Yes.....another annoying phone question...(sorry folks..esp you skylaw)...

Ok...I've looked and looked but still can figure out what I need If I wanted to make my cell phone work in this car....Here are a few pics to show what I have....and my phone is a Palm Treo 755P. Sorry the pics are so dark and small..I took them with my cell, and im at work boredat 5:45am. I need be I can take a few with the digi cam once I wake up from my mid-day slumber.

 

Hi, cjones500 - welcome to the forum. I thought we may have corresponded before (possibly in Private Messages - but unfortunately, I can't keep all the PMs I get).

Believe me, questions from folks who have read what is available but are just having a difficult time getting to a solution, are not annoying.

I couldn't tell much from the pics. Can you describe the problem, and let us know what end state you would like to reach? I'd like to help, and there are other members here who can do just as much as I can.

Please provide the year of your car (it makes a big difference in what you may need), and something about your location (at least so that we can determine if it is a U.S., European, or Japanese specification car). The User Control Panel (User CP tab at the top of the page) is the easiest place to post this, so you don't have to do it each time.

 

Ok..I have a Palm Treo 755P (Sprint) and would like to have it operational with some of the features in the car i.e. steering wheel contols...Command dial pad...voice recon is not a biggie for me but would be a plus....neither is the phonebook but if they work great! I just would like to be able to use the phone in the car through the system thats in there already. The car was made on 09 of 99 in Germany..I guess most of you know it has the fiber optics wiring system in it.... Hope this helps.

***********EDIT**********
ok..pics added....here is the phone and cradle and plug thats in my S500. I hope this helps even more.

 

With the particular phone pictured, you may have a somewhat unique situation. The only reference to that phone that I came across showed it to be an analog-only phone for a '99 or earlier M-Class (see http://www.whnet.com/4x4/phones.html and scroll all the way to the bottom), but I have no idea if MB ever used that phone in the S-Class. Whether it was installed by MB or a prior owner, I don't know what support electronics is installed in your trunk, and determining that is the important thing for us now.

The model year '00 S-Classes I am familiar with were produced for export to the U.S. in 1999 and later, and were equipped with a StarTac cell phone system (when ordered). Upgrading StarTac equipment to the necessary V60 configuration (or adding it, if never installed) is pretty easy, and is described below. However, some W220s (S-Classes) made for the European market were produced in 1998, and I do not know what phone system they were equipped with.

Some of the earlier MB cell phone systems used straight analog PSEs. They had entirely different connectors from the ones with digital/analog capability. Replacing them with a usable PSE may not be simple. Don't lose heart, though; despite my unfamiliarity with the phone that is in your car, I know that even some late-production 1999 W140s (the W220 predecessor) were equipped with connectors that would work, and have successfully been upgraded to the V60 Bluetooth system.

Unless another contributor can confirm what type of support electronics would have been used with the phone and cradle pictured, I would ask you to look at the Portable Support Electronics (PSE) located on the left side of your trunk, under the trunk liner. You can find diagrams and part numbers for the equipment at http://home.earthlink.net/~phdwebsit..._bulletins.htm - you will see that the specifications for the '00 called for the StarTac PSE, part numbers Q 6 82 0460 or Q 6 82 9460. It may also have the designation SYN 0234 A or B. The part numbers are on a white label on the PSE itself.

If you can verify that you have the StarTac PSE, then the upgrade path to Bluetooth is pretty simple. You replace the PSE with either an "autosense" (sometimes called "dual sense") PSE, or a straight V60 PSE. An autosense PSE has numbers Q 682 0754, SYN 9266A. The straight V60 PSE had numbers Q 682 0845, or 0886, SYN 9266B. The "Q" numbers may also show "BQ" (BQ 682 etc.).

If you have an old analog-only PSE, you will have to ask a dealer to take a look at the physical connectors on the harnesses in your car, to see if the Autosense or straight V60 PSE can be connected. If not, you may also be looking at replacing the harness that runs to the trunk.

