[theroyalwe]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

That is certainly considerate of you, very much so. But I have no interest in paying for what I should have already. It is amazing to me that customers waiting for this part are given no priority at all.



God only knows when my dealer will be able to get it. At the least the folks doing PCD will treated right. Too bad that BMW is doing so well that they can mistreat customers just like the Big Three used to do. How did that 'poor customer service' thing work out for them, by the way?

zep,

I just checked with parts and they said that they have no idea how I even got the one I have here... and that none of the other ones are in yet but we should have them mon. or tuesday. Until then, I can't even let this cable go... but I can use it to demonstrate or to find anything out for you. basically they don't even know how I got the cable today so sorry if I got anyone's hopes up.

[LEDZEP]

No, BMW has successfuly lowered my expectations. I have the name of the man responsible for this. I tried calling him several times today, and finally left a voice message very nicely asking him to call me. He didn't.

I'm very tempted to post his name and phone number on this forum. He is in management at BMW NA in New Jersey.

[EricFother]

Just to add some fuel to the "BMW dropped the ball" fire. I was looking at the package my cable was delivered in. I found the manufacturing date on the back: 26 Feb 2007.

[baltik]

Can anyone cpnfirm that they can use ipod navigation hierarchy on the 6FL - ie Artist -> Album -> Song

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by baltik

Can anyone cpnfirm that they can use ipod navigation hierarchy on the 6FL - ie Artist -> Album -> Song

I don't think it will tree like that. There only appear to be two levels but we need someone who has the cable to advise.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by JSpira

I don't think it will tree like that. There only appear to be two levels but we need someone who has the cable to advise.

Yeah, therein lies the paradox.

[drkeng]

from bartman32:
I was talking to him about getting the dealer install iPod option and he said to wait! I said I know I'd rather have the USB port but my car didn't come with it. He said that he knew some people were working on a retro-fit option for the older cars and thought that it would be out in the next few month!

Now I have absolutely NO reason to believe him especially with all I have read here but maybe....

Like a dream come true. Or a fantasy that never will. The words I'd love to hear after my dealer wouldn't let me delay my production to get the 6FL without pushing me back to possibly July for E93, then BMW holding the car so I get mine around the same time as LEDZEP gets his WITH 6FL.

Anyway, it seems hard to believe that a parts guy would be privy to such information unless he knows someone high up/deep in BMW. My CA didn't have the E93 price until 3 days after I had it to the dollar from e90post.

JSpira, any connections (a la "Deep Throat") that you could ask about this???

I'd gladly wait a few months for a 6FL set up; it seems that it should only involve some poking around below the center console; it doesn't sound like the radio head unit is different. Switching the control box in the trunk is also easy (if needed); I saw my radio box on my E46 when I swapped out the assist for bluetooth.

Lastly:
Just caught the end of an ESPN story that I think was at the NY auto show showcasing a Ford with USB ipod functionality coming out in the fall. They demonstrated voice activation; they said a song name and it played.
Will 6FL work with voice commands or did Ford 1-up BMW?? BTW, no mention of the fact that BMW was the first to ipod integrate of what they have available now.

[jmonier]

Originally Posted by baltik

Can anyone cpnfirm that they can use ipod navigation hierarchy on the 6FL - ie Artist -> Album -> Song

Yes, check post #93 here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=45991&page=5

It will go Genre->Artist->Album->Song.

[theroyalwe]

yeah, you can see the hierarchy and go backwards that way. if there is anything you would like demonstrated just ask and I'll try to take a movie clip and put it on youtube.

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by drkeng

Lastly:
Just caught the end of an ESPN story that I think was at the NY auto show showcasing a Ford with USB ipod functionality coming out in the fall. They demonstrated voice activation; they said a song name and it played.
Will 6FL work with voice commands or did Ford 1-up BMW?? BTW, no mention of the fact that BMW was the first to ipod integrate of what they have available now.

Well, Microsoft, NOT Ford, one-upped BMW. I spent hours driving in a Lincoln with SYNC and it is a great system. You can say album or track name (it falls short on classical music, where you need to specify more info such as composer, piece, and ensemble but I have Microsoft looking into fixing that already).

Microsoft has worked VERY VERY hard on getting as many Bluetooth-enabled phones as possible to work on their platform. That piece also works very well.

Fiat was the first auto mfr. to introduce a Microsoft Automotive platform with Blue&Me. You can download new features from Fiat's Web site (add an SMS reader for example or language support).

So will BMW license Microsoft's platform (going forward, Microsoft is going to sell the platform and car makers will build around it; with Ford and Fiat, Microsoft was involved down to the product level)? Maybe.

I have to be very careful here in what I say but let's just say "anything's possible." My personal opinion is that BMW resists platforms like this due to the NIH syndrome so this may be an uphill battle.

Why do I feel like in-house counsel should be reading my post before I post this one?

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by drkeng

JSpira, any connections (a la "Deep Throat") that you could ask about this???

