Hi TLer's :

Has anyone been able to hook up an MP3 player up to the the stock TL sterio system ?

I currently have a CD six pack in the trunk that is completely useless as it skips at the drop of a hat. Can you hook an "ipod like" device ? Is there a jack in the back of the unit that can be connected to ?

....and er no, I haven't crawled under the dash to see for myself....


Smartypants

 

tl doesn't have a 3.5mm input jack or anything like that, so no. your best bet would be an fm transmitter or a cassette 3.5mm adapter.

 

Hi All :

OK.....Let me ask the question a different way. Can I remove the CD six pack connection and reconnect an MP3 player ?

Smartypants

 

easiest and most simple thing to do is just to use a cassette adapter. costs 30 dollars max.

 

Try a search on "blitzsafe".

It's an adapter that connects to the back of the headunit. Might not be as cheap as the cassette adapter, but it seems like lots of forum members use this to hook up mp3 players.

 

Your best bet is a Blitzsafe adapter that plugs intothe back of the HU and allows you to hook up devices such as a I-pod etc... FM modulators and cassettes SUCK for sound quality.

 

I agree and plus it is very easy. The only hard part is fingering the plug into the radio

 

It plugs into where your CD changer is plugged now. MUCH better sound quality than the other devices mentioned.

 

heres a pdf that illistrates installing a Dension Ice Link on a TL.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/3/...%20in%20TL.pdf

im not sure where i originally downloaded it from, but it might have been here

 

The best thing you can do to add an iPod or alike is a USA-spec iPod adapter. This was the FIRST mod I ever made to the TL. I missed the iPod hookup I had in my legend directly to my alpine head unit. I didnt want an aftermarket HU in this car so I bought the USA-Spec. You dont lose steering wheel control when using an iPod, and it keeps you iPod charged as well. If you're not using an iPod it has an options 3.5mm headphone jack hookup.

your best bet, but you must unplug the cd changer, which is VERY simple (if you are able to take screws out, unplug harnesses, and unhook clips from a car and remember where they came from then you should be able to do it)

 

Oh, and the sound quality is perfect, as long as your downloaded songs are perfect.

 

I saw someone mention the USA-Spec PA11-HOD in another thread in relation to a 2003 TL. Now I just dropped by their website, and they claim it won't work with a 2003 TL-S with stock radio and no navigation. If this is the case, what would be the best option to hook up an ipod for instance? I don't particularly care if the steering wheel controls work or not, although of course it would be nice if they did
I also have an older Alpine radio lying around with an aux in. Would it be worth it to install that instead? It would mean losing the 6 CD changer tho :/
I'm a car audio noob to be honest, so any replies are more than welcome.

 

Blitzsafe FTW!!!

sound quality is great. i had the cassettes, and it was weak. most of the sound was in left speaker only! the right was muffled.

 

If you are trying to install the CD player to be able to play your iPod, why do you need more than one CD?

 

if your gonna use a cassette adapter get one made by monster...best sound quality

 

Well, not all the music I own is in mp3 format, some of it is actually on CD
But honestly, is installing a custom radio a lot of effort? Could it be done by someone with a basic understanding of wiring and such?
The one thing I like about the BLITZ Safe adapter is the fact it uses the actual ipod connector instead of just grabbing the headphone jack from the ipod (or so it seems). The Alpine can only use the headphone jack.

Again, any input is appreciated, as I'm at a bit of a loss here... thanks.

 

Yea, if you have basic skills you can do it as long as you know how to do all the wiring. The dash can be a little intimidating the first time you try it, but it is easier than it seems. Just follow the DIY for taking the dash apart (I don't have the link now, but I'm sure someone will post it for you or do a quick search).

 

Thanks, I just bought a bezel for a custom radio, along with a plug with lotsa wires sticking out of it, as advised by the car audio guy I spoke to. He didn't have an actual wiring diagram, but he said it was simple enough.
I'll give it a shot over the weekend, and have a look for that DYI you mentioned.
Thanks again.

