I have heard so much conflicting information on this i cant tell what is up!
Dealer 1 NO. Dealer 2 Yes but 800.00 usd. Dealer 3. Not sure call you back. Online: not much help. Went to a mod shop. Yes but wants to drill holes in every place he can find.
Okay, so this is the only place i trust where many of you know for sure or have done it yourself.
Can i integrate my Ipod to my o4 e320 with minimal change to stock appearance.
thanks

 

It depends on what exactly you want to do...

I had mine installed in a very simple, non-intrusive manner. I had the installer tap into the aux input which existed in the glove box. Then, he ran a cable to the center console which plugs into the iPod and charges it at the same time. IT was super-duper cheap. I had him install some video system I bought and that's what cost me a whoppin $594. Had I only done the iPod, it would have probably been about $75.


https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/180455-video-screens-ipod-installed-today-my-2004-e320-wagon-pics.html

 

I just got the OEM MB iPod kit off eBay for $195 in sealed bags. I called my dealer(the two we have here) and they both quoted me $550 to install (labor only).

I looked over the PDF that describes howto install the kit and it doesn't look that difficult so I think I'll give it a try this weekend and see if I can't run the cable myself. I'll still need to take the car in to be coded but that should no more than 15 minutes or work.

 

Success!! Start to finish took about 5.5 hours…..not bad for a first timer! Now I just need to take the car to the dealer to get the system coded. The IPod does work and I can hear music but the phone buttons on the steering wheel doesn’t work until the system is coded.

I still think that $550 is a large sum but I can understand why since while looking through the instructions it looks simple it does take a long time to take everything apart and put back together again. Now that I know how it is done I could properly do it in about 4 hours.

 

I recently installed the iPod kit in my 2005 E500. I followed the instructions in the W211 DVD manual which I purchased from MBUSA. The kit does not included installation instructions, it just includes operating instructions.

I did not have to drill any holes to route the cables. I did NOT mount the iPod in the glove box as shown in the instructions. I opted to mount it below the cupholder in the center console (My car has the console with the roll top).

I did NOT have to get the dealer to enable the iPod kit in the 2005 W211. It worked right out of the box.

The user interface is clunky at best. But it beats trying to use an FM adapter and constantly changing the FM station as you drive across the country.

 

I went ot the sealer today to get my car coded. The phone buttons didn't work until it was coded. They are the ones that allow you to move between play and navigation mode and make a selection. Fgwinn is right about the user interface but it beats having to look down to change tunes. Total cost for everything is $304. A lot cheaper than the $750+tax I was quoated from the dealer to have them do everything.

Oh, I talked to the tech that did the codeing. He told me that he had proberly installed about 50 kits in E-classes and he can proberly do it in about 45-60 minutes.....it makes one wonder why the dealer would change $550 to install and feel good about that.

 

It would be appreciated if someone could direct me to the PDA file that describes how to install the MB IPOD kit.
I have a 2004 E500. Thanks. This is my first message.

 

www.overgaardweb.com/dl-files/iPod - Model 211 with COMAND (Except Sation Wagon), as of MY 2003.pdf Start on p44 and read the other pages as you move through the project. Make sure that you finish connecting each branch of the harness before you move to the next so that you avoid having loose wires.

Roughly these are the steps:
- disconnect the negative on the battery.
- remove the fabric door trip on passanger front and rear
- take the rear seat out
- remove the bottom plastic door trims
- take the clips off that holds the carpet in place
- remove the b-pillar cover
- remove the botton of the glove compartment
- remove the passenger footwell speaker
- take out the carpet in passenger footwell
- take out the trunk top cover
- remove the left trunk cover
- take out the spare tire
- start routing the harness from the front to the back in the wire gutter

Once the harness is routed is is just a matter of hooking it up. My biggest problems was to find connecton #27 on the rear SAM. I had to loosen it so I could turn it around and find the correct connection. The other this was making the connection to the passenger foorwell CAN connector. I never found out how to open it but was able to use a screwdriver to gently pry it open enough for me to puch the connector all the way in.

Other than that it is not difficult it just takes time. Now that I know what to do I could proberly do it in about 2-3 hours.

Oh, one other thing; go get one of these cone shaped drills. I don't know what they are called but they start by makeing a small hole that grows bigger as you push the drillbit in. I made the mistake of trying to start with a small hole that I would make bigger but the just from my secone biggest drillbit to the 20mm was too big and it cought in the plastic. It is not too bad but if you can avoid it you might as well try.

Other than that no special tools are needed.

 

Please read the Question again and compare to the answes - the car it's going into is a '04 - Sgaar talks about an '06. TOTALLY DIFFERENT setup!! Do your own research.

Mercedes did not offer the iPod kit until '05 (I am not talking about the glovebox AUX in, if you have the NAV system). It took them (AMG) from '02 until '05 (Mac World intro. San Francisco - I sat in the "Apple" SL) - but it excludes prior years.

It's simple if you don't want Steering Wheel controls. It's VERY COSTLY to integrate if you have a no NAV system ('02 to '05). Some tinkerers have cut wires and spliced in the AUX port into the tape circuit etc. = ok, if you can do it yourself (experience).

Bottom line: AMG TOLD ME in 2002 - thise iPod toys/MP3 player juvenile "thing" is something our customers don't want..... (I told the guy I AM YOUR senior AMG C32 customer! I want a more flexible layout.... it took YEARS for them to even understand).

To use the below example Link of a retrofit comand (W203/other) will scare away most from letting tinkerers play with your car - reason: to diagnose failures can be a little bit difficult and very expensive due to complexities).

http://www.mercupgrades.com/COMAND+R...article-1.html