I got an iPod integration kit from a friend for Christmas. I had the opportunity to install it yesterday and play with it for a bit. So far, so very good.

The adapter is called Axxess, made by Metra Electronics. The model number is XIA-IO1. My friend got me mine off eBay from Integration Solutions. (No, I don't know any of these people.) The auction number for my adapter was 150157783448. It included the interface box, the cable to connect it to the stereo, the cable to connect to the iPod, and an Aux input cable that allows connection of anything with RCA outputs. I did not install the Aux input so I don't know how it works.

I have three iPods, and the unit works identically with all of them:


This is what it does do.
1. It starts and stops the iPod when you start/stop the car, when you turn the stereo on/off, and when you change modes (from CD to SAT, for example).
2. It powers and charges your iPod.
3. You can browse (on your car's LCD) thru your playlists, artists, albums, and genres. There is an interruption to the song that is playing with each button press, however.
4. The car displays song and artist, and sometimes the playlist, album, or genre depending on how you got to the song that is currently playing.
5. You control the iPod using buttons on the dash and steering wheel.
6. The sound has no hiss, hum, buzz or anything bad at all. If anything the volume may be a little low, but still no problems at higher volumes.
7. You can also control the music using the iPod. To do this, you need to enter iPodCTL mode by unplugging the iPod while the car is on. Once you plug it back in, you're in control of the music using the iPod's interface. To get it back into car control, however, requires a very specific sequence of events that include turning the car off, which is a bummer. This sequence is described below.

What is doesn't do
1. You have to give up your satellite radio. It pretends to be XM and must be plugged into the input on the back of the radio in lieu of any satellite radio you may have. (I had Sirius.)
2. There is no fancy UI on the car's display. As shown below, the text is best seen on the status screens. You also get text on the radio page and on the audio text subscreen off the radio page. Nonetheless, the text it gives is adequate to browse the iPod.
3. The tune flipper on the steering wheel could work better. To get the flipper to change songs, you have to hold it until you get a small beep from the center console. If you just hit it once, nothing happens. If you hit it twice (or more) in rapid succession the unit does unpredictable things like switching to new playlists or a different song.
4. You can only search one level deep. That is, if you want to play a playlist, album, artist, or genre from the top of the list then you're all set. If you know you want YMCA from the Village People, you'll have to select Artist: Village People (which will immediately start playing the first Village People song) and then track forward until you come across the song. [I really hope you don't have that many Village People songs! ]

Installation
Accessing the back of the radio in our cars is pretty easy, not requiring any physically challenging dashboard contortions. The unit is mostly plug-n-play, but you do have to tap into 12v, ACC12v, and GND. You'll also have to drill a hole into your glovebox to get the cable out.


All told, the install took me about 1.5 hrs. I could do it again in about 30 minutes, so I expect Circuit Silly or the like could install it for you without a huge expense. Or you can do it yourself. If you own a DMM (or even know what a DMM is), then you probably have the technical acuity to accomplish this.

The most confusing part of the setup was getting the radio presets to correctly match what the unit is expecting. This is very unclear in the included instructions. Basically, you have to set the following:
Preset A1=XM4
Preset A2=XM5
Preset A3=XM6
Preset A4=XM7
Once you've done that, you need to unplug the iPod, turn the car off, turn the car on, and plug in the iPod... in that order. (This is also the same sequence of events you must follow if you find yourself wishing to exit iPodCTL mode.)

Operation
1. Once programmed as shown above, you use the car to control the iPod:

• 1 - Browse up
• 2 - Enter/exit control menus
• 3 - Select
• 4 - Browse down
• Tune **** - Move forward/backward thru the song list
• Steering wheel flipper - Move forward/backward thru the song list. This only works if you hold the flipper until it beeps, so you're better off using the Tune ****.
• <--Seek Track--> - These buttons move you thru the playlists immediately (as opposed to using the 1234 keys to browse). Depending on how you have your music organized this may be useful; for me it's a pair of buttons to avoid.
• Play/pause is controlled any number of ways. Turn the car off, turn the stereo off, change to a different stereo mode, change to a regular radio station and the iPod will pause.

2. Entering the control menus by pressing 2 looks like this on the status screen. You use the 1 & 4 keys to tab thru the four options: playlist, artist, album, and genre:


3. Once you have the one you want on the screen, you hit 3 to select it. The example below shows me browsing thru some of my playlists. Note that I have named them (in iTunes) to have the 1. 2. 3. in front of them.


Or on the radio screen:


Or on the Audio Text screen:


4. As soon as you hit 3 (Select) the first song in that category (here, playlist: Purchased) will start playing. Here are the various screens while the song is playing:



Long story short, this is a complete iPod integration that gives decent iPod control and CD quality sound. Coming from using a Belkin adapter into my Aux inputs on the back of the armrest, I'm very happy.

PS - Thanks Simon!