I have this aux/usb option in my mini and today it stopped working. I have only had the car 3 days and it has been working until this point. I plugged in the aux/usb to my ipod and it is not showing up as an alternative in the car. I ony see tuner, CD, and USB. Usually, it would say IPOD when the IPOD is plugged up. It's not recognizing my IPOD at all. Am I doing something wrong? I am wondering if I pressed a button I shouldn't have. Any help would be appreciated. I would hate think that I need to schedule an appointment at the dealership for some type of faulty connection.

 

do you have the convenience package? if so you should be able to control your ipod from the mfsw. do you have an older ipod. i think the bt/ipod interface is only for the last round of ipods that came out. i have an ipod touch and a 2nd gen nano and they both work.

 

If you're *just* using the AUX *not USB*, you cannot change it on the MFSW/radio controls.

 

After doing my research, I chose the aux cable and I'm quite happy with it. 30 dollars and very easy installation. Its definitely true that controlling the ipod itself can be bit dangerous but I set a podcast up to play and I'm good for an hour. I also heard that you could not search by artist using the MFSW or MINI factory deck, but that you could only skip to the next track in line. Maybe this is not the way it works in all cases. Anyway wanted to put some positive feedback about the aux out there. It works for me.

 

Last night I tried a bog standard USB stick in the USB port with some mp3 files - works perfectly apart from the ugly usb stick protruding from the USB socket.

So, the hunt started for a small USB stick that would work with microSD cards. A 2Gb microSD card can be had for about $10.

I found one of these:

http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00331

It's tiny.... unless they used really big keys in the reference photo! Once I have it, I'll post a picture of the stick installed in the mini.

John.

 

The above looks very much like this:
http://www.kingston.com/flash/usb_microsd_reader.asp

when you remove the plastic around the actual reader. I have the red version and it came with a 2GB card. Part number is: FCR-MRR+SDC/2GBKR

It is available from various retailers. I've never tried it in my MINI but if someone is interested I'll take the time to load up a few MP3 and walk out to the car.

 

Kingston microSD reader: 32.89mm x 15.3mm x 7.66mm

Brando microSD reader: 25.5x12x4.5mm

(sorry for the metric but the Brando only lists metric dimensions).

The key for me is that the bit sticking out of the USB port is going to be as small as possible.

John.

 

Those are the exact dimensions of the Kingston when you remove the reader from the plastic case which you must do in order to use the thing. I'm pretty sure this is the same part. Buy.com has a pic with it out of the case.

 

So yes, it probably is the same part. I'm sure it'll work nicely whoever brands it!

John.

 

The SanDisk SD Plus USB series stick out about 17mm after insertion into the USB port. They are SD cards that fold in half to reveal a USB connector.
http://sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1096)-SanDisk_Ultra_II_SD_and_SDHC_Plus_Cards.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._cp_ob_title_1

 

The only thing that worries me with that is that it doesn't have a standard USB connector and could be more susceptible to breakage.

John.

 

There you go. Now you can compare.

The USB/SD cards from SanDisk are not as fragile as they look in photos but they are not the most robust piece of plastic either. They also don't fit real snug in any USB and they have a tendency to wobble. The USB/SD card comes with a stand SD case and I think if you kept the card in that case when transporting it then the card should be fine.

Oh, and I should mention that card has a very tiny blue LED on one of the corners that will light and flash when the card is being read/written. If that will distract you then stay away.

 

I have an 80GB IPOD and it has been working since I posted my last comment. I don't what I did different to cause it not to register my IPOD when it was plugged in that one time. Currently, I plug it in before I even start the car rather than plugging it once the car is already on. I love being able to navigate through my playlist on the radio interface without looking down and manuevering the IPOD itself.

 

I've had this problem twice. I have no idea what causes it. The last time, I tried a bunch of things to fix it. It finally worked after I waited and let the ipod go to sleep and plugged it in again.

 

Robin81 thanks for your post. I'm glad it's not just me and maybe I will ask the dealer if they know what the problem could be once I go in for my 1st service. I'm only 1,000 miles in now and according to my service projection, I will be there at 15,000 miles.

 

Does anyone know if the 08 MCS is compatible with all the current iPods being sold? I've read some old post on other sites sighting the new video Nano's are incompatible but no new postings for the 08. My MINI arrives in a few weeks and I am curious if I have to invest in a old style iPod in order to get the USB adapter to register correctly.

 

I have a new 80GB ipod "classic" and it works just fine, except for the intermittent issue noted above.

 

Thank you for the response about the "classic" iPod. I incorrectly stated 'old' iPod instead of classic in my original question. If anyone has a new Nano that works on the 08 MCS that would be great to know as well. It might come down to buying both and using one in the car and other at the gym. Thanks everyone.

 

I have an 08 and current gen nano and they work fine. I thought it was one of the older full size iPods that had issues.

 

I use this coupled with a 3 inch USB extension cable:



The orange light on the drive matches perfectly with the Orange of the MINI.