Troon
Senior Member
Just finished installing my Harmon Kardon Drive + Play iPod integration kit that I kept from my last car into my S211. Very pleased with the results.
My criteria for success were:
The knob is fitted in the pop-up cupholder. I very rarely use the cupholder - and there's still one available when it's open - so it was an easy decision to cut this up to support the control knob. As this is a separate "accessory" part, I decided it was acceptable to break out the Dremel: by buying a new cupholder assembly, I can revert the car to its "before" state easily.
Because of the size of the knob, the cupholder still folds up and away, with the wire positioned to curl up and stay out of the way of the retracting bit. Much experimentation was needed to see exactly where everything had to go and which bits of the cupholder were necessary for its operation.
The weight of the knob means that manual intervention is needed to flip the holder open once it's risen up, but that's not a problem.
The wire is run through a new 8mm hole I had to drill in the base of that compartment, forwards past the transmission selector.
The screen is mounted next to the power socket, and is fixed in with a self-adhesive disc. The wiring exits through an existing aperture past the light guide at the back of the tray.
The "brains" of the system is cable tied up inside the passenger footwell, where there's plenty of room. Power comes from the COMAND power line (12V permanent and ground) with the key-on signal coming from the power socket live line.
The iPod connector and audio out are both fed into the glovebox, so I can plug something else in should I choose to.
I thought I did quite well lasting seven weeks before attacking the car with a Dremel.
I'm impressed with how well the E is put together and how simply it comes apart.
My criteria for success were:
- it works (check!)
- it's invisible when not in us (check!)
- minimal butchering of OEM parts (mostly check!)
The knob is fitted in the pop-up cupholder. I very rarely use the cupholder - and there's still one available when it's open - so it was an easy decision to cut this up to support the control knob. As this is a separate "accessory" part, I decided it was acceptable to break out the Dremel: by buying a new cupholder assembly, I can revert the car to its "before" state easily.
Because of the size of the knob, the cupholder still folds up and away, with the wire positioned to curl up and stay out of the way of the retracting bit. Much experimentation was needed to see exactly where everything had to go and which bits of the cupholder were necessary for its operation.
The weight of the knob means that manual intervention is needed to flip the holder open once it's risen up, but that's not a problem.
The wire is run through a new 8mm hole I had to drill in the base of that compartment, forwards past the transmission selector.
The screen is mounted next to the power socket, and is fixed in with a self-adhesive disc. The wiring exits through an existing aperture past the light guide at the back of the tray.
The "brains" of the system is cable tied up inside the passenger footwell, where there's plenty of room. Power comes from the COMAND power line (12V permanent and ground) with the key-on signal coming from the power socket live line.
The iPod connector and audio out are both fed into the glovebox, so I can plug something else in should I choose to.
I thought I did quite well lasting seven weeks before attacking the car with a Dremel.
I'm impressed with how well the E is put together and how simply it comes apart.
