Setting the date and time - W221 / C216

[dannyfiveforty]

good morning all,

I have a cl63 and am having a problem setting date and time. I have seen it is a problem on preface lift W221 also. I have done a search and found various methods such as parking under a car park, (didn’t work for) and turning command off the night before and going into settings the following morning (also didn’t work).

The only thing I can get it to do is go to 12:00 by disconnecting and the connecting the battery in the boot.

What am I doing wrong, anything else to try?

Many thanks #staysafe

 

[Botus]

if this has the NTG3 headunit…. the same as the S class, a week number roll over bug in the car's software came to light in 2019 killing the car's understanding of the time it received from the satellites

there was a fix made in Nov 2019 by a chap on a USA forum (polar bear) many people worldwide have applied (including me).....

he since pulled the files (though a guy is emailing them about) as Mercedes adopted the fix....

oddly this week one guy can't get it to load (first one ever) and I thought mine hadn't but looking today mine does seem to have swapped over and the date is still right

 

[Botus]

you get the zipped file

NTG_3_GPS_DATE_TIME_FIX.zip

you extract the contents … write just this .iso to the blank cd (in a special operation so it becomes cd that autoruns its contents when triggered) is

W221_COMAND_GPS_UPDATECD_ALL_HU_V1.iso

on Win 10 its file size is 1708kb
with file hashes of

CRC32: 8EFD02FA
MD5: D316983FCC0A9E3D8090959524C80F2B
SHA-1: E29CE86500D568971FA3E0A388504A8EC25ED597

you then put this disc in the car dvd player (in the dash) and go in a special engineering mode and it updates, taking about 10 minutes

• What You Will Need

You will need a blank CD‐R disc to write the disc image to and software on a PC, or Macintosh that will allow you to write an ISO Disc Image to CD.
Windows 10 has this ability built in, and is access by right clicking the file W221_COMAND_GPS_UPDATECD_ALL_HU_V1.iso and select “Burn disk image.”
If presented with the option to select the speed of writing the image, select the slowest speed presented.
Be extremely careful to not get fingerprints on the media before and after it has been written to.
The information on the media will be very small, so the process is quick. Do not assume an error has occurred due to it completing earlier than expected

• Installing the Update onto the COMAND

You will need to access a hidden screen in the COMAND designed only for engineer access, and not for end‐user access, therefore it is important that you follow these instructions very carefully.
Eject all optical media from the CD/DVD Changer.
Insert the CD‐ROM you just created into Slot 1.
On the top menu bar of the Comand screen that reads: Navi Audio Telephone Video Vehicle, use the COU (the control wheel) to select Vehicle. Now pull the control wheel to the bottom row menus where System Settings and Display OFF is highlighted.
Select Display OFF and press the control wheel down.
The COMAND screen will turn off but still be operating in the back ground.

Now follow the next steps CLOSELY. You will need to perform four actions simultaneously. It may take multiple tries before you succeed. (its best to use left hand for the first two and the right for the other two)

• Here are the actions to access the Engineering Menu:

o While the display is off, press the “ * ” button, which is referred to as the “Favourite” button and typically actuates the rear sunshade and HOLD it down.

o While holding “ * ”, press the Control Dial to the Right and HOLD there, without pressing it down or turning it.

o While the “ * ” is pressed and the Control Dial is held to the right, press the Seat Massage button to the right of the Hazard switch and HOLD it down.

o While holding the “ * ” button, the Control Dial to the Right, and the Seat Massage button, press the Mute button, which is the button located below the VOL dial and has an icon with a speaker with a slash through it.

When this combination is performed successfully, you will have reached the Engineering Menu. It is very easy when holding the Control Dial to turn it unintentional and select other options on the top menu. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE “COMAND” IS SELECTED ON THE TOP MENU, Using the Control Dial, pull it toward you to move the focus to the lower list of options.

