megaoctane

as the question goes, if i connect the iPod nano to the car via media interface cable. can i let it stay connected, or will it "charge" itself all the time thus draining battery?

ImInPA

I leave an iPod Classic plugged in all the time. It only gets disconnected when I need to add more music to it.

megaoctane

Thanks for quick reply

pdjv

Interesting question. I don't have a definitive answer, but have left mine connected for several months with no obvious battery issues. I suspect, but can't prove that power is removed from those circuits when the engine is off, and the COMAND/Audio has been shut off - either with the power switch or by opening the driver side door.

megaoctane

I now have a USB connected, and never had any issues with battery.
But since I own a Mac, copying music to USB adds also a lot of hidden files, and these are shown in Comand.
I then have to connect to a windows machine and delete all hidden files.
Therefor wanted to use an old iPod nano I had lying around.

ImInPA

It does power off after a few minutes. The iPod itself also goes into standby mode and consumes very little power. Most iPods are fully charged almost all of the time when left connected, so, they never really draw very much power.