check this out

Black Dock connector to 3.5mm, 3.3ft(1m) long.
http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5mm-Car-AUX-In...sid=p1638.m122
http://www.geocities.com/exclusive_p...ipod_blk_1.jpg

Thanks for the tip. I might just go with that one and remove the retraction thing since I just want a fixed length cable. Cable looks a little thin for my taste especially to use in a car (it's usually preferable to have a better shielded cable anyway) but I suppose I'm running out of options!

Why dont you buy the e70 cable and move your aux to center armrest and the problem is solwed

Thought about it, but decided against it for 2 reasons:

1. I can't lock the center armrest, I can lock the glovebox
2. I would need to do a hell of a lot more work to move the aux input then to simply buy a cable... though this is slowly turning out to be less and less true!

check this site out. I bought a cable from them over 6 ft long and in black. I keep my ipod in glove compartment.
http://www.logjamelectronics.com.

I looked at their site, the only cable I could find that matches what we are talking about is a coiled cable, is that the one you bought?

Why not buy something like this an make the short cable you mentiond longer

The cable has a USB connector which I don't really want.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IPOD-LINE-OUT-DO...ayphotohosting
http://i4.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/c2/47/2d00_1.JPG

At first this wasn't my ideal choice since I really really wanted a one piece cable, but it turns out this is perfect since I can easily unplug this connector when I want to listen from a difference audio source (like a voice recorder or any other MP3 player, etc.) Thanks Zerochief for the great tip!

You can get the connector for the iPod (or iPhone) from the ebay seller "awwan" , his name is Andrew and he's a reliable guy. He has developed a new connector which works with all iPods and all iPhones and comes in black or white versions. So the listings below are for the exact same product. The pricing is different only due to shipping charges. (Buy the 'iPhone' listing and save 50 cents.)

IPOD LINE OUT DOCK WITH STEREO JACK(BLACK COLOR) - eBay (item 300402772742 end time Apr-01-10 18:17:48 PDT)

IPHONE LINE OUT DOCK W/ 3.5MM JACK (WHITE COLOR) - eBay (item 290332442435 end time Feb-13-10 08:25:07 PST)

IPHONE LINE OUT DOCK WITH STEREO JACK(BLACK COLOR) - eBay (item 300330194448 end time Feb-08-10 19:00:04 PST)

As far as what cable to use with one of the above connectors, you can pretty much choose any cable as long as it is Mini-male to Mini-male (also known as 3.5mm male stereo plugs on both ends). Just make sure the cable is thick enough to withstand abuse in the car but not too thick so that you can still easily close your glovebox. My favorite is the Audioquest (AudioQuest) Class A cable in 1 m length. It's the perfect length, thickness and only $20, it's just too bad that one end isn't a right angle connector!

Amazon.com: AudioQuest Class A audio cable - mini-mini plugs 1m (3.28') stereo pair: Electronics

BMW also sells these cables. They come in two lengths, 0.5 m and 1.0 m, and retail for $21.25 each.

RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 4.4i Auxiliary connection cable