So the story goes like this.

f900BT was running FW 1.90 when i came to this forum.

I bought an 80GB 5th gen iPod after i read about the advantages of them over using SD cards / MP3 DVDs as i had been doing.

As soon as i got the iPod and connected it i was getting this message "iPod connection failed. Please reconnect".

From searching this forum i found out that i could reset the iPod using the centre and menu button, this worked to connect the iPod to the Avic.

All the functions work perfectly. Charges, plays etc.

When i turn off my car and come back to it, i have to reset the iPod again to get it to work. It doesn't matter if i turn the unit off for 10 seconds or 3 days. I always have to reset it. Unplugging it and plugging it back in doesn't help either.

After searching extensively i found a post about updating the firmware to the newest to overcome and bugs.

I've now updated my unit to FW 3.021 and the unit is much faster, responsive and generally better.

BUT still no improvement on the iPod side of things.

Any other advice? The iPod control is so good, but it is so annoying having to reset at least twice a day!

Thank you!

Just did it again! See attachment.

have you made sure that the Ipod's firmware is up to date

Yes, that was second thing i checked.

then i would try it with a friends ipod, to figure out for sure if it is a problem with the ipod or the Avic

Good plan! Why didn't i think of that?

Ok, haven't had a chance to update, but it was a simple cure in the end and a case of stop being tight.

I purchased a £2.99 ebay composite cable for the iPod and tried it on my tv and everything worked perfectly so i thought i had got lucky and that my cable was fine.

Installed it in the car and if i reset the ipod then everything worked correctly including charging and video so i again assumed the cable was fine.

As suggested above i tried another couple of iPods, all of which did the same thing.

I then decided to just shell out for a proper Apple cable as these seemed to get the best reviews and no one reported problems using one.

As soon as i connected the cable everything worked perfectly and i had no initial connection problems.

If i use the made in china cable in my tv it performs just as flawlessly as the original apple cable, but the Avic must be more picky about which cable is used.

I've taken a few pictures of the 2 different cables to help anyone to identify which one you need if you want to guarantee problem free iPod control.

Also to add i used to get a 1-2 seconds high pitch buzz whenever i changed track with the old lead, that is now completely gone.

Also to add i used to get a 1-2 seconds high pitch buzz whenever i changed track with the old lead, that is now completely gone.

really that is interesting, was this "buzz" a constant steady sound/tone? i have a old 5th gen that has just started to make a whine anytime i change tracks, and its not a steady tone, it kinda revs up for loss of a better description. i have just been figuring that the Ipod is starting to fail, because it sounds kinda like the hard disc spinning up when searching for a song. i might have to try a new cord and see if it goes away.

That's exactly what mine did. Sorry i wasn't as descriptive.

In other audio systems i would say it was a bad earth or some kind of ground loop, but i don't know the exact technology behind the iPod output.

Are you using a gen apple lead?

My iPod is a 5.5G as i was told these offer best sq?

That's exactly what mine did. Sorry i wasn't as descriptive.

In other audio systems i would say it was a bad earth or some kind of ground loop, but i don't know the exact technology behind the iPod output.

Are you using a gen apple lead?

My iPod is a 5.5G as i was told these offer best sq?

yea i was figuring that it was a bad ground (earth) inside the ipod or signs that the HDD was dieing.

not apple cable, its a two year old Rocketfish cable