DIY installation of AVIC & other aftermarket HU's for W203 (Warning! lots of images!)
#979
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#980
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C230 K Coupe (05)
Yo Jerry,
What all do I need to get to hook up the sub and the amp? You have a website you could point me to? Or if you know a local store, we could go there the day of the install.
Btw, I am thinking of using atleast 2 gauge wire for the sub. I was reading the product manual and some other forums and everyone was saying to use atleast 2 gauge. I would like to use 0 gauge if it doesnt make the install too difficult. I could help in trying to fit the wires through. Im good with my hands/fingers...
(no comments please...lol)
Thanks.
G
What all do I need to get to hook up the sub and the amp? You have a website you could point me to? Or if you know a local store, we could go there the day of the install.
Btw, I am thinking of using atleast 2 gauge wire for the sub. I was reading the product manual and some other forums and everyone was saying to use atleast 2 gauge. I would like to use 0 gauge if it doesnt make the install too difficult. I could help in trying to fit the wires through. Im good with my hands/fingers...
![thumbs](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
Thanks.
G
#981
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C230 K Coupe (05)
This is the bezel that is being used for the HU right guys?
http://scosche.com/products/productID/1452
And from your guys' experience, does the Pioneer Z series fit flush with our cars? Would you guys recommend any other HU over the Z series? TIA.
Edit: The Kenwood DNX 9960 will go neck to neck with the AVIC Z110/120BT. FYI.
Anyone have either of them in their car?
http://scosche.com/products/productID/1452
And from your guys' experience, does the Pioneer Z series fit flush with our cars? Would you guys recommend any other HU over the Z series? TIA.
Edit: The Kenwood DNX 9960 will go neck to neck with the AVIC Z110/120BT. FYI.
Anyone have either of them in their car?
Last edited by hieracity; 07-05-2010 at 04:01 PM.
#982
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I followed that link, and the bezel says it's for 2005-2007... I wonder if it will work with my 2004 C240? For less than $30 I'll give it a try, got the car yesterday, and I'll be putting my unit in next week.
Mike
Mike
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2008 c350 SG - 2004 c240 Wagon BS
#984
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I ended up ordering both of them, that way I can see which one works, and give a full report. BTW, I went to Best Buy yesterday, just looking around, and they told me that they won't do installs on Mercedes. That just seems weird to me, especially in Dallas.
#985
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2008 c350 SG - 2004 c240 Wagon BS
They are just admitting to their lack of skills and care. You should be happy they declined. You don't want a mangled install.
#986
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![Talking](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif)
Mike
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Nike Turbo Shox
I wonder the same thing too because if you can get the same trim then you can get a DD to look really OEM.. How about 3M Di-Noc CF Viynl all the wood or aluminum trim whichever applies and the DD trim.
#988
So, there's a black wire in the A harness (A5) that needs 12v ??
I think this must be why my FM/AM reception is crap after install.
Can anybody confirm this before I rip my center console out for the 4th time?
#989
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02' C320 03' C240
w203 facelift canbus/radio/instrument cluster!?
I have spent the last year doing a facelift on my 02 C320 which I have brought back from the dead. The facelift included wood steering wheel
amg body kit, CLK instrument cluster, faclifted UCP and digital climate control with the stock Head unit. I had the bose system which required me to have a alpine amp installed with a line out converter. To install the cluster I literally ripped out the plastic frame for the cluster to fit. I sawed off pieced for the radio to sit in the dash and smashed the part the cup holder snaps into so the new one would fit. Everything looks stock, you would never know. My only issue has been that when I hook up the canbus I don't get volume control. Only the track can be changed.
After about a week of it being hooked up the Head unit was acting up.
The volume would go all the way down on its own and none of the buttons would work but the manual volume. I dissconected it and its back to normal.
So living with no canbus, my question is can I tap into the cigarette wire
and connect it to the canbus to give the on and off feature that it would have if it were connected to the canbus?????
If anyone has power seat issues draining your battery I can give you the site to fix it from a thread I saw. I finally have my power seats back after like 4 years of them being unplugged. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
#991
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CLS320cdi, GL350BT, ML270cdi
hi guys,
i'm busy mounting a pioneer f900bt in my w203
my car has original an audio10 ( radio-cd) with Bose sound system and 6cd changer.
so, the pioneer is in, it powers up and al. everything works. but i have no sound![Smilie](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
if i'm right, the d2b connector is used on the audio10 for transmitting the sound to the boxes ...
so i'm wondering which adaptor i'd need to make it work right...
also, i'm going to use the steering wheel adapter (carpi131).
grtz.
i'm busy mounting a pioneer f900bt in my w203
my car has original an audio10 ( radio-cd) with Bose sound system and 6cd changer.
so, the pioneer is in, it powers up and al. everything works. but i have no sound
![Smilie](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
if i'm right, the d2b connector is used on the audio10 for transmitting the sound to the boxes ...
so i'm wondering which adaptor i'd need to make it work right...
also, i'm going to use the steering wheel adapter (carpi131).
grtz.
