adelekem

Hello there guys. I have an 03 E500 and I installed an Euro Comand head unit in my car to replace the APS 50 unit. I also installed the Denison GW 500 for ipod integration and it works great! The thing is, now the COMAND unit wont play DVD's or CDs anymore. The radio and ipod function for the GW 500 are still there but no DVD/CD. Please help.

pinebaron

Please read posts on the very first page; you may have your answer there.
https://mbworld.org/forums/audio-ele...mentation.html

adelekem

It doesnt provide answers for my problem. The DVD stopped playing on my euro comand set. The GW500 works great.

Skylaw

Are you certain you inserted the GW 500 into your fiber optic loop just ahead of the CD Changer? Inserting it elsewhere can cause it to replace other equipment on the fiber optic bus.

adelekem

I verified that it was indeed installed ahead of the CD Changer. The ipod connection works well. The COMAND just doesnt recognize any CDs or DVDs. I think I might just gut it and go aftermarket.

Cartronics

The iTronic does not suffer any of these issues at all.... you may want to think about that. The iTronic will work in any position on the loop at all.

Skylaw

Yes - but the reason his DVDs no longer play may have nothing to do with the Gateway 500 installation, especially if it was installed as he says.

Cartronics

True, but is a known issue of the GW500 - however is could be a failure of the drive unit itself of course.

adelekem

Thats what I think happened. My CD changer never really worked and I am pissed that I spent all that money on the Euro COMAND to replace my Audio 50. I have seen that the aftermarket units offer more capabilities and are not dinosaurs like the current unit. I am thinking of going with the Pioneer AVIC Z130BT with a overhaul of my speaker system too. I think I will go all out and get a rear view camera too. The car is paid off and I think I am going to keep it for a while. I do hate losing the retro look of the OEM unit, but if its not working, I am not going to get another one especially when I can get a better functioning unit like the AVIC.

The car is currently in Guam and there isnt a dealer here. I have an indy shop here with STAR and there isnt any fault codes in COMAND.

Cartronics, you said that the GW500 causes this to happen. What can I do to make sure it is the culprit without taking the whole thing out. It was a pain in the a$$ installing the unit in the first place. Could it also be caused by the fact that the actual GW500 unit is directly behind the COMAND unit. You know like resting on that upper indentation on the head unit.

Thanks for all your help.

Adelekem

Cartronics

Physical location is not the issue, but it should be easy just to unplug the fiber from the GW500 and put it right into the command (bypassing the GW500). This will tell you if it is a drive failure or not. The Euro COMANDs are only partially compatible with North American cars. While some people run them without problem, there are several internal network conflicts going that will rear their head depending on what other changes go on in the car. It is much easier (and generally cheaper) to add video capability to a NA COMAND, then put in an Euro COMAND IMHO. There are three different software versions from Hungary from Dension (although they don't deem to let people know it clearly).... One for NA cars, one for Japan, and one for ROW. We have all three versions here that we test periodically and they are very similar but have key timing differences.

adelekem

Cartronics thanks for the reply. I will try to take the GW500 out of the loop today when I get home. Can you forward me to a COMAND take down thread? I know how to take off the gear shift panels all the way to the cigarette lighter console. I dont remember how to take out the CD changer and I remember that was the biggest pain to deal with when I did the install. Thanks again!

Adelekem

Cartronics

I can in the morning... East Coast time USA.... or look at our Videos Page on our site under SUPPORT

Cartronics.com

adelekem

I am in the US now. Do im ready for my audio overhaul with exception of the CANBUS harness and dash kits. Do you provide military or mbworld member discounts? $389 for the dash kit is pretty pricy. Let me know! i need it this week.

Cartronics

We do for many items, but the margin is so low on this that we don't have any discounts available. We also need to let you know the dash kits are special order in North America, as we stock them outside the U.S., where head unit change is more common. It is fairly rare inside the U.S. - As such, the lead time can be up to 2-3 weeks.

jbondox

I must of installed at least 50 dension pieces in Mercedes, not counting the numerous Porsches. I haven't had any issues with the product. I can't believe one would try to ... never mind

Did you look at MBdoctor? http://mbdoctor.com/product.html I bought a few refrigerators from him for some S class's... good guy, there is also http://www.mbenznl.nl/ both are pretty much authorities on the swap. also for your kit, you might want to call ******* *****************/ , i just bought a few cayenne kits from them for $30 on sale, regular $200 . NavTv has some kits also so give derek a shout 866.477.3336... he's on here and knows alot about the comands also. in fact they are probably an authority on the optical system