COMAND Retrofit Install Notes
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 390
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2000 Silver CLK430
COMAND Retrofit Install Notes
After doing buttloads (years) of research on doing a EURO COMAND 2.0 retrofit in my 2000 CLK430 and thinking I knew everything, turns out there were a few things that I didn't understand.
Hopefully you can benefit from my learnings. Most of this info is out there in various forms, but not clear or obvious. Here are my lessons learned:
1) Even though a W210 (old E class) COMAND will work in a CLK despite the gyro angle difference, there are CLK specific brackets that are needed to mount it onto the CLK console properly. These are the 2 brackets toward the front of the COMAND that the radio keys slip into, and are what holds it solidly into the dash. You CANNOT buy these anywhere (trust me) except for from Steve @ mbenznl. $80 USD. He refers to these as "COMAND ears".
2) The VSS (speed wire) termination point is found in the passenger side "kick panel", not under the passenger side sill. However, one thing to know is that you have to remove the passenger side sill to get to be able to remove the kick panel. Once your sill is removed (pull hard starting at the rear, it will come off) THEN you can remove the kick panel, which is held on by one screw in the center of the panel.
The VSS wire typically terminates in a clustered set of connector blocks and is a green with black stripe wire. After reading all of the posts out there I was looking for that green with black stripe wire, but when I found it, it didn't terminate in the block...it went through. If it doesn't terminate, it's not the correct wire. Mine was in a separate light blue block with a green with purple stripe wire. Hard to find.
To verify, your dealer can look up your VIN and tell you exactly what color wire you need to look for and if you're nice enough, they can print out the specific wiring diagram. I highly recommend this so you don't use the wrong wire and make an expensive mistake.
3) There are a lot of postings about where to put an aftermarket GPS antenna if you aren't going to use the factory roof mounted one (mine didn't have the roof mounted antenna so that wasn't an option). I found that when I removed the glove box to run the VSS wire through to the COMAND, there was a large metal support pipe that runs under the dash, but above the glove box. The GPS antennas are magnetized so find a good spot on that support pipe and you have GPS reception! Test it before you put everything back together, but it worked perfectly for me.
4) COMAND harness. You can buy all of the parts from the dealer if you want. Here are the part #'s and current prices courtesy of Mr Pie:
2104405005 CABLE HARNES (AUX) $37.17
2035407006 CABLE HARNES (GPS lead) $59.22 special order (so)
2035400909 CABLE HARNES (COMAND) $47.25 so
0085455526 PLUG (terminals) x8 $3.30 so
2085460443 BRACKET $25.20 so (not really needed)
Instead of dealing with the above parts, I went the simple but not cheap route and got my harness from MBDoctor for $99 USD, and my GPS antenna from someone on eBay. Choose the right harness - it's this one: http://www.mbdoctor.com/shop/product...8c25242bc1babf. Worked perfectly and allows the install with no wire cutting. Plug and play. If you try to buy it online, the shipping will calculate to something like $27...don't pay it. Call them and they'll calculate the correct amount ($10 for me).
5) Programming: once installed, you need to get your car configured by the dealer to know it has a COMAND installed, and so the cluster will show the navigation directions while you're driving. This part worked fine, BUT my dealer was getting an error that wouldn't allow any other configuration. For instance, my EURO COMAND doesn't have USA as an option for me to select so the time is updated by the satellites. The COMAND still thinks it's in Germany and is auto setting to German time. Although you can manually set the time, the satellite will over-ride the manual setting.
In any case, the real point here is that there is a really poorly documented step needed to allow your dealer to configure your COMAND after a retrofit. In summary, the diagnotic plug that the Mercedes Star Diagnosis system plugs into is not wired to allow for COMAND programming. You have to change ONE pin in that plug. The default pin will be in pin hole 33. You have to move it to 34. This is EASY once you figure out how to do it. Quick steps: a) locate the diagnostic plug (engine compartment, right side, close to the firewall, black plastic housing). b) remove 5 screws holding the top of the housing, c) remove 2 screws holding the plug, d) cut the 2 ties off of the wires take the plug apart so you can see the pin numbers on the back - the plug separates into two parts if you put a very small screwdriver between the two halves - there is a micro plastic clip holding them together, e) the smaller part of the 2 halves of the plug should have pins 33 and 34 on it - remove the clip that holds the wires into the plug (look carefully, there is a clip built into the side of the plug half., ) move the wire., f) put everything back together! Here is a link with more info: http://www.mercupgrades.com/COMAND+R...article-1.html (see section 5.1)
GOOD LUCK!
