If, like me, you have left your original headunits in your magnas and look longingly at cars fitted with bluetooth which have the ability to play music from USB cards and sticks there is an answer which does not involve spending hundreds on getting a new head unit and getting it installed. I bought two of these off Ebay:

http://i60.tinypic.com/wakbgz.jpg

It's a ripper! I have all my music stored on two 16Gb USB sticks, one for one car and one for the other. The bluetooth connection is as clear as a bell and you get two remotes...one for backseat passengers which one of those card remotes. The other is an ingenious unit that attaches to your steering wheel rim with a velcro loop on a black elastic strap. The steering wheel unit allows you to answer calls, adjust volume and change tracks. All for 22 bucks a piece. Much cheaper than ripping the guts out of your dashboard, imho.

Looks good

Do you have a link to where you purchases from. How does it connect to the head unit?

Looks like it connects via the cable in the upper left corner of the picture. To the aux socket on your existing radio.

www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-24V-Wireless-In-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-MP3-Music-Player-USB-FM-Transmitter-/191204132136?pt=AU_Electronics_Portable_Audio_Acce ssories&hash=item2c84a78528

I have one of these. USB stick plugs in the back. We use it to play music or talking books on long country trips.

$12 including postage. (Doesn't do bluetooth)

I laugh when I see ads on the telly for $20,000 new cars promoting that they have mp3 and bluetooth connectivity etc. Big deal, its a $10 feature. Sucks in the kids though I guess.

Looks like it connects via the cable in the upper left corner of the picture. To the aux socket on your existing radio.

No...that cable is for phones or MP3 players that don't have bluetooth. The system, otherwise, is completely wireless.

There are heaps of different sellers on Ebay with these things.

In Ebay just type "FM transmitter MP3 bluetooth" and you'll see them come up. Just remember to tick "price + postage lowest first" and to buy from a seller with an approval rating higher than, say, 99.2%.

Looks good

Do you have a link to where you purchases from. How does it connect to the head unit?

See post above this one + the unit connects to the head unit via the FM section of your radio. Basically the thing transmits on the FM band and you just tune your radio to that frequency. You can adjust the frequency that it sends on as well. What I have done is to set one of my radio's presets to the unit's frequency.

You can get headunits with those features for $100 these days, it's only a bit more expensive and I assume it would be less of a hassle?

You can get headunits with those features for $100 these days, it's only a bit more expensive and I assume it would be less of a hassle?

Yes...you can BUT (there's always a "but") you have to factor in installation ($80-100) and also the fact that a bad installer can really muck up your HVAC controls or do cosmetic damage.

Why bother, unless you want a great whacking subwoofer, a reversing camera and navigation...THEN it makes sense to change everything.

Otherwise the standard disc player with its FM radio will do the job nicely with this cheap-add on which costs no more than $25. No fiddling with the fascia of the centre dash panel, no rewiring...nothing. Just plug it in, tune it in and off you go.

I just bought one of these. Not sure how the steering wheel control works. Should it light up with the power button? Mine doesn't. Therefore not much use as a hands free way of answering the phone. Might have to contact the seller. Otherwise, the music player works OK using an 8 GB SD Card.

Is there any hiss?

I just bought one of these. Not sure how the steering wheel control works. Should it light up with the power button? Mine doesn't. Therefore not much use as a hands free way of answering the phone. Might have to contact the seller. Otherwise, the music player works OK using an 8 GB SD Card.


Link to the item you purchased would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Is there any hiss?

No hiss. The remote needs to be pointed quite close to the unit. I asked the seller about the steering wheel remote problems, hopefully they will just send one that works since this was the most attractive feature of the product. I have a Verada AWD GTVI and stupidly MMA put the power socket in the centre console so at the moment the unit is plugged into an extension sitting in the cup holder. Ultimately I'm going to put it in the other car, a Pajero which has a better located power socket and the standard radio/CD setup which is almost the same as the Verada (6 stack CD + 1 and AM/FM radio).

Link to the item you purchased would be much appreciated.

Cheers

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-MP3-Player-Stereo-Audio-Bluetooth-LCD-FM-USB-Remote-Transmitter-Phone-Black-/191310198140?pt=AU_Electronics_Portable_Audio_Acce ssories&hash=item2c8af9f57c

Cheers. Will have to get one and see how they go and also report back eh ?.

