Aftermarket Bluetooth Car Kit?

Has anybody tried an aftermarket bletooth car kit like the Parrot http://www.parrot.biz/usa/products/index.php?id=ck3100 Or any other. They will probably pass a Law here, that forbids handheld phones while driving. ANY HELP , ideas suggestions, or Warning are welcomed Thanks in advance

Mylocal Porsche dealer has offered to fit a Parrot bluetooth kit to my Cayman when it arrives ( next week!) .Here in Europe it is already illegal to use a mobile phone in your car unless you have a hands-free installation and I didn't want (to pay for ) PCM .... I have been using a Parrot bluetooth in my work vehicle for over a year now,and it is very satisafactory. I wasn't sure if there might be compatibility problems with the Porsche audio system ,but the workshop chief reckoned that he had already fitted the Parrot to several Porsches without problem.When I bought the first Parrot for my work-vehicle, the supplier of the Parrot said that there were issues with some Nokia 'phones , as the memory of the Nokia did not like being accessed by the Parrot , and that the 'number recognition/name display' for callers whose number was already in the phone memory might not work . However I use a Nokia 'phone and have had no problems except that every few daysI find that the phonedoes not connect with the Parrot .Re-starting the phone fixes that.... Good Luck!

First of all I have the Bose system . I do not know if that makes a difference. I also send an e-mail to parrot for their comments. I will update when they answer. Thanks for the response Spaniard

My car has the standard Porsche audio system , and I was concerned about compatibility with the optical fibres that Porsche use in their wiring.But their workshop chief says no problem,so I'll just have to wait and see....

I had the Blueant Talkpad Bluetooth kit installed. The guy that did it installed it at my Porsche dealer, and managed to integrate it with the standard radio so that the stereo mutes, and the sound comes through the stereo speakers when the phone is in use. I didn't have 'Phone prep' but this didn't seem to matter. He did a bit of trial and error with Porsches computer etc. and referred to the wiring diagrams. The system cost about $440 (Aussie dollars) installed. I am happy with it and its very discreet.

Answer from Parrot: 'Our product can be used in any car. We recommend getting it installed professionally. Most 12-volt stereo shops can install the product. There are wiring harnesses from qiuck connect, waveblue.com, or installer.com that make the installation much easier. ' This is a boiler plate answer, it ceirtainly does not inspire additional confidence. Maybe, Maybe Not

Has anyone completed the Parrot install themselves..? If so, could you share the experience. I'm looking for a phone solution for my Cayman S with the stock CDR24 radio (I want the phone sound through the car speakers, with the radio muted). I'm hoping the Parrot gives a simple solution, but I'm not clear from their web site what wiring harness is required. cheers simon

I had installed the MOT1000. Works great. A bit of unsolicited advice. You really do not want to use the car speakers for BT. Audio speakers are designed for a certain range (20 - 20Khz). They are not optimized for the human voice and usually only come out monorail on one speaker (or side of speakers). The speaker that comes with BT kits is designed for the human voice range and is, IMO, a much better solution. Just a thought.

Thanks for the response. Couple of follow-up questions... 1. Does the MOT1000 operate completely seperately from the radio - i.e. you use it's own speaker..? 2. If I wanted to connect to via my radio (not withstanding your comments above about sound quality), does the MOT1000 (or the Parrot) come with the required wiring harness, or is that something extra to buy..? 3 (I cant count the number of questions properly..!) While I'm not argueing your point about sound quality, I listen to a lot of "talk-radio" Radie 5 Live in the UK, and it sounds fine via my radio speaker. Is cell-phone output so much different..? cheers simon

we installed the motorola vhf1000 in both my car and my wife's. i wish we had tried the parrot. the motorola has been a real pain. just sharing our experience.

What makes you say the Motorola is a pain, I've seen many good reports on here. IS there something specific, or is it general design issues..? cheers simon

The Parrot as shown looks simple enough, no installation. If it works as good as they say I would buy one. Still no one has tried it yet? I hate my mototola ear piece. For $100 it is a piece of junk. The battery last a day if I am lucky. Russ

Chows4us, Where did you have them install the mic and speaker for the best results? Thanks

Thats a good question and I will have to look in the AM I'm pretty sure the speaker is on the drivers side, under the dash but I will check. I only picked the location of the control unit in the pic below. BTW that controller is pretty small and hidden mostly behind the steering wheel.

Parrot ck3100 Had the Parrot professionally installed in the Cayman and have been very pleased with the results. Microphone was installed at top of windshield. Uses center front speaker from Bose system. Mutes stereo on incoming calls. Detects whichever phone you get into the car with, so both wife and I can use without manually changing set up. Installer here in San Rafael, CA was referred by local dealer.

our motorola on both cars has the speaker under the dash right behind the center console. the mike on my wife's car is in the center up at the top of the windshield. on mine it is right in front of me in the instrument cluster. you would think this would be perfect, but alas it is not. i told my wife that there were people here who loved their vhf1000's. she just rolled her eyes. i would try the parrott first. it is less money if you don't like it. we regret our choice.

