comand unit or aftermarket brand?

[stuey]

ok ive made this thread to see if everyone on here can make a cheaper solution to having the command unit or to have an aftermarket fit with the same options if not more, i found this website that lists a variety of head units with sat nav, bluetooth, ipod connectivity, etc but ovbiously it wont be as easy as plug and play or will it? thats why i want to get a topic goin on this to get other peoples experiences on this as there may be a cheaper solution out there. the ovbious problems are the connections to gain steering wheel control? finding a facia to fit unless the unit is a perfect fit, cost as theres no point spending anywhere near the same amount as the comand unit otherwise you might aswell go down the comand route, and user friendlyness (forgive the dodgy word) ive heard alot that the comand unit is very easy to use. any help guys?

 

[television]

Do a search from blobcats post, he did a good job installing an after market sat nav

 

[stuey]

what do u think on the idea though would you pay the extra money and have the comand unit or go down the road of doing an aftermarket kit? i suppose it depends on personal taste

 

[television]

The Comand is a perfect fit and there are always plenty on Ebay cheap, I like it, some complain, but it suits me

 

[stuey]

thats kwl i am looking around for comand units, ive seen a few on fleebay but they are all being sold by lithus, one of the ads say it was recovered from an overturned merc , are you supposed to trust that it still works fine? i do like the idea of the aftermarket ones some of them hav way more features its just a case of being able to integrate it into the cars properly, dya think you could find the thread for blobcat when he done his, im having trouble finding it.

 

[eddiereilly]

me personally id stay with the mercedes unit i like to keep it looking standard

 

[television]

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=44900

 

[stuey]

thats one of the big cons for me ive only just got my merc its my first one and to me when you have a car like this i feel like everything should be done properly and to keep it looking original, unless i found and bought a second hand unit from a place i trusted i dont think i could dish out that much money on a brand new unit so i suppose the aftermarket ones are a cheap alternative? are they that bad though?

 

[Miffy]

Comand is deff very good, I do use tomtom for satnav as I like the speed cam warings for when I accidently go 72mph on the mway. But if you want to keep the look and feel of a merc, and you can afford comand, then go for it, I love mine

contact these guys http://www.comandonline.co.uk/ for help, they can fit it for you, and do any coding that may be needed to display the satnav in your cluster (if you have a cluster that supports it

 

[stuey]

thankyou ive just been looking on their website at the kit, they have told me they will fit it if i can find a cheaper one, im desperatly trying to scoop up a bargain though before i do the deal, i do like the aftermarket ones blobcats one was very nice and i like the touch screen business too

 

[television]

The guy on Ebay from Lithuania has been selling them for at least 5 years

 

[stuey]

fair enough i just noticed his feedback score was quite high i tend not to use ebay after a few bad experiences on there so only really use it as a last resort, also what other bits are needed i know a antenna is needed but isnt there somthing else?

 

[Miffy]

be sure you seek their advice before you comit to a purchase if you go for comand, as you have to get the right model for your car or the fitting bill will be rather large

 

[stuey]

thanks for the info im guna look into it some more the options are quite different, how does the comand unit handle is it fast or does it lag and whats the sat nav like does it send you up one way streets the wrong way like my tom tom? any pics?

 

[Miffy]

the map doesnt look as good as TT, but its fine, mine has never lost a gps lock yet, and has better tracking in low gps signal areas due to the way it uses the speed sensor to do guestimations of where you really are. and, well it just looks right, it belongs in a merc

 

[stuey]

thats why it wins over the aftermarket ones i think because its design is the same as the rest of the car so just looks right, im definatly guna be sure before commiting to it, any1 had it done by comand dya kow how long it will take as i would have to drive to them im too far away for them to come to me

 

[Miffy]

where are you in kent? you may be able to meet up and have a play with comand with another MB member?

 

[stuey]

im in thanet which is right on the edge of england, unfortunatley opposite france, bout 20 mins from dover im just looking on comands website and they are doing a kit for the new c class which i presume is the facelift model thats just come out so wont fit mine, but they dont do a whole kit for my age group only the unit then the parts? unless im not looking at it very well, having a butchers on someones wud be a gd idea actully its alot of money to waste if i dont like it

 

[Miffy]

come up to the essex meet next sunday, theres sure to be a selection of comand's for you to get an idea of how it will look and feel in yours

 

[stuey]

i might do actully im having some star work done on saterday to get a few extra bits of info up on the dash. plus the ipod kit so yea that might be a good idea, i definatly need to have a looky and check out the kit, also do you know where the gps antenna goes? am i right in thinking it goes on the back window? this might be a stupid question, but thats lunchtime ure meeting up isnt it?