Playing iPod thru car system?

The only options I know of that don't involve replacing or adding auxiliary equipment to your existing system are either an FM transmitter that connects to the iPod and plays through your FM radio or, if you have a cassette deck in your car, a cassette tape adapter that plugs into the iPod's headphone jack.

The FM transmitters do work, at least some of them do, but require you to change FM frequencies if you drive within range of a station using that frequency. Whether or not it's worth the trouble depends a lot on where you live and how crowded the FM band is. I've had good luck with a Kensington unit.

I second Lapierre's suggestion about getting a new head unit, unless you have changer controls in which case you can do the add-on devices which give you an auxiliary input. I've used several FM transmitters and the best I've used is the HK Drive+Play which has a really nice big display that you can mount on your dash which is similar to the Ipod menus. It is still FM-based, however, so an auxiliary input or USB input is going to give you a much higher quality sound.

If you don't have an integrated iPod kit where it is controlled through the LCD touch panel via firewire it just becomes annoying to turn the "pod" on and off.

At first I was okay with this interaction but later as I used it more and more I quit fumbling with it as I exited the car.

I bought a $30 gadget at Bestbuy that connects to the ipod and transmits a tiny FM signal that you receive on your car stereo tuner. You set both at any frequency where you don't have a station transmitting. The ipod must be very close to your antenna or signal is really staticy. For example, with ipod in my center console, sound sucks. When I place the ipod in the overhead eyeglass compartment, signal is fine. Not elegant nor hi fidelity, but worth considering...Cheers,
Spencer

if your car has a cassette player, by all means get a cassete adaptor w/a mini jack (less than ten bucks at walmart) and use that. the sound quality will be immeasurably better than the FM-modulated type connections.