tehroonieh MD

Hello all. I am a new user and this is my first post. I bought a new 2011 C 300 4matic last september and have had this issue bugging me ever since then. I have done some searching in the forums and found some useful information, but I am not sure if it applies to my vehicle.

Basically what I want to do is stream music via bluetooth from my iPhone to my car because it is a bit of a pain to lean over especially when I realize I need to use my phone for GPS. I have the basic COMAND system in my car, meaning no navi or UMI. I do have the iPod connection and aux connections in my dash though. Can anyone point me in the direction of how to go about doing this for my car? Another plus would be to be able to change the audio track from the COMAND instead of from the steering wheel. I also find this very annoying that I can't use both to change the track. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

finger360

I was looking into the same kind of thing too. I found something you can look into. It isn't out yet, but is supposed to be later this year (so they say). It uses the iPhone's airplay capability.

I also came across this on youtube, its kind of round about but seems like a decent idea.

I did a little research and found that you can do some mods to get around your phone only using the wifi for data, also the next version of iOS has a feature to switch to cellular data if the wifi is slow or is not providing data, which would be the case with the 2nd setup.

Obviously the 1st option is ideal, but both give you the ability to wirelessly stream music without compromising the loss of bluetooth connectivity to your car stereo since you can only connect your phone to one bluetooth device at a time.

Hope this helps!

edmrocks

that 2nd video the guy has way too much going on. in my old car i used a dual usb to 12volt adapter. and ran a blackberry music gateway with it plugged into 3.5 headphone jack. worked great actually sounded better thru BT than plugging in directly.

not to steal from this thread, i have a 2012 with bt streaming so im not worried there bt in my 2008 with the ipod integration is it just the ipod cord or does it have a 3.5mm headphone jack? or if you get the new version of the cable does it have the 3.5mm cable?

finger360

Me personally I'm sticking to sirius until that Kivic product comes out.

Carlow202

I ran another bluetooth connection that connected to a mini headphone amp that connected to the aux in the glovebox and it was the only way i can stream music wireless that sounded decent.

Since then though, i've upgraded my headunit to a double din with bluetooth and I can stream to that instead and sounds way better imo. I dont have any clear pics right now but i'll start a thread soon for my car.

tehroonieh MD

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I was looking at bluetooth receivers, but I really want to be able to control the track from the center COMAND. I'm not sure there's anything out there that does that. I also looked at the Media Interface Plus, but it turns out I don't have the factory option code 518 for the plugin. I only have the regular iPod integration. I can't find anything which indicates when the Kivic will be available exactly and I don't want to dish out an additional $2k just for a new interface. Any other suggestions?

edmrocks

in my 2008 w204 i just have nav with ipod connection. i ordered this unit off ebay today and from what i see it should work just fine. its made by iskin its a2dp bluetooth adapter that plugs into a apple 30 pin dock connector. it says it does need power it comes with a usb cable that i will use with my dual usb 12volt adapter. should be here sat or monday and will let everyone know how it works out.

tehroonieh MD

Thanks. I plan on getting the iPhone 5 which was just announced today and that has a new smaller 8 pin dock connector. The design for the iPod integration is atrocious. I love everything about my car, but they really dropped the ball on this!

Diesel Benz

Would the iPhone 5 turn the screen when you turn the phone, I mean for the application shown in the above post? Looks ugly in my opinion if in an MB you have to watch a tilted screen.

finger360

The only downfall of getting a bluetooth dongle to plug into the cars 3.5mm is you lose your built in bluetooth phone capability, which is why a product like the kivic that uses airplay is great. :/
This is way more difficult than it needs to be, I wish there was an easier way, because I've been streaming spotify over bluetooth for years in my '06 camry!

edmrocks

so i finally got my 2008 c300 to do bluetooth stream. it orginally came with nav and ipod integration. i was having a hell of a time finding the orig 3.5mm plug. they had it hidden. i ran it into the glove box and used my blackberry music gateway and voila bluetooth stream.

as a side note to use this set up you need to have a dual usb bullet charger for the 12volt in the glove box. and then you power the music gateway from it and you have an extra spot for charging another device.

if anyone has questions or wants to see pics of my set up let me know and i can post them.

Acapulco Bill

Does this Bluetooth streaming method cut off the iPhones dial/answer capability? In any case, remember that Bluetooth's built-in music streaming bandwidth is 7% of the bitstream of a normal CD, or 13% of an MP3 played through the Aux. One wonders who would listen to music of such low audio quality? Why bother?

A salesman for a Fisker Karma dealership, two days ago, was trying to show me the quality of the audio system in their interesting car, using Bluetooth of course, and it sounded horrible, even though the unit was the premium Mark Levinson system, a good cut above the HK Logic 7 offered by Mercedes.

For a small investment, one can just purchase a used iPod and load it with the best quality Apple lossless or MP3 formatted tunes, and have directory access through the steering wheel buttons or center knob.

finger360

Exactly, you will lose the built in phone Bluetooth capability. Although you would be able to answer a call on your phone and listen to the audio through your speakers, that wont take advantage of your cars built in mic, buttons, etc... That's why the devices that use Apple's Air Play to a 3.5mm port are the best because that allows you to connect to the cars Bluetooth simultaneously. Plus exactly what you said about the extreme loss in quality.

williamhop102

Hi, I would like to share my recent exciting purchase which will do the same trick but without all the hassles and the cost is low too.

Recently, I've got an Mercedes/Audi A2DP receiver from ViseeO. It is called Tune2Air WMA1000 which will work with native iPod app on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, and also the online music services such as Pandora and Sportify. The unit is designed for the native iPod app on my iphone which will not only stream music but also transfer the whole music library and song titles to your Audi screen, and I can control the music from the steering wheel button or head unit control directly. Then I have tried it on Sportify, the unit still stream music to my Audi but the only downside is the music list which can not be imported like the native iPod app. However, it does work which I think is quite good. The auto re-connection with your phone is also instant which I think is another plus.

tehroonieh MD

Thank you so much! I will definitely look into this. One question though: Since it seems that you've done this with an Audi and not a Mercedes, do you know if I will be able to control the tracks from the Mercedes center screen? I know you said it works in your Audi, but Mercedes may be different... I really appreciate the information. I had basically given up on this whole thing.

Acapulco Bill

The UMI (Universal Media Interface) is really the solution to being able to visualize and control an iPod from the center knob and view on the screen. MB really screwed up providing horribly outdated technology that a cheap Hyundai offered 10 years ago.

Again reiterated is the marginal sound quality of Bluetooth audio (1/8 the bitrate of standard AIFF). Even MP3 is an inferior audio format. The optimal solution IMHO is connecting a dedicated iPod to the UMI, then your iPhone can be free for communication and navigation, and the hands-free Bluetooth management of phone calls will work safely and unobtrusively.

ellem09

For this type of problem I can recommend to try tune2air WMA1000 from viseeousa.com.
This is a very simple device that you will be able to stream music via bluetooth and can control, play , next and playback music using steering wheel controls. I have one and I enjoy it a lot.