Hiding your goodies...

[chelon]

Recently got a new Octavia and while impressed with the audio in general have got a couple of questions:-

 

1. Car has the Mitsumi connector. This performs well but why have they designed it such that you have to leave your ipod on show when you leave the car? Am I missing something or do you have to resort to covering it up with an oily rag

 

2. I only use the phone for sat nav occasionally but was going to buy a nice Brodit charging cradle, more for the handiness of charging, since I'm in and out the car a dozen times a day and fishing around with a cable would be tedious. At the moment I have a simple window sucker job which I only use occasionally and find even then that I sometimes forget to take the phone with me. Not good, so now am thinking overall it may be better to either:-

 

Just stick with a dangling charging cable (put the phone on passenger seat) or get a charging cradle but put it in a less obvious location - thinking about it, even inside the armrest may be the ideal spot?

 

Anyone got a better solution?

[Neily03]

I leave my iPod touch plugged in all the time, it's in a black sleeve and pushed under the climate controls, you can't see it from the outside.

[chelon]

Have heard people say this - I also have ipod touch. Even without the sleeve, it's visible from outside, I can't seem to push it under far enough.

 

Even if you can hide it, what's the point since there's a big cable with a "Media in" connector visible. They should have hidden the lot under the tray cover; seems like really bad design to me.

[Darkside]

I currently use an external hdd wich stores about 80 - 90Gb of music. In my O2. The usb is (where is should be) In the glove box.

The position in the O3 is badly chosen.

I am on the verge to ordering an O3 and I have asked my dealer to place an USB cable from the front to the glove box. So you only see a small part of the cable. And the phone box can be used for what it was intended. The placement of my phone.

[chelon]

On the O3 they've done a great job of hiding the Cd player and SD slot, but why couldn't they have done the same with the Mitsumi/USB?

[Daveinuk]

I seem to recall someone on this forum has routed a 12v supply inside the armrest, with details how to do it.

[SC03OTT]

I don't understand why there is even a CD drive in the car. Just chuck the USB connection in there with a shelf for a hard drive/MP3 payer. Then ditch this ridiculous Mitsumi connector nonsense and just use the USB slot like every other manufacturer does.

[Darkside]

On MY 2015 Mitsumi isn't needed anymore. You can connnect your appel stuf directly on to the USB.

[Mort]

I don't understand why there is even a CD drive in the car. Just chuck the USB connection in there with a shelf for a hard drive/MP3 payer. Then ditch this ridiculous Mitsumi connector nonsense and just use the USB slot like every other manufacturer does.

You'd sell a lot less Colombus units then. I considered it for a short while. So I have full iPod/phone support, standard (USB) connection and the ability to play video from the phone. Didn't care less about the sat nav.

Came to my senses in the end, mostly due to the price. If the standard bolero worked without the mitsumi option then I wouldn't have thought twice. Pretty sure it would cost them peanuts to make all the head units support apple without the Mitsumi if they wanted.

Be interesting if VAG opt into Carplay in the future for the same reason.

[Mort]

On MY 2015 Mitsumi isn't needed anymore. You can connnect your appel stuf directly on to the USB.

Not when I specced mine last weekend?... Or the salesman was being a cheeky git

[Darkside]

Perhaps the "upgrade" is just in Holland (sometimes i forget i am not on a dutch forum   )

 

But here it is no standard on elegance version (top spec)

Otherwise its a €40,- option. 

[Nookiebear]

They've done the power tailgate… what a pity they didn't do the self-unplugging power Mitsumi connection.

 

Such a bind having to unplug that USB, almost as much of a pain as having to turn the steering wheel and operate the pedals on the car... but admittedly not as bad as having to open the doors and expend so much energy to get in and out (come on Skoda, let's have power doors with slide out rotating seats that just deposit us onto the conveyor to take us to our front door)… such bad design!!!

 

And don't get me started about that storage/security problem… doesn't it p*ss you off that Skoda never thought to build-in somewhere (like a shelf in the glove box) to stow your Macbook, briefcase, or even the two kids, when you have to get out of the car for 2 minutes at the petrol station, just in case some scally tries to pinch them, and there's nowhere in the car for me to plug in the bl**dy fridge/freezer… such bad design!!!

 

[accobra]

I got a extension cable for my iPod and ran it under the dash to the glovebox. I just leave my iPod in there the whole time.

I did a post on with a while ago with some links of the extension I used.

[chelon]

Guesing that from the paucity of replies to the original questions, that I'm going the way of the oily rag...though I like the sound of the 12v supply in the armrest.

