Does anyone know of any modifications to use modern cell phones via the factory installed radio? Similar to the SYNC feature in Fords?

 

Modifications can be made using aftermarket bluetooth car kits like the Motorola T605. I had the same question and stumbled upon a guide for the X308's Alpine system here. It's a pretty difficult operation that doesn't look reversible, so go at your own risk.

Alternatively, newer GPS systems like the Garmin 880 have bluetooth phone pairing. A bit less destructive to the car and definitely the easiest solution.

 

I was going to connect to the stock wiring, but also decided to go with a newer GPS with Bluetooth. I've got an older TomTom Rider that I use on my motorcycle with Bluetooth and a helmet headset, and it works great! But for the car, it does not include the speaker like the newer ones do.

By going with the GPS/Bluetooth, you can always move it from car to car too.

PS: In my wifes car, we have the Parrott CK3200 LS. Her car is a convertible, and she's able to talk on the phone while driving top down on the freeway. That is the system I was considering installing in my XJR using the stock phone wiring. It plays the sound through the stereo (Sounds Awesome), and includes voice dialing. She keeps her phone in her purse, and makes/receives calls without ever touching it.

 

I've been wondering the same thing, the engineer in me thinks if I just knew a little more I should be able to make it work. Jaguar has to make everything so complicated, I tried calling Alpine and they were totally no help at all. I contacted Motorola and they told me to just install an aftermarket kit, you'd think you could come up with a bluetooth module that could take advantage of the factory infrastructure. It's times like these when I wish I still worked with all those geeky semiconductor design engineers. Ideally if you could jack into the converter box under the phone or replace the converter box with a bluetooth kit you'd be in business.

I guess I'm just sick or something, no one seems to understand, I like the old school look of the 2000 stereo system, I don't want to replace it with a bright colored modern deck that comes equiped with bluetooth.

 

I'm with you 100%, I'd never replace the stock radio with another one. It already sounds good enough, and looks the part in the console. A new brightly colored deck would ruin the aesthetics of the car.

I've already taken the center console (under the armrest) apart and found the wiring to be very simple to connect to. Using the page Astigmatism linked to, it's easy to understand if you have any electrical knowledge. If not, then I'm sure a local stereo shop could do it for you for a minimal cost using a printout of that page. I cannot imagine them charging any more than about $100 for the installation labor, and even that seems a little steep to me. It should be much cheaper if you buy the Blue-Tooth unit from them.

You should be able to retain the volume control of the steering wheel, and possibly the ability to use the phone button on the steering wheel, but I don't see any way to use the dialing from the stereo console. Although, as mentioned before, most phones now days take advantage of voice dialing, which I've tried in my wifes car, and it works quite well. Also, when a call comes in, or you initiate a call, the stereo automatically mutes and the screen shows "Phone" your call is heard through the stereo (the sound is MUCH nicer than hands free devices) then when the call ends, the stereo automatically continues where it left off.

My wife drives a 2005 New Beetle Convertible, and I installed the Parrot kit in about 2 hours. Now that I've done one, I'm positive I can connect it to the XJR in less time. And, I'm 99% sure that the Volume controls will work directly from the stereo as it does with my wife's car.

My understanding is that the Motorola unit mentioned earlier in this thread is comparable to the Parrot kit, but I've only had experience with the Parrot kit, and I have to say, I'm VERY impressed with the sound quality. Especially, when the top is down, and she can still talk easily while on the freeway. The trick was Microphone Placement and the Foam Cover. The Parrot CK3200 LS can be bought for under $100 on eBay. I paid about $150 a year ago, and they are still selling for up to $250 on some sites.

The one down side is that the Parrot Kit does have a small brightly colored screen that you would have to place somewhere within reach
.
They do make another unit with the same sound quality that has no screen, only buttons, and I think might look better
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There are even upgraded models that will let you stream your MP3 music from your phone through your stereo
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This version also comes with a smaller screen if wanted
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and now, no need for your CD Changer. I'd probably go that route, then you could also stream your GPS voice directions through the stereo.

Sorry this is so long winded, I just wanted to offer my personal experience in the hopes to clear some things up.

