Wow, so I just got a C300 2018 with AMG and premium package etc and I am shocked that this thing does not come with Carplay. Not that it's so great but in 2018 how can a car not come with carplay? Even a chevy cruze comes with it. I have googled a little and there are websites claiming you can 'unlock' or install it. I wanted to know if this is a scam or if it is not possible? I don't mind paying for it but when I bought the car I was not told that it was an option or that it would not come with it. I am in Canada and the Mercedes me app doesn't even work with the car either!

Thanks

 

does your radio show the volume bar when you adjust volume?

 

I don't believe so... I just called my dealer and they told me there is no licensing for the C class in Canada for carplay! Ridiculous. He has a C43 and he doesn't have it either. He said there might be a fix coming, for a price of course, in the near future due to so many complaints. In the A class he said there was some replacement USB port and a software update that allowed it for $250 or something.

 

Have you used CarPlay before? I had it in my 2017 Ford Fusion and it’s overrated in my opinion. I can go in depth as to why if you’d like but i actually prefer COMAND. I hope you get it resolved though!

 

Yes I have used it. I had it in my A4. It's not that great but I feel in the next year or two there will be more useful things in it. I understand with iOS 12 I would be able to use google maps finally which is exciting. It's just sort of funny that pretty much every car in the world has it now except Mercedes C class.

 

In the current C class you can get carplay and Android Auto if you get the cheap audio system, but if you upgrade to COMMAND you lose Carplay & Android Auto. I've used both and really prefer Bluetooth, I have a Pixel and and Distronic+ and I find it easier to navigate my music over bluetooth while letting the car drive itself than going through Android Autos cumbersome interface. Mercedes new MBUX system will allow you to use Carplay and Android auto, but that won't be coming tot he C class until at least 2020 model year so just forget about it for now...

 

I'm also in Canada. I didn't realize the C-class doesn't come with CarPlay. That's pure BS.

I might as well go for the A4

 

Total BS brother. I had a 2017 A4 which I actually gave up for this car. It's interesting how far Mercedes is behind Audi with the C300 vers A4 when it comes to tech.

 

I guess there are also other equally pissed 2018 CDN C-Class owners who found out they don't get Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. I'm an Android user and was hoping the info on the Google Android Auto site was right...but turns out, I was wrong. Ugh... I feel I should get some money back for false advertising.

FYI: https://www.android.com/intl/en_ca/auto/mercedes-benz/

 

A forum member Vladimir from Belarus "might" be able to help - he also sells CarPlay OBD modules on eBay.

You will need to message him with your VIN# and tell him you're interested in CarPlay or interested in Android Auto - and he will be able to tell you if he can help.

Vladimir is spot-on righteous on telling you what he and cannot do... the Best

Do you mean Canadian Mercedes dealers told you - or told others - that the Canadian C-Class has features it doesn't have ?

 

It was MB Canada on Twitter that told me 2018 CDN C-Class doesn't have Android Auto support, only 2018 USA C-Class do.

 

Which is disappointing lol. One reason why I got an A4 instead of the C300. But may wait to see what they have to offer down the road

 

Hello There! Same problem and same view on the poor service, lack of options by MB... Looking for a device that could do the trick but it has not been easy... I'm about to buy this 2018 NTG5 ES2 Benz c-class W205 on alibaba but it seems to work only for models produced after 09,2017-10,192018... Mine is from 02/2017...

 

I have 2018 C300 and mine came with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. But, I am also in the US. Is it just for the Canadian models that do not support Carplay?
that would be total BS

 

I am 5 days into owning a 2018 C300 Wagon in Canada and just found this out. I didn't even ask the dealer, thought it was standard on 2018+

 

Why that question?

 

2 days into C300 2020, no CarPlay, I might return this car, total disappointment. Canada Region here.

 

Part of the premium package in Canada. Standard in the USA.

