[hl0m4n]

i ordered my 335i coupe near when it first came out back in december. i am now ordering my second bmw. a 328i sedan. i will be going to dealer on sat for the 08 pricings but have a question. this will be a brand new order and once again i have to wait the 6 weeks like i did for my 335i .

1. will my 328i come with the 6 touch sensored memory keys?
2. car will probably have navtec 07.2 right?
3. latest i-drive v26.02.02?
4. most importantly the 6fl question. is this usb port standard on all cars now or only comes with ipod option?

PS: can a 335i get the touch sensor memory keys retrofitted? i know that you can't get the usb retroed but any update now? last i heard that was awhile back.

[BMWDavid]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

i ordered my 335i coupe near when it first came out back in december. i am now ordering my second bmw. a 328i sedan. i will be going to dealer on sat for the 08 pricings but have a question. this will be a brand new order and once again i have to wait the 6 weeks like i did for my 335i .

1. will my 328i come with the 6 touch sensored memory keys?
2. car will probably have navtec 07.2 right?
3. latest i-drive v26.02.02?
4. most importantly the 6fl question. is this usb port standard on all cars now or only comes with ipod option?

PS: can a 335i get the touch sensor memory keys retrofitted? i know that you can't get the usb retroed but any update now? last i heard that was awhile back.

1. The 08 will have the memory keys
2. It will have the latest available NAVTEC disc, currently 2007.2
4. USB is part of the 6FL option, not standard equipment

The part number 65110403650 gives your iPod intergration (power supply/ music displayed) without the USB. No USB upgrade yet. If you could retofit the memory keys, I would dread paying the labor cost associated with that installation. Good luck!

[hl0m4n]

when i build my car on bmwusa.com there is no option called 6FL. what does this mean?

[gloster]

6FL is the code BMW uses. On the website it is simply the iPod/USB adapter

[Huncowboy]

This 6FL thing. I read a lot about it. We just ordered our 335Ci yesterday and we did not opt for it. We have no ipod so I did not see the point. However I am sure we will get two iphones next summer once we are out of our current contract. That started to wonder me if we should have that option. I am sure we will connect the iphone to the car through BT and mostly if not only for the phone function but who knows. May be we will get hooked and start listening to music that way instead of CDs. We do listen to music a lot my wife is a musician and a music professor we are just not in the ipod thing yet and I don't see myself plugging it in and out for a 20 min drive.

So I guess my Q is what additional functionality are we going to get from iphone with the cable if we chose to get it?

Thanks!!!

[gloster]

Originally Posted by Huncowboy

This 6FL thing. I read a lot about it. We just ordered our 335Ci yesterday and we did not opt for it. We have no ipod so I did not see the point. However I am sure we will get two iphones next summer once we are out of our current contract. That started to wonder me if we should have that option. I am sure we will connect the iphone to the car through BT and mostly if not only for the phone function but who knows. May be we will get hooked and start listening to music that way instead of CDs. We do listen to music a lot my wife is a musician and a music professor we are just not in the ipod thing yet and I don't see myself plugging it in and out for a 20 min drive.

So I guess my Q is what additional functionality are we going to get from iphone with the cable if we chose to get it?

Thanks!!!

You would get the same functionality with the iPhone as with an iPod. So, you will be able to listen to your iPhone music through your speakers and control it through your radio controls and/or iDrive.

With a non-iDrive car, you will see a good display of the song name, artist, etc. You will be able to browse by the same categories as on your iPod (artist, album, genre, playlist). It will also charge your iPhone.

Ditto for all of the above with an iDrive car, but you will have an even better display.

[hl0m4n]

wait a minute. so if you get the ipod option you get both usb slot in the arm rest compartment and the ipod connector in glovebox?

[Huncowboy]

Originally Posted by gloster

You would get the same functionality with the iPhone as with an iPod. So, you will be able to listen to your iPhone music through your speakers and control it through your radio controls and/or iDrive.

With a non-iDrive car, you will see a good display of the song name, artist, etc. You will be able to browse by the same categories as on your iPod (artist, album, genre, playlist). It will also charge your iPhone.

Ditto for all of the above with an iDrive car, but you will have an even better display.

Thanks for the reply. I guess what I am after is:

Is this option going to give more functions for the iphone as a phone, or is this only related to the music player aspect of the iphone? Can I charge the iphone through it? Is it going to be a better connection for the phone than the BT connection? etc...

[gloster]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

wait a minute. so if you get the ipod option you get both usb slot in the arm rest compartment and the ipod connector in glovebox?

No. With the current 3 series, their are only two choices. Neither choice involves the glovebox at all.

The standard stereo comes with a standard 3.5mm jack labeled "aux" in the center armrest. There is also a 12v power outlet in there. You can use these to hook up any iPod or other digital audio player. Of course, you will only get sound through the stereo, you will not be able to control the iPod. You just have to use the controls on the iPod itself.

The optional iPod connection adds a usb port in the center armrest and gives you a cable. You hook this cable up to the port on the bottom of your ipod and hook the other end (which splits) into the usb port and the aux port. This gives you both your sound through the stereo and full control of the iPod, including displaying info on your radio/iDrive screen.

[gloster]

Originally Posted by Huncowboy

Thanks for the reply. I guess what I am after is:

Is this option going to give more functions for the iphone as a phone, or is this only related to the music player aspect of the iphone? Can I charge the iphone through it? Is it going to be a better connection for the phone than the BT connection? etc...

Interesting question. At first, I was going to knee-jerk reply with "no". But I guess it's possible that phone audio is routed through 6FL interface rather than BT. But I'm guessing it does not. On an iPod (not iPhone) the audio is routed to the aux jack rather than the USB jack. Only the control information is passed back and forth from BMW to iPod via the USB jack. So if they were going to route the (two-way) audio from the iPhone through 6FL it would have to work completely differently than the iPod.

