One of the benefits of bluetooth integration kits is that phones auto-connect to them once the car is started. The USA Spec bluetooth kit (BT45-HON3) supposedly offers this (it's mentioned in the instruction manual), but I have yet to see it happen with any of the 5 or 6 phones I've paired with it. Their tech support claims it's a problem with my phone (even suggesting I should remove all other paired devices first, which doesn't help), but given that none of my phones have been able to do this, I suspect either false advertising or a faulty unit in my hands.

That said, I did see some Amazon reviews claiming it does work (perhaps for other models they make, don't recall anymore). Has anyone here had success with auto-connecting to this bluetooth kit in their 3G TL? If so, which phone did you use, and do you have the BT45-HON3 or BT45-ACU kit?

 

The difference between the bt45-hon and bt45-acu is that the former is used for non navi and the latter is for Navi units. So it's not a matter of installing the wrong one.
I actually have both since I have an 08 with Navi and 04 non Navi. I don't think my phone has ever auto connected, but my girlfriend's phone seems to auto connect all the time. There have been times when I'm following her in separate cars and when we get close enough, her phone will connect to my car lol. She's got a pixel 6 and I have a pixel 5a. The auto connect doesn't really bother me, but one thing I noticed is that the display is stuck on the first song I played after I connected it no matter what I'm playing. Mildly annoying but not a deal breaker since it doesn't actually affect the functionality.

 

Interesting. I also have a Pixel 6 (Pro, but I'm sure the bluetooth hardware is the same) and a Pixel 5 and neither ever auto-connects. Does her phone auto-connect to your BT45-HON, BT45-ACU, or both? I actually have the -HON on my 06 Navi, which is the recommended one for that model, so it's def not an issue with using the wrong one (oddly enough, only the 07-08 Navi models seem to use the -ACU unit). Either way, I think both are advertised as capable of auto-connection.

Also have the same issue with the first line of the display being stuck on the first song I ever played on it. This seems like a pretty obvious bug that they should've caught before release, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were bugs around auto-connection as well. Like you said, these aren't deal breakers considering all the benefits (easy install, steering wheel control, display integration) but it's annoying having to manually reconnect every time you get in the car, esp if you get used to it working automatically in other cars.

 

The BT-45 HON3 is for "04/5/6 and the ACU is for '07/8. Mine works great!
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^ What kinda phone(s) do you use?

USA Spec actually lists the HON3 for 07-08 non-navi's

 

A Samsung Galaxy S10e. Connects and works fine. I use the Channel Up Down button on the steering wheel to initiate and end calls. Love love love the fact that I can play bluetooth audio from my phone.
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So it connects automatically when you start the car? Maybe I should try the Galaxy Note 9 I have sitting around too...

 

When I used the BT45 in the past, my Oneplus 7 pro did connect to it automatically, but would randomly (rarely) not start auto playing music, so like their support wrote, most likely something with the phone.

 

Hmm, I also have a Oneplus 9 Pro but it never auto-connects.

I dunno if I truly believe it's a problem with all these phones...the $20 bluetooth streaming dongle I use in another car never has any issues auto-connecting to these phones, but it lacks steering wheel control and navi screen integration, so it's kind of a wash as to which is more annoying. It'd be nice if these USA Specs could receive over-the-air fixes or updates, but that would probably increase their initial cost

 

I did have to call USA Spec Tech support to get the switches set correctly as the recommendations in the manual were wrong. Everything's worked fine since. Got used to using the Ch +/- button on the steering wheel to initiate and end calls. Love that Bluetooth audio!

It does connect automatically when I start the car, as long as my phone's BT is already ON.

 

^ Interesting, was your phone not auto-connecting before the switches were set correctly?

 

No, it wasn't. But it's great now!

 

Do u recall what the correct switch settings are? Pics would be even better

I would ask them but my warranty is probably long expired

 

I think they were all down.

 

Weird...all down causes mine to freeze, whereas all up fixes the stuck song title in the display, but it still doesn't auto-connect