YouTube Video showing how it works

PS: NO, I do not work for Parrot, or sell them, I just like what I've tried.

 

Good post SuperSport.

This all assumes however that your Jag has an available aux input on its stereo (or you replace the input connection of another source, like the CD changer), correct?

My 1998 XJR has the Harmon Kardon system and I'm fairly certain I'm out of luck when it comes to mating *any* equipment up to the stereo itself, even replacing the CD changer. I was simply going to use the audio output and mic from the Garmin unit itself.

Can anyone verify this for the Harmon Kardon system?

 

Actually, in my 1999 XJR, I also have the Harmon Kardon system. Using the stock wiring harness under the armrest, you will be able to connect bluetooth directly into your stereo system. (This would use the phone input for your bluetooth. Your stereo screen would still show "Phone" when you are on a call. And it would not affect your CD changer at all.) Take a look at the link you gave in your message above. I read it very carefully, and from my experience in my wife's car, it is almost exactly the same hookups in our XJRs. The stock wiring includes the input, output, and mute wires all in the console (actually easier to connect to than my wife's car).

When you remove the Armrest to find the wire, it will either be plugged into your phone module, or like mine, it will be tucked back next to the vent outlets in the back of the console. It is a 10 wire cable with a white connector attached. You will either need to cut off the white connector and connect to your bluetooth device, or somehow find the mate to that connector. Read the link you gave carefully to avoid shorting out any wires as they are live (recommend disconnecting battery).

Again, this setup probably will NOT allow you to use the keypad on your stock stereo to dial, but it will allow you to hear the phone call through your stock stereo (Sound is Awesome), and automatically mute your stereo music when the phone is in use. It will also allow you to control your in-call volume using the volume control on the stereo or steering wheel.

If you are hesitant to try this method, you might print out the pages on the link you posted and take them to your local stereo/bluetooth shop and see what they think. If they have experience installing bluetooth, I'm confident it will make sense to them.

I'm not sure where you are located, but if you are near Sacramento, CA USA, I'd be glad to show you where everything is in the XJR, and give you a demo of how it works in my wife's car.

It's late here now, but let me know if you'd want them, and I will take a couple photos of the wiring harness tomorrow.

Update: Photos uploaded. All taken from Driver's Seat for Orientation.

Console in tact:


Open showing placement of 4 screws to remove. Also note orientation of the latch at arrow, for reinstallation:


Lift out the whole unit as one piece. The wires will either be connected to a phone module if equipped, or tucked in here like this:


Carefully pull it out so you can get to the plug and wires:


This is the end of the plug if you decied to try to find a mate:


As far as connections to which colors, refer back to the link you gave earlier. Like I said, a Bluetooth Installer will have no problem with this connection.

 

This is great news. I assumed the link I posted for the Alpine system in the newer X308 XJR's was going to be wildly different than the HK system in the 98-99 models.

I'd love your help, but I'm in the Seattle area. Still, I'm no stranger to mobile-electronics so I'm likely to brave this on my own.

Thanks again for a really detailed post (with photos even!), love it .

Correction:

I now see that the guide has instructions for BOTH the Alpine and HK units and the CD-changer is an Alpine unit for both systems. Excuse my confusion!

 

I don't remember what company I saw them at last night, but they are in the UK somewhere, but the Cable Adapter IS available for this plug. I wrote down Part #06-101B / Price £17.38. This would leave your plug in tact in case you would rather not cut it. This part # and price is for the 1997-2000 XJR.

Google "Jaguar Car Kit Installation Leads" It's the first hit. You might even find them in the US.

 

Brilliant. No reason not to attempt this now. For anyone following this thread, the aforementioned site is Nexxia Audio Solutions. The part is actually selling for £15.11 despite the description which at the time of this post is about $6.35. The total with postage and packaging to the U.S. is £29.06 (or $12.213).

I do have one additional concern now however. For the #06-101B Nexxia states that:

"When installed the smart lead will mute your head unit and redirect the call through the front speakers."

Suggesting that the HK head unit doesn't supply the audio signals from the phone to all ten speakers in the car, but maybe only the front two or four?

