MikeyE430

The Motorola StarTac handset in my 2000 E430 has a problem. Took it back to dealer for replacement under warranty. They ordered a "remanufactured" unit since they do not make this particular "Dual-mode" model. I was never asked who my service provider was (Verizon). After about a week, they got me another phone which was programmed for Cingular. Had to return it. The waiting list for Verizon phones nationwide is unbelievable. Two different M-B parts guys told me Mercedes phones are a "pain in the ***." It seems they have to wait until they get a batch of bad phones in to rebuild before they can replace them.

Here is the crappy part. Went to a Verizon store to look at new Motorola StarTac "Tri-Mode" which fits into my factory cradle. Could not get it to work in my car. Called MBUSA and asked why they cannot come up with some method to get the new technology phones to work in "older" cars. All I was told is that they are "sorry." Sorry, indeed!

The bottom line is that when your factory phone goes bad, you will get an old-technology model to replace it. Right now, I have a $57K car with no phone. The wait continues........ Any ideas out there?

awiner

Only the Mercedes Branded Motorolas will work in your car as they contain a Mercedes/Motorola firmware that id different from a non Mercedes Branded Motorola unit.

Therefore, Mercedes has got the market on these and you need to use a Mercedes unit for the integration to work.

Rumor is that Mercedes may be comming out with a updated PSE for 2000 model year vehicles to allow the use of a Mercedes Branded Motorola Timeport or V.60 ...

MikeyE430

Adam,

Yup, you are correct, sir......that is what I found out. I sure hope that rumor is true. They really need to make the new phones work in the "old" cars or they are going to have some problems a few more years down the line.

Thanks

Turbo][

As much as this might sound stupid, I always never buy any options from dealers. You end up with products that are not compatible with each other, and end up "stuck" with one model. When something better comes along, you can't "upgrade" it.

Accord

When I went to my dealer to order a MY03 E500, I noticed that when we were going over the phone package and all that, there were only V60's, no Timeports, my salesmen didn't know why, so he asked the Sales Manager and he said that the Timeports will no longer be offered on future models! I am not sure if this is for the entire MB lineup, but it is definetly for the E-Class. This is great news.

awiner

I just heard the same thing as well. Looks like the v60 is the only phone option for 2003...

Air Marshall Eldritch

Mikey,

What I want to know is what kind of window tinting you have? It looks like a nice, dark tint in the photo at the top of this thread. I thought that the gaps between the seals and the glass were too tight to have tinting without getting scratches?

-RB

MikeyE430

RB,

The tint is standard 35% HP Charcoal by Solar Gard. It is legal here in TN and has a lifetime warranty. They did an excellent job installing it.

Air Marshall Eldritch

Blah, according to the state laws, NJ residents cannot tint the driver or passenger side front windows at all. No restriction on the back sides or rear though. I think it would be a waste of time and look dumb to have only half the windows darkened.

Phooey!

vsokolov

same thing with a bmw phone, when i bought my bmw i had a motorola startac in there and when it broke i've tried to buy a regular one but guess what it wouldn't work, so i brought it to my friend who owns a cell phone store i bought a new startac from him and he just took out one out of many chips and replaced it in anew one and everything works now, the other thing you can do is send it to motorola and they'll repair it for you in 7-10 business days

MikeyE430

Well, after 2 weeks of waiting for my "new" Verizon-enabled StarTac, the dealer parts guy called me and said he had found me a NEW, not remanufactured phone from another dealer. We'll see.

It is just such a shame that I get to use 2-3 year old technology now with this old dual-mode phone instead of a new tri-mode. But, if I want it to integrate with the M-B audio system, that's the choice.

Mercedes is going to have a big problem several years down the line when all the phones go bad and there are none to replace them. They really need to provide either the software or an adapter which will allow us to use the latest phones in our cars.

awiner

Don't quote me on this, but the current rumor is that Mercedes is in fact working on a Model Year 2000 upgraded PSE that will support both the Mercedes branded Motorola Timeport and Motorola v60 models.

billfoster

Very frustrated. I use my phone as my point of contact and log upwards of 60 hours a month. My dealer has told me that the Startac (2000 model) and the Timeport (2001) model are discontuned. I will have to send my phone in for repairs and wait.....

Doesn't it seem odd that Mercedes didn't buy a sufficient number of phones before they went out of production to meet demand over the warrenty period. I wonder if the telematic is out of production with no replacments or anyone of a thoasand other parts.