 

I read up some more on this. Found a guide which describes to remove the center console on a 2003 TL with navigation screen. I'm guessing the removal will be the same for one without the navi screen though.
One thing I read about that's sort of bugging me is the issue with the factory sub no longer working using a custom headunit?
I'm starting to to wonder if it wouldn't be best just to have it done by a car audio shop. At least, that is if they would install a radio and bezel and do the wiring for a headunit I bring myself. Then again, my radio is about 4 years old, I might as well buy a new ipod-ready Alpine or some such and get it over with.
Anyone care to give me an opinion on the above?

 

Hey ryushe..most of the "higher end" alpines are high speed control of your ipod. I had a wagon w/ the 9885 and was looking to get more stuff but sold the car (to get the TL)..

Anyway...anyone know if the factory stereo can even play MP3s? Like a crapload burned onto a cd-r or dvd-r?

 

 

Ok, with that answered and without having to sort through 5+ pages of the Dice Link thread...just about every source that I run into for the 2nd gen tl w/ the factory navigation state that I CANNOT run the interface adapter......what gives? Is there ANY adapter that I can use in my factory navigation equipped TL?

 

I sent a mail to Logjam Electronics, asking them about this, as the converter mentioned by others here doesn't specifically list the 2003 TL as being supported. This is the reply I received from them:
So after having a botched up job done on my TL by this reputable car audio shop over here which I'm pretty pissed off about, I'm sorta left with no option then :/
The Alpine I had installed, which was the older one mentioned in my previous post, is horrible sound quality wise compared to the stock headunit, although I do now have an aux in. I'm guessing they messed up somewhere and I intend to go back there as soon as I am able to, to have the stock unit put back in

 

Just got a message from Nick@DICE and he concurs that the R2 kit WILL NOT work w/ my particular factory setup. It's the Bose in dash 6 disc changer /cassette and factory navigation..seems that no one really cares about making it work...

I did, however, find on another source for a Blitzsafe HON/M-LINK DMX V.1 that states it works w/ my factory navi and 6 disc in dash changer....

I did call another source for the Axxxess adapter and he said theirs WILL NOT work w/ my car.

Looks like it's Blitzsafe for me.

 

Well I suggest the USASPEC.

 

How do the USA Spec and the Blitzsafe adapters compare with each other?

 

Can i bump this thear?

I'm looking for an AUX in and would like to run and hide the wire in the center console for an XM radio module. +& my mp3 player.

Is this the right way to do it? + how do i select the AUX setting from the headunit?

 

sorry this is a month late. but im also researching currently for differences between blitzsafe and usaspec, and i found a huge usaspec thread. usaspec lets you use the steering wheel controls, but it seems they have an electrical problem, because sometimes it causes the headunit to get an Err where they would have to input their security code.

now as far as choosing "aux", the way that blitzsafe and usaspec work is that they plug into the back of the headunit in a jack saved for an external CD changer. if you have an internal CD changer, this should be free and this is where you plug the blitz or usaspec in.

to chose to get input from these devices is as simple as pressing the CD button on your headunit twice. switches between 'CD' and 'CD1' supposedly. it makes sense. CD1 being the external source.

this was also my concern because i didn't want to lose functionality of my internal 6 CD changer. it wont =) yay.

now im just researching to find whether blitzsafe is the way for me, quality wise and reliability wise.

 

yeah, i have the USASpec unit and on occasion, it would throw an error code on the radio. However, i would not have to enter a radio code. If i left it alone, it would still play my mp3 player; however, over time, the volume would degrade to a point where even if you turned up the volume on both the player and the HU, you would still barely hear anything. In fixing this prob, the USASpec unit comes in 2 parts: a module and a long cable. The module hooks into the back of the sotck HU and the long cable plugs into the module. So, i set it up where the connection between the two is somewhere near an opening in the passenger footwell where i can get at it with my hand and pull the cable out from the module and then plug it back in again. Doing this would reset the radio, get rid of the error code, and return the volume to normal. Its a pain in the ass to do this, but the error code is thrown rarely; maybe once every month and a half.