#992
Super Moderator
hi guys,
i'm busy mounting a pioneer f900bt in my w203
my car has original an audio10 ( radio-cd) with Bose sound system and 6cd changer.
so, the pioneer is in, it powers up and al. everything works. but i have no sound![Smilie](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
if i'm right, the d2b connector is used on the audio10 for transmitting the sound to the boxes ...
so i'm wondering which adaptor i'd need to make it work right...
also, i'm going to use the steering wheel adapter (carpi131).
grtz.
i'm busy mounting a pioneer f900bt in my w203
my car has original an audio10 ( radio-cd) with Bose sound system and 6cd changer.
so, the pioneer is in, it powers up and al. everything works. but i have no sound
![Smilie](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
if i'm right, the d2b connector is used on the audio10 for transmitting the sound to the boxes ...
so i'm wondering which adaptor i'd need to make it work right...
also, i'm going to use the steering wheel adapter (carpi131).
grtz.
![smash](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/smashfreak.gif)
#994
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2004 C320
OMG OMG OMG im so excited guys just purchased the following to add to my 2 12" JL subs
-Pioneer AVH-P4000DVD (for 230$ i dont mind not getting bluetooth or gps as i dont need it)
-Metra dash trim and wiring harness
going to hold off on the steering adapter for now as minimum wage can only support so much modding
-Pioneer AVH-P4000DVD (for 230$ i dont mind not getting bluetooth or gps as i dont need it)
-Metra dash trim and wiring harness
going to hold off on the steering adapter for now as minimum wage can only support so much modding
#995
Junior Member
Did an install of a JVC KW-XR810. Got lots of info prior to the job from this ORACLE of all audio threads, so figured I'd tack my experience on to it as well!
This HU is a double DIN unit, chosen to fill the space available and be easy to use. No video or GPS capabilities on this model, but I don't have any desire to watch videos in the car and can just pull out the Garmin the odd time I need GPS.
Used this excellent info to crack into the center dash: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...=1#post2264959
The unit I was removing was a base Audio 20. No CD changer, HK, Bose or any of that stuff, which made things straight forward. I'm also just sticking with the OEM speakers for now.
As for the other important stuff:
Dash kit, wiring harness, antenna adapter: Got all 3 items on Ebay as a set for 2005 W203 applications. All items were Scosche and worked great, other than the antenna adapter (more on that later!)
Steering wheel controls: I actually added this later when I discovered that I missed the volume control on the steering wheel. I used the Metra/Axxess ASWC for this. There doesn't seem to be much info on this product on this forum, but I found that it worked great and works with multiple brands of HU (unlike the CARPI). It does not work with the instrument cluster display however, which was no disappointment for me as I never used that display with the radio anyway. Out of the box, the ASWC recognized the car and worked as it was supposed to. One small annoyance was that the left steering wheel up/down arrows could be used to cycle CD tracks, radio presets, etc. depending on the selected source. They would also simultaneously cycle the display mode on the instrument cluster! No matter as the unit can be custom programmed. I disabled the left hand arrows, leaving them for use with the cluster display only. I programmed the phone offhook to change the source, onhook as mute and +/- to control the volume. Overall the ASWC seems to be a good product, especially for only $45.
Antenna adapter: Seems that there have been a lot of people fighting with this here and in other threads. Originally, I got a Scosche VW-whatever powered unit that came with the harness and dash kit I bought. I connected antenna power to this adapter as I read about others doing. Depending on which antenna connector I hooked up, I could get crappy FM reception or crappy AM reception, but not good performance on either or both bands. I tried moving the antenna power to pin 13 on the harness, which is also supposed to send power to the antenna but the performance was the same. So I heavily googled the matter and discovered a VW forum where some were having similar issues. Some VW's use the same dual connector "diversity" antenna as found on our MB's. Some managed to solve their issues using the Connects2 CT27AA25 antenna adapter. This unit has inputs for two antenna connectors, along with a single output and a power lead. I found a place in the UK selling these online and ordered one. After installation, both AM and FM reception are as good as they were with the Audio 20. I left the power lead connected to pin 13 on the harness and taped up the power lead on the antenna adapter. If using one of these adapters and the reception is not good, just try reversing the antenna connections.