Once you have the proper PSE installed, you replace the cradle in your console with a V60 cradle (one for a Motorola V60 phone). The newer cradles available from dealers (part # BQ 682 0925) are for the V60S phone, which was slightly larger than predecessors; it tends to be a better fit for the Bluetooth puck you will also need than the older cradles; however, it also comes with connectors for newer cars that won't fit your car. Fortunately, MB has started supplying them with the necessary adapters for the connections needed for your console. Before you buy, be sure the adapters are supplied. The older V60 cradles had the connectors you need, but a few contributors have reported problems with the cradle making proper contact with the Bluetooth puck, resulting in "echo," poor voice quality, or loss of one side of the conversation. Not all report that problem.

You will then need a V60 Bluetooth puck, which plugs into the V60 cradle. You can get these from the dealer, or from AWS, MB's hands free communication partner at http://www.wireless4mb.com/ - and while we're at it, another source for phone system parts (besides the dealer or ebay) is http://www.customcellular.com/Blueto.../untitled.html. One contributor recommended an ebay seller at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...rce-found.html.

Despite the complexity of this writeup, the actual replacement is a fairly simple DIY job if you have the right connectors in the trunk.

Now, the bad news. Among the PDAs, Treos generally do not play well with MB systems. Blackberries do better. iPhones do well. Among cell phones generally, Sprint phones' firmware generally doesn't play as well either, though some have reported success (and one Sprint model is now approved as compatible with the newer MHI puck). You need a phone that has both compatible equipment and compatible firmware. The AWS site lists one compatible Treo, and I believe it is compatible only with the MHI bluetooth puck. Some contributors have reported success with different models of Treo, and with different service providers - but I must leave that to your own searching here on the forum (and also on BenzWorld). You may find some Sprint Treo models do what you need them to, even if not fully compatible.

The extensive writeup I did regarding installations was accidentally removed from the site (yes, when time permits I will rewrite and re-post it) but for now you can review some of this at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...bluetooth.html.

There is also an alternative, the Argos Bluetooth system. I have no personal experience with it, but you can read about it at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...os#post2735418 and https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ghlight=peleli

I'm sorry about the lengthy writeup, but it's about as straightforward as I could make it and even hope to cover your situation. Good luck with it!

 

Took it apart and looked on the back and seen a little sticker that said P.S.E. and on the long black box on the back of the amp that the P.S.E. sticker was attached to said Q6820418...(with another with SLN3752B) I didnt see those numbers in your earlier post but i hope this helps in my quest even further.

 

It certainly does. You have a CTEL phone system, the installation of which is shown at http://phdwebsite.powerpulse.cc/Phon...208-210%20.pdf (you will have to scroll down considerably to get to the W220 installation, but now we know it was original equipment in early production W220s).

Unfortunately, the pictures are far too grainy to tell if the connectors will match to the PSE you will need. I suggest asking your dealer to compare any older PSE (StarTac, TimePort, Autosense, or straight V60) to your existing connectors; they may have one laying around. Do this before you buy one. All of the PSEs mentioned have the came connectors, so if any matches, all will.

You may also need a new "Y" cable (shown in Fig. 7 of the W220 installation); however, if you are going to use Bluetooth, you do not need to use (or replace) the device called the "3-watt booster" (later the name changed to "linear compensator). It isn't used in Bluetooth installations. So, if the portion of the "Y" cable that plug into the main harness (not the compensator) match, you may not even need to replace the "Y" cable.

On the other hand, replacing the "Y" cable may be all you need to match the connections to the "Autosense" or straight V60 PSE you need to use. Ask the technician if this is the case (and be sure you talk to the dealer tech or to Mercedes-certified independent tech).

The D2B fiber optics connector used with your current PSE seems to be the same as used for later ones.

I have never seen this particular changeout, so I am left to guess a bit. That's also why being sure the connectors will match is important before you commit any money to it.

Please keep us up to date. I have a suspicion that because the 1999 W140 I mentioned above could be updated, the W220 you have can be also, but again, it's guesswork - not hands-on experience.

I also know it it possible to update your Voice Control Module also - a module from an 01 or '02 will control all of your audio systems, not just the phone - and it installs right next to the PSE. Since you're already working back there, it may be worth a try. Used VCMs on e-bay should be fairly inexpensive now. See http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...2000-s500.html if interested.