

Anyway just my opinion.

Jason

That's a fair point; but if you're comparing it with others, why not compare things like NCAP or style, which the GP is a lot better (IMO anyway).

Its a relatively cheap car, so don't expect too much. Besides you would have known some things don't come as standard before you bought it, right?

luvduvs said:

That's a fair point; but if you're comparing it with others, why not compare things like NCAP or style, which the GP is a lot better (IMO anyway).

Its a relatively cheap car, so don't expect too much. Besides you would have known some things don't come as standard before you bought it, right?

Click to expand...

I totally agree with you mate.. All I am saying is that its a little bit cheapish to do that. I know cuts have to be made & stuff, I prefer what I got NCAP & stuff, great engine ok its 1.2 but its lively etc etc.
But I really don't think adding an MP3 chip set to a car radio can add more than about £20 to the price vs £250 + as an option. AA few people at the dealership were a little gobsmacked at the MP3 options prices, and so most said they would opt to remove the Factory head unit and for-go the steering wheel controls. I could not stand having redundant buttons so ill stick official.

I am not having a dig at all, I just think in a digital world where CD's are old hat even DVD is in the face of Blue Ray HDDVD, I think Mp3 should now be a standard.

Looking at Taiwan price lists for MP3 Chip sets (The cheapest most common used in low grade consumer goods) cost £1.60 each for low volume orders & even less for high volume. So an extra £20 or even £40 would be some serious profit in any case either for the head unit makers or Fiat. nearly £300 + is just a little bit unpalpable when you consider the above in the context I am talking about. It seems its just done so the dealers can make a killing of it. I don't know, maybe I should just shut up

In any case I love my new car, and am more than proud of it.
but i cant help feel that MP3 compatible head units should be standard.
iPOD i dont mind paying for.

I agree with you however on the rest 100%

Jason

DelG 1.2 said:

Thanks Shauncorwyn,
Can I ask another question mate?

How does the ipod work with car, can you use the steering wheel controls to change songs & stuff or is it just purley a link to the radio system?

Many thanks for all your help so far.

Jason

Click to expand...

You can use the wheel controls if you have playlists set up on your ipod - volume works as normal - i prefer to use the ipod screen to scroll through ipod menu, but each to their own.

DelG 1.2 said:

I totally agree with you mate.. All I am saying is that its a little bit cheapish to do that. I know cuts have to be made & stuff, I prefer what I got NCAP & stuff, great engine ok its 1.2 but its lively etc etc.
But I really don't think adding an MP3 chip set to a car radio can add more than about £20 to the price vs £250 + as an option. AA few people at the dealership were a little gobsmacked at the MP3 options prices, and so most said they would opt to remove the Factory head unit and for-go the steering wheel controls. I could not stand having redundant buttons so ill stick official.

I am not having a dig at all, I just think in a digital world where CD's are old hat even DVD is in the face of Blue Ray HDDVD, I think Mp3 should now be a standard.

Looking at Taiwan price lists for MP3 Chip sets (The cheapest most common used in low grade consumer goods) cost £1.60 each for low volume orders & even less for high volume. So an extra £20 or even £40 would be some serious profit in any case either for the head unit makers or Fiat. nearly £300 + is just a little bit unpalpable when you consider the above in the context I am talking about. It seems its just done so the dealers can make a killing of it. I don't know, maybe I should just shut up

In any case I love my new car, and am more than proud of it.
but i cant help feel that MP3 compatible head units should be standard.
iPOD i dont mind paying for.

I agree with you however on the rest 100%

Jason

Click to expand...

I wasn't having a go at you mate, don't take it the wrong way. Perhaps my response was a little biased as I'm still in the cassette tapes era

Anyway glad you're enjoying your new car

luvduvs said:

I wasn't having a go at you mate, don't take it the wrong way. Perhaps my response was a little biased as I'm still in the cassette tapes era

Anyway glad you're enjoying your new car

Click to expand...

I know mate... I just wanted to back-up my thoughts with an attempt at a some what leveled argument.. Because I can see what I written in my original post can be seen as kind of rude.


Jason