(Hi guys, long time listener/first time caller here.)

I think it's time for the Pioneer t1808 (base model for the '08 xD) to go.

I've suffered through the Scosche dongle clunkiness and terrible interference/buzzing/clicking/EMI noise, and now with a new iPhone 4S I get random disconnections during the first few minutes of driving.

Basically I plug the phone in, start the car, tunes start fine. Pull out of the driveway, the tunes stop and controls don't work, and I have to pull out the cable and re-insert. Sometimes this repeats a few times, but once I've been driving a few minutes it won't happen again. I don't think it's a loose cable or mechanical issue, doesn't seem to be triggered by any particular action (like turning, accelerating, braking, or jiggling the wires.)

First Q: I'd love to know people's thoughts on the random drop-outs. Power fluctuations due to what's going on just after ignition and the new iPhone is just more sensitive? HU is dying? I really have no idea.

Second Q: Thoughts on the noise? I've thought a lot about hacking a ground-loop isolater like a PAC-SNI into the iPod cable to see if that gets rid of the noise, just haven't taken the time. Also if it turns out the noise isn't between the dash and the iPhone, then I hacked up an expensive Toyota cable for no reason.

Now if I can fix those probs, I'll probably just stick with the stock HU. The interface still sucks, but I can deal. However if I can't fix...

Third Q: Is there a relatively no-brainer drop-in replacement HU that'll place nice with my phone and use the steering wheel controls? I can do some electrical DIY, I just don't want to waste a lot of time and money sourcing a million random parts. I don't need a nav system, don't want to spend a fortune.

Thanks for any and all help... I've searched and read a lot, and it's pretty confusing...

If you are talking about the '08 version then I assume you mean the Scion cable and not a USB cable. There are lots of reasons to get noise into an audio system, but if I were to guess without doing any actual testing I would guess a bad iPod cable.

I wouldn't waste time or money with any ground loop isolator, it unlikely to be a problem or there would be lots of us with the same noise :)

As far as easy replacements, I just spent <$200 for a new Pioneer with BlueTooth, USB front panel and AUX front panel inputs. The steering wheel controls are going to be your difficult part. You will have to wire up an adapter of some sort, depending on brand of headunit.

For headunits, unless you are planning to upgrade other audio components in your car, then what you really need to focus on is getting the features you want, in a good brand all within your price range.

If you are talking about the '08 version then I assume you mean the Scion cable and not a USB cable. There are lots of reasons to get noise into an audio system, but if I were to guess without doing any actual testing I would guess a bad iPod cable.

I wouldn't waste time or money with any ground loop isolator, it unlikely to be a problem or there would be lots of us with the same noise :)

As far as easy replacements, I just spent <$200 for a new Pioneer with BlueTooth, USB front panel and AUX front panel inputs. The steering wheel controls are going to be your difficult part. You will have to wire up an adapter of some sort, depending on brand of headunit.

For headunits, unless you are planning to upgrade other audio components in your car, then what you really need to focus on is getting the features you want, in a good brand all within your price range.
Hey, thanks for the response. Good points. Right, it's the proprietary Scion iPod cable -- I edited my response to clarify.

Sub-$200 sounds good. Which Pioneer did you upgrade to? Did you do a steering wheel hookup?

The only feature I really want is the iPod control. Beyond that I'd like a system that will go in with the least amount of fuss.

If someone has a pairing of headunit+steering wheel adapter that they know plays well with new iPhones, I'd be very happy to follow in their footsteps.

I got the Pioneer DEH-7300BT. I didn't mess with steering wheel controls so can't help you there.

The biggest problem I had with the stock H/U was the D/A conversion was done in the iPod rather than in the H/U and the iPod has a pretty bad D/A converter.

Install was easy, uses factory mounts and a simple dash kit and wiring harness. Took me about 30 mins or so, but I solder and heat shrink all the connections.

Removed the Scosche adapter last week as an experiment, and voila! No more noise, no more glitching, no more cutouts. Downside: no more charging.

So now the question is, is my adapter going bad or would a new one behave the same?

Looks like other people have the same problem: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3435661

Someone recommeded a "dockstubz cablejive" adapter. Guess I'll give that a try.