DoctorD

As the title suggests.

{p.s. I am in the UK, so perhaps I need a European owner to answer}

I am used to buying BMWs where I buy them pre-wired with the bluetooth module. All I then need to do (If I choose to) is buy the relevant cradle which connects my phone so that the aerial signal is boosted and the battery of my phone is recharged as I use it. But often as not, I don't bother buying a cradle (since I use several phones) and therefore just synch whichever phone I have with the car when I use it.

My question is, "what exactly have a bought in my new ML63 - is the option as described above merely a phone pre-wiring kit? i.e. without bluetooth module? And therefore what do I need to do to get my phone synched with the car and a handsfree capability up and running?

I suspect that this option has been a complete waste of money and I would be better getting a dealer to install a seperate handsfree kit in my car. Please tell me I'm wrong..

theteeman

Doctor D
I recently went through what you are. the prewiring only means the lines are run and depending on the model you have the buttons on the steering wheel and radio.
my dealer in the states needed an additional 2500.00 to convert my prewired car to a functional blue tooth..
good luck
Steve

DoctorD

Thanks very much Steve, at least now I know that I am effectively starting from scratch.

It's a poor show compared to BMW, where it only costs around £300 (i.e. $500) to include pre-wire and bluetooth on the spec sheet and then when the car is collected you can begin making phone calls straight-away..

theteeman

Basically you are correct. you are starting from scratch
When I asked Mercedes why it costs so much, I was told it is much less expensive if factory installed, if it has to be done by the dealer it is 3-5 hours of labor, which we know is not cheap at mercedes. I hope it is a lot less in the UK..

DoctorD

It wasn't even an option for the factory to fit it. Within the BMW buying process they fit things like bluetooth and satnav at the distribution centre when they arrive in each country. The dealer doesn't get involved.

theteeman

I think from the 2007 cars on they stopped offering prewiring and only offer either the bluetooth or cradle for a mercedes compatible phone

. there are several other options you can take such as the parrot, but they do not utilize the cars steering wheel or thru the radio.

good luck,, I went thru all of this and just gave up and had Mercedes install the HMI blue tooth unit

ilink

Here is one only for $300 and it is better than the OEM as support streaming and speech: http://www.ebay.com/itm/271395945115