Getting back to an earlier question of mine, I'm interested in doing a self install (on my base CDR24 radio) and want the sound through the car speakers with radio mute during a call. Has anyone done this who can share the details - in particular what they ordered as I cant seem to get a straight answer from the vendors on what cables/connects I need to use to interface with/between the radio/[Parrot/H1000]/speakers. Any ste-by-step instrcutions or photos would be very welcome. cheers simon

Thanks, the install looks great.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/producttests/200263/handsfree_kits.html# Autoexpress did a review of handsfree car kits, included the Parrot and Motorola devices. cheers simon

Thanks to all for sharing your experience with hands free units. I predict that although Blue Tooth head sets are very "fashionable" at this time, they will "go away" for most cell phone users and are a poor "hands free" solution, have short battery lives and limited "real life" utility. Besides, I don't want to look like "Spock" when I'm doing business or driving. I may well choose the Parrot system after reading all of your reports. Cheers! John

great link copelands. thanks.

I've ordered a Parrot CK3100 LCD and will be installing it soon. I'll take some pics and post a report. I'm still not 100% sure I understand how the radio-mute works, as my understanding is the CDR24 has no phone-mute input. I guess I'll find out soon. cheers simon

Has anyone figured out where to connect the line out from the parrot to the CDR24 ? I would appreciate any hint on which pin to use...Thanks, Thomas.

I have one and works great. If I remember it well, you gotta use the center speaker line, thats where the sound is coming out....the mute goes in the "phone" in pin. Enjoy!

I had a Parrot 3100 installed. I took a little experimentation by the installer (very qualified) but it performs flawlessly and the audio through the Bose system is the best I have encountered with any phone. The performance is far superior to the Motorola systems I have in other cars. Highly recommended.

We Install in any newer porsche the parrot kit first unless the customer wants a hidden install and then we can put the motorola in the ash tray out of sight check out the website for the one we use http://www.parrot.biz/usa/products/3200ls-color/

Blue Tooth Drop Outs I'm on my second Motorola setup. Second set of phones and headsets. Blue Tooth Drop Out does occur but it is rare. Early on I had to go back to the dealer and found out that my phone was losing the BT linkup. Sometimes it took a 'hard or cold start' by clearing the phone--taking out the battery after shutting it off--and then obtaining the settings again. Overall, I am not happy with Motorola and will not buy Motorola again, even though they employ a lot of people in my community. However, the first BT headset an 850 was better but the thing is worn out. Battery shot and they don't replace the tiny internal battery in these units. And there is an intermittent short on the boom which opens and turns on the headset power. Sometimes I have to reopen the boom a few times in order for the BT to 'hear' my voice commands. BT is always asking me for confirmation and often fails to recognize my commands--just the type of frustrating distraction I need while at speed, moderate of course [now], on the 101! Up to two years ago we used to be able to cruise gracefully just 9 miles an hour above that even in traffic all across the Greater Phoenix Area--except the stretch of 101 in "Snottsdale" with 3 sets of photo radar cameras pegging you at 76+--without drawing attention until they started cracking down on all those speeders going 85 mph! Heck, I never went below 3 figures but now one can't exceed 80 w/o getting a ticket. And to think Our Lovely Governor in all her Equisite Feminity wants to place speeding cameras all across the entire State! :drivingskid: I swear I am leaving Arizona if that occurs! I think I am going to go back to a hard wired headset because of sound quality and reliability. Besides, BT puts tons more electical charge into one's cortex compared and contrasted to even a cell phone pressed up against one's head. BTW, have you heard of the rumor that cell phone technology may be interfering with the bee population?:cheers:

Have not installed it in any Porsche , but have installed a Parrot 3100 in all my previous/other cars with no problem in any of them (Opel Corsa, VW Passat, Audi A4, Mazda Mx-5, Jaguar X-type, Mercedes C class) By the way you don't need to ask for any extra cable, everything is included in the pack. The only add-on I used was with my Merc. C class, I added an interface (not made by parrot) that allowed me to use the buttons on the steering wheel instead of those that came with the Parrot kit, I just hided that under the trim. With the cars that have a mute-in line the source would stop while you are using the phone, whereas with those that did not have it (Jag X-type) the cd would keep on going but you could only hear the phone sound. It is really a matter of knowing how to pull the radio on your car, evrything else is really easy to install, just plug and play really, and finding the way for the cables through the trim (again for all the cars I have tried in), if you want I can send you some pics of the installation I did for those cars. Ignacio

Have installed Parrot 3000 in both my cayman ( CDR24 , no bose ) and my Audi S4 (Concert II with Bose ) for over a month now and both worked perfectly. Had it professionally installed so cant answer any installation questions in details but know that the guy didnt order any extra cables/adaptors. There is a mute cable that comes with the unit. Both units works with the cars' speakers and have "Phone" displayed on the radio when the phone is in used. Have my phone's BT set to ON all times and when ever i enter the car, the system just paired with my phone automatically.

Sounds like a dream come true. How much was it including installation?

Went to Treo from Motorola for PDA. Treo headset is much, much better. Have yet to kill its battery in one day. Motorola headset would be gone in 4 hours. Been in PHX average of every-other-week for past six years. Gov Sasquatch is a piece of work. :crazy: I slog up the 51 and stay off the 101. I feel your pain, even in a rental car.

i am over here in Hong Kong where gagets are still relatively cheap. including installation is ~U$170 each.

Kewl, thanks. I sitting in Adelaide Australia trying to figure out why it's 13 1/2 hours ahead of Florida. :crazy: