wsscott

Yes, it sounds like it is the MB factory install so you should have a MHI setup.

prsmith777

Mine does not have the _A1 on the end. I have no idea what that means. It took me about five minutes to call AWS and find out. Maybe you can ask them if the _A1 is good to go.

Paul

carpersn

Congrats...just a few weeks and you will be up and bluetoothing...

Jayhawk

THANKS! I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!! CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!

mercedes-e430

Hi, I have the Timeport phone with my handsfree system that I bought with my 2001 E430 in the US. I called AWS and they told me that the MHI only works with the V60 Motorola cradle and that I would have to upgrade my cradle from a Timeport to a V60 cradle before I could use the MHI Bluetooth adapter. Can anyone confirm this? Also, how expensive is the conversion from the Timeport to the V60 cradle? Is the kit available that I buy and install it myself? Thanks Kris

JohnAMG

Does anyone know when adding a Motorola V60 cradle to a D2B-equiped car, can I use a regular V60 cradle or I need a Mercedes branded V60 cradle? The reason for asking is that the V60 cradle at www.wireless4mb.com is $220 and the V60 cradle from www.mikbox.com is only $99. Any insights will be greatly appreciated. I am consider the bluetooth for my wife's 2002 E55.

John

Mik

Hi JohnAMG,
the cradle at www.mikbox.com has the same pinout as the OEM, except that pin 5 is not shorted to pin 3 (see diagram in the "Telephone Manual V4.6" on Paul H. Di ck's website). I don't know if that makes a difference if you don't use the Mikbox. I know that the Mikbox works with the OEM cradle, but I don't know about vice versa.
The other difference is the cable: the OEM cradle has a coil cord that lets you remove the cradle from the holder, leaving the phone inside, so you can talk in "privacy mode". The cradle at mikbox.com is a modified Motorola hang-up cup kit, there is no coil cord.
Hope that helps -

The Kingfish

I got mixed messages from AWS and it had me very confused. I was told by one customer rep that you must have the v60s version in your car for the puck/dongle to work. Mine has the v60i so I was told that I would have to have my dealer do some electronic upgrades first. I called two dealers and none had a clue as to what needed to be done, but whatever work that was required would cost lots of dough. So I called AWS back a couple of days later and was told by another customer rep that it didn't make a difference which version v60 I had, that any v60 would work. So I went and ordered the Argos instead and have been very happy with it. I know, it cost me 500 bucks more than the AWS puck, but I have it now and it works great.

Jayhawk

Talk about confused... I'm dizzy!

I have the Cingular Startec phone, cradle, and coiled cord in my car. What would I have to do to use my Moto RAZR via Bluetooth?

Can anyone tell me? In english...

dtkw

I am not sure there is a cradle for the RAZR yet. Since the RAZR uses a mini usb port to charge. The cheaper way is to get a Motorola or other kit to install in the car. But it would not work with the steering wheel control or factory mic.

pipermalibu

Startac, Timeport, V60 ... it does not matter. All you need is the ARGOS AIK to make your factory system work with bluetooth. In fact even if you do not already have a factory system installed, this will activate the factory system... and work with bluetooth and work with just about any phone out there, including PDA's !

www.eurocarphone.com

mbnj

Jayhawk, I have a 2001 with Timeport (same wiring as Startac I believe). From what I ca figure out we would need to go to dealer and get our wiring/cradle swapped out for V60, then this V60 set up allows for the AWS interface to work for bluetooth like our Razrs. I asked about V60 upgrade cost 3 years ago and was quoted ~$1200. This is what I believe is required. My 2005 is much more straight forward because it is pre-wired.

JohnAMG

Just called the dealer today and found out the V60 cradle for W210 E-class is $200 and it is easy to install. I am hoping we only need to swap the cradle and not the V60 supported PSE also. The part# for the cradle is Q6820896, which replaced the Q6820725.

John

mbnj

John,

Did you get told that there was no wiring changes needed, just a cradle change? What was cost with installation if you asked? I'll try AWS and confirm whether I'm correct that once we get V60 cradle we can connect AWS module and our Razr's.

JohnAMG

The V60 cradle change was mentioned in this thread and in the www.wireless4mb.com Of course I am hoping that is all I need to; swapping out the Timeport cradle and install the V60 cradle. My only question is the PSE. Since Timeport and V60 use different PSE. I guess we will find out soon enough.

John

Skylaw

My guess would be that the Bluetooth installation was designed to work with all of the PSEs used in D2B bus phone installations. It would make sense to try to design a retrofit kit that way; and since the BT equipment is different between D2B cars and MOST bus cars with MHI, that's likely what has happened.