I just bought one of these. Not sure how the steering wheel control works. Should it light up with the power button? Mine doesn't. Therefore not much use as a hands free way of answering the phone. Might have to contact the seller. Otherwise, the music player works OK using an 8 GB SD Card.

Wayne...you should have received two remotes, one is a card type remote for back seat passengers and the other is the steering wheel remote. The steering wheel remote does NOT light up. Think about it...if it lit up you'd be yanking it off the wheel and replacing batteries every few weeks. Nope... it has a button cell in it and the purple window is the infrared transmitter that sends signals to the main unit for answering the phone, changing tracks, equaliser and volume...etc...

Mine (two units now, one for each car) work great! The steering wheel remote is very handy and I have transferred all my music library to two big usb sticks. So no more CD changing, etc...

Now..as to answering the phone with bluetooth... Obviously you have to pair the phone with the unit first. It will come up in your phone display as "car kit....(number follows)" Just pair it and make sure you re-connect it each time you get in the car by turning on bluetooth on your phone.

There are two buttons on the remote which look like moon crescents. One is "answer" and the other is "hang up"...the design stinks (they should have used a phone receiver graphic) but the buttons work fine. The key is whether you have paired your phone. No pairing, no bluetooth.

Wayne...you should have received two remotes, one is a card type remote for back seat passengers and the other is the steering wheel remote. The steering wheel remote does NOT light up. Think about it...if it lit up you'd be yanking it off the wheel and replacing batteries every few weeks. Nope... it has a button cell in it and the purple window is the infrared transmitter that sends signals to the main unit for answering the phone, changing tracks, equaliser and volume...etc...

Mine (two units now, one for each car) work great! The steering wheel remote is very handy and I have transferred all my music library to two big usb sticks. So no more CD changing, etc...

Now..as to answering the phone with bluetooth... Obviously you have to pair the phone with the unit first. It will come up in your phone display as "car kit....(number follows)" Just pair it and make sure you re-connect it each time you get in the car by turning on bluetooth on your phone.

There are two buttons on the remote which look like moon crescents. One is "answer" and the other is "hang up"...the design stinks (they should have used a phone receiver graphic) but the buttons work fine. The key is whether you have paired your phone. No pairing, no bluetooth.

Thanks for the information. The steering wheel control has a CR2025 battery and it looked a bit dodgy so I replaced it anyway. It still doesn't do anything which is why I asked if it lights up. The other remote works although it needs to be very close to the main unit.

The Bluetooth pairing worked first time and I have been listening to MP3s from my Android phone via the unit and FM radio. I haven't used it for phone use yet, does it work OK?? because I assume the microphone is built into the unit and on a Magna it's not going to be at head height. I'll try the steering wheel unit again, I transferred it to our Pajero because it has a more sensible power socket in the dash compared to the Verada which has it behind the handbrake inside the arm rest, duh!

Thanks for the information. The steering wheel control has a CR2025 battery and it looked a bit dodgy so I replaced it anyway. It still doesn't do anything which is why I asked if it lights up. The other remote works although it needs to be very close to the main unit.

The Bluetooth pairing worked first time and I have been listening to MP3s from my Android phone via the unit and FM radio. I haven't used it for phone use yet, does it work OK?? because I assume the microphone is built into the unit and on a Magna it's not going to be at head height. I'll try the steering wheel unit again, I transferred it to our Pajero because it has a more sensible power socket in the dash compared to the Verada which has it behind the handbrake inside the arm rest, duh!

Yep...my two units work fine. I have two TJ Solaras and the cigarette lighter socket is just above the ashtray in the centre console so the height is fine. The microphone (inbuilt) and call clarity is quite good and if you are listening to music from a USB stick and you get a call, the unit automatically preferences the call, which you then answer. As far as the steering wheel remote is concerned...you must have a dodgy one because my two units work fine. Try an absolutely fresh batter to see if that helps otherwise complain to the Ebay seller and get a replacement.

Dick Smith has a Belkin unit if you want $brand name, but minus the nifty steering wheel remote.
The Belkin unit can support two blue-tooth phones through pairing, but only one at a time of course.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-Aux-Bluetooth-Music-Receiver-support-Hands-Free-MP3-Micro-SD-USB-Flash-FM-/301399097660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item462cc9413c

This is the one I have for mine.. Got all the buttons that I need.

http://g01.s.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1dscUFFXXXXaqapXXq6xXFXXXs/221367039/HTB1dscUFFXXXXaqapXXq6xXFXXXs.jpg?size=165561&height=667&width=1000&hash=abeb2238da8f55de941e37b58190228d

After reading this I purchased the kit the original poster got.

