TuneTime

i installed a F900 into a CLK430....

heres a vid... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm8XsaHWv6M

and more picts on my website.. under CLK W208 in the gallery

RW C55

How you like the F900 so far?
Reliability and stuff?
Heard the start time was pretty long but the 2.0 firmware fixed the problem... what other issues are there?

Thanks

jedcred

Mine arrives tomorrow. F700bt, in my case, since I didn't care for the MSN Live feature nor the DVD playback. I'll put up some pics and video when it's in, hopefully by tomorrow evening, since I just need to add in the GPS antenna and remove a handful of things from my 9800bt that's in there now.

TuneTime

yes long load time... and long ipod loading time.... and the beeping you cant turn off (when you hit the buttons)...

sleewell

ouch, that doesnt sound very nice.

AMGfan

I'm still partial to Kenwood but the Pioneer is still a nice piece of kit...

loungn14

if someone could post how the navigation is I would appreciate it. I have a
D3 and the nagivation is horrible. It take forever to find anything and it will list out streets and intersections even though they dont exist.

sleewell

me too. garmin for the navi, 15 sec load time, every feature imaginable, what is not to love??

billbugger

The more I think about it, the more I like these head units.
However, I would rather install it myself as I'm pretty sure the installers over at best buy would have no idea how to do it.
That being said, a DIY would be great!

sleewell

if you take your car to best buy i would come to your house and personally take a sledge hammer to your dash and save you the time. those guys dont know what they are doing at all, take it to a real shop or do it yourself. they make great dash kits for our cars, its not rocket science but a quality job at a pro shop is worth the money and saved time and hassle.

billbugger

I totally agree. That's basically what they do. :-p

AMGfan

I love Garmin...simple stupid operation and it makes the counter intuitive MB navigation laughable.

sleewell

agreed, i didnt need to read the manual at all and figured almost everything out very quickly. a 5 year old could become an expert in minutes. its really accurate too, havent had any problems yet.

with that being said, is there any way to reduce the amount of voice prompts? i feel like they tell me 12 times that i need to turn at the next light or exit, even if i am miles away still.

RW C55

Now that we're on this topic (too lazy to search actually lol), would you guys recommand me to get an aftermarket HU or just stick with a hand held?
Reason is I was looking at the F-series, and it does look very appealing, the price also seems reasonable..or is there any other models you guys recommand?

AMGfan

I haven't played with the prompts yet so I'll take a look at it when get in the car this afternoon...

dan2010

I just installed a F90BT yesterday, need to install a few things in a more permanent fashion but it's fully functional now.

I also installed the PIONEER CA-R-PI.133 steering wheel control adapter and I have pretty good control over the unit with track selection and volume control.

The install wasn't easy due to the steering wheel control adapter and it's connectors. People wrote it was plug and play, they were wrong at least in 2007 w203. If people are interested, I'll do a DIY on the pioneer install and the steering wheel control adapter install.

If you don't care about the steering wheel controls then the install is pretty easy and straightforward.

AMGfan

It depends...if you want just Nav, the Garmin Nuvi series are easy to use and portability is handy (from one car to another and even on foot). If you want an all in one package that has Garmin, the Kenwood units are a great option...Sleewell and myself can attest to their ease of use and abundant options.

sleewell

i got my 5120 on ebay for 600 bucks shipped. for the number and quality of features and overall quality of this unit you can not find a better deal out there. load time is really fast, the navigation is near perfect, and the picture quality is very good. granted you have to purchase the ipod cable ($29) and bluetooth kit ($149) separately (get it bypassed too) but i think that is how it is with most brands. pioneer makes a good product, i am not bashing them in any way. i just went with kenwood after reading many customer reviews and doing some research, and i am very happy with my choice.

RW C55

Hey thanks for the input guys.. I already got a hand-held (Asus R600, which is not that great IMO)but the OEM one doesnt play MP3 CD and cost way too much for blutooth & Ipod.
Just by looking at the specs (or if any of you have experienced both units), would you guys recommand the kenwood 5120 or the pioneer F700?
So far iv learned that the price is about the same for both units; kenwood has a better load time over the pioneer; pioneer has built in bluetooth and kenwood is "bluetooth ready", and IMO, i think the pioneer unit looks alittle better..
What other pros and cons do the units have?

billbugger

Here is a picture reference:

Kenwood 5120:


Pioneer Avic-F700BT:

johnand

Dan, If you look at my post above, you'll see I already have the F90BT waiting to install in my 07 C230. I bought the Pioneer CA-R-PI.133 based on feedback here, that it makes it plug and play for VSS, Reverse signal, etc. It is supposed to have the correct Fakra connector to plug right in to the OEM harness. So, if it is not plug and play, I would appreciate a DIY, as I am getting ready to install mine. I have/will have the following:

1. Pioneer F90BT
2. Pioneer CA-R-PI.133 Steering wheel control interface
3. Scosche MZ2347B Dash install kit
4. Scosche VW03B wiring harness
5. Scosche VWA-4B Euro antenna adapter
6. Night vision rear camera.

Let me know what the real story on the steering wheel adapter is.

RW C55

And my OEM 6CD changer jammed AGAIN today... another reason to go for an aftermarket HU!

billbugger

No ipod/iphone integration kit? that would be my #7.

johnand

Not needed. The F90BT comes with the cable for Ipod integration and Bluetooth is built in, that is why it was my 1st choice.

billbugger

Sold!