willyrs

So....I've read a dozen or so posts here and elsewhere and still don't have a clear idea on what I should do for a phone.

I just bought a 2003 E320 wagon with a Comand and what I believe to be the V60 cradle. I called AWS and they said I could buy the Bluetooth puck but wouldn't say if it would work with my iPhone BT (and if it didn't I was stuck with it.) Anyone know if it does work, at least in a limited function?

The other option, of course, is to buy a phone that would snap into that cradle and use call forwarding (doesn't seem like a very elegant solution.) If I understand correctly, I would need to but a phone directly from AWS for something like $500, as opposed to somehow using my old V557 phone that has been tucked away in a drawer for a couple of years.

Thanks for any info......

Skylaw

willyrs,

The AWS site itself says the iPhone is compatible and has been approved for use with the MB Bluetooth MHI system. Your car does not have MHI; it has a V60 system compatible with the V60 puck. The iPhone "How-to Guide" on the AWS site does not provide any information on use with the V60 puck, and says it is compatible only with the MHI puck.

However, I believe some contributors here and on BenzWorld have reported success with the iPhone and the V60 puck. I suggest you do a search on both forums using terms "iPhone" and "V60" and read the individual posts. Those posts should give you any limitations you might encounter.

I suspect that you would have satisfactory pairing and voice communication; there could be possible phone book download problems (I don't know for sure); and you will not be able to use the mp3 feature over Bluetooth (the iPhone itself doesn't support it).

weinschela

The v. 60 bluetooth puck will pair with an iPhone. It is not as reliable as the MHI bluetooth. (My wife has 04 E320 with v 60 bluetooth, and I have 08 E550 with MHI bluetooth). On the 04, the iPhone must be on when the car is started; it seems not to want to pair if you try it afterwards. If you pair another phone with the v60 puck, it will frequently no longer pair with the iPhone until you reset everything and start from scratch. It will also occasionally just not work, though restarting both phone and car seem to work. It worked just fine on the MHI system, but I don't regularly use an Iphone -- KRZR for me.

willyrs

Thanks guys....I did a little more reading and decided to buy the Bluetooth puck and give it a go with the iPhone. That means I don't get the plug in antenna but I can always ad a cellphone booster later if I feel it's necessary....and feel like I have the money.

Time now to ask another question on another thread.....

Diesel Benz

I got curious, what sort of cellphone booster are you thinking of? I cannot think of one that would make sense with a BT setup and if a cradle was used, one could equally connect it to the external antenna.

willyrs

I'm thinking of a "call capture" device ("cell phone booster" sounds much more intuitive.) Click here for an example.

These units consist of an external antenna, an amplifier and then an internal antenna. It is essentially a repeater, with the internal antenna picking up the signal of any cell phone that is being used in the car.

I've got one in my study at home and it works fairly well. It's not as great as was promised, but it does make a bit of a difference.

Somewhere there is a post about using one of these devices and using the MB installed antenna instead of the antenna supplied with the booster. Worth a try.

chock

willyrs, did you get this working? If so, what v60 puck did you use?

gellie

Hi I have a 2005 S500 with a verizon v60 w/ voice comand. If i get The bluetooth adapter for my iphone will it work with the voice comand? will i see a caller id display on the dash/car screen? will i be able to listen to my music from the iphone to the car stereo? Also how is the sound quality? similar to the docked v60? Thanks in advance.

Skylaw

First, the question of whether you will be able to listen to music (at least over Bluetooth) on your car stereo was answered in the second post above: No. However, if your car has an iPod connector of some sort (I use the Gateway 500), you would be able to play music from the iPhone on your car audio system. You would still need a Bluetooth setup in addition to the iPod adapter to use the phone features.

With the Gateway 500 iPod adapter, I have the same degree of voice control over my Version 5.5 iPod as I have over my CD changer; the iPod will respond to the same commands, just as the changer does. My guess - and that's all it is - would be that the iPhone would also respond as the CDC does.

As far as Bluetooth pucks: although you have V60s plug-in phone now, you will need the long silver and blue puck, not a V60 puck. It will replace your V60 cradle, not plug into it.

In the telephone mode, compatible Bluetooth phones respond just as plug-in phones do to voice commands. The iPhone is a compatible Bluetooth phone (for MHI systems, which your car has), and it should respond similarly to other compatible Bluetooth phones.

You should see caller ID onscreen; if you have assigned ringtones to callers, you car's system may not reproduce them - so you'd hear the iPhone ring the custom tone while the car rings a standard tone, if that is the case. The car's system can handle some custom ringtones, but not those that sound like an actual recording.

Whenever you use a phone that is not connected to the car's external antenna, you lose signal strength except in the strongest signal areas. This can cause more dropped calls, and as you near the limits of a cell tower's area, you can have static develop. That's simply the way it is with Bluetooth. Your V60 plugs into the car's external antenna, and is much less susceptible to this problem. There are cradles for some Bluetooth phones (like the RAZR V3, which is notoriously poor in strength of reception) that address this problem, but I am not aware of one for the iPhone. However, the iPhone has better reception than the RAZR, and its voice quality is good when it is receiving a good signal.

However, since you own a plug-in phone already, have you considered using a family plan, adding a second number to your iPhone, and setting your car's phone to no-answer call forwarding? I used to do that with excellent results. I'd only give out the number for the (bulky V710) phone I left in the car. If I was in the car, I answered calls and had full and easy integration with COMAND. If out of the car, calls were automatically forwarded to the slim RAZR I carried, after 3 rings. Cost was $10 per month over the basic family plan price.

The 2-line approach also lets you change the phone you carry to the "latest and greatest" at any time, without worrying about integration with your car.

I rarely have to carry a cell phone now, and while I have both the V710plug-in and the RAZR V3 Bluetooth cradle, I still use the V710 because it integrates a bit more easily. Fewer annoying problems, even though it is bulky on the rare occasions I carry it. The RAZR and its Bluetooth cradle sit in the closet.

gellie

Thanks Skylaw , my v60 was part of my old Verizon plan. I am now on att family plan. I dont think i can use the v60 on the att plan.

Skylaw

Of course. I should have thought of that. However, you can again subscribe to (the cheapest available) Verizon plan with your V60, and use the 2-line solution if you choose.