R2e
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- Your Mercedes
- ML320 2000 (X) Petrol/LPG
I’ve finally got round to fitting the Parrot CK3000 Evolution + Steering controls harness to my W203. Again I thought the details may help anyone attempting the same process. Tools used were a screwdriver with Torx bits, a plastic wedge (out of an old Brodit mobile phone holder kit), a flat end screwdriver, and a piece of copper wire stripped out of some house 3 core lying around –
1. Fitting the microphone
This is the trickiest bit as it requires a bit of fiddling to get the wire from the vicinity of the interior mirror to the back of the radio.
First, remove the interior light cluster which simply clips into the headlinging, and the passenger side sun visor, 2 screws. Pull back the A pillar door seal and pull enough of the A Pillar panel off (it clips on- warning you may have problems clipping it back afterwards, just persevere and fit the clips to the pillar, rather than the cover, should then be OK)
At the rear of the interior mirror mount is a slot into which the interior light engages, and above it is a hole in the roof lining which looks as if it’s made for such a job! Push the microphone connection through this hole and leave the microphone enough cable to fit where you want it (I mounted it actually to the mirror support).
Push the copper wire through from the hole where the sun visor mounting goes in towards the hole where the interior light fits, bend the end round the microphone connection and pull it through.
Now feed the copper wire through from the sun visor mounting hole to the top of the A pillar behind the cover, where you can grasp the end. Attach the microphone plug to the end of the wire as before and pull through. Push the wire now showing in the sun visor mounting hole downwards so it doesn’t interfere with the sun visor mounting.
Remove the cover on the left of the dash (the same as the fuse box cover on the right), it simply unclips. Undo two screws on the cover underneath the glove box area.
Feed the cable down the A pillar, through the end of the dash and along underneath the glove box.
Put everything back except the lower glove box cover.
2. Fitting the interfaces
Remove the console trim and the radio (covered elsewhere)
The main Parrot harness fits between the existing radio connection and the radio itself, so remove the three connections and put them into the Parrot harness in the same order. Fit the other end of the Parrot harness to the radio.
Follow the parrot instructions for connection up the interface boxes (2 off, one for the steering wheel interface, one the main Bluetooth box).
From the left hand side of the ashtray cavity, push your copper wire through to where you can get hold of it in the passenger footwell above the carpet. Pull the microphone wire through and connect to the Parrot interface. Replace the glovebox lower cover.
3. Fitting the control switch
The last thing required is the Parrot control switch. Although you now have the steering wheel controls active, this is necessary for accessing the Parrot menus. Really this can be sited wherever you like, though I’ve put mind in the ashtray fitting (the ashtray is removed) as I don’t need it on a day to day basis or while driving, but it is still conveniently to hand.
Pair the phone and set up the various options through the Parrot menu system, such as voice dialling, and that’s it. Everything worked out of the box, the only minor issue I have is that when you press the phone buttons on the steering wheel, the ‘not available’ message shows in the instrument panel while it is connecting and disconnecting! I assume this to be a dealer setup to tell the system there is a phone connected but I’m investigating at the moment.
1. Fitting the microphone
This is the trickiest bit as it requires a bit of fiddling to get the wire from the vicinity of the interior mirror to the back of the radio.
First, remove the interior light cluster which simply clips into the headlinging, and the passenger side sun visor, 2 screws. Pull back the A pillar door seal and pull enough of the A Pillar panel off (it clips on- warning you may have problems clipping it back afterwards, just persevere and fit the clips to the pillar, rather than the cover, should then be OK)
At the rear of the interior mirror mount is a slot into which the interior light engages, and above it is a hole in the roof lining which looks as if it’s made for such a job! Push the microphone connection through this hole and leave the microphone enough cable to fit where you want it (I mounted it actually to the mirror support).
Push the copper wire through from the hole where the sun visor mounting goes in towards the hole where the interior light fits, bend the end round the microphone connection and pull it through.
Now feed the copper wire through from the sun visor mounting hole to the top of the A pillar behind the cover, where you can grasp the end. Attach the microphone plug to the end of the wire as before and pull through. Push the wire now showing in the sun visor mounting hole downwards so it doesn’t interfere with the sun visor mounting.
Remove the cover on the left of the dash (the same as the fuse box cover on the right), it simply unclips. Undo two screws on the cover underneath the glove box area.
Feed the cable down the A pillar, through the end of the dash and along underneath the glove box.
Put everything back except the lower glove box cover.
2. Fitting the interfaces
Remove the console trim and the radio (covered elsewhere)
The main Parrot harness fits between the existing radio connection and the radio itself, so remove the three connections and put them into the Parrot harness in the same order. Fit the other end of the Parrot harness to the radio.
Follow the parrot instructions for connection up the interface boxes (2 off, one for the steering wheel interface, one the main Bluetooth box).
From the left hand side of the ashtray cavity, push your copper wire through to where you can get hold of it in the passenger footwell above the carpet. Pull the microphone wire through and connect to the Parrot interface. Replace the glovebox lower cover.
3. Fitting the control switch
The last thing required is the Parrot control switch. Although you now have the steering wheel controls active, this is necessary for accessing the Parrot menus. Really this can be sited wherever you like, though I’ve put mind in the ashtray fitting (the ashtray is removed) as I don’t need it on a day to day basis or while driving, but it is still conveniently to hand.
Pair the phone and set up the various options through the Parrot menu system, such as voice dialling, and that’s it. Everything worked out of the box, the only minor issue I have is that when you press the phone buttons on the steering wheel, the ‘not available’ message shows in the instrument panel while it is connecting and disconnecting! I assume this to be a dealer setup to tell the system there is a phone connected but I’m investigating at the moment.