 

Just looking to see if there's an app that will sound an alert on the phone when the bluetooth is disconnected - that could potentially solve the issue of leaving it behind.

[Neily03]

On MY 2015 Mitsumi isn't needed anymore. You can connnect your appel stuf directly on to the USB.

 

Has yours got Columbus? As that's always been a feature of Columbus.

[Darkside]

Don't have a new Octavia just yet. Just going to the specs. And model changes

[Dalelfc89]

I got a extension cable for my iPod and ran it under the dash to the glovebox. I just leave my iPod in there the whole time.

I did a post on with a while ago with some links of the extension I used.

Do you have a link to the exact cable you used on your eBay history? I read your original thread and bought a cable but the car wouldn't pick it up.

[ruffday]

Recently got a new Octavia and while impressed with the audio in general have got a couple of questions:-

 

1. Car has the Mitsumi connector. This performs well but why have they designed it such that you have to leave your ipod on show when you leave the car? Am I missing something or do you have to resort to covering it up with an oily rag

 

 

Anyone got a better solution?

can you not just unplug it when you get out of the car.

[accobra]

Do you have a link to the exact cable you used on your eBay history? I read your original thread and bought a cable but the car wouldn't pick it up.

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-METRE-DOCK-EXTENSION-DATA-A-V-CHARGE-CABLE-FOR-IPOD-IPHONE-IPAD-AUDIO-VIDEO-2M-/230925093785

 

This is the extension cable 

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-VW-iPod-iPhone-AMI-MMI-Audio-Cable-Adaptor-Interface-Lead-Connector-sline-/221392009550

 

This is the connection cable 

 

 

 

I have an old 30gb Classic iPod 5th Generation i don't know if this makes a difference.

[Dalelfc89]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-METRE-DOCK-EXTENSION-DATA-A-V-CHARGE-CABLE-FOR-IPOD-IPHONE-IPAD-AUDIO-VIDEO-2M-/230925093785

This is the extension cable

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-VW-iPod-iPhone-AMI-MMI-Audio-Cable-Adaptor-Interface-Lead-Connector-sline-/221392009550

This is the connection cable

I have an old 30gb Classic iPod 5th Generation i don't know if this makes a difference.

Great cheers I'll give it a go. Mines a 120gb whatever the latest gen is so maybe that's the problem. Edited 27 July, 2014 by Dalelfc89

[chelon]

can you not just unplug it when you get out of the car.

 

I could, but I use the car for work so am in and out a dozen times a day or more and parking in some inner city areas as well.

 

Too much hassle to keep taking it out, plus won't do the connector any good.

[Dalelfc89]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-METRE-DOCK-EXTENSION-DATA-A-V-CHARGE-CABLE-FOR-IPOD-IPHONE-IPAD-AUDIO-VIDEO-2M-/230925093785

This is the extension cable

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-VW-iPod-iPhone-AMI-MMI-Audio-Cable-Adaptor-Interface-Lead-Connector-sline-/221392009550

This is the connection cable

I have an old 30gb Classic iPod 5th Generation i don't know if this makes a difference.

Sorted just got it done. Out of interest do you think the cable being so close to the aircon pipes which get red hot should be a concern?

[NotSoSimple]

Recently got a new Octavia and while impressed with the audio in general have got a couple of questions:-

 

1. Car has the Mitsumi connector. This performs well but why have they designed it such that you have to leave your ipod on show when you leave the car? Am I missing something or do you have to resort to covering it up with an oily rag

 

2. I only use the phone for sat nav occasionally but was going to buy a nice Brodit charging cradle, more for the handiness of charging, since I'm in and out the car a dozen times a day and fishing around with a cable would be tedious. At the moment I have a simple window sucker job which I only use occasionally and find even then that I sometimes forget to take the phone with me. Not good, so now am thinking overall it may be better to either:-

 

Just stick with a dangling charging cable (put the phone on passenger seat) or get a charging cradle but put it in a less obvious location - thinking about it, even inside the armrest may be the ideal spot?

 

Anyone got a better solution?

 

I have two brodit pro clip holders over the central air vents. One has a tom-tom clip which when I'm not in the car i remove the tom tom and put away in glovebox only leaving the holder. The second has a iPhone cradle with lightning cable attached (for power). I leave the holder in place and remove the phone when i get out of the car. As the phone always come with me this isn't a problem. 

 

I have a small USB 4 way splitter (belkin one) in the small drawer under the centre console where i can plug everything in at the same time. 

 

I tuck the cables into the air vent so i only have two relatively taught cables going down the left hand side of the dashboard area into the cubby drawer. Quite neat for the non invasive install!

 

I can't recommend the Brodit Pro Clip system more.