The first is System Reset and the second is Software‐Update.
Turn the Control Dial to the right to select Software‐Update while the CDROM that you created is in Slot 1.
The COMAND will restart, and “Software Missing” will appear, which is perfectly normal. Shortly after, you will see a progress bar moving across, indicating the COMAND is copying the new firmware to the COMAND unit. When it reaches the end, it will restart automatically. You may then eject the media and the update is complete.

However you may wish to check / follow instructions under System Settings, to adjust your Time Zone and Summer or Winter time. The Time and Date should set themselves automatically if you have GPS reception, but you may manually adjust them if you wish.

 

[dannyfiveforty]

you get the zipped file

NTG_3_GPS_DATE_TIME_FIX.zip

you extract the contents … write just this .iso to the blank cd (in a special operation so it becomes cd that autoruns its contents when triggered) is

W221_COMAND_GPS_UPDATECD_ALL_HU_V1.iso

on Win 10 its file size is 1708kb
with file hashes of

CRC32: 8EFD02FA
MD5: D316983FCC0A9E3D8090959524C80F2B
SHA-1: E29CE86500D568971FA3E0A388504A8EC25ED597

you then put this disc in the car dvd player (in the dash) and go in a special engineering mode and it updates, taking about 10 minutes

• What You Will Need

You will need a blank CD‐R disc to write the disc image to and software on a PC, or Macintosh that will allow you to write an ISO Disc Image to CD.
Windows 10 has this ability built in, and is access by right clicking the file W221_COMAND_GPS_UPDATECD_ALL_HU_V1.iso and select “Burn disk image.”
If presented with the option to select the speed of writing the image, select the slowest speed presented.
Be extremely careful to not get fingerprints on the media before and after it has been written to.
The information on the media will be very small, so the process is quick. Do not assume an error has occurred due to it completing earlier than expected

• Installing the Update onto the COMAND

You will need to access a hidden screen in the COMAND designed only for engineer access, and not for end‐user access, therefore it is important that you follow these instructions very carefully.
Eject all optical media from the CD/DVD Changer.
Insert the CD‐ROM you just created into Slot 1.
On the top menu bar of the Comand screen that reads: Navi Audio Telephone Video Vehicle, use the COU (the control wheel) to select Vehicle. Now pull the control wheel to the bottom row menus where System Settings and Display OFF is highlighted.
Select Display OFF and press the control wheel down.
The COMAND screen will turn off but still be operating in the back ground.

Now follow the next steps CLOSELY. You will need to perform four actions simultaneously. It may take multiple tries before you succeed. (its best to use left hand for the first two and the right for the other two)

• Here are the actions to access the Engineering Menu:

o While the display is off, press the “ * ” button, which is referred to as the “Favourite” button and typically actuates the rear sunshade and HOLD it down.

o While holding “ * ”, press the Control Dial to the Right and HOLD there, without pressing it down or turning it.

o While the “ * ” is pressed and the Control Dial is held to the right, press the Seat Massage button to the right of the Hazard switch and HOLD it down.

o While holding the “ * ” button, the Control Dial to the Right, and the Seat Massage button, press the Mute button, which is the button located below the VOL dial and has an icon with a speaker with a slash through it.

When this combination is performed successfully, you will have reached the Engineering Menu. It is very easy when holding the Control Dial to turn it unintentional and select other options on the top menu. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE “COMAND” IS SELECTED ON THE TOP MENU, Using the Control Dial, pull it toward you to move the focus to the lower list of options.

The first is System Reset and the second is Software‐Update.
Turn the Control Dial to the right to select Software‐Update while the CDROM that you created is in Slot 1.
The COMAND will restart, and “Software Missing” will appear, which is perfectly normal. Shortly after, you will see a progress bar moving across, indicating the COMAND is copying the new firmware to the COMAND unit. When it reaches the end, it will restart automatically. You may then eject the media and the update is complete.

However you may wish to check / follow instructions under System Settings, to adjust your Time Zone and Summer or Winter time. The Time and Date should set themselves automatically if you have GPS reception, but you may manually adjust them if you wish.

That’s great thankyou, where can I go to to download the file I need?

