It appears that the dealership installed the 1st gen iPod adapter in my brand new Clubman. The radio interface makes me go to the CDC option opposed to the iPod option. Basically I have over 500 songs in alphabetical order with no way to search by artist.

I'm pretty teed off. What can I do? Is this normal?

 

I'm not certain what's normal behavior for the radio interface to display, but the first gen iPod adapter connects inside the secret compartment. If you've got a USB port connection that's near the gearshift, it's the correct version.

It's normal to have an alphabetical list of tracks for things like an MP3 CD, but when connected through the USB port, you should have the ability to select by artist. (At least, I could with the Nav equipped loaner I had a couple months ago, I'm sans-USB port.)

 

Here the OP is referring to the dealer installled iPod adapter, not the USB version that comes with Bluetooth. The iPod connector is inside the secret compartment (in the 1st gen it would be in the glovebox).

It is not possible to use a 1st gen adapter on a 2nd gen car. They both utilize the CD changer interface, but in 2nd gen cars this interface is a MOST bus which is not in the 1st gen. I believe that the dealer installed iPod adapter is in fact selected as CD changer on the headunit. I don't know how the rest of the interface is supposed to look like.

 

Ah, even though I knew the I-Bus/MOST differences I was thinking of both dealer-installed versions as 1st gen; which doesn't really make any sense. Sorry!

 

I just got back from the dealer. Looks like they mis-explained the connector to me when I ordered it and the one they installed was not the one I wanted. I wanted the one that displays as "IPOD/USB" on the radio display and instead it displays as a CD changer where I cannot select the artist or anything. I don't know if it can be fixed, but I'm really angry about the mix-up. :(

 

i recently had the ipod adaptor installed in the hidden compartment of my MINI and expereienced the exact same thing! i would have NEVER spent the money for them to add the hidden ipod adaptor had I known that it was going to show up on my nav screen as CD1-CD6 and be limited to only showing 255 items in a list! i don't want to have to remember that CD3 is really genres or whatever. why can't it just show up on the nav screen as ipod??

i also have the factory installed ipod adaptor in front of the shifter and although it shows up as AUX on the nav screen, it does allow my to search by artist, song, etc... like an ipod is supposed to function. i just wanted it to function like a normal ipod and be hidden in the secret compartment, but i guess that isn't as easy as i was hoping it would be. my friend with an 08 cooper S without nav has the hidden ipod adaptor and it shows up on his info screen as an iPod, so how come it can't do the same thing on a nav equipped model? or is there a way to make it do this?? my MA said it is indeed possible....my SA says it is not. does anyone out there have any experience with this??

 

You would think that something like an iPod adapter would be a small thing... but it's really not. Especially since the money was already spent to have it installed a certain way.

Music is a big deal when you're travelling! :(

I told them at the dealership that I absolutely wanted it fixed, no matter what. But the sad reality is that it's probably just going to be catergorized as yet another expensive mistake.

 

i agree 3rdge....if they are able to correct it at my local MINI dealer, I will be sure to post the details.

 

The USB option is something you have to order from the factory, its also comes with BlueTooth and works out cheaper than the dealer installed option.

You are not just stuck with 500 songs in alphabetical order, you need to read the manual. The number keys on the top level bring up different lists, playlists, artists, albums, genres etc. I always have to read the manual to work out which button is which, so I stuck labels on them to remind me.

Once you work out which button is which, the dealer installed adapter isn't too bad. Its less flaky than the USB version, and it puts your iPod in the secret compartment, with no wires sticking out of the console.

 

On mine, CD1 is the list of songs and CD4 is the songs by genre. All of the other numbers didn't do anything. So I decided to try and trick the system and went into my iTunes and changed the genre field to the artist name (so instead of saying "Alternative Rock" it would say "Incubus" or something like that). I'm going to upload the changes to my iPod... and if I'm lucky, I've finally found way to at least search by artist.