Phone Cradles

[Topboy]

Afternoon all.

Does anyone but MB supply the phone cradles for pre wired hands free kits in MB's?

I've got a 2004 C Class and a cradle for a nokia 6100. In my foolish naivety I thought that if you got a new mobile with the same fittings it would work in the cradle.

Sadly, not the case. My cradle will only take four different phones all of which have now gone out with the Ark.

MB seemed quite amazed when I refused to shell out a further £131.00 on a new piece of plastic and I registered my disgust.

Any clues or help appeciated.

 

[Rory]

Buy on ebay.

 

[Topboy]

Buy on ebay.

Thanks Rory - I'll take a look.

 

[maybach]

So Nokia develop a new phone with a different coms platform and M.B then develop and test a cradle for Mr Nokias equipment to work in their cars, and then M.B want to charge you... Unthinkable. Do you think that Mr Sony should have given everyone a free CD player back in the 80's when they changed music media forever??????

 

[Garrycox]

Another Merc rip off. BMW use Blue tooth. When I enquired why Merc didn't go down the same route the answer I got was that DC do not believe Blue tooth is a technology of the future....

 

[maybach]

How is it a rip off !!!M.B did't ask Mr Nokia to use a different Coms platform. Are you saying that M.B should develop and supply these for free. Be real.

Merc did'nt go Bluetooth thankgod, try reeding the BMW forums. FYI there is a bluetooth cradle coming out later this year and it will work !!!!.

 

[jberks]

FYI there is a bluetooth cradle coming out later this year and it will work !!!!.

The MB system should really support bluetooth AND a cradle. Much like the nokia kits do. I presume that they'll replace the cradle with an adapter but then you can't charge the phone off the car or use the ariel so that's no good either. Still, at least it's future proof. I find the interface pretty dodgy anyway. Names don't always come up on the dash despite being displayed on the phone correctly, the speed dials don't match etc. I finally got my old nokia working correctly just before it was 'borrowed'. Still working on setting up the new one.

I tried ebay for a new cradle a couple of weeks ago when I got the new phone. The prices looked good, but (and I tried for 2) when I still lost despite a bid of over £90, I decided I was better with a dealer supplied one and a warranty. A fair chunk of the difference is VAT anyway so that will be coming back.

 

[Topboy]

I tried ebay for a new cradle a couple of weeks ago when I got the new phone. The prices looked good, but (and I tried for 2) when I still lost despite a bid of over £90, I decided I was better with a dealer supplied one and a warranty. A fair chunk of the difference is VAT anyway so that will be coming back.

jberks - having looked on ebaylast night, that's pretty much the conclusion that I've come to. If it was half the price then it would be worth it but when you're only saving 10% or so after postage, I didn't feel it was worth the risk.

Mayback - Comments noted!!!

I'm not asking for something for nothing, but was pi55ed off that phones with the same fixings that will fit into the cradle, won't actually work with it!!!

I think the MB kit is a good bit of kit but feel that forking out £131.00 every time for a new cradle is sh1te.

 

[EddyB]

In my experience Bluetooth is far superior. I am on my second BMW X5 which has Bluetooth phone prep fitted. Compared to the merc version that I have in the SL and BMW Bluetooth wins in every way.

The other problem is that having two cars means I am dictated to by the Merc cradle as to which phone I can have, unless I want to pay £130 for a new cradle each time I change my phone. Same goes for if my wife or Business Partner uses the X5 they just jump in with any blue tooth phone and they are communicating in seconds.