Long story short, my Isimple is not simple at all and is a real pain in the ass. I want to make a shelf (or buy one if available) that I can lay across the cup holder that sits under the sliding cover. That way, I can run my power supply and 1/8 in jack to the ipod and just slide the cover open and close to hide the ipod and wires.

I was thinking of using some thin wood, soaking it in h20 to get the correct bend, then doing some cosmetics to it. I am open to ideas and suggestions.

Thank you in advance for your input!

 

First off, your i-simple should simply plug into the Nav in the trunk using the "must be purchased separately" wiring harness. Their web site kind of sucks. If you're trying to plug it into the back of the radio you're likely following the instructions for the older cars or non-nav. Then all you have to do is route the actual ipod connector to the center console. Mine went along the passenger side door sill, through the dash, then back into the center console. I recommend routing the cable up the back side of the center console so that when the lid is open the cables aren't in the way. Make sure your dip switches are in the right positions and that both your ipod and gateway have the latest firmware. You may need to do a reset on your ipod as well. Good luck!

 

Yup, tried all that. My isimple/ipod connector is routed up into my top compartment of the center console. My isimple WAS working (sort of). Browsing using the stock stereo was hit or miss. I would push preset 6 (for example) and it would say "updating". Sometimes it would do something, sometimes it would perform the **correct** task, other times it wouldn't do anything. Track names/titles would be displayed but I'd have to keep selecting between XM1 and XM2 for it to be displayed.

My battery died and I had to top the clutch to get it started. That’s when the isimple started acting funny. I pretty much had to control the isimple through the ipod which I was unable to do so previously as the isimple blocked control through the ipod. I restored the ipod: same shit. I disconnected my car battery and tried that. Now nothing works. No sound, no controls. This was after having my installer spend **TWO DAYS** and TWO different isimple gateways before it was working the 1st time around. I'm so F***ing sick of these POS products companies put on the market before perfecting them. Nothing but headaches and wasted money.

That's why I want to go back to old skool 1/8 jack.

So: Anyone have any recommendations to my original post? I have also thought about getting some thin Plexiglas and heating it up to mold it.

 

Sorry to hear that nothing works right. My installer was using the older model install method and couldn't get it to work. I finally had him explain what he did and that's when we discovered he had entered the wrong model year car online. Even with it working right, it's such a pain to find stuff on my 160gig ipod that I use my Nano with playlists hooked up to my isimple and leave the big one plugged into the factory aux in for when I want to find something odd or specific. I'm thinking I might try burning some mp3 DVD's and see if they work in my in dash changer. Good luck with your headaches.

 

Yeah, Gateway is a POS. I've had more problems with this “upgrade” than any other I’ve ever done so I'm gonna uninstall it and send the over-priced paper weight back.

As for the shelf, I took a piece of Plexiglas, warmed it in the oven until it was soft and then ran it out to the car and laid it over the cup holder closest to the radio. After cooling and obtaining the shape I was after, I wrapped it in the spongy drawer liner material and that was that. I then cut a small hole in the first cup holder facing the stereo (so it’s almost impossible to see) and ran my charger cable and 1/8 jack through the hole, under the center console, and up through the port at the bottom of the center console that is part of the armrest. The Ipod stays in the cup holder so all I have to do is slide the cover open and press the play button. No more sitting in my car, trying to navigate through the codes, dashes, “XM Preview”, more dashes, etc. that I had to do with the Gateway. Best of all, no signs of modifications or additions of stereo equipment...nice and clean. I’m still waiting for one more part before I put all the trim back together. Will post pictures later.