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MP3 upgrade for a 2005 Boxster?


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I read that one of the improvements for 2006 is the ability of the CD player to play MP3s. Does anyone know if there is any way to upgrade a 2005? That's one thing I miss in the Boxster.

Ciao !

You either have to swap out the entire unit for the latest PCM sat nav unit or buy a new Boxster/Cayman...... neither of which is cheap!

Another option is to hook up an MP3 player but thats not easy either....... Denison are hopefully going to produce a connector cable that works with the Porsche system so that you can plug in your iPod

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I read that one of the improvements for 2006 is the ability of the CD player to play MP3s. Does anyone know if there is any way to upgrade a 2005? That's one thing I miss in the Boxster.

Ciao !

You either have to swap out the entire unit for the latest PCM sat nav unit or buy a new Boxster/Cayman...... neither of which is cheap!

Another option is to hook up an MP3 player but thats not easy either....... Denison are hopefully going to produce a connector cable that works with the Porsche system so that you can plug in your iPod

Following up on that - did the 2005 PCM unit have MP3 capability? Or was that new in 2006?

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The change was made in production around April 2005.

I read that one of the improvements for 2006 is the ability of the CD player to play MP3s. Does anyone know if there is any way to upgrade a 2005? That's one thing I miss in the Boxster.

Ciao !

You either have to swap out the entire unit for the latest PCM sat nav unit or buy a new Boxster/Cayman...... neither of which is cheap!

Another option is to hook up an MP3 player but thats not easy either....... Denison are hopefully going to produce a connector cable that works with the Porsche system so that you can plug in your iPod

Following up on that - did the 2005 PCM unit have MP3 capability? Or was that new in 2006?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting.

We had the dealer retrofit nav as part of our purchase. They're having to go back and replace the nav unit, because the one installed didn't have this capability. I'm guessing they got an older unit out of the parts system, and didn't realize the difference, and that they had a customer who really cared about this capability.

The change was made in production around April 2005.
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Interesting.

We had the dealer retrofit nav as part of our purchase. They're having to go back and replace the nav unit, because the one installed didn't have this capability. I'm guessing they got an older unit out of the parts system, and didn't realize the difference, and that they had a customer who really cared about this capability.

The change was made in production around April 2005.

Is this capability only available on units with NAV?
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I was just at the dealer where I was browsing through the new Tequipment catalog for my '05 987S. I flipped by a page where they are offering a NAV update for '05 cars with PCM.

I was wondering if anyone knows if this update will add the ability to play MP3 CD's??? My 987 was built in February and has the early '05 PCM's which did not play MP3 CDs.

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I'd bet that a "Nav Update" is just a new nav DVD.

Certainly worth a check to find out what it really means, though. It's a nice capability. I'm ripping/burning several MP3 CD's this weekend to keep in the car.

Apparently the "nav update" is a seperate CD that is used to bring the unit's firmware to an updated level. I've had no luck in getting my service guy to perform such an update. They have some half-cocked answer from Porsche tech line that is a little ambiguous (they asked which version of DVD maps I should use, and tech line responded with the correct answer but didn't advise about any software updates at all).

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Now that's pretty interesting.

So the question becomes, will it update a non-MP3 capable, 2005 PCM unit, to make it MP3-capable?

Or is it not quite that extensive of an update?

I sure wish Porsche would pay just a little more attention to In-Car Electronics issues.

Apparently the "nav update" is a seperate CD that is used to bring the unit's firmware to an updated level.
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Now that's pretty interesting.

So the question becomes, will it update a non-MP3 capable, 2005 PCM unit, to make it MP3-capable?

Or is it not quite that extensive of an update?

There are several TSBs indicating the firmware is updated, and they even elude to bringing a unit with the "old" firmware (such as mine) up to the newest "Mod B" firmware via bringing it to "Mod A" first.

I've requested these parts from Sunset Imports as my dealer has given me the "whachutalkinbout Willis" look when it comes to upgrading the firmware. So long as they aren't $50 a pop, I may order them and "risk" the upgrade manually. I'll definitely post whether or not MP3 capabilities are available, but I'm not holding my breath.

Edited by mbodo
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  • Admin
Do you have the TSB numbers?

I'd like to forward to my service rep.

They are all listed in the TSB section...

7/05 9112 PCM2.1 and Navigation Unit- System Connection Software Release, Model Level B -- Jun 23, 2005

12/05 9110 PCM2.1 Navigation Update -- Sep 7, 2005

2/05 9110 PCM2.1 System Complaints and Repairs -- Aug 11, 2005

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7/05 9112 PCM2.1 and Navigation Unit- System Connection Software Release, Model Level B -- Jun 23, 2005

12/05 9110 PCM2.1 Navigation Update -- Sep 7, 2005

2/05 9110 PCM2.1 System Complaints and Repairs -- Aug 11, 2005

Not sure if there are any official service types on the board, so an opinion from a non-official service type would suffice:

7/05 9112 says "Mod B" is hardware specific and will not work with older versions of hardware, don't try to apply it to units with "Mod A". This Hardware/Firmware only works with 04.2005 nav discs provided by Porsche.

12/05 9110 says that a unit must be upgraded to "Mod A" before it can receive "Mod B" and will work regardless to the version of hardware that is installed. Any hardware with Mod B firmware will work with 04.2005 discs.

Two different stories, same firmware. What gives?

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  • 2 weeks later...
I just updated my PCM/NAV from 2.1A to 2.1B tonight, but have not been able to get an MP3 disc to play.

Save your money if you're buying the NAV update just for the MP3 playback...

Well, I guess other 2005 owners owe you a beer for being the guinea pig on that one.

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