[networkguy]

Where ever you have a situation where a device (in this case the car) reads data from an external source then there is the risk.

So the risk exists from the USB port, a CD, bluetooth or even the computer system at the dealership service centre when your car is on the ramps.

Of course any such thing would need to be written to specifically target a vunerabilty in the software on your car. The odds of this are so low as to be not worth even thinking about.

As for reloading the software, this would be much much easier than say loading windows onto a PC. Remember your car is NOT a computer. It does not have just one CPU with RAM and a hard disk. It is made up of a number of systems that talk to each other at a number of levels.

So could it be done? Yes

Will it be done?

Well IT security is key to what I do for a living and today I would be more than happy to take a USB key from a PC I knew to have a virus on it and plug it into the USB port on my car.

[E24]

Can this unit be connected via the ipod/usb connection?

[adrian1480]

I have now found that after the update, my 160GB iPod classic charges...but does NOT indicate that its charging. charging symbol never appears.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by networkguy

Where ever you have a situation where a device (in this case the car) reads data from an external source then there is the risk.

So the risk exists from the USB port, a CD, bluetooth or even the computer system at the dealership service centre when your car is on the ramps.

Of course any such thing would need to be written to specifically target a vunerabilty in the software on your car. The odds of this are so low as to be not worth even thinking about.

As for reloading the software, this would be much much easier than say loading windows onto a PC. Remember your car is NOT a computer. It does not have just one CPU with RAM and a hard disk. It is made up of a number of systems that talk to each other at a number of levels.

So could it be done? Yes

Will it be done?

Well IT security is key to what I do for a living and today I would be more than happy to take a USB key from a PC I knew to have a virus on it and plug it into the USB port on my car.

+1 I agree and would have few misgivings about connecting a questionable device. You also have to assume that the system is designed to process input data in any other way than simply directly to the audio system as a sound source - which I would doubt it is.

[adc]

Here is the latest chapter in my never-ending 6FL saga...

To recap, my 30GB iPod Photo won't charge, neither will the wife's 80GB Classic.

A few days ago I left the Photo in the car connected via the original iPod dock-USB cable (the white one) - and a few days later, the iPod was charged 50% (from down to zero).

So the original iPod cable does charge it, albeit slowly. But with the BMW cable, nada (either that, or it similarly gets very little juice and perhaps playing it at the same time consumes more current than can go in).

It's getting really really old...


I think out of curiosity I'll update the Classic to the latest firmware and give a go for a few days.

[Kb8jumpman]

Originally Posted by kitw

Any luck on this?

My 3G iPod just started doing this. It's stuck, and works fine on everything else, just not in my 335i.

What happens is that I can select Aux, and it shows the name of my iPod, but it gets stuck at, "Loading Data from the Audio Device." I can get my iPod to play by manually unplugging the USB port, but I can't control it that way.

I have this same problem, only thing is is that it used to work before and it stopped out since I synced it with the newest Itunes. What can I do?
Its a 08 with 6FL and I have the "new" black Y-cable

[LEDZEP]

wow - this thread now has hit 1,000 posts. Pretty amazing for an audio realated thred!

[cisoid]

Originally Posted by adrian1480

I have now found that after the update, my 160GB iPod classic charges...but does NOT indicate that its charging. charging symbol never appears.

I made the same experience. Hoever, even if the iPod does not show the proper charging symbol it still is charged. I checked this with a nearly empty iPod during a long journey. After a couple of hours the iPod was indeed fully charged.

[cisoid]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

wow - this thread now has hit 1,000 posts. Pretty amazing for an audio realated thred!

Yes, and close to 70.000 views! Maybe this can convince BMW to come up with some information about 6FL on their own hompage :-}

[cisoid]

Originally Posted by Kb8jumpman

I have this same problem, only thing is is that it used to work before and it stopped out since I synced it with the newest Itunes. What can I do?
Its a 08 with 6FL and I have the "new" black Y-cable

3G iPod shouldn't work at all. BMW's compatibility list states that only 4G and later iPods are compatible.

@Kb8jumpman: Do you have a 3G iPod? What's a 08?

[cisoid]

Originally Posted by adc

Here is the latest chapter in my never-ending 6FL saga...

To recap, my 30GB iPod Photo won't charge, neither will the wife's 80GB Classic.

A few days ago I left the Photo in the car connected via the original iPod dock-USB cable (the white one) - and a few days later, the iPod was charged 50% (from down to zero).

So the original iPod cable does charge it, albeit slowly. But with the BMW cable, nada (either that, or it similarly gets very little juice and perhaps playing it at the same time consumes more current than can go in).

It's getting really really old...


I think out of curiosity I'll update the Classic to the latest firmware and give a go for a few days.

Should not be a problem! All iPod get enough power to charge and simultaneously play music. The BMW cable simply connects the iPod to the USB power supply, i.e., the iPod can draw up to 500mA at 5V.

If it charges with the original (white) Apple cable I the in-car system is OK.

