NAV Install Pricing - DEALER WARNING Please Read!
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
From: Maryland USA
08 ML350; 07' Acura RDX; 05'FX45; 03'Murano
That AUX plug located on the upper left corner. Open the glovebox cover....
It works fine, although the sound is very tiny, it makes you have to turn the volume all the way up (can use an tiny amplifier here)
With the MB equipment/ or the aftermarket Denison, you can control your iPod ON the streering wheel, like you can do with your radio station, or CD tracks...but they cost Ks more. Hail the $tealers...
#27
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 574
Likes: 1
From: Vancouver, BC
2005 Mercedes C230 Sport Sedan (W203)
For my C230, the dealer offered to install a comand for $2500 parts and labour. I bought the comand for $1000 and installed it myself in 20 minutes. I then went to a different dealer to get my service B done, and asked the mechanic if he can program my cluster for comand, which he did for free.
Sooooo the forum saved me like $1500.. Thanks
Sooooo the forum saved me like $1500.. Thanks
#28
I dunno... but if i can afford an MB I sure as hell can afford the dealer to install a Nav unit or buy the vehicle with it already in. You must of looked like a moron going back to the same dealership and asking them to code your cluster. That blitzsafe adapter is garbage... but i am sure you wil find something comparable on the internet for $2. The last time I checked Ebay and the dealership are two different things completely. If I worked at the dealership and knew who you were, I would make sure that I would document that your NAV is an add on and that if anything goes wrong with the Command that you screwed with it and it is not warrantied... just because of your ignorant comments in the first post.
But as we all know, someone will always kiss your ****... because they don't have the ***** to tell you go buy a KIA...
And by the way I am all for saving money... but being ignorant like you were in the first post calling the dealer a rip off... you look dumb...
But as we all know, someone will always kiss your ****... because they don't have the ***** to tell you go buy a KIA...
And by the way I am all for saving money... but being ignorant like you were in the first post calling the dealer a rip off... you look dumb...
#29
why do some people always assume Mercedes owners like to throw money away as if we have money growing trees in the backyard. And we should pay retail or get rip off just because we own Mercedes. I own 3 Mercedes and I can tell you I am just as cheap and frugal as the Honda owners. I retrofitted the Comand in my 2002 E55 myself in 2002 with a Comand unit I bought from German Ebayer. The dealer said it couldn't be down too. Let me tell you they were so amazed I was able to do it, they treated me with so much respect since then.
So there is no shame for do-it-youself Mercedes owners. The only shame are the idiots try to act rich by throwing money away.
John
So there is no shame for do-it-youself Mercedes owners. The only shame are the idiots try to act rich by throwing money away.
John
#30
Well said John.
Everyone is out to make a buck out of someone if that's their business. Personally I like to do things like install COMAND myself. It gave me great satisfaction when I fired it up, especially having saved $9,300 !!! by buying on e bay . And yes the local MB dealership service manager always comes out to shake my hand and remarks to his staff that I was the guy who installed COMAND myself ! Needless to say the tech guys are always wary when I watch them service my car
A bit like "The man who shot Liberty Valance". Showing my age now..... good movie though http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man...iberty_Valance
Everyone is out to make a buck out of someone if that's their business. Personally I like to do things like install COMAND myself. It gave me great satisfaction when I fired it up, especially having saved $9,300 !!! by buying on e bay . And yes the local MB dealership service manager always comes out to shake my hand and remarks to his staff that I was the guy who installed COMAND myself ! Needless to say the tech guys are always wary when I watch them service my car
A bit like "The man who shot Liberty Valance". Showing my age now..... good movie though http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man...iberty_Valance
Last edited by Air-Force-1; 07-26-2008 at 11:48 AM.
#31
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
From: Maryland USA
08 ML350; 07' Acura RDX; 05'FX45; 03'Murano
DIY JOY
Also well said John.
Some people felt of themselve stupid by paying way tooooooo much for the thing they could do....so, they try to act like rich and "bourgeois" just to address their shame.
For me, even I should pay the same amount of money as I would have to pay someone else to install /of fix something, I would do it by myself to enjoy the big award, full of joy, after I made it right.
#32
great, you guys succeeded, but did you call the dealer a bunch of shiet on line then cower back to have them code the cluster?
Does his dealer know how he was talking about them? I doubt it!
just because on can hide behind the internet doesn't mean you shouldn't speaketh as if the guy was right in front of you...
I called the MB dealership locally and they gave me around the same price before I posted
So if I wanted a brand new, warrantied GPS system in my vehicle i would be paying roughly the same.
but that means also that dealer here is getting charged the same as the dealer there.
which means that MB parts, is buying it at a certain price in the computer and selling at a certain mark up.
