C220 W203 Command Centre

[JEDWIZARD7777]

HI CAN ANYONE PLEASE OFFER ME ANY ADVICE, I HAVE A 51 PLATE MERCEDS C220 W203 U.K.MODEL. IT HAS THE ORIGIONAL RADIO/CD SYSTEM FITTED, I HAVE HAD A COMMAND CENTRE PURCHASED FOR ME AS A PRESENT, I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS INSTALLED ASAP, HOPEFULLY WITH ALL THE BENEFITS, I.E. T.V. SAT NAV ETC.
THE PROBLEM IS I HAVE NOW BEEN INFORMED THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFINATLY FOR A MERCEDES W203 MODEL BUT IT WAS BOUGHT ON EBAY AND WAS IMPORTED FROM AMERICA, CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME WETHER THIS SYSTEM WILL INSTALL O.K. INTO MY CAR OR AM I LIKELY TO HAVE PROBLEMS. I DO PLAN TO USE AN AUTO ELECTRICIAN.
ANT ADDITIONAL INFO WOULD ALSO BE A GREAT HELP I.E. GUESS I WILL NEED A T.V. TUNER ? NOT SURE WETHER OR NOT WIRING IS ALREADY INSTALLRD IN DASH BEHIND RADIO ? GUESS I WILL NEED TO PURCHASE AND INSTALL U.K. C.D. FOR SAT NAV ?
I GUESS THE SPARKY WILL ADVISE ME ON MOST POINTS, BUT ANY INFO WOULD REALLY BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
IM NOT TOO SURE HOW THE FORUM WORKS BUT THIS IS MY EMAIL JEDWIZARD7777@aol.com
MANY THANKS JED.

 

[television]

When a nice helpful guy called Marnix see's the post he will give you a sensible answer.

malcolm

 

[JEDWIZARD7777]

Cheers Malcolm

 

[Alfie]

HI CAN ANYONE PLEASE OFFER ME ANY ADVICE, I HAVE A 51 PLATE MERCEDS C220 W203 U.K.MODEL. IT HAS THE ORIGIONAL RADIO/CD SYSTEM FITTED, I HAVE HAD A COMMAND CENTRE PURCHASED FOR ME AS A PRESENT, I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS INSTALLED ASAP, HOPEFULLY WITH ALL THE BENEFITS, I.E. T.V. SAT NAV ETC.
THE PROBLEM IS I HAVE NOW BEEN INFORMED THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFINATLY FOR A MERCEDES W203 MODEL BUT IT WAS BOUGHT ON EBAY AND WAS IMPORTED FROM AMERICA, CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME WETHER THIS SYSTEM WILL INSTALL O.K. INTO MY CAR OR AM I LIKELY TO HAVE PROBLEMS. I DO PLAN TO USE AN AUTO ELECTRICIAN.
ANT ADDITIONAL INFO WOULD ALSO BE A GREAT HELP I.E. GUESS I WILL NEED A T.V. TUNER ? NOT SURE WETHER OR NOT WIRING IS ALREADY INSTALLRD IN DASH BEHIND RADIO ? GUESS I WILL NEED TO PURCHASE AND INSTALL U.K. C.D. FOR SAT NAV ?
I GUESS THE SPARKY WILL ADVISE ME ON MOST POINTS, BUT ANY INFO WOULD REALLY BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
IM NOT TOO SURE HOW THE FORUM WORKS BUT THIS IS MY EMAIL JEDWIZARD7777@aol.com
MANY THANKS JED.

What is the exact part number of the comand? It starts with A203 8?? ?? ??

European COMAND units wirk in the USA but the USA ones dont work too well in Europe. To start with the AM band frequency spacing is different, TMC does not work and the USA comands do not have the TV function. I have had customers come to me with numerous problems with USA comands having been bought and fitted to european cars. That said, if your unit is a newer one, then it is possible to get it to work but it might need re-coding on a STAR diagnosis system. Think carefully if you want TV. Its a very expensive add-on and involves a lot of wiring.

Installation and wiring is very easy for the COMAND if you know what you are doing. take a look at Richard Almeida's excellent website at http://www.mercupgrades.com see under the section entitled Retrofitting comand. There is awhole section in there about fitting to a W203.

Teleatlas CD's can be obtained easily from nuerous places including me! http://www.comand.co.uk You will also need a GPS antennae and a wiring loom adapter all of which I can supply.

If you want to come down to Woking, I can test your comand for you and help you install it in about 40 minutes. email me on sales@comand.co.uk if you are interested.

 

[jon_harley]

I wouldn't recommend the TV option. I have it and reception is rarely much good. Plus mine (from 2003) is analogue, which will mean it's completely useless in a couple of years when they switch off the analogue transmitters.

Presumably brand new TV tuner would be digital and pick up Freeview. The trouble with digital TV is that when reception is bad, the sound breaks up as well as the picture. At least with analogue you can listen to it even when the picture is ghosty.

 

[bitonw]

Well, there is loads of info on the Internet, How to docs incl foto's. Lots in German, http://www.sport-coupe.de/ but easy to under stand if you can't read German. Only be very carefull of the advice since most of them are for 'older' models and are different. I even went to an Mercedes Garage and they almost broke my Instrument Cluster since they didn't know how to remove it in a W203...