Is this true or is this just some marketing assumption of Nexxia's? If I were to purchase a Parrot unit with iPod compatibility I'd certainly want to make use of every speaker in the system.

 

Now that you mention it, that is how my wife's car works. It is due to the fact that there is an amp inline for the rear that overpowers the phone sound, so they direct it only to the front. (I initially connected it this way, and the phone was so loud that it hurt your ears, even on lowest setting. )

From what I see, it looks like you would need an SOT connector that plugs directly into the stereo. It looks like they sell them. This would in turn recieve the streaming iPhone/MP3 audio and send it directly throught the stereo's Full System.

I've just sent them a "What do I Need" request to see what is needed for phone (Front Speakers) and streaming music (All Speakers). They say they will have an answer within 24 hours.

I'll report back with findings.

I'm sure it's possible, or they would not be selling many of those types of units.

 

I've been excited about this thread all week. My car had the factory phone, I took the console apart today and found all the connections. I looked on line at the different Parrot units, and there was a link to a group that makes pre wired harnesses.

They said if I supplied the connectors, they'd make the harness for the parrot unit. I found the connectors on line at: http://www.masterdistributors.com/

The part numbers for the connectors are listed in the PDF Astigmatism posted a link to early in the thread. The male connector (car side in my XJ8) is 174465, the female connecton is 174932. There is a dash 1, 2 and 3 part number, I'll have to call and see what that means, my guess is size. Also, I'm not sure what the part number for the pins is or if they are included with the connector.

I'm thinking I'll just make my own harness. In fact since I have the connector from the phone I'm considereing just hacking it up to leave the car side in tact.

So now I just have to decide Motorola IHF1000 or Parrot CK3100. Any feedback from you guys which one might be better?

Oh, and with the phone removed my console is a lot larger, but do they make a replacement insert? there's lots of holes from the phone wiring.

 

Find an insert from a an XJR/XJ8 that didn't have the factory phone. My car has a completely solid armrest compartment insert that would suit you well enough.

Consider using your insert if you intend to use a bluetooth kit which also has iPod integration. If you end up mounting the bluetooth control module under the armrest you can poke the ipod connector though those holes and leave the ipod out of sight in the armrest storage compartment.

I'd even consider swapping you since these are my intentions actually

 

I only have experience with the Parrot CK3200 LS, and can say it works quite well in a VW New Beetle Convertible. I have also heard good things about the Motorola units. I sort of like the look of the Motorola ones better, but that would only be due to aesthetics.

UPDATE: Below is my email response from Nexxia.

"Hi

For hands free you can use 06-101B with 06-426B, have a look at the details below particularly the user guide, but nothing available to also enable music streaming with this kit I'm afraid."

I still feel there must be a way to accomplish streaming music, although, it might have to be through the CD input as described before. I haven't picked up a bluetooth kit for this car yet, or I'd let you know right away.

 

I have a sample AMP connector being shipped from Tyco, it does require pins. It doesn't appear that this is a very common part any more. I did find out the -1 is white and the -2 is black.

As far as the console box, that is a good idea to keep it for routing but it has a 3/4 inch slot on one end hidden by a plastic plate, with the plate in place the slot is hidden but it eats up a 2/3 of the space in the box. If you're interested, ill try and post a picture if I can figure out how.

 

OK, so I decided that all I really wanted was for the phone to work, I'll try hacking into the CD changer when it dies. I bought the Parrot 3100 kit on ebay, $71.00 total. I bought it because it has the caller ID display, in case I don't want to answer, I can see who it is.

I made up my connector to hook to the factory harness. For the 3100 it takes 6 connections, so far all the documentation people have provided was accurate. I needed a few dollars in heat shrink and solder to make the connections "factory".

I took down the upper console and ran the microphone wire across the headliner, down undwenwatht the trim on the pillar, under the dash on the drivers side and into the center console, I had about 6" of wire left when I was done and getting that 1/8" jack fished through was probably the hardest part. I had to use a more rigid pull or push wire with a little piece of tape. My car had the factory phone before so I just mounted the new mic where the old one was.