Funny thing is, since I talk to a good friend of mine that is a MB tech, not even a whole single integer of MB buyers visit a forum. It isn't worth their time, and they rather have it done right the first time or not at all...
it is really great that you guys can get the satisfaction of doing it yourself, I am sure some lack the feeling of accomplishing things, some like to be masters of everything, some are broke, some are delusional, so are .... never mind, we all have our reasons, and i am not saying it is wrong, it is just that I hate hearing people talk crap about someone behind their back and then go slithering back like nothing has been said.
Anyone else feel that way?
Does his dealer know how he was talking about them? I doubt it!
just because on can hide behind the internet doesn't mean you shouldn't speaketh as if the guy was right in front of you...
I called the MB dealership locally and they gave me around the same price before I posted
So if I wanted a brand new, warrantied GPS system in my vehicle i would be paying roughly the same.
but that means also that dealer here is getting charged the same as the dealer there.
which means that MB parts, is buying it at a certain price in the computer and selling at a certain mark up.
Funny thing is, since I talk to a good friend of mine that is a MB tech, not even a whole single integer of MB buyers visit a forum. It isn't worth their time, and they rather have it done right the first time or not at all...
it is really great that you guys can get the satisfaction of doing it yourself, I am sure some lack the feeling of accomplishing things, some like to be masters of everything, some are broke, some are delusional, so are .... never mind, we all have our reasons, and i am not saying it is wrong, it is just that I hate hearing people talk crap about someone behind their back and then go slithering back like nothing has been said.
Anyone else feel that way?
#33
Those poor dealers I can't imagine the torture they go through each day knowing someone on the internet said something bad about them. How awful for them that their exploitation of people with their inflated costs is revealed on internet forums.
Wow, I really feel sorry for those dealers.
Please, this dealer gave him the classical scam, the part is at cost but they'll be extra "fees" like the 400 plus in extra labor costs on top of it that they pocket when they know full well that it would be done in less than an hour.
Wow, I really feel sorry for those dealers.
Please, this dealer gave him the classical scam, the part is at cost but they'll be extra "fees" like the 400 plus in extra labor costs on top of it that they pocket when they know full well that it would be done in less than an hour.
#34
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,393
Likes: 300
From: Europe
223.168 & 213.012 & 906.633 & 214.005
I don't understand this attempt trying to defend the dealer on what he did. First, the navigation installation is usable even without the version coding. Secondly, you do not have to go to a dealer and beg them to perform the version coding, a number of independent shops have the equipment, even some ordinary individual MB enthusiasts have the equipment!
Do the maths, performing version coding at an MB dealer at their official cost and the minimum charge for the installation work (forget the parts costs) would not reach close to what the dealer quote was for the work (estimate). Either they did not know at all how long the installation would take and their quote was "something surely sufficient" or they were cheating. I'm guessing the first one, which I see worse than the second option (at least they would know what they are doing on the second option).
Do the maths, performing version coding at an MB dealer at their official cost and the minimum charge for the installation work (forget the parts costs) would not reach close to what the dealer quote was for the work (estimate). Either they did not know at all how long the installation would take and their quote was "something surely sufficient" or they were cheating. I'm guessing the first one, which I see worse than the second option (at least they would know what they are doing on the second option).
#35
I dunno... but if i can afford an MB I sure as hell can afford the dealer to install a Nav unit or buy the vehicle with it already in. You must of looked like a moron going back to the same dealership and asking them to code your cluster. That blitzsafe adapter is garbage... but i am sure you wil find something comparable on the internet for $2. The last time I checked Ebay and the dealership are two different things completely. If I worked at the dealership and knew who you were, I would make sure that I would document that your NAV is an add on and that if anything goes wrong with the Command that you screwed with it and it is not warrantied... just because of your ignorant comments in the first post.
But as we all know, someone will always kiss your ****... because they don't have the ***** to tell you go buy a KIA...
And by the way I am all for saving money... but being ignorant like you were in the first post calling the dealer a rip off... you look dumb...
But as we all know, someone will always kiss your ****... because they don't have the ***** to tell you go buy a KIA...
And by the way I am all for saving money... but being ignorant like you were in the first post calling the dealer a rip off... you look dumb...
Do you realize that you sound like a real a$$ hole? Since you didn't like my post and you didn't find it useful why didnt you just click another post and say something positive there? Sounds to me like you aren't a very positive person. Sounds like you probably don't have many people in your life that care for you I assume you scream at your kids with the same ignorant attitude that you've take in my post.