If you need a How to to remove the Audio 10 CD / Instrument Cluster in a W203. I made one on an other forum incl foto's, just google for bitonw

Have fun.

 

[JEDWIZARD7777]

HI CAN ANYONE PLEASE OFFER ME ANY ADVICE, I HAVE A 51 PLATE MERCEDS C220 W203 U.K.MODEL. IT HAS THE ORIGIONAL RADIO/CD SYSTEM FITTED, I HAVE HAD A COMMAND CENTRE PURCHASED FOR ME AS A PRESENT, I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS INSTALLED ASAP, HOPEFULLY WITH ALL THE BENEFITS, I.E. T.V. SAT NAV ETC.
THE PROBLEM IS I HAVE NOW BEEN INFORMED THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFINATLY FOR A MERCEDES W203 MODEL BUT IT WAS BOUGHT ON EBAY AND WAS IMPORTED FROM AMERICA, CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME WETHER THIS SYSTEM WILL INSTALL O.K. INTO MY CAR OR AM I LIKELY TO HAVE PROBLEMS. I DO PLAN TO USE AN AUTO ELECTRICIAN.
ANT ADDITIONAL INFO WOULD ALSO BE A GREAT HELP I.E. GUESS I WILL NEED A T.V. TUNER ? NOT SURE WETHER OR NOT WIRING IS ALREADY INSTALLRD IN DASH BEHIND RADIO ? GUESS I WILL NEED TO PURCHASE AND INSTALL U.K. C.D. FOR SAT NAV ?
I GUESS THE SPARKY WILL ADVISE ME ON MOST POINTS, BUT ANY INFO WOULD REALLY BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
IM NOT TOO SURE HOW THE FORUM WORKS BUT THIS IS MY EMAIL JEDWIZARD7777@aol.com
MANY THANKS JED.

PART NUMBER OF AMERICAN COMMAND I HAVE IS A 463 820 16 89

 

[television]

I wouldn't recommend the TV option. I have it and reception is rarely much good. Plus mine (from 2003) is analogue, which will mean it's completely useless in a couple of years when they switch off the analogue transmitters.

Presumably brand new TV tuner would be digital and pick up Freeview. The trouble with digital TV is that when reception is bad, the sound breaks up as well as the picture. At least with analogue you can listen to it even when the picture is ghosty.

Jon is correct in that it will be useless in a couple of years, digital is out of the question sinse you have to do a complete download from the transponders in your area, if you venture outside you will have to down load again, erasing your previous one, reception will be almost impossible when out of sight of the transmitter mast, and you will be greeted with "no signal found"

malcolm

 

[Alfie]

PART NUMBER OF AMERICAN COMMAND I HAVE IS A 463 820 16 89

You have the wrong comand unit I'm afraid. the A463 units are for the older G Class not the W203.

The documentation I have does not detail if this is a european or USA one so does it have a TV button? If not its USA, if it does its european.

However, it will physically fit into your car but it wont work because the W203 sends its speed pulse over the canbus and the A463 units expect it on a separate pin. It is possible to get it recoded to work like an A203 unit but you will need to find a friendly MB dealer or someone with a STAR machine to do it for you.

Alternatively you could find the speed pulse in your car and connect it up but then who knows how the unit will react when it receives a speed pulse also on the canbus that it does not want!

Also, you wont get RDS radio text if you do end up getting it to work.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you would do better to replace the unit for an A203 one.

 

[television]

Alfie, tell me please does the command in a 2004 SL without TV have any form of aux input.

Thank you

Malcolm

 

[JEDWIZARD7777]

Thanks For That Alfie Although Its Bad News, It Does Have A T.v. Button, Although I Guess Its Useless For My Veichle ?
Do You Know What Model It Will Fit, As It Was Advertised As A W203.
Any Ideas Where I Should Purchase A Suitable Unit If I Sell This One And What Kind Of Money. Yhanks

 

[JEDWIZARD7777]

Also Anyone Know The Mb Part No. For A U.k. W203 Commant

 

[Alfie]

Thanks For That Alfie Although Its Bad News, It Does Have A T.v. Button, Although I Guess Its Useless For My Veichle ?
Do You Know What Model It Will Fit, As It Was Advertised As A W203.
Any Ideas Where I Should Purchase A Suitable Unit If I Sell This One And What Kind Of Money. Yhanks

The best unit for your car is A203 827 52 42. This was the last of the Pre facelifted W203 comands. It really is plug and play with a loom adapter.

Your A463 unit, although a european one will require different cabling in order to work in your car. The A203 units take their speed pulse from the canbus which your car will provide on its canbus. The A463 units (G class) take their speed pulse from a separate feed which needs to go to Pin 6 on the C2 connector. If you can locate your speed pulse in the car (not from the canbus) then you could make it work. Ignore the issue about the gyro angle being different as this wont really affect the day to day operation of the unit.

I can sell you the loom adapter but you will have to find the speed pulse wire first.

 

[Oneilly]

Command & iPhone

I'm trying to connect my iPhone to my command to allow me to connect to the Internet, I keep getting a message that the iPhone doesn't have connection or something similar.

This is this is the first time I've tried to set this up, the phone is paired for phone and connects to the Internet independently.

Any ideas how to set this up correctly?

Thanks all!