Hey Guys,

I hit my breaking point this week when the iPhone jack in the car went bad. I’m in need of Bluetooth capability, if someone can please let me know a good replacement for the stock unit. Preferably Alpine or Kenwood.

Cheers,

-Rob

 

I replaced my head unit about two years ago with a Kenwood navigation unit. I bought my unit used and it wasn't state-of-the art when I bought it. If was looking for a unit today, I would buy a Kenwood, Alpine or Pioneer unit with Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto. Even though my Kenwood is obsolete by today's standard, I think it has more functionality than the Command Unit. There are two drawbacks of the aftermarket option: (1) It doesn't look like the stock unit (I prefer retaining OEM appearance,) and (2) the unit won't communicate with the center information screen. (This poster seems to think he can solve the communication issue with the center screen for Android users: Center Screen Info)

If you have the Command Unit with the Harman Kardon audio system, using the amplifier in the trunk presents a challenge. I have seen videos on YouTube in which users install off-brand models that look more OEM-like and integrate the HK amp:

Before I bought one of these units, I would check for information on reliability and support.

You can see details about my install starting at post 15 of this thread:
Kenwood Install

 

Good info, thanks! Definitely not as straightforward as I had hoped. Having to solder a box to the aftermarket unit..

I might consider an alternative approach. Thanks again.

 

I had a Pioneer touch screen unit installed in my "02 C230 K Coupe. It looks like it came from the factory. Now have bluetooth, Sirius radio, Apple car play through my phone, navigation, and a back up camera. Also has HD radio. We were able to retain the use of the steering wheel buttons as well as voice activation capability. This really brought the car into the modern era for technology. Also worked out well because Massachusetts has enacted a hands free phone law effective today. Good luck with your choice.

 

You can find the graphics files on line and use them to make an aftermarket unit mimic the look of the Command system.


Most units allow you to match the color of the control buttons to your dash illumination. You can make out the orange illumination in this photo.


I was going to say that only someone familiar with the real Command units would know that you had an aftermarket unit, but you would probably have a logo on it somewhere like you can see on my Kenwood. That said, when I took my car to the dealer for the Takata airbag recall, the service advisor did a double take when he returned my car to me and asked, "Is that an aftermarket unit?" He also said it was the first manual transmission car he had driven with a foot-operated emergency brake.

 

I replaced the one in my W203 with a Pioneer AVIC system