Honda Music Link iPod Connection

[TheConfuzed1]

Honda is now offering an accessory iPod connection.

I am in sales at a Honda dealership, and I am a Honda owner myself. I have had first-hand experience with Honda's iPod accessory Music Link™, but I can't honestly give it the best rating.

It works, and it mounts the iPod in the glovebox, which keeps it out of view and allows it to be powered by the same cable that connects the audio to the system. Another huge plus is that it will turn the iPod on and off automatically as the vehicle is switched on and off.

However, what makes the iPod so great is its ease of use, and user-friendly functionality. This unfortunately, is largely taken away with the Honda Music Link™ accessory. You can not navigate by artist and track. You can only navigate by playlist, and only the first few letters of the name of the playlist appear on the screen, drastically limiting usability. You can also shuffle your music at random.

What I want is a solution that will allow me to plug my iPod into a dock in either the glovebox, or the center console, and control my ipod using either an added trackwheel in an unobtrusive, yet easily reachable location, or a virtual clickwheel on the touch screen of my Honda Ridgeline's navigation screen. Of course, I would also like to view on my navi screen a mirror image of the iPod's screen itself. Direct, on-screen, touch navigation of the ipod's hierarchy of menus would also be a huge plus.

Honda's solution is at this point, very archaic in implementation, and nowhere near as intuitive as the iPod's controls. I am hopeful that this will be improved in future versions, as BMW has recently done.

[Lingered_I]

The Honda offering is less than impressive to say the least.

Installing the Honda Music Link - iPod Adaptor

[ShootinDownTheStars]

If it is the same as they use at Acura, you should be able to search through Playlist, Genre, Artist or Album. Shuffle albums and Shuffle songs.

it is NOT the best system in the world, I agree, and you will HATE it if you are a song hopper---listen to one song, go find another----but if you are someone that just uses shuffle or listens to full albums at a time, it is not that bad.

BMW is the only one so far that is making the IPod commitment..agreed. Honda is still trying to figure out if this IPod thing is here to stay or not. And the fact that they use different stereos in almost all models, make it even more difficult for them to design it the way you want.

In time, I am sure ALL the manufacturer's and Apple will come out wth what is needed for all this stuff to work the way we want. It is just still in early stages of it getting to the Automobile World.

[UglyDuck]

Originally Posted by TheConfuzed1

Honda is now offering an accessory iPod connection.

I am in sales at a Honda dealership, and I am a Honda owner myself. I have had first-hand experience with Honda's iPod accessory Music Link™, but I can't honestly give it the best rating.

It works, and it mounts the iPod in the glovebox, which keeps it out of view and allows it to be powered by the same cable that connects the audio to the system. Another huge plus is that it will turn the iPod on and off automatically as the vehicle is switched on and off.

However, what makes the iPod so great is its ease of use, and user-friendly functionality. This unfortunately, is largely taken away with the Honda Music Link™ accessory. You can not navigate by artist and track. You can only navigate by playlist, and only the first few letters of the name of the playlist appear on the screen, drastically limiting usability. You can also shuffle your music at random.

What I want is a solution that will allow me to plug my iPod into a dock in either the glovebox, or the center console, and control my ipod using either an added trackwheel in an unobtrusive, yet easily reachable location, or a virtual clickwheel on the touch screen of my Honda Ridgeline's navigation screen. Of course, I would also like to view on my navi screen a mirror image of the iPod's screen itself. Direct, on-screen, touch navigation of the ipod's hierarchy of menus would also be a huge plus.

Honda's solution is at this point, very archaic in implementation, and nowhere near as intuitive as the iPod's controls. I am hopeful that this will be improved in future versions, as BMW has recently done.

I have been able to navigate through my controls on the IPOD while connected to the music link.

strange. The first truck I had it wired into it worked that way all the time, I moved the connection to my RTL when I switched from the RTS and its been hit & miss.

It seems if I plug in the IPOD and get the controls to come up, then start the truck and turn on the radio it works like a charm.

Nice when it works that way, sucks when it doesn't

[Doktorkay]

How about a simple audio input jack for all of us non iPod users out there. I know there is one on the NAV model, but hey, there should be one on every model! Just as the Element has.

[RouteX]

i've tried connecting an ipod and an iphone into the music link cable and i get nothing. i have an aux cable plugged in as well and have tried with and without the aux cable. is there a trick to getting it to work? im stumped.