Comand Replacement Advice

[Sanny]

My 4 year old pushed 2 cds into the CD slot of my 2001 C class. The local specialist has said that although the cds can be removed, the mechanism has been damaged so that cds cannot be ejected.

I had thought that a replacement CD player would be required, but he has said that it is an integral part of the Comand unit and the whole thing needs replaced.

Can anyone confirm if the above is true and what is the likely cost if the whole unit requires replacement.

Thanks.

 

[television]

What I say can be confirmed by" Alfie " the Command man.

what this means is the the unit will have to be taken out of the car to do it.

There is a top plate on the laser pick up, that holds the disc down when playing, in the stop / eject mode the clearance is only around 1mm, so with 2 disc they cant clear to eject.
Once the unit is out, the top plate can be lfted and the disc removed. It is a common thing in the domestic world and I have done hundreds over the years.


Malcolm

 

[Sanny]

Thanks Malcolm.

I will check with my specialist (Deutsch Motors in Croydon) but I think they have already removed the cds.

From what they said, it appears that the loading mechanism has been damaged so that if you insert another cd, it won't eject again. I might be wrong as I need to check with him, but I think this is what he thinks is the problem.

I would welcome any further advice from either yourself or Alfie, I would appreciate the help.

Thanks


Sanny

 

[Alfie]

Thanks Malcolm.

I will check with my specialist (Deutsch Motors in Croydon) but I think they have already removed the cds.

From what they said, it appears that the loading mechanism has been damaged so that if you insert another cd, it won't eject again. I might be wrong as I need to check with him, but I think this is what he thinks is the problem.

I would welcome any further advice from either yourself or Alfie, I would appreciate the help.

ThanksSanny

You certainly do not need to replace the whole unit. The Cd mechanism can be replaced on its own.

Try these http://www.rammobile.com/ people who I know have repaired COMAND CD mechanisms before. If you want a hand removing the unit then I'm happy to do it for you free of charge. Takes about 15 minutes thats all.

 

[Sanny]

Thanks Alfie,

Thats taken a weight of my mind. Just to be clear, the cds have been entered into the single slot above the screen. The car does not have a cd changer.

I will contact rammobile and find out what they say.

This is exactly the reason why this site is so useful. Both MB and various specialists have said that the whole unit needs replaced.

I will feed back and let you know how I get on as this may well help others with the same problem at some stage.

 

[mioba]

Thanks Alfie,

This is exactly the reason why this site is so useful. Both MB and various specialists have said that the whole unit needs replaced.

mot things are repairable, the dealers and indy say otherwise because they just cant be bothered, or its not on there computers how to repair

 

[Sanny]

Thanks to everyone for their advice and feedback. Having spent a couple of days trying to find a simple solution, it has become pretty clear that htis is going to be difficult.

The best option short of replacement has been to remove the unit and send back to Germany for repair (which is apparently what MB would do). This is expensive and time consuming. The specialist I spoke to (RAM Mobile) said that this was their option but it could take a couple of months with no guarantee of a repair being possible.

It is clear that the drive mechanism has been damaged by my son inserting two cds and that the damage is worse than a simple removal of cds by removing the top plate.

I am currently sourcing a replacement.

 

[angus falconer]

It is clear that the drive mechanism has been damaged by my son inserting two cds .....I am currently sourcing a replacement.

Are you sourcing a replacement Comand unit or a replacement son?

 

[Sanny]

I think a replacement son would be cheaper although to be fair it is really the fault of my wife for leaving him in the car!

I look on the bright side - I'll be able to embarrass him for years in front of girlfriends etc.

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Well, if you trade the son off I recall there was an incident somewhere with a Coke being poured down the auto transmission slot with disastrous consequences, just make sure they never meet.......I do wonder would a hi fi repair centre be able to deal with this?

Having said that if you have a Linn product for example you box it up and send it back to the factory in Scotland and get it back within about 2 weeks fully checked over. Maybe MB can do this too?

 

[Sanny]

The kids are not allowed to eat (or touch cds) but my wife is less fussy hence the C class problem.

You can send the unit back to Germany for repair apparently but the cost and time taken is rather high. It does appear cheaper to replace the unit, which is what I will have to do as soon as I get some time to sort it out.

 

[Sanny]

Sorry but that last message should have said "the kids are allowed to eat or touch CDs IN MY ML".

Obviously we do feed the kids occasionally.

 

[Sanny]

I have just had my Comand Unit replaced after it developed a serious fault caused by my 4 year old sticking two cds into the slot.

In the hope that this saves someone else some time, I would recommend that if anyone on this forum experiences similar problems then the fastest and least stressful way of getting the problem sorted is to contact comand.co.uk.

Those who have spent any length of time on the forum will know that Alfie is the resident Comand expert and the support offered by him in my case was superb.

Put simply, if you have a Comand problem, go to comand.co.uk.

I would stress that I have no vested interest in the above company but firmly believe that great service and expertise need to be recognised.

Well done Alfie.

 

[Shala]

Sanny, you mentioned Deutsch Motors in Croydon. i live in croydon too. Whats their service like. They sond like very nice people but can you tell me anymore than that? I need to get my car service & get a few other problems sorted (typical MAF & electric window faults). What are their prices like?

Shala

 

[Sanny]

Service has always been good, prices reasonable and they look after the car. I use them on my wifes C class which is now out of warranty and will not be replaced until the new C comes out in 2007.

I get the main service done by MB Croydon but any incidentals by Deutsch. They are all MB trained technicians, I know the owner through a family friend.

Obviously I can only share my own experience and can't guarantee their work. I would suggest that you go and speak to them about the various problems you have to see if they can help.

Ask for Shabir or Pervez who are the two owners.

 

[Shala]

Is there a big difference in price between Deutsch & MB Croydon?

 

[Sanny]

There can be a huge difference in price between them. I would suggest getting a quote from Deutsch Motors and going to MB Croydon and asking them to match it.

From past experience, I have found that MB Croydon are willing to bring their price down when faced with competition and they don't like customers going to independents so they can sometimes be very flexible. I don't think they will be any cheaper than Deutsch but they might just match the price. This also depends on the nature of the problem. For simple mechanicals I would use Deutsch if MB are more expensive.

Good luck.

 

[Shala]

I think Deutsch mentioned £75.00 for service A & £120 for service B, both excluding parts. I dunno how much the parts will cost though.

 

[Sanny]

They have always been fair about parts prices but you should ask what the replacement parts cost and ask them to OK anything on top of that prior to fitting.

Also try to get a quote from MB Croydon. They might be reasonable.

 

[Shala]

Thanks man. will do. i know mer wanted £120ish + vat to diagnose my merc where Deutsch only want £55.00 + vat to diagnose. thats less than half price.

Will see what happens tomorrow. got appintment @ 9.30am

Can't believe I hav to wake up early on my day off