I've using an ipod mini w/ the OEM cable that came with the car. When I turn on the car, the ipod starts back to play "song #1" (I think). It doesn't care what song I was playing, what playlist I was in, etc.

Is this normal? Is this something that would change with another ipod model?

Oh, and "Random" isn't remembered either :-(

 

try to reset it :

1. Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.)
2. Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons simultaneously until the Apple/iPod logo appears, about 6 to 8 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.

 

This is the way mine works:
- If I'm away from the car for more than an hour, the iPod setting reverts to song 1: À l'orée des bois by Plants and Animals. First A in the list, I guess.
- If I'm away for less than an hour, I get the last song that was playing if I plug in the iPhone fast enough.

 

None of mine have done that. It should absolutely remember the song it was playing.

 

I listen to audio books off the iPhone all the time and it is extremely annoying when it resets to song #1 every other day. I didn't figure out the pattern yet, but it definitely resets. Did this with normal 3G, does it with new 3GS, so it's not the phone.

 

Get something other than an apple product?

 

If I leave my ipod in the car, connected, it will resume playing where it stopped. If I am using the ipod out of the car, it will usually resume playing the last song, but not always. I can always unplug it from the car, select a song, hit play and then plug it in...it will play from there.

Syncing it with iTunes always causes a reset to the #1 song and will usually (but not always) cause a reset for podcasts partially completed.

Because of this issue, I grew very tired of hearing "A-1 Funk" by Santana. I made my own song (using Garage Band) of 60 seconds of silence and called it "A-00_Silence". It's funny to see my own name in the artist list! This buys me enough time to get the settled in the car and then pick some music.

My other car always played the first song of the first album of the first artist....which on my ipod is "Hells Bells" by AC/DC. I got kind of used to the gonging....

Edits: 120G iPod classic, 2009 MCCS with the Mini cable

 

Interesting--that explanation actually makes pretty good sense and if I think about it more closely, I think you're right.

 

I think you're right -- it's playing the first song alpha. Unlike my old harman/kardon drive+play that, when reset, picked up "1st song copied to ipod".

I still sure wish it was able to resume, always and remember the playlist it was in. I'll try resetting, I'm also going to try to set random on the device to ON and see if the mini sees and honors it.

Those that have "no issues" can you give your exact audio player model/generation?

 

1. reset, reset and reset.
2. Try to delete the songs on your ipod and put them back on again
3.(a) In the iPod settings, deselect "Open iTunes when this iPod is attached" and (b) don't open iTunes while the iPod is connected with your computer for syncing.

 

I use an iTouch that stays in my car (an 09 S), and is attached with the Y-cable that came with the car. Mine starts where it was when I turned off the car every time. My issue is that I can't figure out how to have set to "random" when I start the car. What's weird is that something makes it start remembering at some point. I have no idea what changes, and have tried just about everything I can think of to make it remember the random setting. About the time it decides to start remembering, I have to take it out to re-synch it, and it starts forgetting again.

I could deal with the issue if it was consistent. I hate knowing that it has the ability to do it right, but will only do so when it feels like it. You would think it would stay the same all the time.

Talk about quirky! I think they do it on purpose. Maybe they randomize the "random" function.

 

Exactly what I do with mine and how it works. It didn't used to be that - random used to stay and now it doesn't. It will stay for about 5 minutes (same time as heated seats etc). Drives me nuts

 

Everyone else probably already knows this, but I was just playing with my iPhone, and found something interesting in the settings.

Within settings, there is another selection for iPod. In there, there is another selection titled "Start Playing" that gives you the option to start "Where Left Off" or "From Beginning".

Those that are having issues with this might check to see if their version has this selection. I don't remember ever changing this, but it might address the issue many seem to be having. Mine is set for "Where Left Off", and I do not have this issue at all. Maybe it isn't the Mini's fault!

 

ahhh you gave me hopes... what "settings" are you talking about?
Let me guess -- you have the Nav system?

From the standard boost-cd system in my '09, the only "setting" i have is to push the button for "LEV" which changes the audio level to use for the ipod audio.

 

The setting I was talking about is on the iPhone, not on the car system. I honestly don't know if this will solve the problem, though. I just noticed the setting on my phone that was set to "where left off", and I don't have the problem at all. I thought maybe someone experiencing the problem to see how their iPhone/iTouch is set up, and change it if necessary.

Guess what! I also found an answer to my intermittent "Random" issue. I discovered that if I power off the head unit while "Random" is selected, it is still there when I power it back on. This told me that the head unit remembers the selection. When I started the car the next time however, it was still off. This is where it gets a bit weird. Next, I selected Random and powered off the head unit. Then I turned off the car. I think that is where it writes the setting to the key/fob. When I restarted the car and powered the head unit back on, Random was still selected! When I started the car this morning with the head unit already on, it was still set!

I have no justification why this worked, but it did. I am sure that somebody somewhere is laughing at the hoops I jumped through because there is a much more simple way to do this. I hope they share the right solution.

 

You know, I think I've been noticing this too but I'm waiting for my trials so I'm sure it isn't just coincidence.

It might be that when starting up the car/inserting-the-key-and-then-starting-the-car-up the power surges or dips enough to 'reset' the ipod.

I say this because when I owned the H/K Drive+Play, it would sometimes reset during startup, due to power fluctuations.

Turning off the radio might prevent this from happening.