Hi,
I have a Ford S-Max and would like to change my head unit to an aftermarket head unit for more features.
My only question concerns that fact that my car has factory fitted bluetooth so that my mobile phone hooks up with the car and all calls go through the stereo and integral microphone.
I assume that the bluetooth unit is not part of the head unit as the same head unit is also fitted in S-Maxes without bluetooth. However, the head unit does display the number that is calling me when my phone rings.
If I take this Ford head unit out, will the BT work with an aftermarket head unit?
If not, if I fit a HU with built in bluetooth to connect to my phone, will it use my integral microphone in my car? If not, how do I speak when connected to a call?
I'm not that 'up' on ICE so any help is most welcome.
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Can any 'Day backroomers' help?
Thanks
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not an answer to your question, but another question. Given that cars are horrenedously complicated and reliant on the electronics, how would the warranty stand if you replaced the head unit? Surely its an easy get out for them "oh dear, the new head unit has caused the problem with XXXXXXX - insert expensive part here. Sorry, warranty void, that will be £xxxx.
wondered this when i saw your post yesterday.
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I dont know the S-Max at all, or any technical details of the set up, but in general car prinicpals
Ok there are only two ways that manufacturers can integrate bluetooth into car audio systems.
1/ Black box - post radio. This means a bluetooth black box, that plugs into your car speaker wires after the radio, with a radio mute line into the radio.
2/ Built into the functions of your radio/stereo. This is typically the way its done. If you control your phone / phone information is displayed on the car radio, then this is the likely scenario.
I have to say there is the very real danger that if you change your Head unit, you will loose your bluetooth integration.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I believe it plugs into a dedicated socke.tr on the back of the unit and I doubt whether this will be compatible with an aftermarket unit but to be sure go to a specialised ICE dealer.There are plenty of units around with built in bluetooth from £100 Sony units to the skies the limits.
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But how do the aftermarket units with BT work? Do they have a microphone built in to the head unit or will it recognise with in-built S-Max microphone?
Thanks
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Hopefully, and this is where you need to hoik the old unit out to check, there will be a plug for the inbuilt in car mic, with some degree of luck there will be a similar plug on the new BT equiped radio for your inbuilt mic.
If not an ice specialist can rig up a conversion plug.
It all gets very messy however when your existing BT also integrates with your steering wheel controls, and or any displays in your instruments.. you might loose them.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Why is changing the head important to you? If its just add Mp3/ipod capability there are plenty of third party units to add to enable your MP3 player to use it.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The after market head units with built in bluetooth have an in built mike and some have the option to put an extra mike where you want.Does your car not have the inbuilt jack socket at the back of the glove compartment for the addition of mp3's etc it was a standard on all modeos face lift models 2003 on
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I know I'm being very petty as my car DOES have an 'Aux-in' for my Ipod via the glovebox however 4 things count against it;
1 No steering wheel controls to control the Ipod
2 No charging of the Ipod
3 When Using the 'Aux-In' you have to crank the stereo volume up to about number17/18 (with max volume on Ipod as well). That's fine but when the travel announcement on the radio cuts in it blows your ears off it's so loud.
4 I hate wires trailing all over the car
I agree all these may appear minor but when you do 40,000 miles pa, it is worth investing in an easy life.
For me, Ipod is more important than BT connectivity if I had to choose between the two.
Thanks guys.
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"When Using the 'Aux-In' you have to crank the stereo volume up to about number17/18 (with max volume on Ipod as well). "
When I got my Mondeo and tried the aux-in socket I too found you had to crank up the volume. This is because of the safety feature Apple has in the iPod - you cannot have the music as loud as you'd like because you'd damage your hearing. What I did to solve this was to increase the volume adjustment on on all of the MP3 tracks in iTunes to +100%. Because we're talking digital music then you obviously do not lose any quality. Now I can get loud enough music without cranking up the volume on the stereo or iPod. The downside is adjusting the volume changes all the files which takes some time and these all need to be rewritten to the iPod too.
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When I got my Mondeo and tried the aux-in socket I too found you had to crank up the volume.
SNIP THE REST - please don't quote the whole message you're replying to, just summarise or add "in reply to xxx" - DD
Didn't know that could be done. This is my number one bugbear so I'll have to investigate this one...
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"Didn't know that could be done. This is my number one bugbear so I'll have to investigate this one... "
The issue with iPods sold in the EU is the things deliberately limit max volume. There are also fixes for this but I just went with the increase MP3 volume solution.
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Just come across something called goPod which removes the volume cap (apparently) for EU iPods. Trouble is if you use an uncapped iPod in France it is illegal apparently!
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It all gets very messy however when your existing BT also integrates with your steering wheel controls and or any displays in your instruments.. you might loose them.