Then I ran the parrot control cable fron the dash by the trip computer down through the console. I eneded up pulling the radio to get room to fish the wires through. Also thanks to someone elses previous post and the JITS I was able to remove the ski slope without dammage, but I did learn that for the slope and radio, it's best to have the shifter in N or D to get clearance.

I mounted face of the unit to the dash using some sticky velcro that came with the kit.

I did all that last night in about 2 hours, slow and steady. This morning I clamped in the cable and made the test run, everything worked. I buttoned up all the consoles and trim and replaced my old phone console insert with the deeper non phone one, the clearance was tight but I velcroed the blue parrot module to the inside of the console housing to get it out of the way and the wires are thin so they pass underneath just fine.

Total project installation and clean up took around 4 hours.

So now for the assessment.

Calls sound clear through the front two speakers and the microphone seems to work very well, I made a couple of calls and the recipients couldn't tell the difference between my cell phone and the car unit. I moved around and talked at different levels, the microphone caught it all.

I used the "line in" connection and the volume buttons on the radio and the steering wheel adjust the volume of the speakers like they are supposed to. I was concerned I might have to use the Parrot controled signal so I made that connection temporary with a couple of wire nuts, I soldered and heat shrunk it once I had proven it out.

Because there is no ACP network connection, you can't press the phone buttons on the steering wheel to switch to phone or hang up, it just flashes "no phone", but because of the mute wire function, when a call comes in or when you make a call "PHONE" shows up on the radio display.

The display on the Parrot unit is nice, you can set up audio commands or use the buttons and knob on the front. I think I'll set up the voice commands so I can be more hands free, I haven't fully tested the features, but it looks like there are several.

So overall I'm quite pelased with the project. Thanks for everyones help, this has been a fun project.

 

As Hannibal used to say in the A-team, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

After doing the CDChanger hack for MP3 connectivity, I couldn't resist ordering a Parrot kit to do the phone upgrade too. I ordered the Parrot CK3200LS with the colour display as it was on offer at amazon.com so only $30 more than the 3100. It should arrive in the next 1 or 2 days so hopefully I can also have a similar installation success !

Did the 3100 come with any mountings for air vents? I'm hoping the CK3200 will because I am planning to mount it on the side drivers air vent as I don't want to stick anything to my wood.

Also it sounds like you ran your own mic wiring from the roof console to the centre cubby. According to Jim Roals instructions it sounded like you could use the factory wiring thats already there? Did you try that and it didn't work or ?

 

PS : What happens if you get an incoming call and the stereo is turned off? does it turn on? Same question for if you start an outgoing call with the stereo off. Does it turn on?

 

So, yeah, I forgot to mention, if hte radio is off, the Parrot unit is still on and you can make and recieve calls normally, the radio display comes on and says phone when you send and recieve a call. It goes off again when you hang up or the call ends.

If the radio is on it mutes the stereo, when the call ends the stereo kicks back on.

I thought about splicing the factory mic, it is a coax cable, I thought about just re using the factory connector, the reason I decided against it was the Parrot came with a really thin cord (say 24 gauge ish) and an 1/8th inch mini jack. I was worried about being able to re connect these tiny wires and if I screwed it up I didn't want the hassel of making a new cable. In retro spect, I think I could have done it, but I'm happy enough with the result.

I also didn't want to stick anything to the wood, I've mounted it to the leather (lesser of 2 evils?) just below the wood trim and trip computer. I routed the cord through the seam between the wood and leather. It came with a couple dash style mounts but I'm sure you could make them work in a vent if you wanted.

I posted a picture of the Parrot mounted on the console in the usesers gallery but I'm not sure how to link to it here.

 

It sounds like it operates identical to the installation in my wife's VW. Great job!

Since I've got extensive background doing soldering and wiring, I would attempt splicing in the mic to the factory wiring, but the only concern I had was if the stock wiring would be as interference free for the Parrot Mic. As you mentioned, the Parrot mic is coax, so is less prone to interference. The other concern is as you said, the wires are VERY small and as such, are tough to handle and solder without breaking them. It can definitely be done, just have patience if you do. I will try because I feel it will be easier than snaking the wiring.

As far as I remember, the CK3200 LS did not have a vent mount included.