Have you tried not connecting to carplay and use the android system itself via hotspot connection and see if you will have audio go through the oem speakers while you are not on Aux input? On my W204 which have the same NTG 4.0 as my C207 it can do that which a lot of people says it cannot. You need to play around with the system settings to make it work. Only caveat on this is that the sound output volume cannot be controlled by the command system but you need to do it manually via the android system.

 

No, I use both systems

 

Good post - thanks. Debating doing this on my 2012 E550. Been thinking about doing it for a bit... leaning towards the 10.25" version because my ADD doesn't like the overhang on the driver's side from the larger screen.

Pretty good install videos here:


and

 

So where's the best place to order this from?

 

I got mine from ebay

 

Well, I just ordered one... went with the 10.25" though, as it just looks like it would fit better.

 

Well, my order came and there's one thing I can't seem to figure out. For the LVDS box, there doesn't seem to be any connector that will fit into it...

 

You might have the wrong LVDS box for your screen. That box lools like for NTG 4.0. The LVDS red cable needs to connect to one of the power wires from the main harness. Look for one of the male plug that will fit the female end on the LVDS and look at the label. BTW....if I were you add a foam pad (2mm thick) between the plastic housing and the screen (the bottom flat surface where the screen sits into) to make the screen rigid and not wiggle up and down on bumps (trust me on this one). This will also make the screen not feel flimsy. Go to a craft store and look for a stick-on foam pad then cut to the shape of the bottom of the trim. I went through a lot of trial and error to figure out how to not make it wiggle and now it is like OEM fit. Before if I press on it it will flex, now it is rock hard and no squeaks.

Also to save your sanity in putting back all the wires. Remove the insulating pad between the HVAC ductwork and command and put the pad between the vent duct you took out and where the old screen sits. This will prevent the wires behind the trim from rattling over time. The main harness plug of the command you took out to plug the android harness make sure to shove it to the bottom left side. The rest of the cables press it down as neatly as you can before putting back the command unit.

One other thing, if you find your wireless connection of the carplay or android auto laggy, buy a proper wireless dongle on amazon. I use Garlinkit 2air and there is no lag. Doing this also opens an option you cannot have if you are connecting carplay or android auto wireless directly fron the android unit and this is the ability to connect the main android unit's wifi to your phone's hotspot because ypu cant do both at the same time.

This ia useful if you want to access the android apps fully while you are still connected to your carplay as it thinks your phone is connected to the unit via hardwire and it frees up the wifi connection for the hotspot. If you do end up doing this I suggest to dissable the android auto bluetooth and have your phone to connect to bluetooth via the dongle. This also speeds up the boot-up and you wont wait for the bluetooth software opening up and the android auto connection will be miles faster that going through the android unit.

 

Appreciate the reply and the tips. From all the pics I've seen on how to tell them apart, mine is an NTG 4.0, isn't it?

 

False. Yours is a 4.5. 4.0 does not have SD card slot on the faceplate. Contact the seller and ask for a 4.5 LVDS module.

 

Ugh. Wish they would state that in the "pick which one you have" choice. Instead, they simply use the pics of the screens - and mine looks like the top one.
I wonder if anything else is different for this install now...

 

Some updates:

Ok, so 4x4shop.ca has pretty good support. Apparently, it is indeed an NTG 4.5, as 2012 was a transition year. The good thing is that this doesn't need that LVDS box at all, so they don't need to send me any new parts. I did get it connected and it is working other than a few things I still need to look at in the morning:

1 - I can't find the way to change the display to show "mph" instead of "km/h".
2 - There is no audio from the Android music or video apps, though it does work for the OEM radio setting on the Android screen. Gotta figure that one out.
3 - Fit the head unit back in - lol? That's not going to be easy - but I didn't want to do it yet, in case I need to pull it back out to fix something with #2 above.

I did put a hidden pad under the radio (can't see it after install) so that it doesn't rattle or make noise against the plastic - thanks for the tip there. It's super solid and doesn't move at all when I am messing with the screen.

I'll have to run it with the native Android Auto connectivity to see if it's deficient and then consider the device you mentioned. Since it appears to just be a USB connection, that should be fairly easy to add if I need it. I think this is what you're referring to:

 

You need to go to the "factory settings" and change the unit to imperial. Use 190627 as password. You need to be at AUX to get sound from the unit. There is a setting somewhere that you will get sound from the android unit while you are not in Aux mode as I have been doing that when I have the same system in my w204. Just need to find the setting.

Next project to add is a front camera for the miss as these car's front bumpers are low that I do not wantbthe newly painted bumper to scrape at the bottom. You can add other cameras to the unit.

Btw....find a sticker cover for your command buttons at ebay.

