2004 BMW 545i iPod or iPhone connectivity?

Can a 2004 BMW 545i have iPod or iPhone connectivity? Some idiot at Crutchfield didn't think so and another idiot at a dealership didn't think so, either. I'm tired of using some stupid radio frequency to listen to my iPhone.

The crew at Crutchfield and the dealership were not idiots. Your '04 545i simple did not have OEM technology for such. Update your deck and quit calling anyone besides yourself an idiot.

This is rather simple and logical - the iPhone did not exist when that car was built. Why would you expect it to have iPhone connectivity?

1- Go to a dealer and having the auxiliary input accessory installed is the best option. But the car (which is apparently an early E60) still has to be recoded to retrofit the auxiliary input and how you control the auxiliary input depends on whether your car has a MASK-type or a CCC-type (i-drive) audio/video/telecom setup.
Parts cost may be from $50 to $100., install labor w/coding would normally go for 1.5 to 2 hours.

2- If you're not "married" to the idea of having that official OEM look to your stereo/dash than I suggest you buy a new stereo deck. For $200 of less you can get a new deck that will have better power and sound along with an AUX input and even a USB plug so you can load songs onto a flash drive. I just put an aftermarket deck into my E46 and it's the best thing I've ever done to the sound system.

3- You can buy a auxiliary audio interface for BMW but only works if you don't have the I-drive
look for pie bmw-aux: This was what I installed into my niece's Corolla:
http://www.oemautosound.com/pc-292-80-pie-bmw-pc-son-bmw-1996-2007-auxiliary-input-adapter.aspx

Look at these links:
http://forums.5series.net/e60-parts-accessories-mods-22/2004-e60-iphone-ipod-integration-121031/

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306552

Just some ideas. HTH

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