Mercedes Benz E270 CDI Sat Nav Problem

[fire]

Hello

I was just wondering, i have a new shape 2002 Mercedes Benz E270 Avantgarde and it seems to me like it doesn't have a Sat Nav in it, so i was just wondering is there any ways of getting sat nav on there.

I will be very greatful if you can help me with this problem
Thank You

 

[television]

Yes just contact Alfie

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/member.php?u=8387


Much cheaper than MB and better

 

[fire]

how do i contact Alfie??

 

[fire]

how do i contact Alfie??

also is there any dvd i can buy to install it to what i already got in my car, please send me link
Thank You

 

[television]

I have given you the link, here it is again, and all of the contact details are there

Just click on this link
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/member.php?u=8387

he will tell you all you need to know

 

[jberks]

Yes you can install a sat nav. Pop down to you local Halfords and buy a tomtom for £115. It stores very nicely in the pocket under your seat when not in use, comes with free updates and POIs and is easily modfyable. When in use, it can be placed on the screen at eye level allowing yu to read it whilst looking at the unfamiliar road layout ahead.
Or
Spend £1500 to £2000 on a command. It sits in the centre of the dash so you have to take your eyes of the road to read it, update dvds cost more than a tomtom and you can't load any pois.

As Malcolm says, Alfie is the expert, but even if you manage to buy a dodgy used command off ebay, and allowing for the fact that with a 2003 model you probably do have an audio gateway in the boot, by the time you've paid out for the dvd, ariel and any other extra bits and bobs you're still looking at the thick end of £750-£1000.

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of an inbuilt colour screen dvd driven satnav (I have one in my Freelander and it's very cool and thoroughly enjoyed the my loan car with command) but practically and unemotionally speaking, and even ignoring the vast cost differences, having used both, the tomtom is more practical and safer to use.

 

[fire]

i have found a DVD Sat Nav which can be used for mercedes but not sure if it can work for my car, any ideas if it will??

 

[benzo]

Spend £1500 to £2000 on a command. It sits in the centre of the dash so you have to take your eyes of the road to read it, update dvds cost more than a tomtom and you can't load any pois.

With comand, you can view map directions right in front of you on the speedo dial, so you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
If you were to buy the equivalent updated maps for Tom Tom, they would cost as much as the Tom Tom also.
Have Tom Tom in one car and comand in the other. I would always look out for comand when buying another merc.

 

[jberks]

With comand, you can view map directions right in front of you on the speedo dial, so you don't have to take your eyes off the road.

I struggle with this one. Yes the dash is better than the console, true, but you still have to look down at the speedo. Not as bad,true, but to check the speedo, given that you know what you're looking at and for, takes a few milliseconds. To look down, read and interpret the satnav instructions takes considerably longer. All the while your attention is taken away from the road ahead. This is why Volvo and now MB with the 204 have screens that come up out of the dash top. The 212 will no doubt have the same thing when it comes along. A tomtom if sensibly positioned, allows the driver to simply refocus on the display without having to avert their gaze, which in a busy area with a complicated junction can be a major safety aspect.

If you were to buy the equivalent updated maps for Tom Tom, they would cost as much as the Tom Tom also.

Not sure I get this either. Looking solely at the uk, a brand new UK map download would cost £39.95. For another £20 I can get the whole of western Europe. Plus, for 12 months any updates can be downloaded for free. Going forward, software updates and enhancements are also available FOC. I've recently downloaded the new version onto my 2 year old tomtom and now have a number of new features, together with a chunk of pois and speed camera locations. This has cost me absolutely nothing. To do the same on a command, you're looking at £200 a hit and things like POIs and speed cameras are simply not available.

I know I'm coming across as a tomtom supporter knocking command but it's not my intention. I've had a command equipped car and loved it. It's a really cool piece of kit. But, cold light of day, there is nothing a command gives you that a tomtom doesn't and the cost difference is so vast, IMO it's purely a heart based decision. If someone makes that decision knowing this then I'm happy for them, but I wouldn't want to stand there and tell someone to go for it without giving them all the facts first.

 

[benzo]

Hi jberks,

when you are looking at the tom tom on the windscreen, you are just as distracted from what is happening on the road as when you are looking at the dash.

Maybe we are looking at different places for our prices, but on the tom tom site, the map for GB +NI is £39.95 and that for western europe id 59.95 That comes to £100 which is almost the price of a new TomTom. (The comand dvd has both UK &W.Europe)

I am not knocking the TomTom either. Like I said , I use both regularly and each has it's own strenghts. I prefer comand (just about) though.

 

[jberks]

Hi jberks,

when you are looking at the tom tom on the windscreen, you are just as distracted from what is happening on the road as when you are looking at the dash.

Hi Benzo,
It would be interesting to see what the scientists think. My view (possibly wrongly) is that with a display on the screen in the line of sight, you simply refocus to read the display. Your peripheral vision is still in the direction of the road and chances are that you'd still see something happening ahead. Plus, there are 2 steps in the process. Moving your eyes across and looking for the display area (whether dash, cluster or tomtom) then focussing on it, all before reading it. With a dash mounted disply, the first step (and the one that takes the most time) can be done whilst still watching the road.

Maybe we are looking at different places for our prices, but on the tom tom site, the map for GB +NI is £39.95 and that for western europe id 59.95 That comes to £100 which is almost the price of a new TomTom. (The comand dvd has both UK &W.Europe)

True, those are the prices. A tomtom with European maps is £135 so at £60 it's still a reasonable saving on a new unit. They are remarkably cheap for the technology in them though. But that's the point. If Tomtom can sell the western European map data for £60 and make a profit, why do car manufacturers think it's acceptable to charge over £200 for it on a DVD? I know MB aren't alone. I dare say the dvd pack for my freelander is going to be equally overpriced :-(
Also, basic updates are free. So, when people wanted TMC on their command units. they had to pay for a new DVD to get the software. Effectlvely £200 for the TMC add on, in spite of the fact that they already had £2000 worth of hardware to run it on. Tomtom gave me a software update including substantial functional updates for nothing. I think MB could earn themselves a lot of goodwill if they provided free or maybe just cover the costs at £20 for an update dvd.


I haven't used a command in anger, I only had one for a couple of weeks in a loan car. The tomtom has always impressed me. Ok, it's often a few feet behind but once you allow for this it's always been brilliant and never failed to get me where I needed to go. I'm not an avid sat nav user. Like most people 99% of the time I know exactly where I'm going anyway. it's just for those occasional trips so the extra cost of a command unit would never be justified in my case.

In terms of usage and accuracy, how do they compare?