Last week I blogged about the frustrating iPod integration in a 2010 Lexus ES 350, in which the system decides to play a sample of the music on the device as you scroll through a list of menu items. But this problem, which also popped up on a 2010 Toyota Camry XLE I tested last week (and every Toyota and Lexus I've been in recently), is minor compared to other tech troubles I uncovered in the Camry. And it shows the difficulty automakers face when trying to accommodate the latest portable devices drivers bring into the car.
It's not like I have the latest and greatest phone, a year-old iPhone 3GS, which just became antiquated. And I haven't had the exact same issues in other Toyota and Lexus vehicles, such as not being able to pair my phone with the Bluetooth system, as shown in the long video above (with apologies for the blinking display).
It's one of about six videos I shot and about a dozen attempts to pair my phone with the system -- the same iPhone I've paired in a 2010 Toyota Sienna, 4Runner, Sequoia and Prius and the Lexus ES 350. After several attempts I checked to make sure the number of phones that can be paired with the system wasn't at full capacity and deleted a phone just to make sure.
This was independent of the fact that I'd successfully paired my iPhone for Bluetooth audio, which just to be on the safe side I disabled in the pairing process on a separate attempt. And you can see in the video that I try both "Car Multimedia" options in the iPhone's Bluetooth menu: the top one for Bluetooth audio and the bottom one for Bluetooth hands-free phone. But I heard "searching" so many times and for so long it reminded me of a long-forgotten favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd song.
While I was expecting the same trouble with iPod integration in the Camry as in the ES 350, the car's display exacerbated the problem. (And its refresh rate coupled with that of my camera makes it hard to see in the video below.)
Not only does the system start to play whatever item it lands on within a menu (artist, album, song, etc.) as in the ES 350, but there's also a lag when you twist the right-hand knob so that the screen is blank and you can't see what it lands on. And I found you'd better like whichever song is first alphabetically in your iTunes library, which in my case is Billy Bragg's "A13, Trunk Road to the Sea." I'm used to hearing this tune kick things off when I plug my iPhone or iPod into various accessories, but in the Camry it started playing when any menu category was selected, making me not want to hear it for a long time.
But at least the Bluetooth audio feature worked. As long I didn't try to switch over to a connected iPod, as shown in the video below.
As you can see, the sound became warbley. When I switched over to iPod by toggling the "Aux" control on the head unit, the iPod wouldn't play. And then when I switched back to Bluetooth Audio, "Pause" appeared on the head unit, and hitting the play/pause button on the head or on the iPhone wouldn't get it going again.
I spoke with someone at Toyota about these issues and they claimed that the problem lies in incompatibility between the Camry's system's software and that of the iPhone 3G. And that Apple hasn't exactly been proactive with information on how to fix it.
This doesn't exactly inspire anyone to rush out and buy the new iPhone 4. Or a Camry if they want to use the latest portable technology in the car.
Doug Newcomb, Senior Editor, Technology
By blackadder5639
on June 8, 2010
12:40 PM
Doug, on a slightly different note...... What aftermarket stereo(s) would you recommend for someone who wants to add Bluetooth functionality to their car?
By ne1butu2
on June 8, 2010
04:28 PM
Well the good news about the Camry is that these electronic issues are very minor. At least it's not careening out of control.
By trackwrex
on June 9, 2010
01:20 PM
blackadder: it depends on budget. do you want to add JUST bluetooth?
By blackadder5639
on June 9, 2010
01:26 PM
Trackwrex, pretty much. I just want the ability to make calls hands free.
I've found out that the best/easiest way is to replace the stereo. I got this Kenwood unit (KDC-BT945U) which is great but unreliable....sometimes it connects nicely with my phone, sometimes it doesn't at all. I was just thinking of what other models/brands would be more reliable.....
By dougnewcomb
on June 9, 2010
02:33 PM
blackadder: Sorry for the stale reply ... and happy to see that wrex stepped in to help. Funny enough, we've found that the Kenwood head units with Parrot BT technology work well. Here are two recent tests:
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/audio/articles/163306/article.html
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/audio/articles/160947/article.html
But with the DNX9140 we've found that there can be a noticeable lag between when you accept a call and can hear the person on the other end (and for them to hear you), and on the DDX616 we've found that the phone doesn't always automatically sync.
By blackadder5639
on June 9, 2010
09:27 PM
Thanks, Doug and Trackwrex.
Yeah, the folks at Best Buy think I was just unlucky and got a faulty unit, so they will replace it when they get new supplies in stock. Hopefully, they're right....
.....but just in case they aren't and I have to replace it with another brand. They have Pioneer and Alpine units that look promising, but those units lack "luxuries" like DSP sound enhancement functions.