2nd Gen R59 Roadster Issue Syncing Ipod To Car

Discussion in '2nd Generation: 2007+ R55 through R61' started by RubyTheRoadster, May 1, 2017.

  1. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    I have been having an issue for a while sinking my iPod to my car, it is a iPod classic (originally called iPod video) I can get it to sync but the moment I go to play music it unsyncs. I have the proper adapter cable bought from MINI. Dose anyone know how to fix this, according to iTunes my iPod is on the latest software, and I have updated it several times now. I am finding this very frustrating as I have not had luck getting my music files to play straight from a flash drive, plus I would like to be able to play play list, so that I have some smaller rotations(when you have 17 gigs of music simply putting it on shuffle is annoying at times) of music, and music that fits in a same general thyme.
    :mad2:
     
  2. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2011
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    What year is your MINI? Does it have CarPlay? I need a bit more information.

    There are a couple of "iPod Classic" models. Do you have the 2007 version or the 2009 version that was discontinued in 2014?

    The iPod Video was a late 2006 model, the Classics were released later.
     
  3. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    It is a 2015 Roadster. I don't think it has car play, I don't remember that being an option just some form of connectivity through the Nav/infotainment system. According to what I could find from apple (when on their page to identify the age of your iPod from serial number) it is ether a 2008 or 2009 iPod classic. (120 GB)
     
  4. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    It's probably just that the iPod is too old to be used with a 2015 car, at least through the Nav System. I don't think Apple expected anyone to keep an iPod for longer than 3 years or so before upgrading or dropping the thing so often it broke.

    When MINI designed the computer in your Roadster, they were thinking about what was current in 2014~15 and what will be coming down the pipe as best they could imagine. By then your iPod had been discontinued for 5 years. Even the newest version of the iPod Classic had been discontinued when your car was designed. By that time Apple was 4 generations into the iPod Touch, and had stopped issuing updates to the classic iPod software.

    Do you have an AUX-IN port that you could run from the Headphone jack on the iPod? It's a bit old-school and would mean controlling the music from the click wheel on the iPod, but there's nothing wrong with a little retro interfacing. Might need to ground the iPod to the car to get clean sound, but there's ways to do that.
     
  5. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    It dose have a headphone jack, I was just hoping to be able to control things through the Nav. I guess I will have to try another way, do you have any suggestions for loading my music on a flash drive. I keep trying but having issues getting it to play, it only seems to play one song out of my library. Any suggestions?
    :fingerscrossed:
     
  6. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    It might be due to DRM issues - if a song has been purchased through a system that imposes Digital Rights Management to the file, then the song can only be played on approved devices. Nowadays songs from most sources are DRM-free, but they are in newer file formats too.

    So it might be file format issues, mp3 vs mp4 vs ogg vs whatever. Old mp3s seem to work pretty well, but newer ones seem to have some kind of tweak that makes them unfriendly to some car computers. You could try getting a program that re-codes the songs to some other format.

    Or it might be something on the flash drive. For example: If you're using a Mac, there are some invisible files that get left behind but the OS that can flummox things. There used to be (I haven't looked recently) a program called Win FS Cleaner for Macs that would remove those invisible leftovers in preparation for putting USB sticks in cars. I used to have to do that for my Wife's car.

    Check to make sure that there aren't any other files besides the ones you want to play, and try to avoid names that might have odd characters.

    Try different ways of organizing the songs too, see if having folders helps or if just dumping all the songs to the root level of the stick works.

    I used to try getting my stereo to play MP3 CDs that I'd made, but since most of my songs were in a format that the stereo didn't like, I eventually gave up and now I just plug my phone into the AUX port ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
  7. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    Oct 23, 2010
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    I just listen to the radio.
     
  8. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    There's retro, and then there's retro. ;)

    I do too, but mostly for news. I find I have little patience for commercials anymore, so listening for music is pretty much out.
     
  9. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    We have a bunch of public radio stations in my area that cover just about any music taste, so I don't have to listen to any commercials.
     
  10. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    Thank you for the advice, I will have to check on those things. I am trying using a music media program (media monkey) to see if that works as it formats my flash like a device and will sync to it. Fingers crossed.(it takes a long time for 18 gigs of music to lead) If that dose not work I will try all the different things you suggested. One bright thing is I use a PC so that should help to eliminate some of the issues with mac's
     
  11. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    That is what I do most of the time, but the choices are limited, there are 2 classic rock stations both with limited play list, that I bounce between, and there is one country station that I listen to but it is the Canadian top 40 (the only one I can get locally is out of Vancouver BC, with the exception of a rock and easy listening station the only local ones are talk radio) and there is like 2 top 40 pop stations, so again limited play lists. And when I travel I like to listen to my music as I don't like having to find new radio stations, and when I head over to our trailer in eastern WA there are no radio stations up in the pass that I take.
     
  12. RubyTheRoadster

    Apr 28, 2015
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    lucky the only public radio station we have in my area is talk news NPR and some talk news out of Canada.
     

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