To be honest it is rubbish. The steering wheel remote I have doesn't work (the same as someone else reported in this thread) - I have swapped the battery from the other remote and it still doesn't work.

Unless you are partly deaf there is also noticeable background noise (hiss/fuzz, etc) during quiet parts of songs - have tried different FM frequencies and it is still there. Found the lack of clarity annoying.

I knew that would be the case. You get what you pay for i guess. Ive tried cheap ones before and they are trash

I'm not unhappy with my unit, the remote not working was a bummer but it does the job I expected (play lots of music instead of loading up 6 CDs and getting halfway to Sydney and hearing the same music again).

I bought a Bluetooth radio from Aldi for $70 and that's fitted in the Magna. It has a USB slot, audio in and SD Card slot. The bluetooth works well with my Android phone, best phone reception I've ever had using Bluetooth. I just didn't feel like changing the standard setup in the Verada and the Pajero.

I'm not unhappy with my unit, the remote not working was a bummer but it does the job I expected (play lots of music instead of loading up 6 CDs and getting halfway to Sydney and hearing the same music again).

I bought a Bluetooth radio from Aldi for $70 and that's fitted in the Magna. It has a USB slot, audio in and SD Card slot. The bluetooth works well with my Android phone, best phone reception I've ever had using Bluetooth. I just didn't feel like changing the standard setup in the Verada and the Pajero.

Wayne...I took the liberty of asking a couple of Ebay sellers if they would supply the remote separately as a replacement. All, bar one, said they would but none indicated the price. Contact the person you bought the unit from on Ebay, tell them about your problem and you could probably come to some agreement as to a small price to replace the broken remote. The other thing you could do is disassemble the remote and look for any breaks in the circuitry.

After reading this I purchased the kit the original poster got.

To be honest it is rubbish. The steering wheel remote I have doesn't work (the same as someone else reported in this thread) - I have swapped the battery from the other remote and it still doesn't work.

Unless you are partly deaf there is also noticeable background noise (hiss/fuzz, etc) during quiet parts of songs - have tried different FM frequencies and it is still there. Found the lack of clarity annoying.

Go and buy a new button cell...also try moving the remote to a new position. As to the background noise...do you have anything else connected to the cigarette lighter plug as this may cause FM RF leakage...noise. I know that if I connect my little rechargeable torch with a lighter plug double adapter I get the same low level noise. If I disconnect it then I have a clean signal.


BTW...in case there is any misunderstanding. I do NOT sell these things myself, I have no connection to the manufacturer and am only posting based upon my good run with the two units I have in two Solaras. The Solaras have the early double-DIN radio cassette and multi-stacker CD head unit and I did not want to pull them out.

Wayne...I took the liberty of asking a couple of Ebay sellers if they would supply the remote separately as a replacement. All, bar one, said they would but none indicated the price. Contact the person you bought the unit from on Ebay, tell them about your problem and you could probably come to some agreement as to a small price to replace the broken remote. The other thing you could do is disassemble the remote and look for any breaks in the circuitry.

Thanks Stroppy. The original seller offered to send me the whole kit for just $5 postage and they were going to send an invoice. They haven't sent the invoice after a week of emails to and fro so I just went and ordered the same item from a different Hong Kong seller. Unfortunately the first seller will get bad feedback.

I tried gluing the flat remote to the dead one so that it could be mounted on the steering wheel but it only works when it is pointing directly at the receiver.

Thanks Stroppy. The original seller offered to send me the whole kit for just $5 postage and they were going to send an invoice. They haven't sent the invoice after a week of emails to and fro so I just went and ordered the same item from a different Hong Kong seller. Unfortunately the first seller will get bad feedback.

I tried gluing the flat remote to the dead one so that it could be mounted on the steering wheel but it only works when it is pointing directly at the receiver.