Thanks

 

[EmilysDad]

How has Mercedes made setting of a clock that they knew would have to be changed twice a year (almost) where ever you live so difficult? Even my crappy Astra G could do it all by itself

 

[LostKiwi]

How has Mercedes made setting of a clock that they knew would have to be changed twice a year (almost) where ever you live so difficult? Even my crappy Astra G could do it all by itself

Your Astra G probably wouldn't last a GPS epoch so would never have a problem!

 

[EmilysDad]

Your Astra G probably wouldn't last a GPS epoch so would never have a problem!

I've no idea what a GPS epoch is ....
I know is just used the RDS signal to update the time

 

[LostKiwi]

I've no idea what a GPS epoch is ....
I know is just used the RDS signal to update the time

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoch_(computing)

RDS time is much simpler but is dependent on RDS being available (which it isn't worldwide).
The obvious thing would be to user RDS and fall back on GPS when RDS not available but also give a way to change epoch to correct end of epoch errors. MB screwed it up badly.

 

[EmilysDad]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoch_(computing)

still not much wiser

time is much simpler but is dependent on RDS being available (which it isn't worldwide)....

Fortunately the Astra wasn't available world wide either

 

[Botus]

That’s great thankyou, where can I go to to download the file I need?

Thanks

pm me an email address

 

[dannyfiveforty]

pm me an email address

Done, thanks

 

[Botus]

sorry, just sent

 

[steve.link]

pm me an email address

Hi Botus

Can you email the file please? - I have same issue and have discussed previously on this forum

email is: stevelink_84@hotmail.com

Thanks

STEVE

if this has the NTG3 headunit…. the same as the S class, a week number roll over bug in the car's software came to light in 2019 killing the car's understanding of the time it received from the satellites

there was a fix made in Nov 2019 by a chap on a USA forum (polar bear) many people worldwide have applied (including me).....

he since pulled the files (though a guy is emailing them about) as Mercedes adopted the fix....

oddly this week one guy can't get it to load (first one ever) and I thought mine hadn't but looking today mine does seem to have swapped over and the date is still right

 

[Botus]

write to a cd …. writing as slow as possible and just write the iso file, not the pdf instructions.

Its designed to work as if its the real Mercedes update CD.... but everything is ripped out bar the Vespucci time fix. It first starts looking for the tuner... then realises it’s NOT there and goes to next step. Install it outside with the engine running (to keep voltage happy) should be less than 10 minutes....

I found left hand, little finger on the favourite button... thumb and forefinger to hold comand knob to the right, (steadying hand on the trim with other fingers), leaving right hand to do the other buttons.

 

[Botus]

FYI, on a USA forum some guy was asking why anyone would care if the clock was correct. Aside from finding that remarkable....

The car uses time and date information from the comand within its calculations to display service interval messages you get within "driver assist" data on the instrument cluster

 

[steve.link]

Does this fix the date as well? Set mine to 4th April 2020 but it moves to 19th August 2020?

 

[Botus]

it should do - mine is correct.

I suggest you check and update the region (country) you have it set on, upon selection (in countries that use it) it rolls on to the next screen with a tick box for use of "daylight saving" or not

you may find when the car next wakes it gets over its jumbled brain.... mine took a while to work out where on the planet it was after the update (not changing on the map for a mile - which was scary - as I knew most USA guys don't use the Nav element as new mapping died for them since 2015... thus was unsure if the update killed the Nav and just allowed you to do the clock. But it does get over its self and works exactly as it used to)...

I think this update does some odd behind the scenes clear out of data that it then needs to rebuild

 

[Botus]

ahh.... I just had a nasty thought !!!!

maybe there's an error in the update. Another in the USA says he doesn't think its applying the update, if yours is doing something strange too.... maybe the work polar bear and his chums wrote, means the code was applicable for a time that isn't there anymore... so if you try and apply AFTER daylight saving started again, does it miss calculate and still have a pickled brain?

 

[steve.link]

I think maybe its the disc. tried it again and getting an error with the disk on the command screen. Will try and burn a new one

 

[steve.link]

OK - my problem is I can't burn the CD properly - I get these files on the CD??