If I have 100+ playlists in my ipod & have the OEM ipod adapter installed, can I use my ipod to pick which one ones get selected by the car stereo controls or do I have to use my computer to set that up?

 

You must setup the playlists with iTunes first, and transfer to the iPod, or rename 5 playlists on the iPod through iTunes. (MINI1, MINI2, etc)

There is no way on the iPod itself to remame the playlists.

Steve

 

You can ONLY have 5 playlists that the OEM unit recognizes - MINI1 through MINI5, which correspond to 5 of the 6 selector buttons on the head unit. The sixth selector button selects the WHOLE iPod to play.

You can label these playlists but the first "word" of the playlist must be MINI followed by the 1-5 number with no space between. You can then add a space and a description for use in identifying on iTunes as you set them up.

Bill

ps - the other neat thing is that if you are playing something on your iPod while not attached to the car, you can pause it, then attach it to the OEM unit and select the iPod from the head unit - and it will continue playing what you were listening to and list the track number as MINI7. I record a lot of LONG podcasts of radio shows and others, some of these lasting up to two hours or more. This feature is great for those kinds of things.

 

OK - MINI1-5 are the only playlists you can access using the adpter kit. Makes sense. What if you have additional playlists in your ipod that you'd like to play - can you access them using the ipod itself if it's already hooked up to the car adpater?

Also, what happens if you're mid-song and you shut the car off with the OEM adapter - will it automatically resume where yo left off when you restart the car?

 

Answer 1: NO, you can not select anything on the iPod when it is connected.

Answer 2: If you are in mid song, yes it will resume as long as you did not switch to another input before turning off the car (Radio, CD, etc.). Also if your battery is close to dead in the iPod when you shut the car off, and then the battery dies in the iPod, it will not pickup where you left off.

Steve

 

Now I'm confused - I thought the adapter kept the ipod charged. How would the batteries be low then?

 

Say the iPod was close to dead, you plug in and drive for 10 minutes. You now leave the MINI parked for 24 hours, and the iPod battery dies, it will not pick up where it left off.

The adapter does not charge the iPod when the MINI is off.

Steve

 

ahhh, thanks!