raphman

So, I need to replace this crappy stock head unit that came with my C55. Been looking all over the place for something solid and still haven't come across one with all it's ***** together (Pioneers' navigation sucks, Kenwood's interface sucks - it looks "Fast and Furious"-ey, Alpine's interface is slow). In my search, I found this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Veyron-VNS-MBC-OEM-Style-Nav-DVD-Radio-iPod-Bluetooth-USB-SD-for-Mercedes-W203-/281246539487?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_GPSSystems_GPSSystems&hash=item417b999edf
Has anyone given this thing a try?

02C32guy

Says it doesn't work with the optical systems. So if your car has the Bose or Harmon Kardon system (which most of ours do) your SOL. Otherwise it looks awesome....

Duncan64

Check out the electronics section. I looked for the same thing but there isn't anything I could find where you can easily hook an aftermarket HU into the MOST fiber optic system. You essentially have to replace the amp as well. The only easy thing is that your wires run out of the amp to all speakers. So find the right colors and you can hook your whole car up from back there. You would obviously have to run the wires from the back of the HU to the back of the car. I used the pioneer app radio 3 by the way

raphman

Well, that's the thing... I don't know if I even have the BOSE or H/K system. There's no H/K plaque on the speakers (just one on the subwoofer, which I find odd...) .I also don't have the COMAND unit, just the basic, crappy, 1 disk head unit.

Viper98912

There was one around here from China that looked pretty sweet. Might have to do some hard searching on this section and the W203 section.

Saaboteur

If you have access to the EPC, you can pull a datacard and see what options the car came with.

That said, my car also has unbranded speakers but 'Harmon Kardon' is labelled on the sub. I think chances are your car has the HK.

If you can live with a 10 year old nav system, you could acquire a used COMAND unit, then wire in a mObridge or Dension unit for Bluetooth and iPod connectivity. I did that, you can see my thread for more info. I'm happy with it, even though the nav is quite old, but it does make the Bluetooth and iPod connection much more usable than just with the Audio20 head unit.

Duncan64

But if you are set on updating to a new HU, you should go to the trunk and open the covers on the right side to expose the sub. If you have fiber optic you'll see an orange FO cable go into it.

raphman

So I pulled up the EPC info and here's what I got:
531 - COMAND APS
535 - AUDIO 20 CD RADIO, USA
810 - SOUND SYSTEM

I looked online for a COMAND unit and they're both rare and pricey! I'd rather spend the money on a decent HU that has the BT built in and puts out more power. I may just yank out the stock radio and see if it's for the optical mess.

Duncan64

I have a command unit if you really want one

raphman

I just may... PM me a price and we may go from there.

Saaboteur - which mObridge unit did you go with and how much did it run you?

Duncan64

Cool, check out my thread you may see what all is involved.

https://mbworld.org/forums/audio-ele...lp-please.html

Saaboteur

Lol, the Usual Suspects in this thread. I actually bought the Itronics unit that Duncan64 was selling:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...nics-sale.html

So I didn't pay much for it.

But there's more to the story - Itronics was basically the rebadged mObridge stuff from incartronics.com - the proprietor of that business used to frequent mbworld, but then passed away probably a couple years ago now. Incartronics used to just package up the required mObridge components to work on whatever car.

Anyway, Itronics = mObridge, but as Duncan was using it in his car successfully, I don't know what unit it was specifically, just bought it from him and installed it.

That said, mObridge is still a going concern, and I'm sure you can get a more up to date unit that will work fine. The other option is Dension. I personally didn't like the Dension that came with my car, and swapped out for the Itronics. And now my 911 also has a 'genuine' mObridge unit too, so the functionality is all the same. It is slightly counter intuitive at times - instead of pressing 'enter' on the little knob, you have to press and hold the 'next' button to select, say, a different folder or playlist.

raphman

Ok, so what would you guys say, since you've been down this road, is the best and easiest way to upgrade the AUDIO 20 to something more tech-savvy? I've determined that I do have the H/K afterall, since I was able to find those orange wires and feel an amp in the trunk. Would a modern HU (may just settle for the Pioneer) work with a normal wiring harness?

BTW, that you guys for all the help with this - I really do appreciate it

Duncan64

LOL at the usual suspects!

Duncan64

i would personally probably upgrade to one of the pioneer Nex receivers ...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/CarPlay/

they come with the apple carplay function that is new

raphman

That's exactly what I was thinking... the one at the top of my list right now is the AVIC-7000NEX (linky)

So I wouldn't run into any issues getting something like that and a wiring harness, right? I've done HU installs in all my previous cars, but this is my first German and I know they can be finicky...

Duncan64

Yeah they are a bit pricey and I think you still need to buy adapters for your phone etc.

If you've done HU installs before, then you'll basically be doing the same thing. Buy it on crutch field and also get the crux unit so you retain the steering wheel controls.

-Duncan

raphman

I won't be connecting the phone to it anyways, I just want some Bluetooth so I can listen to my tunes. I've found that HU on ebay for under $800

Thanks again for all the help!

JonMBZ

lol that head unit looks photoshopped into that car. I wouldnt touch it based on the fact that they couldn't even get a unit in a MB to at least take a picture of it. I really doubt it was tested well.