 

Its beyond lame to me, NAVI button is there (does nothing), in (Menu > Connect, CarLink logo is there + documentation on how to connect). Who could've imagined that such simple software feature, available only at extra cost, Daimler really short on sales in Canada? I had CarPlay in Focus 2018. Why not rear cam as Premium package? If MB reading this forum, here an idea for you! why not SunRoof, PowerWindows, and Radio as premium package only? I knows cars already shipped, just limit the software, millions can be made here!

 

There's no free lunch. Something being a standard feature doesn't mean it's free. It just means it's factored in to the base MSRP of the vehicle. It's long been the pricing models/strategies for premium and luxury manufacturers to have "lower" base MSRP to attract lower budget buyers by making a lot of things extra cost options. It allows them to compete in the lower price segments. As the saying goes, you have to pay to play. CarPlay and Android Auto are extra cost options in most markets. MBUSA has decided to bundle it in the base price. The bundling strategy is different in each country.

The matter of having physical buttons with nothing behind them is an age old issue, and partly why car manufacturers are moving to touchscreens, so they can configure their UIs based on the ordered equipment instead of having blank covers for buttons or buttons that don't do anything if the customer hasn't ordered the corresponding feature. In Germany there's a joke about the 1000 Euro button as people over the years have associated price tags to stuff that seems no more than a button.

I don't know what you do for a living, but the fallacy with the argumentation that it is just software ignores the huge cost of developing software. I'm a software engineer with my own business and I can tell you developing software is very expensive. Software doesn't have a production cost as most other products, meaning once the software is written, there is little cost to duplicate and distribute it, so to customers it seems like turning on a feature costs the manufacturer nothing, because it's just flipping a bit for them, but that completely ignores how much it cost to develop it in the first place. They have to make that money back by selling the same software to enough customers at a price the market is willing to pay. It's as simple as that. We are slowly entering an era, where many of these software based features can be purchased after the fact via in car stores in the Infotainment system. So the software is always there, but if you wanna use it you have to pay for it. They are even discussing models where you can subscribe to a feature and then unsubscribe again later if you find that you are not using it. Unfortunately, for the most part currently, you still have to order all the features that you think you want at the time you order the car. It comes down to doing your homework before buying a car to understand which features are standard and included in the base MSRP and which ones are extra cost. Just because a feature is standard in a Focus, doesn't mean it should be standard in a luxury vehicle. It's all a matter of pricing the vehicle such that it attracts enough buyers at various levels. Some end up buying it bare bones, others spend the extra money to add more options.

 

There is no free lunch, really? thx captain obvious. I am a Systems/DevOps Engineer myself, considering German meticulous engineering, delivering buttons and things in menu, with no actions tied to them, is a ****ing failure and disgrace, (at least some message: "CarPlay not available in this package", or in menu of COMMAND, Navigation would say "Not available in your car".) but anyhow, to me its simple software limitation to sell more in Canada. QA scores are way higher in US models, as they pass: Press/action tests.

Appreciate your feedback, but keep it short mate, brevity talent sister.

 

Can you tell me Vlad's contact info?

 

First things first. When I was looking around for my wife's beloved GLK. I could not believe how many were basic as many of them where not feature full. We finally found a unicorn! After many months we found a fully optioned out GLK with seat selectors and Harmon Kardon system.
In the W205, I have seen them on the market but I could not believe how many were optioned without many of the features. For me, I have been fortunate to purchase my cars new, off the rail and with ever feature under the sun.
When I finally sold my W205, the guy that bought my car said " You won't believe how many W205 AMG are not optioned out like yours".
If you purchase a used Benz, you are purchasing the level of features the original owner paid for. When I purchased my first used Benz - 2022 E53, I could not believe how many of them where on the market but were not fully optioned. I finally found one with ever option.. the original owner spent over $16K in options making the the retail price of this car $140,000 when new.
There were options I told myself I would not live without and I would not just purchase a used Benz, just to have a Benz. I wanted a used Benz with everything on it because I would have optioned my car in the same way.
So if there is no Carplay, then it was not optioned. If there is no Android Auto, then it was not optioned but both can be added later by adding the module.