Hi all,

I have a 2005 mk5 ford fiesta zetec with the rds 4500 eon radio,

I want to be able to play music from my iPhone through the car speakers,

I want to be able to use an aux cable so it can be something other than an iPhone,

What radios do people suggest and how I would do it, it's my first car, I don't want anything too flashy and it's not to blare music so that everyone and their mums can hear it, I just want to be able to play what I want without having to fork out for CDs because I can't use my own burned ones :/

Thanks,

Tom

Hi mate, all you basically need is to remove the current stock one and replace it with one that has Aux capabilities

See this post for further help :)

example of a HeadUnit http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_869345_langId_-1_categoryId_165474

If your radio has a CD changer port in the back then you should be able to connect a unit that simulates a changer so the radio detects it as such.

If you have the socket that this plug would fit into (should be the only port empty on the back of the radio)

you should be able to use one of these-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iPod-iPhone-iPad-Interface-Adapter-AUX-In-Set-Ford-Radio-4500-4600-CDR-9000-VNR-/130753113895?pt=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item1e717e2f27

Best to contact the seller to be sure first.

This probably will sound stupid :/ but as I live in the UK will this still work, is there any country variants that I should be wary of?

Basicaly if you have a cd changer port spare in the back of your radio then you will be able to find something to plug in for an interface with an iPod or an external sound source.

The only way to be sure is pull your radio forward and have a look.

I have one of http://www.dvbcaraudio.co.uk/connects2-ctafousb003-ford-interface-p-8587.html'>these hooked up to my stock head unit, they work quite well, though you cannot play music and charge an iphone at the same time.

It does however have the option of not only being able to plug in an ipod/iphone/MP3 player, but also you can plug in a USB memory stick and even an SD card loaded with your music

It plugs in on the rear of the head unit, like the other one that's listed in this thread.

Neither of them are hard to fit, just ease out the head unit, and plug the adapter into the back once you have routed your wiring

I have one of these hooked up to my stock head unit, they work quite well, though you cannot play music and charge an iphone at the same time.

It does however have the option of not only being able to plug in an ipod/iphone/MP3 player, but also you can plug in a USB memory stick and even an SD card loaded with your music

It plugs in on the rear of the head unit, like the other one that's listed in this thread.

Neither of them are hard to fit, just ease out the head unit, and plug the adapter into the back once you have routed your wiring

How have you routed your wiring? Im not sure where the best way to route it would be

Mine is in a mondeo, so the routing will be different to yours, you may have to unfasten a few screws to allow you to ease the trim away to get the plug to go behind the dash to the head unit, as for the box, I've stuffed that in the glove box out of the way, but close enough to get to should I need to

Okay thanks for all the advice, one last question, but when its all plugged in and stuff, will it just play through the car speakers or will i need to do something else?

An ipod/iphone will play straight through the speakers by pressing the AUX button then selecting the track/playlist on the device

For an SD card or USB stick, the same applies, but you have to put the songs on them in folders labelled CD1 to CD6, the folders are then selected through the preset push buttons on the head unit.

A little experimentation is needed but you'll soon get the hang of it

I dont have an aux button on mine, is it just the CD one?

This is what mine looks like

I've taken my head unit out, it looks like this at the back, i cant see an AUX port, does this mean I can't do it?

Yours is different to what I was thinking it was, this was the one I was thinking of:

and this is the rear view

the green socket to the bottom left is where the CD changer/ipod adapter plugs in

I've taken my head unit out, it looks like this at the back, i cant see an AUX port, image.jpg does this mean I can't do it?

That black square above the connector blocks- is it a socket or just an empty hole?

If there's a socket there then it would be the changer port, if it's empty then you're out of luck and would be better served by an aftermarket radio.

Yours is different to what I was thinking it was, this was the one I was thinking of:

6000cd.jpg

and this is the rear view

58454.jpg

the green socket to the bottom left is where the CD changer/ipod adapter plugs in

Is that a RDS 6000? If it is, can I just simply swap mine out with one of these?

If Memory serves me right I do believe that while they are the same size physically, the connection blocks are different.

So unless you can either convert the wiring yourself, or get it done for you, or buy a conversion kit, then it won't be compatible

I think that im going to just fit an after market system, so far ive found these, http://www.justkenwood.co.uk/car-audio.aspx/fp-07-05-adaptor, http://www.justkenwood.co.uk/car-audio.aspx/pc2-80-4-adaptor, Would those be okay? What radios would you suggest?

I'm not much into in-car entertainment, for me as long as it picks up radio stations and pushes the sound out of the speakers, it's good enough for me.

Having said that you want to play your ipod/iphone though it, so naturally one with an auxiliary socket would be advisable, there are many on the market from cheap unbranded to the more expensive Kenwood types, it all depends on your budget.

I have to say though that the surround converter you linked to looks like a good idea, with the bin below it, it'll give you somewhere to put the ipod/iphone

Right, that's about the same as me, I went to halforda and picked up the cables and facia adapter, the guy there suggested a kenwood, but it was about £60 out of my budget, I guess it's just time to have a look around really.