Has anyone out there had any problems with the factory-installed phone system with voice control?

When in hands-free mode, everyone I talk to is getting audio feedback-- where they are often able to hear themselves with a slight delay. In essence, the microphone in the car is picking up the caller's words as they are coming through the car's speakers. The problem is intermittent, but very prevalent when the caller speaks for more than a few seconds at a stretch.

Needless to say, I have tried setting the volume very low, and the problem persists until I set the volume so low that I can barely hear the caller. When I press the "Mic Off" button on the COMAND display, the problem stops, but this is hardly an acceptable solution.

At this point, the car has been back at the dealer on two separate occasions and spent five days in the shop, and the problem has not been solved. My dealer has ordered a new Voice Control Module, but it could be some time before it arrives as no U.S dealer currently has one in stock.

Has anyone else had a similar problem and if so, was your dealer able to fix it?

In addition to this problem, I have also experienced more dropped calls in the few weeks I have had this vehicle than I did in the previous year with my 2002 BMW 745Li (and God knows that car had myriad other problems!) or in past years with my other MBs. I also have noticed an occasional popping in the speakers, followed by a blanking out/resetting of the COMAND display when I am using the phone. This results in losing the call about half the time, although neither the caller nor I can hear the other while this is happening (in those instances where the call remains connected after the "reset" has finished).

Given that a V60 phone from Verizon Wireless costs about $100.00, I'm not too pleased with the quality of my hands-free system, particularly in light of its $1995.00 cost.

If anyone else has had similar issues, I'd like to hear about it. I have had the hands-free MB phone is 2 other vehicles, and I also had it in the aforementioned BMW, and have not had this problem before. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Yes - I just picked my 04E500 up last week w/phone & VCS. I've been having the same exact problems. One addition to this (and most annoying for me) is that the phone, even while in the cradle, frequently justs disconnects from the system altogether and shuts off. It seems to do this often when charging for some reason. I have to open up the clam shell, open the phone, and power it back up. Real strange. Have you found this to happen. I do experience the feedback a lot (not in the car) but when calling the phone in the car (for instance if I call my wife while she's driving). On getting dropped calls - yes this happens but doesn't seem any more frequent than with non-VCS. We too are waiting for a reply from our dealer.

 

I picked up an 04 SL500 equipped with the phone and vcs about 6 weeks ago and I haven't had the problems you're mentioning. I wonder if they are specific to the E500?

 

Hudson,

Mine has the same issue with the phone occasionally powering off, or not being recognized by the COMAND system even when plugged in.

As for the feedback, my problem sounds the same as yours. That is, when I am in the car, the calls sound clear. The person who is calling the phone is the one who hears the echoing.

I hope they figure this one out, as the hands-free phone is a fabulous option when it is working properly.

 

Vic - - Sounds like this could be first bug detected in '04MY. Please keep this thread up to date on how you reach resolution. I'll do the same.

 

My '03 has similiar problems, and it's getting progressively worse. I would say that half the times I start the car, I need to remove the phone from the cradle and put it back in because it lost connection with the system. I don't have a dropping calls problem. Are any of you experiencing radio problems also? It's all tied together. Many times I will get a lot static, shut the radio off and it's still playing. I may be crazy, but I think it helps if when you first start the car wait a minute or two before you turn the radio on. I remember one day my wife got in the car with me and turned the radio on the second I started the car and I freaked out. "Wait a minute, the car gets confused if you ask it to do too many things at once"!! My wife looked at me like I was nuts. "How much did this car cost, 65K. And it gets confused because you turn the radio on"?! Women, they just don't understand.

 

This is a known problem with V60 phone. Best bet is to contact Motorola in Schaumberg, Ill and ask for replacement with powerchip fix. Just make sure to tell them it is an MB phone which has a different set of firmware loaded.

 

First of all, I don't think it is a problem with the handset. I think there are issues with the MOST fiber optic network that the car uses, but I'm willing to try anything to get the issues resolved.

As for a phone swap however, my question is, "Do you think Motorola would do it?"

I somehow doubt that they swap the phone without MB telling them to do it. Has anyone tried this before?

