lbowroom

Can you elaborate on what that means? Seems to be working in your video. Have you had to cut wires, jumper leads, rearrange wires in harnesses to get it to work? Does it lock up? what functionality is missing?

RixC300

Cudo's to you for pulling that off. Glad to know there are companies out there working on aftermarket parts like this.

huyuci

No, I would not touch this thing with a ten foot pole if I'd have to cut wires. That's the fast track to getting warranty voided. It basically has a big Y harness where you can unplug one from the cd player, connect it to one end, then connect the other end back to CD player. It's pretty much plug and play. They have a box that is used to communicate with canbus so we can use the touch pad and rotary knob to control the original screen from the car. Right now, you can't rotate the knob to move around. And the volume from video player doesn't change.

WhoIsThat

Have to ask after 24 hours - Any further progress? Hope it gets easier for you from here on.

Stupidnewbie

I had an aftermarket head unit made by Caska in my Mazdaspeed 3. It used the same iGo navigation system. It worked well once it loaded, but that sometimes took several minutes when I started the car. The head unit started and worked quickly, but the nav would sometimes take a while to figure out where your were.

After about a year, it stopped playing Divx movies and DVD's. Then the volume knob stopped working and I had to only use the steering wheel volume control. Overall, it was a decent system but not perfect by any means.

Hopefully they designed it properly to use the trackpad and wheel...

Stupidnewbie

Also, Navitech seems to make a unit for our cars and they have several options for Miracast and Android OS systems. I can't find a price for their stuff, though.

lbowroom

From what you posted, it seems to me there are really 3 possible causes of it not functioning correctly.

1. You've plugged something in to the wrong location. Seems unlikely as it looks straightforward

2. There is a hardware problem with either the Canbus box or the unit itself.

3. Firmware problem. This would require some new file to be loaded

You say you've played around and troubleshot the unit with someone over the phone... but I don't understand what there is to troubleshoot if you don't change the way it wired or update any firmware or software. Initially you said the touchscreen didn't respond but in your video it appears you fixed that issue. What did you change to make the touchscreen work?

lbowroom

I looked on the Navitech site. Looks to me that they sell a backup camera for those that didn't get one at purchase. I think the video just shows how it interacts with the OEM COMAND system. I didn't get the impression that they make a display or anything else for the car.

huyuci

that's correct. They don't have anything for w205 yet, except video interface.

huyuci

Thanks for the suggestions. Although it's not working correctly now, I have to say I admire the people who make this thing, no matter how imperfect it is. They basically hack into MB system and make it work with their stuff. They also design their connector in a way that each connector is in a unique shape, so you can never plug into a wrong one.
What caused the problem before was the power connector. Their connector accommodates different MB models, and for this model, there are only 3 wires that are needed and they have 8 wires in the connector. So when I connected only 3 wires, it starts to work. The only problem right now is the sound. It's not ok yet.

huyuci

I agree. Electronics made in China often don't last long. They mysteriously die after a while. But for 400 bucks that does everything, I consider it a toy. If it lasts long, great. If it last a couple years, that's fine with me too. When I die, I'll die happy knowing that I've tried it all

cyberorth

Apple is made in China!

tmoneyC450amg

No wonder my iPhone mysteriously slows down after every year..

tmoneyC450amg

huyuci,you have indeed done it all. From the lighting system upgrade to the vehicle wrapping, and now this aftermarket multimedia upgrade. You are like the Tony Stark of the W205 generation. I applaud you in all your feats, you've done it all and done it very well.

However, there is one important lesson that we can all learn from your "adventures". It's that if you want something, get it done right the first time. I for one am in that camp as I am still so mad at myself for not ordering the MM package. I did order the rearview camera and the upgraded MM pack was just a mere $2300 more, which is nothing considering I will be keeping my C450 until it dies or pass it along to my future kids.

Instead of upgrading my MM screen, I am in search of a clip that will enable me to clip my iphone 6S Plus over the multimedia screen because the phone is big enough to cover the entire viewable area anyway lol

huyuci

You forgot to mention I also replace the speakers with Focal ...I'm flattered to be compared to Tony Stark. But that's too much of a name to live up to. I'm more of a guy who's trying to correct his mistake of not doing it right the first time. So, I cannot agree with you more. Don't be cheap. Think of what you really want and go for it. I was lucky to have opted for sport package. That would be impossible to retrofit.

WhoIsThat

I am one of those people who refuse to pay almost $3k for MM as I do not use any of the features offered by it. Almost $3k just for a slightly larger screen is just not justifiable for my specific (lack of) usage. I refuse to get it on principle.

Having said that, I would have at least considered it if MM supported Miracast (which it does NOT). huyuci's adventure here, however, will support Mircast, and therefore piqued my interest.

Now, about huyuci - Just wait until he turns his car into a transformer...

huyuci

I also agree with you. I don't regret much not getting MM. I'm not doing this just to get a larger screen. Playing video is a cool thing to have, but it won't be used much. What motivated me is the option that open it up for other stuff. I was going to add Android to it, but with phone mirror, it's like a 2 in 1. The TV kit is arriving today. It'll be a cool thing to be able to catch the news on the way home from work, until I get pulled over, lol.

Mike5215

Nice work and trailblazing. My Focal KRS100s and Audison Prima DSP go in Tuesday.

huyuci

Can you take some pictures of where the DSP would go? I kind of wantedto upgrade that, but don't know where it should go.

huyuci

TV was just added. I think it's kind of cool. I'll just love the look on people's face when I show them this

Mike5215

Absolutely. I'm having it installed at my local Audison shop. In my 221 they found room on the back side of the rear seat, but that ain't happening in the 205. They'll figure it out. I'm doing the Prima 8.9, three way active front (KRS + Footwell Sub) doors, two way passive rears (stock), a small 300 watt JL low heat mono sub amp and a 10" JL sealed box.

Mike5215

Badass! What's the source of the video? Looks too high res for an over the air tuner.

huyuci

It's a DTV tuner. The output is just RCA, though. Would have been better if it was HD MI :-)

skullboy

I think w205 in Australia has the tv tuner as an option, what is the possibility of installing that in the US cars, do you know?

Stupidnewbie

huyuci, any luck with the trackpad and wheel controls?