All,

I just got off the phone with someone from Loeber Mercedes here in Chicago, IL.

He told me that "you can't add a navigation system to a CLK430...you have to order it that way".

He further said, "even if you have a nagivation system from the same year CLK430, you can't install it into your car".

Is this true?

It doesn't sound right....but even if it's not true he clearly doesn't want to be involved in installing any unit that I bring to him.

Your thoughts?

 

Quaz, nothing is impossible, however, adding COMAND after the fact would be highly cost and labor prohibitive. Cars without COMAND from the factory are missing lots of wiring and wiring harnesses. Richard from the UK has retro fitted COMAND on his CLK and it was no easy task. Much of the inside of his car needed to be gutted. It would easily cost double if not triple of what ordering COMAND from the factory would cost. At that point, COMAND would be useless. You would be better going with an aftermarket DVD based system. Of course you would lose some integration.


Here is the thread hwere we have discussed this modification/addition to the CLK before : https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=1493

 

I see.

Looks like I may not be able to take advantage of what I thought was a good deal on an Nav system.

Any thoughts on what unit to pursue? Alpine perhaps?

 

Actually the retrofit is a fairly easy process. I just finished installing a stock Comand 2.0 into my CLK and am very happy with it. I use to compete in car audio and the idea of ruining another car was not a pleasant one. Along with that, my hearing will never be the same again. Plus I know I would never stop and probably end up spending more on a stereo then the car. A full retrofit would cost less then a after market one as well. Also nice to have steering wheel control and use of the multifunction display. Just a thought

 

Hello,

I have retrofitted a COMAND unit into my E55 couple of months ago and it is working flawlessly. I got the COMAND from a German seller on German Ebay( www.ebay.de) The installation was not very difficult at all and the it is completely integrated with my car; steering wheel, radio, phone, CD-changer and voice activation all works. I have posted my result in www.mbnz.org E55 forum and Galleries under username "John J" I did require some programming by the STAR DIAGNOSIS from the dealer. It basically activate the navigation function in my car. My total cost was about $1100.00. If you can get a US COMAND from Ebay, then you can do this retrofit in a heart beat.

John

 

Looks like we have several people here with the expirence to retorfit COMAND ! I'm sure if you decide to undertake this task they will be of great help....

 

I am selling my original unit CLK navigation system. Only one week old I remove my navigation and install pioneer DVD system.
I don't use it anymore. priced for $1500 consider buying from dealer more than $4000. My S-class navigation got error and the dealer replaced for $6000! but under warranty anyway. email me at : bryovanna@hotmail.com

 

I have an aftermarket nav (Pioneer) and the V.60 phone installed in my 2002 320 CLK. Does anyone know how much it would cost to install the voice recognition module? I want to use the VR module in conjunction with my phone. The dealer told me it would cost around $500-$600 to have it installed.

Any ideas on where I might get this unit used? Is this something that I can get from Germany for less? How difficult is it to install myself?

 

The VR module wholesales for around $300.00 (new).. Its a simple install, however, you would need the dealer to version code it into the D2B fiberloop after install. You will also need the misc. mounting brackets, steering wheel stalk, and a fiber optic cable/splice.

Never have seen one used-for sale however...

 

Looks like some significantly different opinions on this.

I certainly lack the expertise to install this thing myself...and the dealership clearly isn't interested...well...maybe just that guy.

Anyone have any ideas about where I could go if I was going to have one installed in Chicago?

 

$1500 is a good price and it will be 100% compatible with CLK and E-class. Which year of CLK is yours? If it is with multifunction steering wheel then it is easy. The COMAND units on German Ebay are mostly German model but frequently US COMAND will show up. If you don't want the hassle fo buying oversea then spend the $1500 and you know it is 100% compatible. Steph( from the previous post) can help out because he just installed the COMAND in his CLK. If you want to proceed with this retrofit, e-mail me and I will show you how.

John

 

I was lucky enough to find a US Comand on German Ebay...but if you do not want the hassle of shipping etc....then go with the one being offered in this thread. I am actually helping a couple of people with a retrofit on their CLKs. If you check John's posts and image gallery on MBNZ.org (JohnJ) it cleary defines what one needs to accomplish this. The CLK is just a little different when it comes to a couple of wires and VSS attachment....other then that, it is about the same. If you are willing to crimp a few wires and pull some carpet, I would be happy to walk you thru it.

 

I just purchased a us command from ebay for $800 with shipping, Steph and johnamg have been very helpfull in guiding me in the right direction.

 

About how many hours/days does the installation take?

I have a Pioneer nav in my car, but I've always preferred the integration that the command offers.

Does anyone think it would make sense for me to sell my Pioneer setup and install the command?

 

Once you have all the right parts and wire schematics, it will take no more than 6-8 accumulated hours to install. And you can do the installation all by yourself. The E-class will take longer because or the "pain-in-the-***" reinforcement I have to remove so I can insert the new reinforcement for the COMAND unit. With the CLK you won't have to deal with this and it will be cheaper because you don't have to buy the new wood console like I did.( $325.00, ouch!) If I have to do it over again, I will probably spend $200-300 for the body shop to install the new reinforcement. But again it wouldn't be as fun and challenging!!! If you can get a US COMAND at a good price then you should give it a shoot. The main advantage of the COMAND is the total integration with your car.

