joshg1001

My white cable that came with my 09 was breaking apart so I asked if it was covered under warranty when my car was in service earlier this week. Sure enough, they replaced it with the updated black colored cable which works with the new generation of apple products. Previously, with the white cable, I bought an adapter off amazon so that it would charge my iphone.

However, I plugged in my phone for the first time since I got it back and my phone will not charge. First it charges and I get the picture of the battery, and then 2 seconds later it loses connection and goes back to my wallpaper. Then 2 seconds later, it charges again, and this repeats.

Just curious if this is the iPod cable or an iPhone problem.

I am running iOS 5.01

Cartronics

It is a cable problem - all new Mercedes iPod interfaces are NOT Apple certified. Older cars ARE certified (go figure). Use the adapter and it should be ok.

joshg1001

darn, I thought this meant I didnt need the adapter.

acr2001

Not trying to derail your thread, but I have a somewhat similar question.

2012 C w/ USB port - doesn't charge my idiotPhone. Manual says it outputs plenty of amperage in order to do so. Why doesn't it charge? I am using an apple cable to connect it to the USB port. Do I need a scooshie or something? Apples lack of compatibility with ANYTHING never ceases to annoy. The phone appears to be charge for a split second and then stops.

Cartronics

Let us put blame on the proper vendor.. It is MERCEDES that drives us to drink many days with the COMPLETE incompatibility with just about anything on the newer cars. The older cars (09 and before) were totally Apple compliant (maybe needed a charge adapter when things changed) - the new cars Mercedes has just dropped the ball. Most things don't work as they should on that interface, Apple or otherwise.

acr2001

I think it depends. Some things are still Apples fault - like the fact that they deliberately chip some of their cables to prevent aftermarket products who don't want to pay the 'apple tax' The fact that I cannot use Bluetooth DUN or MAP with my MB is also Apples fault - MB is supporting the proper standard and Apple completely ignores it.

Cartronics

The chip does nothing except enable video output and allow the cable to do some fancy foot work that was no longer possible with the older cables. I buy the chips for some of our cables, because it simply is not possible to do it via wire alone (now that the products are capable of more than 480p).
You can use Bluetooth DUN from Apple or Android or?? , at least with our products... which again means MB is not following things correctly. Trust me, our whole business would cease to exist if Mercedes did things correctly. We make all manner of products to make the Benz (and Porsche, BMW, Audi) work correctly (mean as they really should). We thank them every day - but on a bigger picture, your right it does suck. Bottom line is the Germans are great at building cars, but not so much when it comes to understanding what people want in the electronics. But trust me, it has nothing at all to do with Apple. They just happen to be the most popular eco system, and Mercedes has simply dropped the ball making systems compatible.

acr2001

Makes sense, and I didn't know that apple chipping their cables was only limited to that - always thought the warnings that you get with certain cables was part of that. As far as Bluetooth DUN and MAP - I don't know what more Mercedes could do to support that. Apple, Android, and damn near every other cell phone simply doesn't support those standards.

Cartronics

My iPhone supports bluetooth networking. I use it many times a day.

acr2001

Care to elaborate? I am genuinely curious. Is there a standard that Apple products are using for Bluetooth tethering? I have an iPhone 4 and also tried to Google it but I'm not getting anything solid and you seem to know your stuff.

Cartronics

I use my iPhone 4s (and also my older iPhone 4) as a mobile hotspot. Which is a modern day version of DUN. It is basically just disguising the old (1990's lol) DUN profile and interface. It was too confusing for all but the most seasoned techs to get it working on most products. I also use an Android for the same.

acr2001

Interesting. I assume these guys are not following a standard for the modern version (DUN sure is a pain in the ***). It's a shame that [insert name of committee of bluetooth standards here] doesn't keep up on the standards - or do they and no one cares to follow?

Cartronics

I would say that there are more products on the market that don't comply with the committee standards than do. They don't enforce using the logo trademark very well. The only companies that we are involved with that I KNOW comply are us (the products we manufacture at Cartronics), mObridge, Blackberry (most of them) and Apple. Android sometimes does (after several software bluetooth stack updates typically).