asby69

I have a 2009 C300 Sport, and recently I've had the following issue to arise;

When driving and listening to the iPod, with the iPod integration kit (OEM), everything is cool (minus the lower volume but that is another story). Let's say for instance that I'm listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and that I stop for lunch. I go in and eat and come back out, get in the car, start it up, and the audio picks back up on the same song I was listening to.

However, if I want to "go back" to the album that the Skynyrd song is on to listen to a different song (on the same album), I hit the back button on the steerin wheel, and it takes me all the way back to "Shuffle Songs" on the iPod.

I then have to select, Artists, scroll down to Skynyrd, scroll down to the album, and then find the song I want to listen to again.

This is very frustrating as I, like many of you, have hundreds of artists and thousands of songs on my iPod and I don't like having to scroll down the entire list to get to where I left off every time I turn the car off.

The dealer has had my car 3 times over this issue and has yet to fix the problem, wait a minute.... they have "fixed" it twice but I still have the issue. This last time they called me back and said they were going to have to research the issue and see what they could find out about it. Add to the fact they broke the iPod cable in the glove box while they had the car and I didn't notice it until the day after I got the car back, not a happy camper here. Of course they are "going to fix" that too. It has been a week since that last phone call and I've heard nothing.

I have done some troubleshooting on my own and found this; if I turn the car off, and turn it back on within 1 minute, the iPod will pick back up where I was and will go back to the album, artist like it should, no issues. If I turn the car off, turn it back on in 1.5 minutes or longer, it will not work correctly - as described above; it will go directly back to shuffle songs instead of going back to the album. I've tried a different iPod so it's not that, even tried my iPod in another C-Class while it was at the dealer and it works great.

Anyone else had this issue?


Oh, they did do a software upgrade on my system and I now have the "Boost" option .

Acapulco Bill

Two points:

Have you ever rebooted your iPod by pressing the center button and the top of the wheel? This usually fixes the problem of relocating the next level-up directory.

The Boost still isn't enough, MB makes an iPod amplifier because the Integration Kit engineers screwed up in the input impedance (remember the Merc uses the ANALOG signal input, not the digital). Part No. A 204 870 39 94, and make sure it was manufactured in GERMANY and not CHINA where that amp produces 30% THD distortion.

Put the iPod EQ on "POP and the volume on "8" for best quality sound.

asby69

Yeah, I've rebooted this iPod and the other one I tried. No Bueno.


I've saw the posts about the amp, gonna have to pop mine open and give'er a looksee.

snowmuch

I went back to CDs lol flac and ape are the sht

asby69

Sent the car back to the dealer, even got Mercedes Benz involved, to try and get this issue fixed.


The dealer told MB that I had an "older iPod", I told MB that I had tried other iPods and that was NOT the issue. They also said that they (dealer) had replaced the iPod cable as a "courtesy" in the recent past (they damaged the cable trying to fix it before); I told MB that the dealer destroyed the other cable so saying they replaced it as a "courtesy" was not a honest statement and I had pictures to back it up (I sent the pics of the damaged iPod cable to MB btw). MB told me that X was the person that would be working on my car and would be working with me on it.


They keep my car for 2 weeks, wouldn't update me unless I asked for an update, the replaced the iPod integration kit control unit, upgraded the software, tried several different iPods (guess my "old iPod" wasn't the issue after all) but it still does the exact same thing as before. Guy told me it was doing the same thing that a 2010 C Class was doing; I told him mine wasn't a 2010 AND that it was working correctly in the past and it would work correctly as long as the car was restarted within 1.5 minutes so there was obviously an issue with the system.


This was the last email I got from the service advisor; "....We have exhausted our attempts to have the ipod work as you have described it did previously."


I just told them that I'd take my car back and that I found it frustrating that Mercedes Benz cannot fix an issue with one of their autos. The system worked properly in the past and still would as long as the car was restarted within 1.5 minutes, and as he has stated: the manual states that by hitting the phone hang up button should take you to the previous menu; so there is obviously an issue somewhere within the system.


But since he and Mercedes Benz are unable to fix the issue I guess that means that I am left with a less than perfect car from what I thought was supposed to be a premier auto maker and dealership.

Acapulco Bill

BTW probably using "Shuffle" isnt such a good idea, and that may be the cause of the problem. When I use shuffle, then take the iPod into the house to play on a dock, I just cant get the iPod out of shuffle mode. I have to stick the iPod back in the Merc, start te car, and then do the same navigation you mention and start a normal unshuffled play to get things back to normal.

Must be that only the iPod has the shuffle info, and once turned off, the iPod remembers the shuffle command so it picks any song in the album.

asby69

I don't play it in "Shuffle" mode. I have the issue just listening to a particular album/artist. The dealer tried multiple iPods but to no avail. There is an issue with it and they just (in their words); gave up on it.

Acapulco Bill

Does a different iPod give the same result? The "last song played" is stored in the iPod NOT the Merc.

asby69

Different iPods = same result.



The manual for the iPod integration kit states that the phone hang up button takes you back to the previous menu (or should anyway). The dealer told me; "the manual isn't clear about that, it states the hang up button should take you back to the previous menu but it doesn't say if it should after the car is turned off".

Really??!? If the manual states that it should take you back to the previous menu, then it should take you back to the previous menu whether the car is running or whether you are just starting for the day!!!

Acapulco Bill

Then its a fault in the iPod Integration unit that is constantly sending a request for "Shuffle". Has the dealer substituted the iPod Integration box? It is very simple to do.

asby69

They replaced the "control unit" according to the service rep.

Do you have a PN ?

Acapulco Bill

I am in Merida, Yucatan Mexico for a few days and in meetings here. Let me think about this, if the MB dealer really replaced the iPod integration unit, and the same symptom is displayed with other iPods, one would have to analyze the complete control path including the steeringwheel controls, the speedo display, the route through the Audio 20 unit, and the cabling to both the Integration unit and to the iPod.

I am wondering if the lack of the iPod amplifier causes the problem. Costs $65 dls, will fix the volume issue and improve the quality of the sound. Its a very complex situation and who know? May even solve this issue.

Just a suggestion. I will try and get a diagram and pinout of everything involved, and the control codes for functions and options for the iPod (since everything works on my identical system, except for the locked "Shuffle" issue mentoined above, it is one of the few pieces of audio gear I dont know everything about. My iPod directory is also acting strange, because I cannot locate tunes I know are in my iTunes catalog.)

So get a German-sourced iPod amplifier in the meantime, and I will do some research online. Merry Christmas to all and wishes for a prosperous New Year with "world peace".

And just between you and me, I don't think the service dept. really excahnged the Pod ntegration unit. My MB dealer lets me witness everything done on my C300, we even pulled the iPod integration box and the Pod amp together to fix the horrible distortion problem the Chinese-sourced Pod amp produced. The dealer installed the Kappa speakers and subwoofer as a "project" because no C class except the C63 came into Mexico with the HK system. The SA ALWAYS has time for me. I dont bother him anymore, when I ask for someting on the once a year services, he gets everything done and more, like TCU updates and recall items without my insistance.