More entertainment options
In the past, car manufacturers have avoided giving you any way to plug an auxiliary device into the factory stereo, figuring correctly that they'd make more money by selling you the factory option at the dealership. But the overwhelming popularity of the iPod® has forced this issue, and some carmakers are equipping their new vehicles with iPod interfaces. But what are your options if you're not one of the lucky ones with a car like this?

This iPod interface lets you listen to, control, and charge your iPod with a Honda factory radio.

MP3 on the road
Fortunately, a healthy little industry has developed in the last ten years whose sole object is to get you connected to your factory stereo. Want to hook up your iPod? You'll find iPod adapters that'll connect you to factory radios from nearly every major car manufacturer. These adapters allow you to:

• play your iPod through your factory sound system;
• choose between using your factory radio's controls or the iPod's controls to run your iPod;
• access all your iPod playlists;
• charge your iPod's battery while you drive.

If you own a non-Apple MP3 player, you can find an auxiliary input adapter for most factory stereos. Pull your factory stereo out of the dash, plug one of these adapters into its rear CD changer plug, reinstall the stereo, and you're done. You can plug in and listen to your portable MP3 player — or any other outboard audio source — through your factory stereo. Sweet.

But what happens when you plug in your MP3 player and start driving? You can't just hide it away, because you might want to get to the controls. So where do you put the thing? Solution: get an iPod grip and attach it to the vehicle-specific mount designed for your car. These mounts install easily — just remove a section of your dash, screw the mount in place, and replace the dash. You've created a permanent home in your car for an iPod or MP3 portable without any cutting or modification.

Stations in the sky
Everyone knows the pain of finding a great radio station on a long car trip, only to have it fade away as you leave the area. But satellite radio allows you to listen to just about any genre of music under the sun, and satellite radio channels won't fade away no matter how far you drive. Imagine listening to old school reggae all the way from Boston to San Francisco, or 50's jazz from New York to Miami. That's why so many long-distance truckers and salespeople have flocked to satellite radio.

This XM package allows you to get extensive satellite radio programming on your Chrysler factory stereo.

Did you know that you can buy satellite radio packages for your factory stereo, and at a much lower price than your dealer would charge for that option? These packages include a tuner box, and adapter cable, and a roof-mount antenna, and installation is relatively simple. Or, if you like to take it with you, you can connect a plug-and-play satellite radio to your factory radio with one of the auxiliary input adapters mentioned previously.

Better sound and more choices from your AM/FM broadcasts
Many FM and AM stations have switched over to HD Radio's digital technology, improving FM broadcasts to near CD quality, and AM offerings to current FM quality. In addition to improved sound quality, the technology allows stations to broadcast additional programming so you can choose between music and news, or between two music genres. The broadcasts are free, but you'll need to buy an HD Radio tuner in order to listen in. The good news — Directed's add-on HD Radio tuner package allows you to receive HD Radio broadcasts on almost any factory radio.

Multi-disc mayhem
Some people like to keep it simple, preferring the simple entertainment solution of a multi-disc CD changer. Dealers can ask an outrageous price to add a changer to your factory system, but you can buy a CD changer that works with your factory radio for a lot less. You may have to do a little work — these changers come in one standard size so they may not fit directly into your factory changer location. Also, many of these CD changers connect to the factory changer cable already in your vehicle, but some include a cable that must be connected to the back of your factory radio. But it's worth the effort if you want to save a lot of cash.