If that's how it was designed, the installed MB PSE will "see" only the Bluetooth equipment, and not the phone; and the BT equipment will provide the PSE what it is "looking for." The type of PSE you have thus will not be significant.

The only requirement then would be that the phone you have is compatible with the BT equipment.

Since a Startac PSE never gave caller ID (the Timeport PSE and later did), that may be the only difference after the BT installation. I don't know if the BT installation will provide that over and above the PSE capabilities.

Let us know how it works out!

Jayhawk

Makes sense to me. I will keep my fingers crossed, but will not hold my breath. Will let you know what happens.

mbnj

I don't know. Hard for me to believe MB quoted me $1400 several years ago for a $200 part and simple cradle swap out. That will be great if it is easy part replacement. I called AWS yesterday and got nowhere finding anyone. I still think I'm right, once we get V60 cradle, AWS will have the interface (in 30-60 days) and our Razr should work.

On my so-called "pre-wired" '05 E500, my wife was told Friday that it would "only" cost $2200 to convert to bluetooth??? I need to follow up on that one. maybe you need the liguistics, cradle, and something else even prewired?

Skylaw

MBNJ, "several years ago" to upgrade to a different phone you would have to swap out the PSE (Portable Support Electronics) unit and the cradle; possibly also the linear amp, antenna, and antenna switch to go to dual or quad band). The PSE and cradle, plus installation (and possibly a phone) would be in the price range you cited.

If a car is only "prewired," it lacks the same equipment stated above. It has only the cable bundles and connectors to accept the additional equipment. Before any of the MB Bluetooth options will work, you'll still need the PSE and a cradle, plus the Bluetooth mod. If you use Tele-Aid, you'll need the linear amplifier but can omit the antennna switch. If you want voice control (and if other features on the car don't already have it) then you'll need to add a voice control module. You'll also have to version code the fiber optic bus and tell the CAN bus that a phone (and voice control if not already there) is/are installed (the dealer does this as part of the package).

The MB Bluetooth mod is an add-on to an existing MB phone system. It is not a replacement.

The RAZR V3 models should work since they are Bluetooth phones (in fact there is no plug-in cradle made for them); in the U.S. the real issue with those phones (and most Bluetooth-capable phones) is the extent to which the Hands Free Protocol (HFP) software is enabled by the service provider. That affects the extent of what is accessed by COMAND (phone book, call lists, caller ID, etc), but at minimum you should have "headset" capability (ability to make and receive calls via COMAND). With luck, as some other posts on the forums show, you may have more.

captret

FYI:

After spending some time on the cellphone forums.....it seems that Verizon will "remove OBEX" in their new software update on the RazR phone (not sure about other models) Also, from what I read, you will not be able to "patch" the new s/w to enable OBEX.

....If you already have a RazR with the ver.02 s/w, it seems that Verizon screwed up and that OBEX is enabled. Some of these phones are still available.

I'll try to post a link to the info later.

Follow up: hxxp://www.v710.org/mark/

dtkw

I believe you can still flash it with the .02 f/w. I flashed my phone back and forth a few times and now I am running on Alltel f/w. I have Motorola ui now instead of Verizon's.

captret

DT'....Aren't there times, where after taking a firmware upgrade, that the firmware prevents you from reverting to an earlier version?

BTW...That Alltel f/w sounds interesting....the site I posted above actually has info on how to go about performing it.

Also, The site mentioned in an earlier post: "www.eurocarphone.com" does offer a MB cradle for the RazR that works with their BT adapter.

Follow-up: Dt....you were correct....You CAN flash the new RazRs with .03 f/w back to .02 f/w that has OBEX fully functional.....the flash and s/w to flash are readily available on the web.

JohnAMG

OK guys, I am in the process of getting a 2006 E55. It doesn't come the MHI from the factory. I assume this is not an issue because I can install it after I take delivery of the car, correct? My plan is to have the bluetooth adpator install onto the MHI. Can anyone confirm the MHI can be retrofitted?

John

xaveon

I just spoke with an AWS rep to order the BT cradle. He mentioned that only approved phones will work with it. So I said that there are people on the forum that are using the Verizon Razr and got it to work. He said that when using an unapproved phone there are call quality issues, and even cases of the COMMAND locking up. He also said that if your COMMAND locks up, it is not covered under warranty because you didn't use an approved phone. For you guys that are using "unapproved" phones, is this true? Do you have any call quality issues?

Skylaw

I have read in some posts that prewire is being deleted in some 2006 models ordered without the phone option. Such cars can still be upgraded, but it is more expensive than upgrading a car with the wiring harnesses (prewire) already in place. I don't know how many models the prewire deletion applies to, but you should be able to get this information from your dealer.

If the car is in fact prewired, then the MHI installation is less expensive and simpler.