Anyone out there have an iPhone that can verify? I can tell you one thing......I'm betting the kind of functionality you describe will exist at some point.

6FL will charge your iPhone. But if all you need is charging, you just need a typical car charging cord which you can plug into either the regular 12v outlet in the ashtray or into the 12v outlet in the center console. I'm assuming you don't want the 6FL if the phone sound doesn't go through it.

[Huncowboy]

Originally Posted by gloster

Interesting question. At first, I was going to knee-jerk reply with "no". But I guess it's possible that phone audio is routed through 6FL interface rather than BT. But I'm guessing it does not. On an iPod (not iPhone) the audio is routed to the aux jack rather than the USB jack. Only the control information is passed back and forth from BMW to iPod via the USB jack. So if they were going to route the (two-way) audio from the iPhone through 6FL it would have to work completely differently than the iPod.

Anyone out there have an iPhone that can verify? I can tell you one thing......I'm betting the kind of functionality you describe will exist at some point.

6FL will charge your iPhone. But if all you need is charging, you just need a typical car charging cord which you can plug into either the regular 12v outlet in the ashtray or into the 12v outlet in the center console. I'm assuming you don't want the 6FL if the phone sound doesn't go through it.

Thanks for getting back to this!

Actually I made up my mind that we will get 6FL. With the iphone's 8gig I can throw out all my CDs. I am mostly burning mpegs on them anyways so it just makes sense. It is rare that I listen to an album. I would hate to not have it for $400 when the total car is 50k+. Anytime I have been cheap over something I ended up missing out.

But yes I was initially not considering it unless it would have provided additional features for the iphone's phone function. But since we will get the iphone, and since that is also an ipod, I know we will store music on it. Because it is a phone, it will be with us all the time, thus we will listen to that in the car. 6FL is a no brainer now. I am already pissed that I don't have it in my 330i.

[gloster]

Originally Posted by Huncowboy

Thanks for getting back to this!

Actually I made up my mind that we will get 6FL. With the iphone's 8gig I can throw out all my CDs. I am mostly burning mpegs on them anyways so it just makes sense. It is rare that I listen to an album. I would hate to not have it for $400 when the total car is 50k+. Anytime I have been cheap over something I ended up missing out.

But yes I was initially not considering it unless it would have provided additional features for the iphone's phone function. But since we will get the iphone, and since that is also an ipod, I know we will store music on it. Because it is a phone, it will be with us all the time, thus we will listen to that in the car. 6FL is a no brainer now. I am already pissed that I don't have it in my 330i.

I'm sure you won't regret it. 3 audio systems ago (in various cars) I had a 10 disc CD changer in the trunk and loved it. 2 audio systems ago, I had a 10 disc CD changer that could play mp3 files and I loved it even more. 1 audio system ago, I moved to an iPod interface. It was an even bigger leap than the leap from no CD changer to having one. You just end up listening to a lot more of your music collection when you have it with you all the time without having to bring new CD's into your car.

Speaking of which, I'm going to make one suggestion as long as I'm spending your money. If you have less than about 50 CD's, you may stop reading now. If you have more, keep going. The iPhone is supposed to be great. Go ahead and get it. Use it for both the phone and the music. However, it won't hold all of your music at a high quality encoding rate, i.e. something like 256kbps.

So get an iPhone and spend yet another $250 on an 80GB iPod classic. You will only need to import all your music into your computer/iTunes once. Then you will be able to effortlessly send your whole music collection to your iPod classic. Stick it in your center console and only bring it in a couple times a year to add any new CD's/music purchases to it. You will have the joy of not having to fuss and always having everything in your car. Use the iPhone to selectively take parts of your music with you other places.

The other good thing is you could get the iPod classic now and move all your music to it. When you get your iPhones next summer, you will have already enjoyed your iPod for a long time and your music will be ready to synch with your new phones already.

[Huncowboy]

It is a very good idea. All these CDs are becoming a pain. $350 for a 160Gig ipod seems steep but I guess I will never need another music source again or at least for a few years. At the moment I only have about 4Gig worth on my computer but I could rip all of our older CDs (well over 50... may be 100 or more) and put them all onto the ipod. That is a lot of music and it is always with you. You can only have so many CDs in the car. Sounds like a plan!

[BMWDavid]

I have an 8 gig iPhone with all my music (500) some vodcasts from F1 and BMW and I have plenty of room left (2 gigs). The pairing procedure with the iPhone is the easiest to do of all the phones I have had to pair for customers. It works with all the models (I've checked).

When you have an incoming call, the phone mutes the radio/cd/ iPhone music when you accept the call. Hang up the call from your steering wheel button and the music picks up from where you left off. It's a great choice to go with the 6FL option from the factory because if you decide after your vehicle goes into production it's more expensive than $400 to install at the dealer. Enjoy.

[Huncowboy]

Originally Posted by david06M3

I have an 8 gig iPhone with all my music (500) some vodcasts from F1 and BMW and I have plenty of room left (2 gigs). The pairing procedure with the iPhone is the easiest to do of all the phones I have had to pair for customers. It works with all the models (I've checked).

When you have an incoming call, the phone mutes the radio/cd/ iPhone music when you accept the call. Hang up the call from your steering wheel button and the music picks up from where you left off. It's a great choice to go with the 6FL option from the factory because if you decide after your vehicle goes into production it's more expensive than $400 to install at the dealer. Enjoy.

I had them add 6FL already. It was almost too late as the car is going into production this week.

How is your call quality on your iphone when in hands free?

[gloster]

David -- can you confirm my guess is right; even with 6FL the phone audio still goes through bluetooth rather than through the 6FL interface?