ipod2car

"ipod2car" Install
(2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab
with factory RAZ single disc cd player/tape)

Vehicle Information: 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 5.7L Hemi with RAZ factory single disc CD player & tape with infinity sound system. This is basic information on how I installed the ipod2car integration module.
PLEASE NOTE : This write-up is for REFERENCE ONLY. The parts you buy and the vehicle you own will ultimately determine how you complete the install.. Not all Dodge RAM's are the same year to year and not all radio systems & dash setups are the same either. Use your own judement.

Why this unit??: I did a lot of research on various ways to get my ipod tunes into my truck. There are a few ways of doing this via either FM transmitters, direct hook up, or buying new stereo head units with AUX inputs. The FM transmitters can vary in price depending on the capabilities. I've read (from various feedback) that FM transmitters can lose signal driving in certain areas (big cities, etc). For this reason - I wanted something with a direct hookup to my factory unit. I could've purchased a whole new head unit fairly inexpensively - however - if I was going to go that route - I'd buy a unit with all the bells & whistles which would cost big bucks. Taking into consideration all the things I've read and heard (regardless if its factual or not) - I decided to go with a direct hook up to my factory stereo.
Note: I've used the ipod2car in my 2004 Dodge Ram for a few months and began to notice that some of my dash lights (ebrake & airbag lights) would come on along with a very quick 'chime'. There was no rhym or reason to when these would occur. I did some more research online and found other Dodge owners experiencing the *Check Engine Light* would come on. My check engine light never came on - but I was seeing very brief chimes and ebrake/airbag lights coming on and going out quickly. I contacted Peripheral Electronics and they are aware of the problem. They have a temporary solution however, it involves cutting a wire on your factory wiring harnass - which I decided NOT to do.

The "ipod2car" Unit: The ipod2car unit is made by Peripheral Electronics. http://peripheralelectronics.com/home.asp
The unit I purchased: PXDP http://peripheralelectronics.com/prodDetail.asp?strProductID=460&strSearch=PXDP
I purchased this unit off ebay from a dealer called "All Best Parts" with a BUY IT NOW price of $109.98 with $10 priority shipping. This price also includes the wiring harnass for your vehicle. Very pleased with the transaction and the product. The harnass I received is made by PAC (Pacific Accessory Corporation) http://www.pac-audio.com/default.asp. The harnass I received: AB-CHR10. Here is the PAC appliation guide: http://www.pac-audio.com/auxbox/showall.asp

Below is a picture of the PXDP with the 12 foot cable (included) and wiring harnass. Harnass may vary for your specific vehicle. Before installing - Please be sure to read all the instructions included with the PXDP. There are a bunch of toggle switches on the box that need to be turned on/off. These will vary for each vehicle manufacturer & type.

Below is a picture of a little hook located to the left of the glove box.You only need to remove this screw for the dash panel to come out.

Below is a picture of the dash panel partially pulled away. The dash panel is attached by clips. Start pulling the panel out slowly and carefully.

Below is a picture of the dash completely pulled away. The dash does not come completely out unless you unhook all the wiring. It isn't necessary to take the whole panel out or unhook the wiring.

Below a picture of the stereo mounting screws. Remove the 4 screws that hold the radio in place. At this time - the radio easily slides out. The antennae and harnass are attached in the back - please be careful and do not pull the radio out too far.

In order to take the picture below - I had to remove the original harnass that plugs into the radio. There are two ports behind the radio - a larger port for the main radio harnass and a smaller port (CD changer). The harnass you purchase should plug into this smaller port. The wiring harnass I received was very short. I was very concerned with the length being too short.

Because the harnass is so short - I routed it underneath the radio to enable me as much length as possible for mounting the box.

At this point of the install..... I was still very concerned with the length of the harnass and where to mount the control box. There was only one obvioius place to mount it considering the length of the harnass - and that's to mount it ontop the plastic cubby hole. However - I still wasn't sure it would fit. There's not a lot of room behind the dash panel for much of anything. So - I taped the box in place and put the dash panel back together completely to make sure it fit. Luckily - it did.

Now that I've found a place to mount the box - How am I going to mount it? Considering how tight everything is and the amount of room available - I chose to use velcro. Why Vecro? A semi-permanent mount would be best due to the lack of room. If anyone needs to open up this dash panel in the future - I would much rather have the velcro come loose than someone pulling too hard and yanking wires out.

Obviously - I just installed this last week (2/1/07) and wanted to get my ipod working. In the future - I could possibly change my thoughts about how to mount it. For now - as long as I don't hear the box moving around, the velcro will work just fine for me.

Before mounting the box in place and with the dash panel still completely apart - I hooked up the cable and my ipod and took a drive to the local store to pick up some velcro. Clicked my radio to the CD Changer mode. Not knowing exactly how this all worked -I put my ipod in shuffle mode and ......it started playin and sounds great. I played with the steering wheel controls a bit to ensure they actually 'did something'.

This is a picture of the box mounted (w/ vecro) ontop of the plastic cubby hole just below the heater controls. See the cubby hole in 3rd picture from the top.

Next Concern - Where do I route the wires from the box to the ipod? This 12 foot long white cable has two large ends on it that prevent you from squeezing it through small places and keeping it unseen. For now - I removed an access panel to the left of the glove box and routed the cable through this large opening (for now). I'm still trying to think of a way to route the cable and mount my ipod so its a clean install. That'll come soon......

First Impressions? This thing is really cool!!! It's a hell of a lot better than dragging around a bunch of CD's. Fill up your Ipod with your favorite songs and your CD collection and leave those CD's at home!! The sound is just as good as playing a CD - assuming your 'files' are good quality. Depending on where you get your music and how you put it into your ipod - the file quality can vary from song to song. You may be listening to one song where the sound level is fairly low -so you crank up the volume on the radio to hear it. The next song you play - could blow you outta the vehicle because the sound level is higher (and you forgot to turn the volume down).

Controls? Again, I only installed this on 2/1/07 and I'm still learning how everything works. I haven't used any of the controls on the radio yet - I use my steering wheel controls mostly. The volume and mode change buttons (right side) work as normal. The left side buttons work primarily as track skip forward or skip backward buttons. All ipod functions work and you will need to use the ipod to pick and play certain playlists or artists within your ipod. Once you pick the playlist, artist, or shuffle - the controls on your radio will work from there.

Truck Off & Start? I haven't figured this out yet - or I just haven't had the time. If you shut the truck off in the middle of playing - the ipod goes into "Pause". When you start the truck back up - I've been using the ipod to start playing the music again (put it back into PLAY). I haven't played around with the controls enough to learn if there's a special way on the radio or the steering wheel controls to put it back into PLAY mode.

Hope this helps.... If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail jandy@lieblweb.com
Thanks
Jandy Liebl