AudiWorld Forums - IceLink / iPod install (edited: now with text & pics)

Using yeahboz' install post as a guide, my own install went without a hitch. I was cheap and tried to fashion my own radio removal keys from file folder hangers but did not have success. The wonderful APR I+ software is generating lean and O2 sensor codes more frequently now and the recent set took me to the dealer while on vacation 125 miles from home. The dealer was great and would be worth the trip for regularly scheduled service visits. Anyway, I had the dealer use their radio keys to pull the head unit out half an inch.

I've read several posts for blitzsafe and similar products. Seemed like a good approach but had a few disadvantages too. The icelink offers line out connection for best possible sound, no using the headphone connection. The new v1.1 cradle charges ipod so you?re not left with dead battery by the end of your trip. The headunit now controls track selection so no fussing with the barely visible ipod display while driving. The v1.1 cradle also powers off the ipod when the hu is powered off. Finally, the v1.1 kit includes all parts necessary for the install (except radio removal keys. This should be offered, too, as landspeed did with their VW upgrade kits). Yes, it is more expensive but these new features were important to me and I felt it was better to go all the way with a clean install rather than spend a good amount for a compromise solution. You decide which features you need. I see the value in blitzsafe but icelink better fits my needs.

Yeahboz disconnected the antenna cable during his install but I did not need to. Attaching the ground wire IS critical, but I also needed to disconnect the power cable and then reinsert in order to get audio signal through the CDC port.

Because the icelink connection ends in a cradle, I chose to order a dash mount. The mount is not pictured because densionusa has not yet sent it to me. For the time being, the cradle cord is long enough to reach the storage area under the arm rest. A nice hiding place for those times when I need to leave the ipod in the car. Because I intended to use the dash mount I did not route the cable all the way down the back and under the dash console panel. Instead, I routed it through a small opening next to the glove box. The cable is black so it blends a bit better than white or gray cables would.

DO use a towel to protect your interior while doing the install. And DO notice the AMS SS. Shorter throws and precise feel. Worth the money. The HU balanced well on the SS during the install. And DO use care when tucking the cables back in to the dash as they tend to kink. Finally, DO disregard my dusty interior! I was away on vacation and out in the desert. Nothing out there but golf and DUST!!! Oh, and lotsa margaritas!

Not much to add 'cept to refer you all to yeahboz' install post with great pics. Install time was about 10 or 15 minutes and the only issue was no sound upon first connection. I checked all connections and then pulled the power to the HU. That seemed to solve the problem. Now I've got 4209 songs with the ipod set to shuffle play. Next I'll hafta create a 'classical' and a 'jazz' playlist so I can use the ipod while family and coworkers and clients are in the car. THEN I can enjoy alternative and all the good stuff while on my own. Random play with huge song selection is SO much better than 6 cds in the dash. . . .

Good luck, all.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/33510/a4_ipod_teaser_2.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/33510/hu_harness_ground.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/33510/icelink_harness_connector.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/33510/icelink_cable.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/33510/cradle_temp.jpg"><ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a4gen2/msgs/218162.phtml">yeahboz' blitzsafe install with pics</a></li></ul>