scorchie

UHI (Universal Handy Interface) phone kits are being readied by MBenzNL. If you're not aware of what UHI is, please search in the forum, or wait a few days for MBenzNL.com to be updated.

Some test installs have been done, below are some pictures of a kit that was installed in a W208 CLK55.

The kits should be available with a few (selected) cradles, to support some of the phone available. ALL CRADLES MADE BY MERCEDES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FROM MBenzNL... this is to reduce the number of kits required and to lessen support requirements.

Supported cars will be:

W202 1999-2000
W208 1999-2003

W203 2001-2004
W209 2003-2004

W210 1999-2002

R230 2003-2004
W463 2002-2004

Kits will be "self install", meaning the kit includes the parts necessary for installation and you are responsible for installation. Installation will be available in some areas and may support more vehicles than in the list (for instance, W220).

The kit consists of:

- UHI PSE
- UHI clip
- UHI cradle (varies by phone)
- middle console floor (depends on model)
- cradle wire harness
- antenna adapter

The following phones will have kits available:

Nokia 6100/6610/7250
Nokia 6200/6220/6230
SonyEriccson T610/T616/T630/T637
Siemens S55/C55/M55/S56/C56/M56
Siemens CX55/CX66
Motorola V620/V600/V525/V300

That's all! Please do not ask for others. Also note that if you are a Cingular or AT&T customer, recommended phones are SE T616/T637, the Siemens phones ending with "6", and the Nokia 6200 and 6230b. Many of these are currently available at subsidized prices direct from the provider, so getting a phone at a good price should not be a problem
(which was an issue with the Nokia 6310i kits).

Also note that if you choose the Motorola Vxxx kit, you are on your own... there are a lot of problems reported with this kit/phone combo, so we will not provide ANY support for it. It is just available for those who just HAVE to have a V600.

If you have a pre-2002 car, it is recommended that you change your antenna to a multiband antenna. This can be done quite expensively using an aftermarket part, or an OEM part can be used to replace your original antenna (more expensive). This will greatly increase the quality of your reception. If you have a pre-2002 car and already have a phone kit installed, it is recommended that you ensure your compensator is multiband ready, or bypass it (with included adapter) or replace the antenna.

The kits should be delivered early September, no later than the end of September. Those who prepay will get a significant discount. Ordering information will be posted on MBenzNL.com and that will be the only way to prepay for discount! Please do not send mail asking about it until the site has been updated.

More info on the way!

-s-

freakinfreak

And the big question... How much?

scorchie

The big answer is already in the post:

"Ordering information will be posted on MBenzNL.com"

Prices vary by application. Prices may change without notice. Best bet is to check the site for the price of the item you are interested in... soon.

-s-

Kev04C320

Looks like I'm safe. My wife and I had the SE 630 and 610. I would definitely get this with my COMAND retrofit.

MARK CUMMINS

Nice Pic on The Phone......LOL

What about VA retrofit? With the UHI kits

SUNILP

VA works fine with UHI. I have it working currently with my UHI.

SUNILP

Scorchie, How about a Nokia 6230 cradle this way. I alrady have the kit installed.

SUNILP

Also, I believe when ordering, you must specify if you have teleaid or not. Right Scorchie?

MARK CUMMINS

Sunman....You NEED a VA Kit!!!...

SUNILP

VA = Voice Activation, I already have it

freakinfreak

What about the Bluetooth module? Is that bad boy compatible?

scorchie

What Bluetooth module?

-s-

CitronC230K_03

i have cingular and a motorola V600, will this be an ok combo?

scorchie

Gee, I have no idea.

-s-

BigSis

I couldn't agree more!

Scorchie and MBenzNL, thanks for the info. Always good to see things are turning out fine...

Greetingz,

BigSis

PS: do get some sleep, now, guys!

Yang1815

I f***ing want it for my T610. Please don't be TOO expensive!!! Last time I heard was $950.. that's... a hard decision, please make it easier!

SUNILP

The price is already posted and he stated around 850 dollars. The v600 and Cingular are fine but as he said, "You are on your own with this combo" There are too many issues with the v600 phone. I have used them in the past and they are too buggy. The t610 works fine with the same cradle pictured with the t637.

SUNILP

There is no bluetooth module nor does anyknow if there ever will be so no need to wait for it.

scorchie

The pricing is set by the cost of the components. If you have concerns about the price, please direct them to Mercedes-Benz ... (in Germany preferably because it is their list prices that are used in calculating discounts).

The discount for prepay is because Steve will not need to hold stock, depreciate inventory, and pay interest for those orders.

-s-

ToonArmy

This is excellent news! Looking forward to seeing ordering details/pricing on the web site soon.

A few questions I'm hopin someone can answer for me:

1. For a 2003 R230, it appears from the instructions that the antenna is already dual-band, no change required. Is my understanding correct?

2. If I don't have VA, can I use the phone's voice dialing capability (i.e. something like press and hold the steering wheel button, <beep>, say name)? If not, what else does the VA control, and in folks's experience, is it worth the cost (and, what is the cost)?

3. From what I've read, the in-car computer has to be reprogrammed to recognize the phone in the fiber loop. Is this a dealer-only operation?

4. Finally, looking to the future and phone upgrdes, is the UHI PSE the same for all the supported phone models? In other words, if a year from now I want to get a new Nokia 6923 (made-up model number) and M-B make a UHI cradle for it, is it simply a matter of swapping out the cradle?

Thanks, and once again, really looking forward to this!

scorchie

I have you on my list to call on Monday.

But to answer your questions:

1) You should be all set.

2) I couldn't get voice dialing to work on the Sony or Nokia 6310i while in the cradle. I think it would work with a Bluetooth headset... but that would make the car kit less important.

3) Programming of the car computer MAY be required, but is ALWAYS a good idea. This is available from the dealership for self-installed packages, or from Steve when he installs it in person.

4) The idea is that the cradle should be swappable in the future...

I suspected long ago that the PSE in the W211 is already UHI-compliant. I am trying to get my hands on the detailed wiring diagrams (MBUSA provided Motorola documents in the past) to see if we can hook up an UHI cradle.

-s-

ToonArmy

Thanks, Scorchie. Look forward to hearing from you on Monday.

CitronC230K_03

im taking sunman's advice and im going to wait until cingular releases the 6230 phone and ill get that and order the UHI kit then.

SUNILP

Scorchie,

when you say the voice activation is not working when in the cradle, I assume that you mean the voice activation feature of the phone itself. I have the voice activation system VCS installed my car with the steering lever and that works fine with UHI. Also, if you hook a bluetooth earpiece to the phone, as soon as you plug it in the cradle, it gets disconnected to divert sound to the cradle and not the earpiece.

SUNILP

I would also suggest people go to www.nokia.com and www.sonyericsson.com and check the phones and their respective features there. I have the nokia 6230b and it is a wonderful phone with bluetooth built in, FM radio, Infrared, Camera, Video Camera, etc... It doesn't crash like the motorola and is very stable. Size is smaller than the Sony Ericsson also. The sony ericsson is also a great phone to use and especially the updated t637 phone that scorchie has posted a picture of.