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From you all's experience will a Bluetooth adaptor (this one) work in my 2002 XK8? Mine is 100% factory with no changes.
This product is mentioned here and there on the forum and I have read a ton of threads on the subject but getting a clear definitive, YES, is proving difficult...
I hate getting others to do my homework but I need some help here
If it is the correct product would it be difficult to do myself?
I installed one of those in a prior car. Definitely "professional" install. You need to find the connector in the armrest and figure out the pinout for the phone part (sound input and radio mute). You will also need power and ground, obviously. For power, you need power switched with the radio so you can complete your call even after shutting the engine off (but leaving the key in). You will need to route the microphone from inside the dash and around the windshield.
For music, there is no aux input in the radio, so you need to work something out (nothing new here)
CD changer sound cable
Trick wiring into the cassette deck
Wire a cassette adapter
Install a wired FM transmitter in the radio antenna input
The good part is that this adapter is pretty basic, and leaves all the smarts on your phone where they belong. The best use case is listening to some music from your phone over the car speakers (one way or the other), receive a call, press the green button, have the phone pause the music by itself, and then resume it when the call is done (red button). I was told call quality was (just) OK for folks on the other end, there is no noise cancellation, I believe.
The bad part is that it is quite a bit of work, and never quite manages to reach that seamless integration.
I installed one of those in a prior car. Definitely "professional" install. You need to find the connector in the armrest and figure out the pinout for the phone part (sound input and radio mute). You will also need power and ground, obviously. For power, you need power switched with the radio so you can complete your call even after shutting the engine off (but leaving the key in). You will need to route the microphone from inside the dash and around the windshield.
For music, there is no aux input in the radio, so you need to work something out (nothing new here)
CD changer sound cable
Trick wiring into the cassette deck
Wire a cassette adapter
Install a wired FM transmitter in the radio antenna input
The good part is that this adapter is pretty basic, and leaves all the smarts on your phone where they belong. The best use case is listening to some music from your phone over the car speakers (one way or the other), receive a call, press the green button, have the phone pause the music by itself, and then resume it when the call is done (red button). I was told call quality was (just) OK for folks on the other end, there is no noise cancellation, I believe.
The bad part is that it is quite a bit of work, and never quite manages to reach that seamless integration.
Thanks Mertz!
As usual, amazing amounts of information... I am NOT AT ALL interested in talking on the phone while driving (or any other time, lol). Dont need or want that at all...
I'm understanding that the design of the original equipment is what makes this punishingly difficult... A loooooong time ago I assumed that along with the compliment of wires in the back of the head unit, or at the amp or CD changer - would be the familiar RCA jacks - bit I guess that's a no go!?
So your saying that for just music use,,, this is my device?Also,,, since this device is kinda old tech at this point, have you (or anyone) discovered or heard of anything else...?
Is there a concise set of directions somewhere for breaking into the feeds to or from the amp or CD changer? I've tried the cassette adaptor and the FM device... Made my hair hurt... So not that again.
Hate to bug you for more than you already gave,,, but I have to (for my girlfriends demand), need to, figure something out. At the same time, I don't want to disturb the original look and electrics of factory. I don't know HOW I got to be a purists,,, lol
I haven't done this yet but I've been thinking of getting one from Discount Car Stereo. They have several models that are plug compatible with the CD player input for a much easier install. Different versions for different XK models, and different versions some for calls, some not, some with wired, some with bluetooth and some with both. You can search this forum for discountcarstereo and find other posts about their products.
I haven't done this yet but I've been thinking of getting one from Discount Car Stereo. They have several models that are plug compatible with the CD player input for a much easier install. Different versions for different XK models, and different versions some for calls, some not, some with wired, some with bluetooth and some with both. You can search this forum for discountcarstereo and find other posts about their products.
Yes! You are right... Thank you for the better thinking, Graham... Any thoughts on the product?
That is what I have installed in my 2001 XKR. If you can use a soldering iron it is definitely DIY. The phone connections are all available in the armrest. For the audio I spliced the audio LR into the CD cable in the boot. With no bluetooth device connected the CD player plays as normal, with audio playing over bluetooth the device automatically switches to the bluetooth input. All the information needed is here:-
This is exactly it!!! Bought... Thanks so much for your help and attention!
I'm going to give it a try also. With some trepidation, I just joined Apple Music and the volume of good sounds now available to me is a bit overwhelming.
Have to have the bluetooth in car connection to help sort it out.
I'm going to give it a try also. With some trepidation, I just joined Apple Music and the volume of good sounds now available to me is a bit overwhelming.
Have to have the bluetooth in car connection to help sort it out.
I expect I'll be going with discount sound stereo, too. The plug feature just makes sense...
I really DO appreciate the info offered about wiring the 9ther Bluetooth device as well! Thank you. Hard worked for information and shared experience, right there!
Ordered the gizmo on Tuesday, it arrived on Saturday, I Installed it in about 45 minutes. It works as advertised with my iPhone Xr.. I suggest getting the optional remote . For $10, the remote is a bargain. And lets you avoid looking at the phone screen as long as your playlist lasts. I used fuse location #5 and no static so far.
Just installed the discountcarstereo.com A2D-JAG98 bluetooth this weekend. Appears to work great, even at earsplitting volume. No obviously great place, however, for the remote. So, I installed it on top of the cigar lighter that I will surely never use to light cigars since I have a good one in the glove box.