Does it make you happy to spread your negativity throughout a pretty cool forum with guys who obviously like this place, like to chat about cars, and probably do mod their cars themselves instead of paying a dealer an obnoxious amount to do the work.
Do you work for a dealer - wipe the floors for them or something?
Funny part is, I bet there are more people that are happy I made this post, and I probably saved one person money by telling the dealer to fly a kite.
I did go to the dealer, I am friends with the dealer. I explained to him what joke it was. Not like it will change anything, but like I said if I helped even one person I am cool with that.
Most dealers are scammers.. Higher the brand higher than amount they scam.
I really wish you would leave and never post again - I have never read one of your posts that was worth a damn and I don't ever remember a positive one.
#36
Do you realize that you sound like a real a$$ hole? Since you didn't like my post and you didn't find it useful why didnt you just click another post and say something positive there? Sounds to me like you aren't a very positive person. Sounds like you probably don't have many people in your life that care for you I assume you scream at your kids with the same ignorant attitude that you've take in my post.
Let's see... I owned my own business, so do you know what it costs to do it? especially a retail/service industry as a dealership... My business was retail and service, but not on the same scale as an auto dealership, which has more benefits to pay out for it's employees, huge overhead since they are inventorying $30k-$514k vehicles and many of them... lights, signage, advertising, the receptionist that has to answer your stupid phone call, the tires, oil, little parts in inventory so when you come in they have it there... oh let's not forgot about the loaner cars... because we wouldn't want you to go to your friends at the dealership for service and not have a loaner car for you...
Hey what dealership did you go to? I should email the GM/CEO over there this post... I am sure they would know which moron they sold the car to... I would like to know if you would still be friends?
#40
i got mine for 350 if you wait and be patient also constantly check the car electronics and normal ebay electronics section you could run into some luck and find one
#42
#43
Why would a dealer waste their time and resources giving you everything for a fraction over cost? There is 100s of thousands of dollars in expenses in every dept at a decent size mb dealer. You got the items way under what we would have paid for them. Had the dealer been able to acquire them at those costs then there would be no problems giving you more of a discount. With accessories and expensive telematics there is very little mark up already especially the nav disk (navteq makes all the money) Every other customer thinks they deserve an employee discount and every salesman is more than willing to offer it since he has already sold the car and made his commission. So don't be too surprised if you didn't get the discounts you expected. Every person in every dept makes their living off their profit from the parts countermen/techs/service writers. Half of which have never even seen you. We also have to pay for every customer that says we stole their umbrellas scratched their cars or "that wasn't making that noise when I brought it in's" and the car wash business girls receptionist and army of valets/shuttles/rental cars. I can go on and on. There is no where in the automotive world that will charge you exactly the time it takes to install. Even when I have work done I pay the tech double the time it took him at the least. It wouldn't be worth the trouble writing it up for .5 hours. I am not trying to bash you in the least bit. You were smart enough to do your own research and saved big time in the process. Good job. I would have done the same. Just keep in mind that we need to make a certain amount of profit to keep the doors open and keep our jobs. People have been losing their jobs all around different dealers as it is.
Last edited by JonMBZ; 09-10-2008 at 09:41 PM.
#44
You should have bought your wife a nice GARMIN. I have the Mercedes NAV on my 2006 E350 and compared to Lexus and Caddy... Lexus as well as Caddy have a nice touch screen, very easy to use .. compared to the Mercedes push button system.
#45
Thanks for that info, because I'm thinking to get one.
#46
E-gads this topic appeared. I agree the MB nav is very dated in use and operation, the only thing it has for itself is the voice operation if the vehicle is equipped with it. Aftermarket seems better, but the integration isn't as perfect. really it is a lose lose situation reflecting on the post. The portable is far from an option though IMO.
#47
Mercedes Electronics
There is no question. Mercedes is not at the top of the list when it comes to a nav system. I bought a CPO and it came with the car... I would have NEVER ordered the Mercedes NAV. I still keep my Garmin GPS in the console of my Mercedes E350 and that is the nav unit I trust.
#48
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,393
Likes: 300
From: Europe
223.168 & 213.012 & 906.633 & 214.005
There is no question. Mercedes is not at the top of the list when it comes to a nav system. I bought a CPO and it came with the car... I would have NEVER ordered the Mercedes NAV. I still keep my Garmin GPS in the console of my Mercedes E350 and that is the nav unit I trust.
#49
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 529
Likes: 0
From: London, GB
RHD C200 Sport Coupe, RHD SLK-55, LHD SLK-350
I'm with DB on this - the NTG2.5 COMAND heads are light years ahead of the NTG2.0's. Combine it with a media interface, and it's one of the better OEM systems I've seen.