 

Thanks for pointing out that setting on the metric/imperial... I must have missed it.

Is there a page, manual or documentation that explains what each of the settings in the "Factory Settings" menu does? There is a lot in there that I am curious about.

I did get the Android sound to work (mostly... more on that in a few). I had to connect the dongle for the aux cable - which I'll have to figure out how to wire it to the center console later - but I also had to set the aux mode to manual, as it wanted to keep switching back to bluetooth on the OEM radio. Seems to be stable now. Thank you again.

Issue 1:
However, only the front driver's speaker works with the Android system. With the OEM, all speakers work normally. I have the harmon system in mine, and I did make sure that it's set to use that. I have the Aux dongle I got with the Android system, as well as the factory one that has the iPhone and Aux connector. I tried both, and they both result in the Android system audio only coming out the driver's front speaker. I did notice that if I slightly unplug the aux cable, it changes the speakers that it plays on in the car, and if I hold it *just right*, it seems to play out all the speakers. But to me, this says that there is some setting that's an issue - doesn't seem to be a cable or hardware issue. I did check the "Aux box" (the one with the black plastic cover on it that's part of the wiring harness) and it's connected fine - I unplugged that and plugged it back in, just in case. I also tried using the "jumper" and removing that board entirely, but it didn't have any effect. What's that box even for?

Issue 2:
I get some feedback over the system. If I mess around with the wires behind the head unit, the feedback comes and goes. I really don't want to try to get that head unit back in only to find out that I'm going to have feedback. Is there some secret to eliminating that?

Issue 3:
The app for video: what is everyone using? The MX one is good, but it has pop-up ads that come up on it fairly often, which is annoying beyond belief. Is there a better one to use without that crap?

Issue 4:
Where can I find a manual or doc that explains what each of the settings does in the "Factory" menu?


Thanks!

 

I can't figure out how to edit my post. Odd.

Anyway, from the previous post, the only issue I really have left is "Issue 1" from above. The audio - when I use the Android and Aux - only plays from the driver's front speaker. If I pull the 3.5mm jack out of the adapter about 1/4 of the way, I get audio out of all speakers (and I've tried the adapter that came with the Android system, as well as the OEM Mercedes one with the same results). Not sure why this happens...

Also, is there a doc or pdf that explains what all of the settings do in the "Factory" menu?

 

There is no doc available for it. Just trial by error and try not to change it without taking pictures before hand. Make sure the amplifier is set OEM. The static thing is because of the unshielded or poorly shielded wires. Cant help you with that one except a audio junkie or car stereo shop.

 

I did get the feedback/static fixed by turning down the volume on the car, and turning up the default volume on the Android to compensate. It worked. Go figure.

Last thing to figure out is the audio coming only from the front driver speaker when using the Android system.

 

Do you have another MMI adapter? Might be the adaptor. To test this grab a walkman or somthing similar and plug it in the adaptor. If it is the same then it is the adaptor. If not.....either the cable going through the android or aomething in the system. Ask the tech support of the 4x4shop. They are really responsive.

 

If by "MMI adapter" you mean the proprietary connector that has the AUX plug in it, yes. I mentioned above that I have the one that came with the car and has the AUX and iPhone connector, along with the one that came with the Android system that has just the AUX connector. I tried both and they both have the same issue where audio only plays through the front left speaker. But if I switch over to the OEM radio (even through the Andriod system), it works fine on all speakers playing audio with the OEM.

I emailed 4x4shop.ca support about it on Friday and we'll see what they say. I REALLY hope that I won't have to disassemble all this to replace the main harness or something.

 

You fixed it?

 

Unfortunately, no. Their support is responsive, but I've gone as far as (at their suggestion), cutting the 3.5mm jack off their adapter and soldering on a new one. All that did was prove that the white wire wasn't doing anything. The red wire would cause speakers to work on the left or right, depending upon which connector on the new 3.5mm jack I connected it to.

It's the wiring harness and I am going to ask them to send me a replacement one, as I refuse to pull that out and troubleshoot where the white wire may have an issue.

 

While you are at it. Think about replacing their GPS antenna. I found a smaller one on amazon and I managed to fit it inside the A pillar near the roof and it was giving me +45 bars compared to their big GPS antenna. Hopefully you get yours sorted out.

 

That one you posted looks exactly like the one they provided with the kit; down to the 3M adhesive.

 

The amazon one is smaller. not that much but enough for it to make a difference if you are trying to hide it in tight spaces. It also captures better signal. The amazon one is also magnetic so I did not use the 3M adhesive.

 

Isn't there a special adapter to connect to the factory GPS antenna? I'm almost certain there is from past reading, but I can't recall what it's called or where I read it.