Renault Scenic, meet iPhone; iPhone meet Scenic

Sick of trying to find a CD to play in the car? Tired of listening to your spouses music on long drives? Wish you could listen to podcasts from your iPhone on the drive to work? And control the iPhone from the car’s steering wheel controls? Yeah, me too.

I recently discovered that this wasn’t just a dream but actually quite possible. Head over to iPodCarKitDirect.co.uk, choose your make and choose your kit. I went with the Dension Gateway Lite because it would charge the iPhone.

Installation was surprisingly easy.

First, remove the radio. You’ll need a pair of radio removal tools, which are easily found in Halfords or other auto shops. I didn’t bother disconnecting the radio completely, just pull it enough to get at the leads.

Now, pry off the panel holding the gear lever with a screwdriver (it’s really easy).

Move this out of the way and thread the dock cable through the corner and up into the radio compartment. Connect it to the Dension Gateway and stuff the Dension into the space at the bottom of the radio compartment.

Now, test that the car still starts :-) and see if you can change the source to a CD changer. Connect your iPhone and you should be able to hear the music. If it doesn’t play automatically, and if the next/previous controls don’t work, then it’s likely the iPhone isn’t seated correctly (I had to remove the hard case I keep mine in).