I'd gladly wait a few months for a 6FL set up; it seems that it should only involve some poking around below the center console; it doesn't sound like the radio head unit is different. Switching the control box in the trunk is also easy (if needed); I saw my radio box on my E46 when I swapped out the assist for bluetooth.

It may not be that simple. You need an extra MOST port and older cars do not have that in the center console.

Everyone I spoke with emphasized that the iPod Interface was the aftermarket accessory and that the 6FL was the factory option. I don't sense that this has changed.

Of course, there are many ways of doing a retrofit without an official retrofit kit but I wonder about how to tap into the MOST bus.

In addition to the physical port, it would require software and/or firmware support.

[LEDZEP]

I finally got my iPod cable today. Parts called me this morning and said they had it, and I went down and picked it up. I only had the 15 minute ride home to check it out - but it is exactly what I was hoping it would be.

The full integration of the iPod is presented seamlessly, allowing you to scroll through Genre, Artist, Album, Playlist with ease. You also have the multi-demensional ablitity to select Artist ==> Album ==> Song if you like. The sound quality is much better than my previous AUX only solution... could be that they have either tweaked the audio unit for it or the new cable sends a much cleaner signal.

I'll post some additional information when I have a chance to really play with it.

I hope everyone else who's waiting for this cable is getting it soon!

[EricFother]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I finally got my iPod cable today.

Congrats LEDZEP!

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by EricFother

Congrats LEDZEP!

Thanks! During my short ride back, it was great! So easy a caveman could do it!

The manager of my dealership sent me an email after, telling me they have some "gifts" for me to make up for the wait. The gesture is appreciated - even though I never held them responsible for the problem.

[planetscott]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

The full integration of the iPod is presented seamlessly, allowing you to scroll through Genre, Artist, Album, Playlist with ease. You also have the multi-demensional ablitity to select Artist ==> Album ==> Song if you like.

How is the scrolling speed? From what I heard of the old adapter it took a few minutes to scroll through 200 or so artists. Is the 6FL any better? Also, are you using it with iDrive?

[LEDZEP]

Based on my 15 minute test: Scrolling speed was good, with the caveat that obviously the longer the list, the more scrolling you need to do. As another previously mentioned, the BMW system doesn't go into "turbo" mode like the iPod does.

I found it very fast to load my lists of Artists, Albums, Playlists, etc. and I have about 10 GB in my iPod. Just a few seconds was all it took to suck the data in.

I am using iDrive. I can imagine it will be harder without, just because of not having the iDrive knob to scroll with. The new iDrive without the haptic feedback does make it easier. You can almost spin the controller...

[bmwvirgin]

Picked up my 6FL cable at lunch as well. I think Led's "caveman" statement sums it up. it's SOOOO easy to use.

One interesting thing....my CA said there was a meeting trying to figure out who was going ot pay for it (within BMW)....sales dept, parts depts, BMWNA. They (dealer) are annoyed that it's not part of the package. The retail for the cable is $50!!!! For a ~$400 option, u'd think it's be all in.

[jmonier]

Originally Posted by bmwvirgin

Picked up my 6FL cable at lunch as well. I think Led's "caveman" statement sums it up. it's SOOOO easy to use.

One interesting thing....my CA said there was a meeting trying to figure out who was going ot pay for it (within BMW)....sales dept, parts depts, BMWNA. They (dealer) are annoyed that it's not part of the package. The retail for the cable is $50!!!! For a ~$400 option, u'd think it's be all in.

Tell them it's handled just like the X5 headphones. BMWNA picks up the tab.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by bmwvirgin

Picked up my 6FL cable at lunch as well. I think Led's "caveman" statement sums it up. it's SOOOO easy to use.

One interesting thing....my CA said there was a meeting trying to figure out who was going ot pay for it (within BMW)....sales dept, parts depts, BMWNA. They (dealer) are annoyed that it's not part of the package. The retail for the cable is $50!!!! For a ~$400 option, u'd think it's be all in.

If there is any confusion, PLEASE read my thread here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55264

The cable is part of the package for which we paid $400. The delivery method is not the brightest, but we paid for it. Once the communication system moves like a glacier down to the dealerships, the CA should be pre-ordering the part for new vehicles so you have it at delivery. The customer is NOT to be charged for it.

I hope you didn't pay them extra for the cable!

[LEDZEP]

I also just got a call from BMWNA HQ apologizing for my inconvinience.

They didn't seem to feel sending me a new M6 was in order... darn.

[bmwvirgin]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I hope you didn't pay them extra for the cable!

NO NO!!...didn't pay an extra penny. But seems like dealer has to shell out cash to get the cable in stock. But they are not recovering the cost since it's part of the package.

[jmonier]

Originally Posted by bmwvirgin

NO NO!!...didn't pay an extra penny. But seems like dealer has to shell out cash to get the cable in stock. But they are not recovering the cost since it's part of the package.

If the dealer orders the part against your VIN they don't pay anything. It's all in the post that LEDZEP quoted.