As I wrote elsewhere I have two of these things and both remotes work fine so I reckon you got a dud. Do yourself a favour... If you have a mate who is into electronics just get him (or her...can't be sexist these days!) to prise the unit apart and check that the battery terminals are properly connected. Doing a bit of research I have found that sometimes this is the case when these things fail. Worth a try. At any rate, have a good look at the circuit board and see if any wires have broken free due to faulty soldering. A lot of Chinese electronic stuff suffers from poor soldering or poor quality capacitors (which won't be the problem in this case).

bought this today from my local jaycar (or from techbuy for the other states)

click here (http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AR3123&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=1029#4)

seems to work pretty well, little distortion but overall im fairly happy with it

Just got one of these from this seller
eBay item number:
161458131078


Not worth two bob for the following reasons :

Hissing is terrible
Scratchy audio
Steering wheel remote will not work once attched to wheel, too far to transmit.
And i have found with this one i purchased you need to manually hit your chosen pre set station to take a call.
Screen had scratches all over it out of the box.

Oh well you get what you pay for i guess.

Hope this info helps anybody else thinking of purchasing one.

I am considering buying this item:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bluetooth-Car-Kit-MP3-Player-FM-Transmitter-SD-USB-Charger-For-iPhone-Samsung-S6-/161622300844?hash=item25a17098ac:g:flAAAOSwBLlU9Vc 9

Any feedback about the above unit over the next week or so would be appreciated.

Or comments about other brands purchased would also be appreciated.

It works ok but you'll probably need a longer lead.

Do you mean an extension cable plugged into the power jack located inside the centre console/armrest?

It has a lead that plugs into the phone then into the device, the original lead I that came with mine wasn't long enough.

I have my phone in a holder on the right hand corner of the windscreen and the device was on the console so I needed a lead that was longer.

Thanks for the info.

I am not needing it for 'phone connectivity, only for allowing music from a USB stick to be played via the FM radio.

This is because I want to retain the original head unit as I don't want the original wiring modified in any way.

Have you used it for playing music via the USB port?

If so, how is the sound quality?

The sound quality is as good as the original equipment is.

being honest, id prefer just to replace the unit as the technology is fairly cheap these days for what you get. the only plus i see is that it has working steering controls(which in our cars we have to use a PAC unit to work).

again it is a "each to their own solution". the plus of everything wired in is less clutter in the interior.

Have seen these, they seem to work ok as well

Thing that would stop me replacing the factory unit is the fact you then get com error on the top display, would irritate me.

The wiring can be left alone with adapter plugs so this is not an issue

I am considering buying this item:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bluetooth-Car-Kit-MP3-Player-FM-Transmitter-SD-USB-Charger-For-iPhone-Samsung-S6-/161622300844?hash=item25a17098ac:g:flAAAOSwBLlU9Vc 9

Any feedback about the above unit over the next week or so would be appreciated.

Or comments about other brands purchased would also be appreciated.


The sound quality is as good as the original equipment is.

The gadget arrived today and so far for $22( now back to regular $25 price) including postage I am very happy.

It's easy to set up, plugs into the centre console power socket and I can close the lid with the USB
stick in place - the FM signal is not affected by closing the console lid.

Possibly, I will get an extension cord power socket so that I can operate it from next to the gear shift,
but it can stay where it is for now.

Sound quality is as good as the standard radio/speaker combinaion will allow which is good enough for now.

After an initial low "whine" when I first started, it is hiss and crackle free.

It comes with a working remote control but no instructions for the remote, just for the unit itself.

I was half expecting that when the engine was turned off and turned on again it would default to the first track
on the USB, but it has a working memory function which remembers where it last was.

My only complaint is that the centre console power socket will only provide power when the key is in "Acc" or "Start".

I thus lose the 1 hour keyless play function, but that is not the fault of the gadget I purchased.

So overall, very happy.

I bought one of those extensions with 3 plugs and a couple of USB plugs and Velcro'd it to the console on the left side of the gearshift. I also run a dashcam, phone charger ect ect.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Auto-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-Splitter-DC-12V-Charger-Adapter-with-USB-3-Way-/201069403126?hash=item2ed0ab9bf6:g:Z0oAAOxy7nNTQoa l

I bought one of those extensions with 3 plugs and a couple of USB plugs and Velcro'd it to the console on the left side of the gearshift. I also run a dashcam, phone charger ect ect.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Auto-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-Splitter-DC-12V-Charger-Adapter-with-USB-3-Way-/201069403126?hash=item2ed0ab9bf6:g:Z0oAAOxy7nNTQoa l

That's the same set up that I have, by the sound of it. Both my Magnas have a special cigarette lighter adapter which has three cigarette lighter outlets and two USB outlets in the one unit. They power the front and back dashcams and the USB MP3 transmitter. Yes, there's a bit of clutter but it's manageable if you take care about where you place the wires.