We want to tell you about our customers more and more so we will be updating our blog at least weekly with one of our customers experiences. He had a choice of Dension or Dice In Car iPod kits.

Calvin Divilak from North London runs his own eCommerse website selling bathroom accessories. He contacted our sales team via our ticketing system requesting some advice on what kit would suit his needs best. His choice was between the BMW Dension Gateway and the BMW Dice Silverline iPod Car Kits.

Calvin wasn’t that confident with auto electrics but with the right guidance was sure he could do it. Before his purchase we sent him a direct link to the installation instructions of both kits. It seemed that Calvin thought he would struggle to remove the stereo in his car so he opted for the Dice Silverline kit for BMW as it simply plugs into the pre-wired lead in the boot. From here he would just have to route the 5m wire which comes with the kit through to where he wanted his iPod to live.

Calvin ordered at 2:30pm on Thursday and left a voicemail on our sales phone line at 7:30am on Friday to say that he received the item. We received another call at 9am to let us know he had installed it and to discuss the best way of operating the kit. Within 10 minutes he had the hang of it and was another happy customer.

Its time to tell you about another of our customers. Andy Crawford from Leeds contacted us around a month ago and was more than happy to share his story.

Andy purchased a new (09) VW Golf from his local VW dealership, he was told be the salesman that an iPod integration kit was included in the price of the vehicle. Andy was delighted as he was also looking at a Renault Megane which didn’t have the option for iPod Integration, hearing this news tipped the decision towards the VW. Andy drives alot for his job and can average 200 miles a day in some weeks. He ordered and eagerly waited for his new car to arrive.

3 weeks later he got the call to collect his car and swiftly popped down to the VW Dealer. He was delighted with the car in every aspect but within a few hours (after playing with all the gadgets and getting used to it) he got around to testing the iPod kit. To Andy’s disbelief the only visible iPod connection was just a 3.5mm jack in the glove box. He scoured the vehicle manual and couldn’t find any information so he called the dealer and was told that the 3.5mm jack was the iPod Integration kit that he was promised. Andy pointed out that 3.5mm jacks cannot integrate an iPod with a stereo, it can only provide a simple audio signal. He was after hoping that his iPod would stay charged and have the ability to be controlled from the car stereo.

After a 30 minute conversation the VW Dealer finally decided to offer an integrated iPod solution to Andy for free of charge. The car was booked in and the iPod kit was installed. It turns out that the kit they were installing was a very poor, very old version of a Dension In Car iPod kit (infact, one of the very first versions produced nearly 8 years ago). It wouldn’t charge his iPod, it would only map 5 playlists on the stereo (he couldn’t control it via albums, artists, tracks or any other means), he couldn’t revert the controls back to the iPod, the kit didn’t send track information (ID3 tagging) to the stereo. All in all, Andy wasn’t happy!

We received a call at 3:30pm on a Friday from Andy, our first contact with him. He asked what could be done and if any of the features he wanted were possible. We confirmed that ALL the features were possible & infact very simple. He could even install the kit himself easily. Andy ordered & we received a call on Monday morning from Andy. Andy received the kit on Saturday at 8am, had it installed by 9am and all the features he was after worked just as he had hoped.

Andy was just another happy customer of iPodCarKitDirect. If you want iPod integration or an In Car iPod then give us a call, see what see can do for you!

Everyone knows that iPod car adapter kits allow users to listen to the music on their iPod while they drive. Some iPod car integration kits, however, even allow drivers to play iPod videos and DVDs on their dashboard-mounted user interface or in the head-rests for rear passengers. This may seem like an unnecessary accessory – why would the person who is driving need to be able to watch videos while doing so? Well, they wouldn’t, but there are many situations in which such a device might come in handy.

Imagine that you have a flat tire and you’re waiting for roadside assistance. Or you went to pick your son or daughter up from practice, and it’s running late. Maybe you’re stuck in traffic, or going to a restaurant, and there’s a wait before you can be seated. In pretty much any situation that involves you having to wait in, or near, your car, there is a potential for severe boredom, which is where the iPod video car kit comes in handy. It’s especially useful if you happen to be in a situation where waiting is involved, and you have bored children in your car.

Some say that the dashboard-mounted video unit isn’t safe, because drivers can be distracted by it, or attempt to watch it while driving. However, this isn’t a problem that is inherent with the unit itself – it’s a problem with some people who might use it incorrectly. Just like everything else on the market, most people use it properly, but there will always be those who don’t. The people who are likely to misuse the iPod car kit add-on would most likely partake in illegal activates while they drive such as using their mobile phone or applying make-up, which would be equally if not more unsafe.

