Customer Reviews

Zune Car Pack

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(100)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(52)
1 star:		(73)

 

 

*TAKE NOTE: Don't turn your radio on UNTIL you have found a clear FM station with the Zune Car Pack 2. Turning your radio on FIRST seems to prevent the device from finding any clear FM station.

*Some people have had luck tuning with the radio on. The important thing to remember is you are tuning a radio and just like a real radio it may take a little effort to tune it.

None of the harsh negative reviews are accurate IMHO and with respect to these people. It really makes me wonder of their validity in every single claim. The reviews greatly differ from the excellent and flawless product I just received and used. It could be that these well meaning people simply missing something on how to use this very simple and EXTREMELY effective device. My experience was a 100% POSITIVE with ZERO trouble! The Zune Car Pack 2 actually shocked the hell out of me because of the negative above reviews (I was already prepared to send it back). Like most everyone I read the user comments before I buy anything. I called Amazon to verify I could send this product back before I bought because of the horrid reviews above. Sometimes I will gamble anyway with a product purchase like this and this time and it paid off BIG. I got exactly what was advertised and what I wanted in my car.

1) I live in a VERY URBAN area. Nearly every single radio frequency is occupied. I plugged in the adapter hooked up the Zune used the auto-tune to find a clear station. Turned on the radio, tuned it to match the clear frequency and the sound was flawless. I honestly could not tell any significant difference from direct input. No kidding it works that well and that easy. There are also online resources that can locate some good clear FM frequencies by zip code if you should need extra help. The Zune Car Pack 2 finds the clearest stations for me everytime.

2) No static at all! Believe me I tried to get it. I shook my Zune like a nut, I shook the transmitter like an ape, I even placed metal objects on the cord and put the transmitter in every weird place I could think of. Perfect no static. I could not make static no matter how I tried (Man, I forgot to wrap everything in aluminum foil...now that may have a chance)! I tried my hardest to make this accessory sound bad and hear the static claims in the previous posted reviews. But the Zune Car Park v2 remained superb.

3) The Zune pad the is designed to hold the Zune on the dash or somewhere flat. Now I had my doubts about this set-up because I drive rather aggressively. I dusted off my dash and place the Zune on the pad. The thing is rock solid and I would trust it in almost all driving circumstances with confidence except for a hard hitting accident. A fender bender won't move that Zune a bit.

Try it out for yourself. You can always send it back to Amazon if you do not like the way it functions.

Plug in the adapter in the cigarette lighter, plug in the Zune, use auto-tune to find a clear station, turn on the radio, tune it to match the clear fequency and WOW!

The Zune Car Pack 2 is easy, static free, and movement DOES NOT effect the sound at all. As I said before I TRIED my hardest to get static but could not (with the exception of wrapping everything in aluminum foil).

The Zune Car Pack 2 is an excellent product in every respect.

That is what my real-world URBAN experience PROVED to me. I also learned you cannot always trust the reviews you read. Though I would not like to shop without them.

Give it a try as there is really nothing to loose----

I think that the problem is the device is so simple that people are not following the correct process for the device work properly (and the instructions could be better).

Remember to get the clear station tuned with the Zune Car Pack 1st and then turn on your radio and tune to the clear frequency.

After being a bit hesitant to pick this up considering the density of the city where I live, I'm really pleased with the quality of the build and the sound of the v2 Zune Car Pack.

It was a bit finicky in bad weather, but the sound quality overall is comparable to any strong radio station broadcast. I also like the that this car pack seems to be made of durable, attractive materials. There's attractive backlighting on both the plug (to indicate power), and the small tuner that indicates the station, and the tuner is very visible for night driving should you need to read the station.

The rubber pad to prevent your Zune from sliding around works terrifically. Despite speed bumps and sharp turns, the Zune stays on the rubber pad.

Again, I'm very pleased with the Car Pack - especially considering the price has dropped now to about $55 dollars. Well worth it, in my opinion, even in a city as large as Chicago.

I recently purchased this as a gift for my wife to use in her car that does not have a casette deck, nor extra auxiliary inputs.

Having dealt with a similar technology with my Deplhi XM portable player (XM2Go)for my car, (and having pretty good luck with that), I thought this would be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately the other reviews led me to believe this was going to be a gamble, and so I went for it, and returned it shortly thereafter.

While the device appears to be a simple hook up, and instructions were straight forward, I knew I was in trouble once the device kept changing its mind on the optimal FM channel. Now I read the reviews stating to have the radio 'OFF" at first, and even the manual suggests this, so that the device coudl find an optimal channel. Well first try it was 105.7, then it was 89.3, then it was somewhere in the 90 range; meaning it jumped all over the place in a span of under 5 minutes.

Some channels it chose were not free at all in my area, as there were clear as bell radio stations coming in on those frequencies. The few actual 'free' channels it did find and I was able to tune my stereo to were horribly dissapointing. Static and hissing were atrocious, no matterhow I manuevered the Zune or the cabeling. A far cry from my XM FM transmitter experience.

And then when we turned the car on, we noticed it got worse, very much like an old CB radio suffering from EM interference.

The sole reason I give this two stars is the nice and simple interface, the very well lit and sharp display, and the idea of the magnetic clip...all great ideas and useful....if only the device performed.

Granted I live in the burbs of a large radio market where free channels are rare (unlike the midwest), but the bleed-over, static & hissing, and random 'optimal' channels have me scratching my head.

