Scosche BTFM5 Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit with Digital FM Transmitter and Dual 12W USB Charging Ports For Vehicles

My first one of these was purchased at a Love's truck stop in northern TN some years ago but somebody stole it, keep in mind that it went years and never broke, so I bought another when I found it here on Amazon. I've owned almost a dozen such things in my smartphone life since 2010 and had various issues with all of them until they inevitably broke. This Scosche never broke before it was stolen and this 2nd one I'm reviewing now is still in my backpack right now. As a truck fleet dispatcher but not the proud owner of his own vehicle, I tend to drive different cars and trucks all the time and never know how or if I can connect my phone to the random vehicle I find myself in at various times of the day. Carrying this little gem solves ALL issues and questions. It's cheap enough, has a strong signal (once you find the right station for your area) and is super easy to use just like any other Bluetooth device. Head's up, lower numbered radio stations tend to work best. There is a site that will actually help you find the best station for use in your area but I don't recall what it is at the moment. I would say Google it but try DuckDuckGo so you get an unbiased answer. Warning: Modern Bluetooth devices will allow multiple connections so be sure to unplug it if you've connected your phone directly to the vehicle stereo system because your phone will auto connect to this plug before it plays out of the car and then you'll wonder why you can't hear anything. Meanwhile, this thing is plugged in under your dash or inside your center console and you'll be connected to it without hearing anything. I mention 'multiple' connections because your roommate or spouse can be connected to it at the same time and it won't play anything at all until one of you unpairs or disconnects it.

I did not expect a FM transmitter to be this awesome. Mind you, I haven't used one for more than a decade, but I bought an old Saab as a project car, and figured an FM Transmitter would be better than nothing until I can figure out how to hack Bluetooth directly into the head unit. After a week with this, I'm not sure I'm going to bother with any hacks: It sounds great, it works exactly as you'd expect (easy to change station, easy to pair to Bluetooth, easy to re-connect), provides two USB ports for charging devices, AND has an aux-in (the manual calls it aux out, but it functions as an input) to let you plug directly into the transmitter instead of using Bluetooth (y'know, in case you want to rock an old iPod in your old car.) Plugged into the cigarette lighter directly under the stereo, I haven't had any problems with static or interference. This thing "just works" and was totally worth the purchase.

Noticiable road noise but that’s kind of unavoidable with this, max volume is slightly reduced but easy to use, looks great, and good quality. calls aren’t the best

Makes my 2003 have bluetooth. Wish it was as loud as the stock radio but cant complain✅

Awesome to use to stream my phone tunes to old school stereos in cars that I drive. If you don't want to spend a bundle on upgrading your stereo in the old jalopy to a blue tooth style, this is a great alternative. I use it all the time. and a bonus, it charges your phone and takes calls as a microphone. Super easy to set up and the sound it very clear.

Have used this in my car for so long! Charges your phone, vape, earbuds, etc! Great purchase and easy to set up!

Here's a more formal and articulate version of your review with some additional suggestions to make it more critical: After using this device for a while, I must say that I am quite underwhelmed. Despite being slightly more expensive than other products in this category, it falls flat on many basic features that others carry. Let me begin with the physical build of the device. While the build quality is mostly fine, it is not the best. However, it's important to keep in mind that this is a sub $25 device as of writing this review. There is a single knob to change the songs that are currently playing within your phone's queue. This knob is also used when the "channel" button on the right side of the device is clicked to then tune the signal which you can pick up on it from. The main issue being that if this is the main knob you interface with, I don't understand why the manufacturers wouldn't have put a little more thought into making it feel less awful to use. It feels flimsy when moved, flipping out with little action required and then falling back into place. Although it does the job well enough, I am unsure how usable it will be in the future given the quality of it. It's likely that a cheap knob like this will give out or misread inputs over time. The light reads off the channel number with a pleasant white LED. This is my favorite part of the device, as it is very easy to read while I am out and about. However, the quality of the audio is where this device really falls short. It seems to be fuzzy and quiet at best, with absolutely no way to adjust the audio from the device. This is absolutely crucial for people with older cars, as they may require a stronger audio signal to properly listen to their music. In other Bluetooth models I have used, it is very simple to slide the volume all the way up and easily be able to listen to the music. However, with this device, I have found myself needing to turn my car's volume up to 70% just to hear what sounds like 10% volume on the FM radio. Despite checking the very brief manual given with the device and ensuring that volume limiting is turned off on my phone, the audio quality remains poor. To make matters worse, the audio quality lacks both high and low ends, making a lot of the fun or nuance of music get lost in the process. It's disappointing that such a basic feature as adjusting audio is missing from this device. Without it, the device is almost unusable. Given the fact that the audio quality is poor and the device lacks basic features, I believe this device may have some quality control issues, and you're not entirely sure what you're going to get. In conclusion, my advice would be to look for something else, as this device is lacking in very basic features to begin with, yet it is sold at a markup compared to competitors.

If you have an older car that only has a radio and a cigarette lighter port this is a game changer. I have used many of the knock off products and I was very disappointed. However, the Scosche BTFM5 gave me the ability to play my favorite music/listen to podcasts in my old truck! Now I'm no longer sitting in silence or having to listen through earbuds. The audio quality for me is pristine but you may have some feedback just depending on how strong your fm signal is in your area. 10/10 highly recommend!

Great device that works really well. Most importantly, it doesn’t look like a cheap “Chinese disco light” with distracting colorful LEDs while driving, and it doesn’t speak during phone pairing. Setup is very simple, and the audio transmission quality is quite good. Overall, a clean and user-friendly product.

It works well, it connects to the radio waves, you can hear the music well, Good product

The instructions are limited, we had to google how to install. Serves its purpose

Works well and is easy to use... excellent value

This feels like a fraud to me, and I am angry! I had high expectations. Return was 5th August and on the 10th, it just stopped working. While it connects to the bluetooth of my phone, there's just no audio coming out of it. This is very annoying and sad! I feel robbed!