Hopefully you can benefit from my learnings. Most of this info is out there in various forms, but not clear or obvious. Here are my lessons learned:
1) Even though a W210 (old E class) COMAND will work in a CLK despite the gyro angle difference, there are CLK specific brackets that are needed to mount it onto the CLK console properly. These are the 2 brackets toward the front of the COMAND that the radio keys slip into, and are what holds it solidly into the dash. You CANNOT buy these anywhere (trust me) except for from Steve @ mbenznl. $80 USD. He refers to these as "COMAND ears".
2) The VSS (speed wire) termination point is found in the passenger side "kick panel", not under the passenger side sill. However, one thing to know is that you have to remove the passenger side sill to get to be able to remove the kick panel. Once your sill is removed (pull hard starting at the rear, it will come off) THEN you can remove the kick panel, which is held on by one screw in the center of the panel.
The VSS wire typically terminates in a clustered set of connector blocks and is a green with black stripe wire. After reading all of the posts out there I was looking for that green with black stripe wire, but when I found it, it didn't terminate in the block...it went through. If it doesn't terminate, it's not the correct wire. Mine was in a separate light blue block with a green with purple stripe wire. Hard to find.
To verify, your dealer can look up your VIN and tell you exactly what color wire you need to look for and if you're nice enough, they can print out the specific wiring diagram. I highly recommend this so you don't use the wrong wire and make an expensive mistake.
3) There are a lot of postings about where to put an aftermarket GPS antenna if you aren't going to use the factory roof mounted one (mine didn't have the roof mounted antenna so that wasn't an option). I found that when I removed the glove box to run the VSS wire through to the COMAND, there was a large metal support pipe that runs under the dash, but above the glove box. The GPS antennas are magnetized so find a good spot on that support pipe and you have GPS reception! Test it before you put everything back together, but it worked perfectly for me.
4) COMAND harness. You can buy all of the parts from the dealer if you want. Here are the part #'s and current prices courtesy of Mr Pie:
2104405005 CABLE HARNES (AUX) $37.17
2035407006 CABLE HARNES (GPS lead) $59.22 special order (so)
2035400909 CABLE HARNES (COMAND) $47.25 so
0085455526 PLUG (terminals) x8 $3.30 so
2085460443 BRACKET $25.20 so (not really needed)
Instead of dealing with the above parts, I went the simple but not cheap route and got my harness from MBDoctor for $99 USD, and my GPS antenna from someone on eBay. Choose the right harness - it's this one: http://www.mbdoctor.com/shop/product...8c25242bc1babf. Worked perfectly and allows the install with no wire cutting. Plug and play. If you try to buy it online, the shipping will calculate to something like $27...don't pay it. Call them and they'll calculate the correct amount ($10 for me).
5) Programming: once installed, you need to get your car configured by the dealer to know it has a COMAND installed, and so the cluster will show the navigation directions while you're driving. This part worked fine, BUT my dealer was getting an error that wouldn't allow any other configuration. For instance, my EURO COMAND doesn't have USA as an option for me to select so the time is updated by the satellites. The COMAND still thinks it's in Germany and is auto setting to German time. Although you can manually set the time, the satellite will over-ride the manual setting.
In any case, the real point here is that there is a really poorly documented step needed to allow your dealer to configure your COMAND after a retrofit. In summary, the diagnotic plug that the Mercedes Star Diagnosis system plugs into is not wired to allow for COMAND programming. You have to change ONE pin in that plug. The default pin will be in pin hole 33. You have to move it to 34. This is EASY once you figure out how to do it. Quick steps: a) locate the diagnostic plug (engine compartment, right side, close to the firewall, black plastic housing). b) remove 5 screws holding the top of the housing, c) remove 2 screws holding the plug, d) cut the 2 ties off of the wires take the plug apart so you can see the pin numbers on the back - the plug separates into two parts if you put a very small screwdriver between the two halves - there is a micro plastic clip holding them together, e) the smaller part of the 2 halves of the plug should have pins 33 and 34 on it - remove the clip that holds the wires into the plug (look carefully, there is a clip built into the side of the plug half., ) move the wire., f) put everything back together! Here is a link with more info: http://www.mercupgrades.com/COMAND+R...article-1.html (see section 5.1)
GOOD LUCK!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,213
Likes: 5
From: Kirkland, WA
500E Signal Rot
The satalites are also off by a hour, even though we were on daylight savings, the clock kept resetting. So either its a problem with the satalites or its the euro comand.