 

I want to buy a 2nd MB Mot v60 but don't want to pay the 500-600 MB wants for it. I'm thinking of purchasing on ebay. Does anyone know if I'll have any problems activitating it and using it as a 2nd phone with the VCS system. I figure as long as I make sure it's compatible w/my service providers network (i.e., TDMA or CDMA) I should be fine. I'm not doing this to try to solve the problems cited above - - just need a 2nd phone for me and the wife. Any thoughts?

 

Hudson, not only in some cases does it have to be the same network type, it also has to be the same frequencies, or bands. Both Verizon and Sprint, while both CDMA, can sometimes be made to work on each other networks, but most of the time, can not.

But, if you want the phone to work in the W211 E through the COMAND, then you will need a phone that is designed to do that, which limits your choice to the V60, and to the type of V60 that has the custom programming in it.

Motorola will most likely NOT help you reprogam your phone, though. They are probably under some agreement. There may be some chance that somewhere there is a phone specialist that may be able to do it, but...

 

Not to mention the fact that you can't do sequence dialing for voice mail access since the COMAND version of the car can't recognize the v60 pause/wait commands.

 

i have an '03 and still have the same issues. they have replaced my phone 3 times. often, the caller cannot understand what i'm saying.

 

To All,

I have responded to Vic in the E55 forum, but just to let everybody else know that I just picked up my E55 2 weeks ago. After talking on the phone for about 5-10 minutes, the caller will complain about the "echo" effect. Then it get embarrasing because of how expensive the car is and how bad the phone sounds. I talked to my dealer and the service guys want the car in the shop to look at it.

amgB

 

Should I be cancelling my phone order?
Should I be cancelling my car order althogether?
I put my deposit down for an E500 July 11, 2003 and still no build date. This is a $70,000 car. Meanwhile I am reading disturbing reports like this one about the phone and the ASTOUNDING inability of the steering wheel controls to scroll through radio presets
What is going on here?

 

this is why they need bluetooth, rather then their own proprietary system. you can get a bluetooth system installed on a neon for $400 at the dealer (they use the parrot system). the phone you use is your business. just speaking for myself, I am not ordering the phone.

 

Sure sounds like a waste of money, unfortunately. I would think getting a voice-activated phone to work reliably would be one of easist things for M-B to master.

I was looking forward to getting one, but now I'm afraid to!

 

This might be a variable phenomena - I have the phone w/ voice in a '04 E55 with no problems, I beleive that someone had mentioned it might be in the phone not the car system. I had problems with a Moto v60c from Verizon (not MB) that that eventually resolved with a software uptade to the phone itself.

 

One thing said makes no sense. A July 11th order with no build date. I ordered my car in October and got a Nov build date?? I longer get factory phones. Obsolete way too fast. MB and BMW need to get on the Bluetooth bandwagon!!

 

One thing said makes no sense. A July 11th order with no build date. I ordered my car in October and got a Nov build date?? I longer get factory phones. Obsolete way too fast. MB and BMW need to get on the Bluetooth bandwagon!!

 

I agree with them supporting BlueTooth, but I'm not sure I understand your post about obsolesence. Certainly I would expect their production capacity to have caught up with demand by now, with it being a new model last year.

 

BMW has bluetooth. but you have a different problem in that car, while using the IDRIVE to make a call, you will likely crash. maybe the system automatically can get a call off to an amblulance for you!

you can't beat the japanese for electronics: reliability, integration, etc.

 

Were you a repeat customer? I assume that since I am not and cut a pretty good deal, they just kept moving my order back. How th heck does this work?

 

I have bought a number of MB's from the dealership. They howver have been working very hard at CSR ratings in last two years are are tops in my book. Last week I sold my 996 Cabriolet and they were able to dealer trade fro an SL500 for me and even paid shipping from PA to Fl. I took delivery of the SL500 tonite. They also told me that that my E500 was built and just awaiting to get on a ship in Bremen.

I did give the salesman, who I have now bought 3 cars from my XM Sat radio aftermarket system from my S500 (2002) and plan to buy a round of golf or two for the Sales Manager who pulled off the dealer trade for the SL.

This dealer was also the best price dealer on the E500

 

My salesperson called me and made a service appt to look at the phone issue. I will bring in the car tomorrow morning. I will let you know what they say.

amgB

 

my dealer's supposed to get back to me today regarding phone issue. I've already given them a heads up that I'm not the only one w/problem cause I didn't want to hear some lame answer that I'm doing something wrong. We'll see what they say.