Bluetooth car adapter FM transmitters

1) Are they any good?
2) If so, which one should I buy?

Ta

If you don’t have an aux socket you can plug a bluetooth receiver into then they do a job.

If you’re driving in city areas with lots of local stations finding an empty frequency can take some time and sound quality is OK rather than great.

I’ve got this one and it did the job https://amzn.eu/d/iOxIMJo

They’re all right but not perfect. Work better if you’re in an area that has a clear frequency but can get a little frustrating over long journeys if you need to retune. I may have one in the garage that could have for a charity donation if you want to give one a try.

I’ve only used one that plugs into a aux socket, have one that is a DAB radio as well and it works great even with the stick on windscreen aerial. If you don;t mind a few wires that is, but you can usually tuck them away so they don’t look too shit….

Bought one from mymemory few months ago. Works ok. Has two usb slots as well so can charge phone.

https://www.mymemory.co.uk/av-link-bluetooth-hands-free-car-kit-with-twin-usb-charger.html

I’ve had a couple, they will do the job but overall sound quality is poor.  Often gets worse if you have anything charging such as your phone, dashcam etc.

Google your radio model and check there isn’t an adaptor loom you can plug into the back to provide an aux (and therefore Bluetooth).

I’ve had (still have, spare) a wired aux that plugs into the back of older Ford radios, and my Honda had a box of tricks that connected into the unused CD changer input to provide aux in.

I use one in the van – it has the dual USB charging outlets too. Works pretty well up here in the Highlands as there are few competing radio signals. I’ve had a couple of occasions on the A9 where I was obviously tuned in to the same frequency as another nearby vehicle for a few miles though.

Yeah, I have an UnbreakCable one with the handsfree phone thing and 2 usb charge ports. Works fine set to 87.5 and has a sound quality the same as any other radio station.
I would have preferred a wired aux but my radio hasn’t got one so the FM transmitter was the only option unless I spent ££££s on a new head unit. (Pointless on my old van).
So yeah, if you have an old banger of a car and don’t want to spend ££££s then get one.

Bought a really cheap one years ago, less than a tenner, and it’s perfectly adequate. 🙂 Going to the end of the range seems to minimise station break-through (we use 87.5 FM, as low as we can go), we do get the occasional break-through of random music presumambly from a very nearby car using the same frequency when driving in the city but otherwise it’s fine. Two USBs too, so we can use the phone for sat nav even on long journeys. 🙂

What Pondo said.

This is what I have.

styled like a small boy’s trainer and also has a bass boost button like a walkman from the’80s. Nice.

Used one in the tractor for a while, bit cack and kept knocking it out the plug. Found a Bluetooth mechless head unit for about £12 so that is in the tractor now.

Probably worth checking there isn’t an aux option through the back of the head unit, direct or indirect.

Just a thanks to those who mentioned using an aux Bluetooth receiver. Never knew these existed.

I’ve always used the FM transmitter type.

The sound is much better through the aux socket.

Mines fine but it’s not hifi. Great for podcasts. Sadly I can’t link as Amazon are no longer listing it. Just chose one with usb ports and good reviews. £32
Very useful and far cheaper than messing with the radio connections.

I recently got a cheapy BT->FM type one for about £6-7 off amazon as I was tired of not being able to put phone sound through my ancient car stereo, and adding an aux channel to the back was more ballache and wiring than I can really be arsed with. It does the job, doesn’t always pair straight away due to the pre-existing parrot hands free kit that causes some issues.

Audio is about as clear as a well tuned FM station so good enough for my uncalibrated ears, when it breaks I might look for one that just uses the 3.5mm jack, more wires but no need to worry about BT pairing everytime I start the car up…

Only issue so far was accidentally picking up someone else listening to Dad rock in a Luton van, obviously using the same sort of gadget/frequency, while passing on the M3.
I assume he had to put up with my taste in podcasts for the same 30 seconds…

Most of the above +1

I’ve got 2 and one is better than the other at somethings but not others.

1 sounds slightly better, and more reliably connects to the phone, but drops out when the car is started and the voltage drops for a second or two.

The other occasionally BT connects for calls only and needs plugging in/out to re-set the connection, it’s also looser in the socket to gets knocked more.

Aside from that they both do the job, and the sound is at least as good as the car’s FM, but that may be down to the relative loudness in the mix being played on the radio.

A jack plug might be more reliable, but then you may as well just plug the phone jack in. The upside of the BT-FM transmitter is you can skip songs/podcasts “hands free”, still needs your hands but it’s a big easy to find FFWD button, no need to pull over and unlock your phone.