Satellite radio: I got a JVC-SIR1 for this from Ebay. This directly integrates with the JVC HU, using it for controls. I hid the unit inside the dashboard. This really cleaned things up compared to the external Sirius box I previously had hardwired to the aux input on the Audio 20.
Otherwise, the JVC has integral bluetooth which works great (mounted the mic up by the rearview mirror, where the oem mic is). Also has aux and USB inputs, as well as MP3 capabilities which were sadly missing on the Audio 20. The sound is good and the oem speakers are surprisingly good when you put a good deck behind them. I may get around to upgrading these too some day, but am in no big hurry.
Here's what the final result looks like:
This HU is a double DIN unit, chosen to fill the space available and be easy to use. No video or GPS capabilities on this model, but I don't have any desire to watch videos in the car and can just pull out the Garmin the odd time I need GPS.
Used this excellent info to crack into the center dash: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...=1#post2264959
The unit I was removing was a base Audio 20. No CD changer, HK, Bose or any of that stuff, which made things straight forward. I'm also just sticking with the OEM speakers for now.
As for the other important stuff:
Dash kit, wiring harness, antenna adapter: Got all 3 items on Ebay as a set for 2005 W203 applications. All items were Scosche and worked great, other than the antenna adapter (more on that later!)
Steering wheel controls: I actually added this later when I discovered that I missed the volume control on the steering wheel. I used the Metra/Axxess ASWC for this. There doesn't seem to be much info on this product on this forum, but I found that it worked great and works with multiple brands of HU (unlike the CARPI). It does not work with the instrument cluster display however, which was no disappointment for me as I never used that display with the radio anyway. Out of the box, the ASWC recognized the car and worked as it was supposed to. One small annoyance was that the left steering wheel up/down arrows could be used to cycle CD tracks, radio presets, etc. depending on the selected source. They would also simultaneously cycle the display mode on the instrument cluster! No matter as the unit can be custom programmed. I disabled the left hand arrows, leaving them for use with the cluster display only. I programmed the phone offhook to change the source, onhook as mute and +/- to control the volume. Overall the ASWC seems to be a good product, especially for only $45.
Antenna adapter: Seems that there have been a lot of people fighting with this here and in other threads. Originally, I got a Scosche VW-whatever powered unit that came with the harness and dash kit I bought. I connected antenna power to this adapter as I read about others doing. Depending on which antenna connector I hooked up, I could get crappy FM reception or crappy AM reception, but not good performance on either or both bands. I tried moving the antenna power to pin 13 on the harness, which is also supposed to send power to the antenna but the performance was the same. So I heavily googled the matter and discovered a VW forum where some were having similar issues. Some VW's use the same dual connector "diversity" antenna as found on our MB's. Some managed to solve their issues using the Connects2 CT27AA25 antenna adapter. This unit has inputs for two antenna connectors, along with a single output and a power lead. I found a place in the UK selling these online and ordered one. After installation, both AM and FM reception are as good as they were with the Audio 20. I left the power lead connected to pin 13 on the harness and taped up the power lead on the antenna adapter. If using one of these adapters and the reception is not good, just try reversing the antenna connections.
Satellite radio: I got a JVC-SIR1 for this from Ebay. This directly integrates with the JVC HU, using it for controls. I hid the unit inside the dashboard. This really cleaned things up compared to the external Sirius box I previously had hardwired to the aux input on the Audio 20.
Otherwise, the JVC has integral bluetooth which works great (mounted the mic up by the rearview mirror, where the oem mic is). Also has aux and USB inputs, as well as MP3 capabilities which were sadly missing on the Audio 20. The sound is good and the oem speakers are surprisingly good when you put a good deck behind them. I may get around to upgrading these too some day, but am in no big hurry.
Here's what the final result looks like:
![](https://mbworld.org/forums/members/killerpancake-albums-audio-picture17437-headunit.jpg)
#996
Did an install of a JVC KW-XR810. Got lots of info prior to the job from this ORACLE of all audio threads, so figured I'd tack my experience on to it as well!
This HU is a double DIN unit, chosen to fill the space available and be easy to use. No video or GPS capabilities on this model, but I don't have any desire to watch videos in the car and can just pull out the Garmin the odd time I need GPS.
