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I’ve become annoyed with my 2008 Scion xD’s built-in iPod interface… For one I need an adaptor to charge anything newer than an iPhone 3G. Also to spite the adaptor, both my old 3GS and now iPhone 4 give an “accessory not compatible” error every time I plug it in. I also run a dock connector extension cable from the 1’ proprietary Scion cable to reach my windshield mount. Yet another down side is that I have to use my car stereo’s crappy interface to select tracks…

Now that I have a car mount I like allowing me to use my iPhone more safely while driving, I figured why not use my car’s AUX port instead of the iPod connector? I need something that both charges the iPhone and connects to the AUX port directly via the dock connector.

However most name brand car chargers with AUX output cost $30+ (Kensington 2-in-1 Charger and Audio Cable and Griffin AutoPilot for iPod). I realized that all these really are is just USB car chargers with iPod/iPhone dock connector and AUX cables built-in.

It didn’t take much Google searching to find:

• 3-in-1 USB 3.5mm AUX Audio/Data/Charger Cable for iPod/iPhone 2G/3G/3GS
• 500mA Car Cigarette Powered USB Adapter/Charger (DC 12V/24V)

Ordered both for $6.81 Total

I’ll be posting a review once I receive my order and have a chance to test them.

UPDATE: I also found this $19.99 ‘NewerTech® 3 in 1 Audio/Sync/Charging Cable’ if the above generic Chinese cables turnout to be garbage.

UPDATE: Checkout my review of the $6.81 cables.

I posted the other day about wanting to order the Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter to enable charging of my new iPhone 3GS with my 2008 Scion xD Pioneer audio system. This is a common issue with newer iPods and iPhones with accessories (such as car stereos) from 2008 or before due to changes in Apple’s hardware.

I received the adapter yesterday and have used the device twice since. There’s not much to it really. Just plug it in and it either works, or it doesn’t. In my case it works great! My iPhone now charges while plugged into my car’s audio system and still interfaces with the stereo as it should.

A few notes to be aware of:
The iPhone still displays a message (that can be ignored) saying the “accessory is not compatible” because it still detects the “older accessory” (aka the Pioneer sound system) through the adapter.

I also found that if I disconnected my iPhone (leaving the adapter plugged-in) while still playing music, my car’s stereo would still think the iPhone was plugged-in and would become locked into the “iPod” screen. The easy fix for this was to either turn-off the stereo before disconnecting the iPhone, or disconnect the adapter also.

Conclusion:
At $24.99 (or up to $30) it’s a bit steep for such a simple device, but it’s far better than the alternative of not being able to play music while charging with some other car iPod/iPhone charging device. The Scosche passPORT should easily pay for itself with the amount of use it will get.

Product Link: Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter for iPod touch 2G, iPod nano 4G, iPhone 3G (and iPhone 3GS)

A response to my big rant post about Phil Bachman Toyota treating me badly.

I’m not at all supriced with the way you were treated.I worked there as a salesman for about 4 months and I seen this kind of thing happen all the time.I sold a young lady a corolla which we didn’t have in stock.they made her put a 2000.00 deposit down to get the car.for months I asked about what was going on with the car.I was put off by Bill Benton and Jason Huffine many times about when the car was to be picked up.this went on for almost 3 months.the young lady from greenville tn was very upset about this and I don’t really blame her.they had cashed her check the day after she came in to order the car. they seemed to not care about getting the car for her.or the fact that they over drafted her account because they didn’t let her or me know they would pull it out of her checking account the next day.

I know of 3 other times that people didn’t get their money back.I was told by another salesman that one guy had came in and orderd a tacoma truck and after 3 months the guy wanted his money back and he never got it.I over heard the asst.manager Mike felty talking about it and I know for a fact that the money was never put in the books showing the guy had ever put the money down.

you’ll be very lucky to see a dime of your money back.stay away from Phil Bachman toyota.they are the worst dealership I ever came in contact with.

Originally posted as a comment by Ronin on The Android Workshop Blog using Disqus.

UPDATE ON MY SITUATION: My bank did manage to get my $500 back. The only reason I hadn’t mentioned it already in another post is because I was waiting to hear officially that their investigation was finished. I got a letter in Sep saying that they had credited my account and that if their investigation did not find any wrong doing the credit would be removed. I haven’t gotten another letter, but the credit did appear a 2nd time on my statement a few weeks ago so I assume it was permanently added to my account. Seems like a happy ending finally.