SNIP - As I was saying, please don't quote the whole message you're replying to, just summarise or add "in reply to xxx" - DD
No plug on back of Stereo, I've checked. Just the aerial plug and a Quadlock with all connectors on that I assume.
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If you look on ebay you can get units that have bluetooth built in along with sockets for usb and sd cards and an aux with full tagging you do not need an ipod all for around £100.
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Just wondering how you've got on? Especially with the iPOD volume changing.
Also posting because I am realising it is a shame the spec of the stereo in the S-MAX is not the same as the new Mondeo. It looks like even the 6-disc changer in the new Mondeo can play MP3 files off CD and display track names etc. and allow navigation via the new "HMI controller".
If I get the new Mondeo (no idea of prices via company plan) and it is big car... but don't think I'd be using the AUX-IN much if it can play MP3 tracks off 6 CDs. That's a lot of music. Liking the idea of the advanced bluetooth thingummy too. Not only to make phone calls but to control other things. I have a car kit which the company would pay to re-fit but this looks like a neater solution - and I can change phone more often ;-)
Looking more like a Mondeo Titanium 2.0 TDCi (or even 1.8TDCi) with a few extras. Not even driven it yet but this weeks AutoCar rated it above a BMW 320d for driving and just about everything else too!!!!
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I haven't fully decided what to do yet but I'm fairly confident I'll be replacing the HU.
If I did a 'normal' mileage I'd live with the Ipod through the Aux-in. Quality is fine and I have 'sort-of' got around most of the Ipod volume vs TA volume issues by removing the Ipod volume cap (freeware by gopod).
I want steering wheel controls, full Ipod connectivity (and a good interface) and ideally bluetooth. I'm considering many option at the moment including an Alpine 9855r, a JVC AVX33/AVX2 or a pioneer 790BT.
There is also an Alpine unit that is dedicated to the Ipod and X001 (or something like that) but it had no CD player at all and I'm unsure if they might be an inconvenience.
With regards to MP3's on the Ford unit, my version will not play MP3's. S-Maxes built after 7th May 2007 have a Sony HU and that CAN play MP3's. My car has voice control for the Bluetooth phone, heating and the radio.
If I replace the HU I will lose the voice control over the radio and the BT for the phone. With regards to the Ford BT unit, it works really well with Nokia non-smartphones as it is built by Nokia. All other makes of phone are OK but have fewer functions, ie caller's name not displayed and cannot access phone book through HU.
If I remember, Mondeo's whenever they have been launched, have always been rated higher than BM's and Audi's. Give it a few months when the Mondeo isn't 'new' anymore and the press go back to praising the German brands all over again....
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Thanks for the update. Even though I can use my iPOD via AUX-IN I rarely did. It was a gen 3 iPOD so came with the remote so could control it to an extend via that. But I tend to burn music to CD-RWs and swap fairly often. My way of playing music is to have albums I like at the time and would listen to the same on an iPOD anyway. You cannot scroll through 15Gb music whilst driving to choose a track ;-)
I find you comment of "works really well with Nokia non-smartphones" interesting. I have a Nokia smartphone (N70) so wondered if you can eleborate....
Cheers
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The N70 will work on a 'basic' level. You won't be able to scroll through the phone directory on the HU. Also when somebody call's you, it won't display the caller ID or number on the HU display either.
On my wife's 6230 it does display this detail on the HU display.
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Thanks. That explains featuring the 6230 in the literature. That has an additional Bluetooth profile for accessing the contacts list etc.
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In the past(it probably still applies)when you order a new Ford,you have the option of upgrading/downgrading the ICE;on one of my KA,I upgraded and on my Escort I downgraded.Ford radios are installed by the dealer as part of the PDI.
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Providing you have the Sony unit, there Nokia smart phones will display contacts and allow access to the address book. But you have to download and install some software on the phone. There's a long list of compatible phones apparently looking at the Nokia site:
europe.nokia.com/ford
If you have the sat nav units then you need a wired rather than a Bluetooth connection to access contacts.
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Well the link that meant to be on that page is no longer there. But got this via Nokia support:
europe.nokia.com/A4305124
So if you have one of the supported smart phones, the Ford Bluetooth kit can then apparently access the phonebook once you install and run this on the phone. I obviously cannot try it as I do not have a car with the kit in (yet). Not sure if it supports the N-series of phones but the file does mention S60_2.x in the title and an N70 is Series 60 v2 based but later phones are S60 v3 and so won't work on them.
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It will!
You have to tell it to do it.
Go to the Parrot web site and search the forum for E50/N70 nokias and it will tell how to do it.
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Reply to a post I put on the Nokia discussion website says it does work on N70 but there are minor issues. A new version due in about a months time. Not anywhere near to getting a new car yet (and have not decided if it will be the new Mondeo).
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