Used this excellent info to crack into the center dash: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...=1#post2264959
The unit I was removing was a base Audio 20. No CD changer, HK, Bose or any of that stuff, which made things straight forward. I'm also just sticking with the OEM speakers for now.
As for the other important stuff:
Dash kit, wiring harness, antenna adapter: Got all 3 items on Ebay as a set for 2005 W203 applications. All items were Scosche and worked great, other than the antenna adapter (more on that later!)
Steering wheel controls: I actually added this later when I discovered that I missed the volume control on the steering wheel. I used the Metra/Axxess ASWC for this. There doesn't seem to be much info on this product on this forum, but I found that it worked great and works with multiple brands of HU (unlike the CARPI). It does not work with the instrument cluster display however, which was no disappointment for me as I never used that display with the radio anyway. Out of the box, the ASWC recognized the car and worked as it was supposed to. One small annoyance was that the left steering wheel up/down arrows could be used to cycle CD tracks, radio presets, etc. depending on the selected source. They would also simultaneously cycle the display mode on the instrument cluster! No matter as the unit can be custom programmed. I disabled the left hand arrows, leaving them for use with the cluster display only. I programmed the phone offhook to change the source, onhook as mute and +/- to control the volume. Overall the ASWC seems to be a good product, especially for only $45.
Antenna adapter: Seems that there have been a lot of people fighting with this here and in other threads. Originally, I got a Scosche VW-whatever powered unit that came with the harness and dash kit I bought. I connected antenna power to this adapter as I read about others doing. Depending on which antenna connector I hooked up, I could get crappy FM reception or crappy AM reception, but not good performance on either or both bands. I tried moving the antenna power to pin 13 on the harness, which is also supposed to send power to the antenna but the performance was the same. So I heavily googled the matter and discovered a VW forum where some were having similar issues. Some VW's use the same dual connector "diversity" antenna as found on our MB's. Some managed to solve their issues using the Connects2 CT27AA25 antenna adapter. This unit has inputs for two antenna connectors, along with a single output and a power lead. I found a place in the UK selling these online and ordered one. After installation, both AM and FM reception are as good as they were with the Audio 20. I left the power lead connected to pin 13 on the harness and taped up the power lead on the antenna adapter. If using one of these adapters and the reception is not good, just try reversing the antenna connections.
Satellite radio: I got a JVC-SIR1 for this from Ebay. This directly integrates with the JVC HU, using it for controls. I hid the unit inside the dashboard. This really cleaned things up compared to the external Sirius box I previously had hardwired to the aux input on the Audio 20.
Otherwise, the JVC has integral bluetooth which works great (mounted the mic up by the rearview mirror, where the oem mic is). Also has aux and USB inputs, as well as MP3 capabilities which were sadly missing on the Audio 20. The sound is good and the oem speakers are surprisingly good when you put a good deck behind them. I may get around to upgrading these too some day, but am in no big hurry.
Here's what the final result looks like:
![](https://mbworld.org/forums/members/killerpancake-albums-audio-picture17437-headunit.jpg)
This HU is a double DIN unit, chosen to fill the space available and be easy to use. No video or GPS capabilities on this model, but I don't have any desire to watch videos in the car and can just pull out the Garmin the odd time I need GPS.
Used this excellent info to crack into the center dash: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...=1#post2264959
The unit I was removing was a base Audio 20. No CD changer, HK, Bose or any of that stuff, which made things straight forward. I'm also just sticking with the OEM speakers for now.
As for the other important stuff:
Dash kit, wiring harness, antenna adapter: Got all 3 items on Ebay as a set for 2005 W203 applications. All items were Scosche and worked great, other than the antenna adapter (more on that later!)
Steering wheel controls: I actually added this later when I discovered that I missed the volume control on the steering wheel. I used the Metra/Axxess ASWC for this. There doesn't seem to be much info on this product on this forum, but I found that it worked great and works with multiple brands of HU (unlike the CARPI). It does not work with the instrument cluster display however, which was no disappointment for me as I never used that display with the radio anyway. Out of the box, the ASWC recognized the car and worked as it was supposed to. One small annoyance was that the left steering wheel up/down arrows could be used to cycle CD tracks, radio presets, etc. depending on the selected source. They would also simultaneously cycle the display mode on the instrument cluster! No matter as the unit can be custom programmed. I disabled the left hand arrows, leaving them for use with the cluster display only. I programmed the phone offhook to change the source, onhook as mute and +/- to control the volume. Overall the ASWC seems to be a good product, especially for only $45.
