Play IPod via USB through Car Stereo USB port?

Which model of ipod is this, sounds like a 3rd generation model with the 4 buttons above the click wheel.
The trick would be to use the ipod as a data transfer disk in DISK MODE. This would be similar to the usb key as it holds data and will be accessable in the same manner as the key, as both are flash drives.
This would depend also on how the stereo accesses the files on the drive, more info on the stero would be helpful, model etc...

Check this link http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61131

I confirm what sparkmaker posted. Using your iPod just as a disk is the way to go.

Since it is an iPod, your music is probably from iTunes (the application, not necessarily the service) and is in AAC format, not MP3.  Your car stereo will probably not play AAC files.  The above suggestions are correct in that you can use the iPod as a flash drive, but you also must store your music in MP3 format and not AAC.

>> you also must store your music in MP3 format and not AAC
I simply supposed it were MP3 files, but it's indeed a good remark, John.

Mine is the new 80gb video iPod. I have enabled disk access, but don't believe this is enough. Can you hookup an iPod to a computer without iTunes and have it recognize the iPod as a harddrive?

I've never done it, but I suppose this is what Disk Mode means, yes.

Dear Xema,

Give me a few days to try this.

Just getting back to playing the iPod in the car. Maybe your car radio has an auxillary input, so at the very least, you can connect the iPod via the headphone output to the auxillary input of the car radio.
Just to circumvent all those who might say, "Oh but that isn't digital." No, you won't be able to see the song names, playlists etc on the car radio -- but the sound will be the same as you hear from your iPod -- analogue. They haven't invented digital sound that can be heard yet -- and never will. Digital is just a storage and transmission medium (and a good one).

I just hope that at least one of the comments helped you,
Please close the question

Solution at last. Enable disk use and also enable manual management. You need to do the later to see the drive in Explorer and be able to copy files. It worked on an iPod Video 80gb unit, but it did take a while - 30-45 seconds - for the car radio to find the file and start playing. I only tried one audiobook, but will try multiple books later.

Xema got closest. Just wanted to make a couple of comments. You can use the iPod as a music player as always after changing the settings, just not through the USB port. Also, the album, and title didn't seem to make it through, although I can't understand why not. These are normally displayed on the car radio. I'll continue experimenting, but will close this question.

I thought thats what my first link explained.

Dear Sparkmaker,

What can I say, I tried the steps in the article, but for some reason they didn't work. I don't think my disk showed up in Explorer for me to copy the files when I chose use disk access instead of manually manage. Mea culpa though. I don't know how to take the points back and share them now.

Thats OK, I was just wondering.