At first I was suprised that it didnt get much low channels and so I gave up (at first) but because I put the metal part on the power chord part it was staticy but If you situation is like mine if you plug the pack in regularly and put the tuner part on the passenger side dashboard where their air bag is then alot of channels are very clear and I put the zune on the pad on the dashbaord ( it do get staticy if you move the zune around some) but over all it works fine

First of all, let me say that I have become a HUGE Zune supporter. I first bought a brown 30 GB Zune last year; aside from minor software issues, it was great. Recently, I decided to buy an iPod 80 GB for greater storage in lieu of the new 80 GB Zune, mainly because of all the hype iPod has been getting. Two days later, I exchanged the iPod for the 80 GB Zune; no regrets. The iPod had stubborn software relating to podcast playlist orders and album art; not to mention the horrifically small screen (compared to Zune). The Zune handles these issues MUCH better. In regard to the Zune car pack; if you're looking for a good transmitter, this product is a good option. It has a bright display (although it seemed cheap; it pulled away from the casing when removing the protective plastic sheet), automatic seek function, and the convenience of one less wire through its combination power/transmitter cord. My problem was that it did not transmit any better than my old Belkin transmitter. I already owned the Belkin transmitter; I thought the Zune product would be better, but it wasn't, so I returned the product to the store. Keep in mind, however, that the Zune car pack is designed for the Zune, it works well, and is more convenient and appealing than most after-market products. My advice is to buy the Zune car pack if you're looking for a good option for travel if you don't have wired input into your car stereo; but, buy it from Amazon; they're pricing is considerably lower than most retail/discount sellers.

Happy Zune Owner.

If you are going to enjoy ANY fm-transmitter, it is important NOT to expect CD quality. In other words, you are guaranteed to get some static, and you are highly likely to get occasional signal interference - even on the best frequency and device.

I am also guessing some cities / locations are better than others in terms of open frequencies - so fm-transmitters of any sort may be unusable in some locations.

If you are having trouble with yours though, try the following steps (which worked wonders for me):
1. FIRST use the auto-tune
2. THEN tune the radio to that frequency (99.5 for Seattle Eastside)
3. I kept trying until I found the best 2 signals for my area
4. Using the sticky-grip-pad, I placed the Zune as far from the tuner as possible - so the cord (which acts as an antenna) is almost straight. And I get GREAT sound!

If there was a complaint, I would love to have 4 pre-sets vs. 2, but at $60 with the autoseek, self-charging capability, 2 pre-sets, grip-pad - better value than any other similar device on the market.

After reading thourgh the reviews I almost decided against purchashing the Zune Car Pack. I am extremely glad I gave this product a chance. I have been completely satisfied with its performance.

I was able to find an open frequency on my radio tuned the car pack. Done. They could not have made it any easier.

I have used 2 other similiar products and this definitely rates far superior to those. If you are on the fense about this product do yourself a favor and purchase it. You will not be dissapointed.

I read these reviews before I bought it. Yes, I do have some static. But I don't put that entirely on the car pack. Some of it has to do with the quality of the ripped music. (All of my music is ripped from a CD and not purchased online.) My library has no volume leveling. The music with a low playback volume has more static during the songs and between songs. Kind of like the static on your analog TV when the screen is white. Also, some of it has to do with the environment. When I park in my mom's driveway, all I get is static. In front of her house is clear as it gets. I get different quality depending on which vehicle I use it in as well. It plays better in my car than my spouse's car.

I wish the cords were longer. There isn't enough cord to use the magnetic clip AND place the Zune on the Zune Pad for the dashboard. I need to wrap the station selector around the glove box handle. My Dash is curved, so the Zune pad does not perform well. I don't really like the idea of putting my Zune in the sunlight on my dash anyways. It sits in a cup holder in the console.

The little rubber plug holder (for storing the unplugged cord) on the power plug doesn't hold the Zune plug. I wish it didn't stick straight out of the plug. The cord sticks out at a 90 degree angle from the plug which causes it to be knocked out easily.

Performance has been better than any other FM broadcaster I used with other MP3 players. I don't notice any more static than most radio stations. I believe it works exactly like the product it is designed for. I would expect no static from a direct connection, but this is not a direct connection. The minimal static is negligible. Without a CD player in the car what else are you going to do?

I recently purchased this item, and have been very pleased with its performance. The transmitter does a good job of finding and holding a strong signal, and the rubber pad actually does a great job of holding the Zune to the dash (better than I expected, actually!). The only minor complaints that I have are that you can't use the Zune volume to boost the volume coming out of the radio, and that at night having the Zune of the dash causes some glare issues, but the cable is long enough to place the Zune on your console, passenger seat, or anywhere else in reach.
There have been several people on here complaining about the quality of sound that the transmitter produces; to these people I say "what do you expect?" You are paying for an FM transmitter. . it won't have as good of quality as directly wiring into your radio, or even as a tape adapter for your car kit, and it's not SUPPOSED to have that quality. You need to expect occasional static, that you may have to switch to other stations from time to time (especially on longer trips), and that certain spots in town will give you some other radio issues, but these are all uses that we expect with ANY radio station that we're listening to. I suggest that you realize that when you purchase this item, and just understand what you're buying. For an FM transmitter for the Zune, this is a great item, and I highly recommend it!

I did not have a positive experience with this product and would not recommend it to others. I live in a very urban area and it's very difficult to bring in a clear station and even when I can, it only stays clear for a few minutes and then you need to change stations again. It completely defeats the purpose of the product. Meanwhile, your songs continue playing while you're trying to find a new station, so it gets very frustrating quickly. Tried using it a few times and have now given up on it. Would be next to impossible to be the driver of the car and trying to navigate stations and selecting songs.