John

 

Hi All,

Previously I said it was very prohibitive to retrofit COMAND. Various things have now changed my mind ... its still not a job for the light-hearted. Remember that Im in the UK and unlike US cars we dont have some of the pre-wiring you in the US get [phone. voice-control, GPS, Teleaid etc)

(1) If you retrofit COMAND, you will have the wrong rear windscreen (ie no TV antenna) but it seems that people have successfuly done this, so this means the antenna in the non COMAND cars are the same as those in the COMAND cars.
(see also point 5 below)

(2) I now have the part numbers for the 18 pin and 8 pin connectors on COMAND that are only present if you have the COMAND wiring loom in your car [which you dont if you didnt have COMAND]. which are used for the CD changer power, and for CANbus (the link between all the systems on the MB)

(3) So, it is now possibly to modify the existing wiring harness on the car and move the CD power/wakeup cables from the "C" plug (that doesnt plug into COMAND but does plug into the radio) and the CANbus cables from the "A" plug (which still plugs into the COMAND) to the new 8 pin and 18 pin connectors.

(4) The aerial connectors are also different, and I dont know where/how to get converters or even if they are needed [again see point (5)

(5) I dont know whether a non-COMAND equiped car has the dual (diverse) aerial system that the COMAND and Audio-30 systems use, so the system may end up using only one aerial

(6) I used to be of the opinion it was better/correct to put in a complete new COMAND wiring loom.

(7) Installing the GPS antenna is a pain *BUT* it seems that most (maybee all) US cars have this installed already ! It would be that that requires lots of panel removal, the bit that made retrofitting COMAND or TV etc exceptionally hard work. Again, I dont know if the connector is the same, or if you need a splitter if you have Teleaid etc

(8) JohnAMG mentions pain-in-the-*** reinforcement - be aware that there is a lower support bracket for COMAND on the CLK, that if you needed to fit it (and Im not convinced you really do) would mean removing the centre console (which isnt actually that hard to do, but adds about 2-3 hours)

Now, I have the circuit diagrams for both radio and COMAND on a CLK , but I dont have a CLK without COMAND that I can try this on, but quite happy to work out the wiring changes if that helps anyone.

If you are going to retrofit COMAND, please buy a COMAND unit that was originally for your vehicle as the mounting brackets are different between E class and CLK class COMAND units (for instance). This can be seen from the part number, if it starts with 208 it was for the W208 (ie CLK), 210 = Eclass, 163=ML etc
- If you buy a European COMAND, you may be able to get the US dealer to stick in the US s/w upgrade CD and convert it to a US system [although it would now have a non-functioning TV button, rather than a non-functioning blank button] - be aware that MY2001 European systems have problems with voice-recognition unless you have the MY2001 dealer-only upgrade CD ...

I know that the Model Year 2002 COMAND system works happily in a MY2000 CLK. There are some very early COMAND systems that dont use the CANbus, these are (a) more expensive second hand because they can be easily used in other cars and (b) would need more wiring. If you have a MY1999 car, you may need to get a MY1999 COMAND system

 

What is the difference between Command and Command 2.0? And is Command 2.0 only a European thing? Or is there a Command 2.0 US version for the CLK?

 

It is either COMAND 2.0 or COMAND 2.5. COMAND 2.5 is for the S and CL class. COMAND 2.0 is for the E, CLK, C, G and SL class. 2.5 means 2.5 DIN chassis and 2.0 means 2 DIN chassis. There are different models of COMAND 2.0 for different region of the world. This can be verify by the MB part number. For example, for my E55 there are 2 models, A210 820 5289 and A210 820 5589. The XXX559 is for E-class made after July 1/01 and this is the unit I bought. For the German COMAND, A210 820 5489 and A210 820 5689 are used. I don't know the part numbers for the CLK but the E-class COMAND is compatible and will work for the CLK. Finding the CLK COMAND on German Ebay is rare therefore most people use the E-class COMAND. I have read it is possible to buy German COMAND and reprogram it with the US Firmware CD from the dealer( read Richard's post) but don't quote me on it.

Now, COMAND 2.0 for E and CLK is different than C and SL in the shape. For C and SL the COMAND is oval in shape compare to the square one for the E and CLK. Are you confuse yet??? I was at the beginning.

You can find out the COMAND 2.0 part number from your dealer and you can start your search from there. It is also important what year of car you have. If you have multifunction steering wheel then it means you have CAN-Bus in your car and any of the COMAND 2.0 mentioned about will work. If you don't have the MF steering wheel, then you will need to find a COMAND 2.0 that doesn't support the CAN-Bus or buy a CAN-Bus simulator from www.megacomm.de I only know the part number for the German COMAND 2.0 without CAN-Bus, it is A210 820 4889.

My preference is to buy a US COMAND 2.0 to avoid incompatibility issue.

John

 

John, I got too much people asking where and how to install the NAV. I don't know the serial code and what number.
Here is I attach the pics.
EMAIL ME AT: BRYOVANNA@HOTMAIL.COM only to BUY, DON'T ASK ME HOW TO INSTALL!!!

 

Hello BryBenz,

I already have a COMAND retrofitted into my E55 but thanks for the offer. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in a COMAND unit to buy it from you.

John

 

I always wanted a Nav in my CLK, now if I can find someone to help with the Installation in the NJ area.

I read somewhere that the this is not possible. Can anyone point me to how complicated the installation is. Or if anyone knows someone in the NJ area that can do this ?

Thanks

 

SOLD !!!


Hani, post the pics when u finish install it

 

should be complete in the next couple of days.

Now all I need is the Nav CD #7 ... $135 ouch.

 

Check with your dealer. I know that you can order a set of the U.S. and Canada when you order a new car for, I think, $180. If you order it at the parts counter it is more expensive, but if you are going to spend a minimum of $135 anyway you might want to consider it.

 

I am currently in the process of installing a comand into my clk430, I am goint to receiveing my comand unit this fri. I have an extra GPS antenna if anyone is interested.