Antenna adapter: Seems that there have been a lot of people fighting with this here and in other threads. Originally, I got a Scosche VW-whatever powered unit that came with the harness and dash kit I bought. I connected antenna power to this adapter as I read about others doing. Depending on which antenna connector I hooked up, I could get crappy FM reception or crappy AM reception, but not good performance on either or both bands. I tried moving the antenna power to pin 13 on the harness, which is also supposed to send power to the antenna but the performance was the same. So I heavily googled the matter and discovered a VW forum where some were having similar issues. Some VW's use the same dual connector "diversity" antenna as found on our MB's. Some managed to solve their issues using the Connects2 CT27AA25 antenna adapter. This unit has inputs for two antenna connectors, along with a single output and a power lead. I found a place in the UK selling these online and ordered one. After installation, both AM and FM reception are as good as they were with the Audio 20. I left the power lead connected to pin 13 on the harness and taped up the power lead on the antenna adapter. If using one of these adapters and the reception is not good, just try reversing the antenna connections.
Satellite radio: I got a JVC-SIR1 for this from Ebay. This directly integrates with the JVC HU, using it for controls. I hid the unit inside the dashboard. This really cleaned things up compared to the external Sirius box I previously had hardwired to the aux input on the Audio 20.
Otherwise, the JVC has integral bluetooth which works great (mounted the mic up by the rearview mirror, where the oem mic is). Also has aux and USB inputs, as well as MP3 capabilities which were sadly missing on the Audio 20. The sound is good and the oem speakers are surprisingly good when you put a good deck behind them. I may get around to upgrading these too some day, but am in no big hurry.
Here's what the final result looks like:
![](https://mbworld.org/forums/members/killerpancake-albums-audio-picture17437-headunit.jpg)
![EEK!](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif)
![thumbs](https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
#997
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Chicago-ish
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2005 c230 S.S.
Finished installing th AVIC-Z1 in our 2005 C230 Sedan. For those of you that's thinking about doing this, definitely get the CA-R-PI.133, it makes it so much easier with the speed and reverse signal, even if you don't want to keep the steering wheel controls.
For those interested, the H/K amp is in the passenger side in the trunk, right next to the cavity toward the rear of the car. Once out, the wires to tap for speaker out are:
Front Left + : Green
Front Left - : Green/Brown
Front Right +: Orange
Front Right - : Orange/Brown
Rear Left + : Pink
Rear Left - : Pink/Brown
Rear Right +: White
Rear Right - : White/Brown
I didn't use these, but in case you're wondering:
Sub +: Blue
Sub - : Blue/Brown
The system sounds so much better than stock, even though I kept all the stock speakers. The Bluetooth and iPod connector are nice too.
For those interested, the H/K amp is in the passenger side in the trunk, right next to the cavity toward the rear of the car. Once out, the wires to tap for speaker out are:
Front Left + : Green
Front Left - : Green/Brown
Front Right +: Orange
Front Right - : Orange/Brown
Rear Left + : Pink
Rear Left - : Pink/Brown
Rear Right +: White
Rear Right - : White/Brown
I didn't use these, but in case you're wondering:
Sub +: Blue
Sub - : Blue/Brown
The system sounds so much better than stock, even though I kept all the stock speakers. The Bluetooth and iPod connector are nice too.
#998
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Chicago-ish
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2005 c230 S.S.
need some help from you audio gurus, esp those that have bypassed the HK amp in the trunk. I used the RCA outputs from the headunit and used a terminal strip to connect them to the appropriate wires in the post above. Now, the sound is real faint and i have to tutn the volume all the way up to hear anything. I was told the internal amp of the headunit would be strong enough to drive 4speakaers for now. Do you think its an amp thing or the terminal block is not transmitting the signal correctly? Any insight?
#1000
need some help from you audio gurus, esp those that have bypassed the HK amp in the trunk. I used the RCA outputs from the headunit and used a terminal strip to connect them to the appropriate wires in the post above. Now, the sound is real faint and i have to tutn the volume all the way up to hear anything. I was told the internal amp of the headunit would be strong enough to drive 4speakaers for now. Do you think its an amp thing or the terminal block is not transmitting the signal correctly? Any insight?
the RCA out from the after market radio is low level output. you need to connect the speaker wires of the new head unit to the factory speakers,
2nd you can keep the factory amp and find the input connectors to the amp and use the high level output of you radio (speaker out) to send signal to the amp.