I simply removed the guts from a spare lighter leaving the shell (see below), and sticky taped the remote onto the carcass (see below), leaving an elegant cigarmote (see below). I'll probably epoxy the remote and the carcass together one day. The remote battery is replaceable even if one epoxies the bottom to something.
And it's still easily removable in the event daughter is in the car with her phone wavering around 2% charge, as usual.
Disassembled cigar lighter. Trashed three of four of these bits. Used carcass at top as base for cigarmote.
Cigarmote glamour shot.
Cigarmote elegantly installed. For those who might want the plus at the top, rotate it in your mind.
At the end of the 'Christmas Break' and finally getting around to things that aren't leaking... My wife wasn't satisfied with my bluetooth music solution (jag-cd from discountcarstereo.com) and actually wanted a handsfree system in hers. So, acquired the enhanced, handsfree system from discountcarstereo.com (jagcd-hf). Since it needed a mic and a button, it presented a dilemma. Where to put them?
There have been some solutions posted for the mic and for the button, but I prefer them to be completely inobtrusive. So, it turns out that the discountcarstereo mic can be stuffed into the overhead console in the gap behind the passenger airbag sensor towards the driver. Works great, sound quality good. See picture below.
Location of the microphone in header console. Cable run in front of header, down interior of A-pillar, across the top of the driver footwell into the console.
Since my wife doesn't smoke anything, she suggested giving up the ashtray. So, I drilled a hole in the front of the ashtray enclosure for the cables, machined an insert out of ABS plastic (colored the color of the car, as requested) to hold the button and an aux USB connector. See below. All as inobtrusive as I want, and she is now as accessible to the phone as she appears to want. Also, she still has a lighter so she can still start smoking if she brings an aux ash tray.
Not sure what all you're trying to accomplish with your set up, but this Bluetooth adaptor is amazingly easy and it literally is a "plug into your cigarette lighter and play." You simply find a radio station that is an empty frequency, dial the adaptor to that frequency, and turn it on. The device finds your Bluetooth device, in this case, my phone, and you're playing your Spotify playlist over the Jag's speakers. You can answer your phone and speak through the cars speakers as if its a factory installed system. It has two charging ports as well so you and your passenger can charge your phones as you go down the road. Could not be easier.
Not sure what all you're trying to accomplish with your set up, but this Bluetooth adaptor is amazingly easy and it literally is a "plug into your cigarette lighter and play." You simply find a radio station that is an empty frequency, dial the adaptor to that frequency, and turn it on. The device finds your Bluetooth device, in this case, my phone, and you're playing your Spotify playlist over the Jag's speakers. You can answer your phone and speak through the cars speakers as if its a factory installed system. It has two charging ports as well so you and your passenger can charge your phones as you go down the road. Could not be easier.
Generally trying to accomplish four things
1. Have it play through the speakers, but not through the FM radio (interference issues and much poorer sound quality, FM signal to noise ~75 db on a good day, CD SNR ~95 db).
2. Not have it stick up from the lighter.
3. Keep the CD (which some other wired systems do not).
4. Have good sound quality for handsfree with the top down. This system does. I have not found the comparable systems available from various family members with systems such as the one you have to be good when the wind is blowing, or at most other times either. The cigar lighter bluetooth solution relies on the bounce from speaking into the windshield to get to the mic.
As a bonus for my own quirks, since I have almost exclusively driven manual transmission cars for all of my life, I still have this habit of putting my hand on the shift knob.
However, as you note, it is much easier to plug and set a station than run wires from the back and the front, especially if you don't drive outside of town and are not in a metro area that is clogged with radio stations.
At the end of the 'Christmas Break' and finally getting around to things that aren't leaking... My wife wasn't satisfied with my bluetooth music solution (jag-cd from discountcarstereo.com) and actually wanted a handsfree system in hers. So, acquired the enhanced, handsfree system from discountcarstereo.com (jagcd-hf). Since it needed a mic and a button, it presented a dilemma. Where to put them?
There have been some solutions posted for the mic and for the button, but I prefer them to be completely inobtrusive. So, it turns out that the discountcarstereo mic can be stuffed into the overhead console in the gap behind the passenger airbag sensor towards the driver. Works great, sound quality good. See picture below.
Location of the microphone in header console. Cable run in front of header, down interior of A-pillar, across the top of the driver footwell into the console.
Since my wife doesn't smoke anything, she suggested giving up the ashtray. So, I drilled a hole in the front of the ashtray enclosure for the cables, machined an insert out of ABS plastic (colored the color of the car, as requested) to hold the button and an aux USB connector. See below. All as inobtrusive as I want, and she is now as accessible to the phone as she appears to want. Also, she still has a lighter so she can still start smoking if she brings an aux ash tray.
New 'Carnival Red" button/USB insert.
I'm all over this... On me list... I've been waiting, as money IS an issue, but getting close... Can't wait. For me, the factory stereo is more than sufficient sound wise, but lacking in the blue tooth capacity. This seems to solve that... You're trusted CR,,, I would love to hear your (and your SO's) review,,, once settled in and using it regularly... Please do
08-29-2019, 11:36 AM
BLUETOOTH adaptor