Try again the iPod Classic with the latest firmware. If the iPod still doesn't charge, maybe your BMW cable has a hardware defect. Don't trust the charging symbols at the iPod's display. Check if the battery symbol has grown after a (long) drive.

[Kb8jumpman]

Originally Posted by cisoid

3G iPod shouldn't work at all. BMW's compatibility list states that only 4G and later iPods are compatible.

@Kb8jumpman: Do you have a 3G iPod? What's a 08?

I meant my car is a 2008 if that makes a diff, but my ipod used to work fine for a couple months when i first got my car.

[adrian1480]

Originally Posted by cisoid

I made the same experience. Hoever, even if the iPod does not show the proper charging symbol it still is charged. I checked this with a nearly empty iPod during a long journey. After a couple of hours the iPod was indeed fully charged.

yep, same here. and with the new 1.1.1 firmware update, I don't have to disconnect it in order to make sure it doesn't run itself down overnight!

[nhalliday]

I just picked up my new E92, and can't seem to get the 6FL working how I guess it should. If I've been playing music on it, then stop the car, I presume it should then resume once I get back in the car again?

What happens on mine is that when I get back in the car, the whole thing has to start from scratch again. So I have to select artist, scroll through the list, etc. This is a real pain, as I make lots of short journeys of 15 minutes or so. I seem to spend the first half of each journey just sorting out the music!

The car is new (I guess December 07 or January 08 build), I've tried both an iPod Video (5G) and an iPod Classic, both with the latest firmware. The cable is the latest (small, rounded) version.

Any ideas?

[jmonier]

There's certainly something wrong but I have no idea what it might be. Mine (March 2007 build, old Y-cable) has always done the resume perfectly.

[ukbmwuk]

For those who do not 6fl but who have aux:

I use a Griffin Autopilot which both charges the ipod and allows a connection to the aux through a dock adaptor.

The Autopilot has play/forward button on the top of the charger stick so if the charger is put into the cigarette lighter where the smokers kit is you can press the top of it to stop/start/forward the ipod without touching the ipod. This way the ipod can stay in the centre console.

Main disadvantage is that you have 2 wires running from the smokers kit cigarette lighter is to the centre console. But you dont need to look at the ipod and might be more safe than being tempted to browse songs through the idrive with the 6fl option.

[PrimeTime]

Taking delivery of a new 335xi today - very excited. But after reading this thread, I was wondering if 6FL was worth ordering.

Anyway, I want to make sure I get the right cable for my 30GB Ipod video - the ipod is about 1 and a half years old. What cable part number should I look for at the dealership? What progman should I have (I assume v27 or higher)?

My car is a January 2008 build. The ipod is running latest firmware version 1.2.3. Again a 30GB ipod that was bought new in the fall of 2006.

Any help is most appreciated. I head to the dealership this afternoon and would like to avoid going back this weekend to get a new cable/ software update.

Thanks.

[PrimeTime]

Thanks! Trying to get up to speed on the new car, but can't find a manual for 6FL specifically. Maybe the radio manual is all you get?

I had a separate manual for the Ipod when I had my old 325xi.

[poppyljg]

For those that care, I had a problem with getting a 160gb classic, 80 classic, and a 80gb 5g ipod to work w/ my 6fl. They all worked for about a week then stopped.

Anyway, easy solution! I had too many damn playlist on my itunes. When I started using itunes years ago, I put all my albums in individual playlist of there own. I continued doing this until I recently trusted itunes to properly organize my music.

I have over 14,000 songs, so imagine how many albums that is and how many playlist that was.

So I deleted all those playlist and reorganzed all my music and tested out the ipod in the car. BAAAM!!! It works.

So I guess I proved that the 6fl has a playlist limit. Silly me!

[Haasman]

Well now that is interesting ..... I also have over 14k songs .... but how many playlists did you have that were choking it?

Haasman

[poppyljg]

I never paid attention to how many playlist I actually had, but I made every single album that I ripped or downloaded into a playlist. I will guess that I had somewhere close to 500 playlist.

[adc]

Originally Posted by poppyljg

For those that care, I had a problem with getting a 160gb classic, 80 classic, and a 80gb 5g ipod to work w/ my 6fl. They all worked for about a week then stopped.

Anyway, easy solution! I had too many damn playlist on my itunes. When I started using itunes years ago, I put all my albums in individual playlist of there own. I continued doing this until I recently trusted itunes to properly organize my music.

I have over 14,000 songs, so imagine how many albums that is and how many playlist that was.

So I deleted all those playlist and reorganzed all my music and tested out the ipod in the car. BAAAM!!! It works.

So I guess I proved that the 6fl has a playlist limit. Silly me!

I don't mean to take anything away from your effort, but I think your problem is still there.

Here is what I think happens. You had the same problem as me, i.e. iPod won't charge. So after you charge it the first time, it works for about 1 week, more or less depending on usage, temperature etc. After the battery is depleted it stops working.

So you take it to your computer, plug it in, and reorganize it drastically. While this happens, it gets charged from the computer's USB connection.

You take it back to the car and bam, it works. I would be very curious if it's still going to work in one week, or two at the most.

Would you please keep us posted?