Intravee II iPod DIY Install & Review

[sna77]

Parts Needed:

Intravee II. BMW ibus to Alpine AI-Net module. $250
Best Sellers BMW Intravee II BMW to Alpine AI-NET module

Alpine KCA 420i. $100 MSRP (I bought one on eBay for $50)
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. - KCA-420i

iPod. I used a 5th generation 30GB iPod video. Its dedicated to the car, and I don't need to worry about a charging adapter for the newer iPods

After many frustrating years with various forms of the IceLink, Dice, Dice Silverline, and Neo, I finally gave up with those products and decided to step up and get a legit, reliable iPod solution for my wife’s 2004 325xi. Her car has factory Nav and Bluetooth, which makes the Dice just about unusable. There is enough info on this forum about the Dice’s shortcomings that I don’t need to rehash it here—basically the same complaints everyone else has: popping noises, alternator feedback, having to constantly disconnect the battery for 10 minutes to reset the thing, the inability to browse by artist on the older modules, freezing text on newer modules, and of course, ridiculous shipping charges for warranty repairs. Basically, I’ve had enough…

A few years ago, I’d first discovered the Intravee II (IV2 for the rest of this review) and had anxiously awaited its release. By the time it came out, I had already invested too much into the DICE that I didn’t want to incur additional expenses of a whole new setup. In hindsight, I would have saved a ton of money had I just invested in the IV2 then.

The IV2 is a BMW ibus to Alpine AI-Net converter. Instead of trying to do the iPod controls itself, the IV2 allows Alpine’s rock-solid KCA-420i to do the dirty work. The IV2 acts as a converter between the Alpine and the BMW. I’ve been using the product for about a week now and have no complaints. There is a customer support forum for the IV2: Intravee Forum - Index and the developers are active there helping customers. The firmware is upgradable by customers, so you don’t need to worry about shipping charges back and forth for simple software fixes.

The searching of the IV2 is amazing. I was first a bit bummed that the length of the Alpine cables (about 4’) would not allow me to store the iPod in the glovebox. Turns out, leaving the iPod in the trunk is just fine—the IV2 search is so good (and quick!) that you’ll never need to touch it except to remove it from the car to load new songs. Sweet.