The iPod is the ideal platform for storing additional music and videos, the Gigabytes of space can be difficult to fill. Take advantage of this and add films, TV programs or music videos to your iPod so they are there to watch when you or your kids have a spare 30 minutes to an hour to enjoy them.

See below our top 10 scenarios of when an iPod Video Kit for vehicles is useful in combating boredom.

1) Stuck in traffic on the motorway.
2) To keep your Kids entertained and stop them arguing and fighting in the back of your car.
3) Keep passengers entertained on long journeys.
4) if your waiting for a booking or appointment.
5) If your Vehicle has Broken Down and you’re waiting for assistance.
6) Keep up to date with news and local current affairs via pod casts when you’re out of your county or state.
7) Watch your favorite TV Series if you pull over for a fast lunch break.
If you’re waiting to pick somebody up whose train or plane is delayed by an hour or two.
9) If you’ve been kicked out of your house (Oops you shouldn’t be so naughty).
10) If you’re on a camping trip and stuck for something to do at night.

We’ve thought of a few instances when an iPod car kit with video integration could come in handy, i’m sure you can think of a few more!

Since iPod Car Kit Direct introduced Dice to the UK last year Dice have come on leaps and bounds. We always knew they had huge potential!

They have just finished the last touches on their new look website which can be seen here;

http://diceelectronics.com/index.php/

Dice (Dice Silverline) are fastly becoming the worlds most prestigious iPod Car Kit manufacturers along the side of Dension (who make the Dension gateway 100, gateway 300, gateway 500 (which replace the Ice Link Plus a year or so ago)). If you want an in car iPod then this really is the way to go!

Check out the new Dice site and contact us if you need any information.

More and more people are getting HD radio installed in their cars. The reception is better, the sound is clearer, and there is a wider variety of shows and stations to listen to. So, if you have already purchased an HD radio for your car – or if you bought a car with a HD radio already installed – why get an iPod car kit?

                For one thing, with HD radio, the sound quality is improved over a normal radio but the sound will be poorer than an iPod kit; there are also commercials in between tracks. Sometimes the commercials are as often as every few songs, depending on the station. There is less static with HD radio compared to the standard FM or AM radio, but you can still have problems listening to stations; the station won’t fade out as quickly, but if you are too far from where the station is being broadcast, you won’t be able to hear it. This is especially a problem for people who often make long drives – searching for a new station every hour, because you’ve traveled outside of the previous station’s broadcast radius, can get pretty annoying. Obviously, neither the commercials, nor the geographical location, are a problem for someone who is listening to an iPod.

                Even though HD radio has a greater variety of programming than regular radio, it can’t beat the variety of programming that can be found on podcasts, and played through your iPod. With an iPod, you can always choose what you want to hear; if a song comes on that you don’t want to hear, you simply fast-forward. No more flipping through stations hoping to find something you’ll enjoy; you have control over what you want to hear, anytime you listen.

                The iPod is now more universal with the iPod Car Kit

Dice Electronics are at the forefront of the iPod Car Kit market in the US & have pushed themselves into the limelight in the UK market over the last year. Dice Electronics have a huge development team and are always trying to better their kits.

The latest update is something called "SMART" mode. SMART mode is a new way of operating your iPod. It allows you to switch between iPod control and stereo/steering wheel control without going into your boot to change the dip switches around.

This new mode makes the Dice iPod Integration kits stand out above others & really pushes them towards what the consumers want.

Currently, the SMART mode kits are only available for BMW but more vehicles are due soon. Watch this space!

Dension iPod car kits are a great option for those who want to be able to listen to their entire music library on-the-go. Dension has a variety of car kits available, ranging from a simple auxiliary cable, to an active dock which charges your iPod while it plays. Another popular model is the Dension ice>Link one, which works with virtually every vehicle, and plays your iPod via seven user-selectable FM frequencies. (Of course, with this model, getting great sound quality isn’t difficult to obtain, as its hard-wired connection into the radio aerial, and blocks out additional frequencies. The most popular and user-friendly models appear to be the Dension Gateway 100 and 300.

The Dension Gateway models (100 and 300) allow users to play music from their iPod (or any USB media player) through their car’s stereo. Users can choose to control their music and options through the Gateway user interface, located on the car’s dashboard, or via their iPod clickwheel. The Gateway also charges the iPod as it plays, and users can see album, artist and track title information on the dashboard screen (Where compatible), instead of having to look at their iPod’s screen while they are driving. Optional accessories include a Dension BTA1500 model (compatible with the gateway 500), which allows the user to make handsfree phone calls and play music stored on a mobile phone, or a Dension AVR, for playing iPod videos and DVDs. Available features vary, depending on the vehicle, but there is a Gateway interface that allows iPod integration available for just about every car.

We were contacted by a customer at the start of this month who was desperate to get his iPod working in his car. He had already been given false information by 4 companies and he saw his only logical route to be through his dealer (who you would expect knew his car and its options inside out & back to front). £1400 and two weeks (without his car) later, the only thing that he had extra to before his vehicle went over to his dealer was an even bigger headache!

The dealer had sold him a kit for nearly triple the price that we charge (we charge £140, the dealer charged £400) and then charged a whopping £1000 for installation which took an entire two weeks! When this was complete it turned out that the iPod car kit didnt even work! He took it back and had it tested, they agreed to swap it over. Still no joy! In the end, 3 kits were tested and none worked. Our customer managed to get his £400 back for the iPod Car Kit but they wouldnt pay up for the installation costs. This has obviously left sour grapes in the mouth of the customer who was understandably very annoyed. This is where iPod Car Kit Direct come in, proving that we are a long way ahead of the game when it comes to getting an In Car iPod.

We had a call around 9:15am asking if we could offer any advice. We obviously knew the vehicle very well having successfully integrated around 5000 iPod Car Kits into thus far. We knew exactly what the issue was and suggested we could sell the Dension Gateway 100 kit at £140 and install it for £50. Our installers went over to our customers place of work two days later and installed the kit within 1 hour. Fully tested and fully working.

Needless to say that our customer was extremely pleased that he could now play his iPod in his car. He is also pursuing the lost £1000 with trading standards and is very close to a happy ending.

This story goes to show that there really is no replacement for expereince. We dont like blowing our own trumpets but we have twice the experience than any of our competitors and have ben the only company to have been dealing with iPod Car Kits since the very first iPod Car Kit was designed.

Paralight are a small Aston Martin specialist company based in the Costwolds. They have been working on Aston Martin vehicle for many years and have now perfected the art of iPod integration.

Until Paralight decided to take hold of the Dension Gateway 500 MOST Fibre Optic system, iPod integration into Aston Martins was pretty much impossible. The Aston Martins use the same MOST fibre optic system as Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes but with slightly different software. It has taken the techies at Paralight a few years to perfect the edited/updated software on the Paralight Gateway 500 but now its complete and working perfectly.

Paralight are so confident in this product that they are happy to guarantee the product FOR LIFE, including installation costs. They would personally fly out and uninstall the device and install a new device, leaving you with the absolute minimum of hassle.

This kit has all the features of any premium kit you would expect; full control from steering controls and from the stereo, ID3 tagging (track and album titles) information on the display, charging of all iPods including the new iPhone 3G and newer iPods.

Paralight are now working on a bluetooth interface (using Parrot hardware) which will integrate phone functions and hands free calling into your vehicle too.

It will work perfectly with all V8 Vantage’s from 05 onwards and DB9′s (all years) which were produced & built at Gaydon. If you need an iPod and Phone solution for your Aston Martin then this is certainly the kit for you!

View the Aston Martin iPod Car Kit here

The AVR is one of the latest products from the Dension production line. The AVR is the new Video Extender from Dension that allows videos from the iPod to be played on factory screens in the front and back of the vehicle (Where available). Dension modified the previous version of the kit (The AV Extender) to allow a greater user interface and functionality as well as state of the art technology to ensure that users can fully control the Audio / Video system within the vehicle.

The AVR only work’s with vehicles compatible with and has the Dension gateway 500 system installed. Vehicles such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes & Porsche (and a few others) with fibre optic systems can utilise the AVR’s functions to control the media being played in different screens within the vehicle. Allowing you to watch your favourite iPod Video in the front and lets the kids watch their favourite DVD in the back, cutting out all of the boredom, tedium and arguing usually involved in long vehicle journeys. In fact it’s likely that the only squabbling involved will be the choice of videos played.

Unfortunately the AVR isn’t compatible with the Gateway 100 and Gateway 300 systems as it requires the complexity of the Gateway 500 and the speed of the fibre optics to function correctly. However there is a possibility of an AV extender for the 100/300 being released in the horizon. But for now the Gateway 100 and 300 users will have to make do with their music collection for long drives.

Dension products are available from the number one Online iPod Car Kit Store