mrnoorde

On my 2012 E350 4Matic Wagon with P1, I'm having trouble figuring out how to prioritize my Bluetooth paired mobile phone over my wife's Bluetooth paired phone.

On my old BMW 5-series wagon, you could prioritize which phone connects (so my phone connects via Bluetooth each time if both phones are in the car). The Mercedes doesn't seem to offer that option. I'd like my phone to override my wife's phone when we are both in the car.

Thanks for your help.

BM2BZ

check pg 118 of your comand manual if you are in the states.

mrnoorde

I checked the Comand manual and it goes into great detail on nearly everything in regards to Bluetooth but does not mention anything about prioritizing one phone over another.

Anyone know if this is possible?

BM2BZ

i think you have to select which phone you want to prioritize every time. i could be wrong.

venchka

Did it this afternoon for the first time because my wife missed a call. 3-4 clicks. Piece of cake. If your phone is in the car when you start, you win.

Wayne

mrnoorde

So, it looks like there is no way to prioritize one phone connection over the other. I know (and use) the "work around" but after experiencing the BMW setup for so long, having to go into the menu and manually select my phone (or at least confirm mine is connected each time) is a pretty poor setup compared to the no-brainer BMW system.

BM2BZ

i know how you feel, mrnoorde. there are still some nice touches i miss about my previous bmw.

mrnoorde

Hi BM2BZ.

The 2012 Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport Wagon has three things going for it compared to a 2012 BMW 5-Series Wagon. The Benz has a rear-facing 3rd row seat, it has more cargo space, and (most importantly) it's actually sold in the USA.

I really like our Benz wagon and love that it's a 7-seater (well, 5+2) that isn't a minivan/SUV but I'm a BMW guy at heart. I ordered our Mercedes with the special order H76 aluminum trim to try to dull the old-school Benz design and it looks great. The Benz is solid, mega comfortable, and a very good car. The steering (especially around town) is just so far behind the BMW setup. That said, the newest F10 BMW 5-Series doesn't have steering as linear/direct as the old E60/61 or E39.

If BMW brings back the 5-series wagon to the States in 3-years or so and I don't need the rear-facing 3rd row, I'll likely switch back to BMW. We'll see. I still love the E-Class wagon but more due to the respect and depth of capabilities/solidity of the car, not because of a driving passion for it.

BM2BZ

i hear ya . took me a long while to decide not to go w/the f10 myself as well. i have to admit, i don't like wagons at all but the e wagon is the best looking wagon on the market and the only one i'll let myself to drive around with if i need the extra space one day. but the new 6 series gran coupe is one sexy machine !

venchka

Maybe the newer COMAND system works differently.
Our procedure: I get in the GLK. Start it. COMAND boots up and loads my phone in Bluetooth confirmed visually on the screen. I back out of the garage. My wife & her phone get in. Her phone is not attached to Bluetooth. That's why I said that the first phone in the car when starting is the phone attached to Bluetooth.
Yesterday we did exactly as described above. Later in the day she got a call. We didn't hear her phone in her purse. That is when I discovered the 3 clicks to attach her phone to Bluetooth.
Bottom line: COMAND prioritizes the first phone it discovers when COMAND & Bluetooth are initiated. What's wrong with that?

Wayne

mrnoorde

Hi venchka.

What's wrong with the Mercedes Bluetooth phone setup is that our old BMW 5-series wagon always connected my phone over my wife's phone (as I prioritized my phone) so we never had to think about it. In the rare times that she drove when I was in the car, we would manually connect her phone via iDrive. When she was in the car on her own, her phone connected perfectly.

Summary:

Mercedes Setup: need to plan who gets in the car first and/or manual select my phone each time we get in the car together.

BMW Setup: never think about it and my phone connects perfectly each time. It also displayed the name of the phone in the corner of the various iDrive screens. Something I wish Comand did too, especially given the fact that I need to manually confirm my phone is connected by checking the phone screen. Comand only displays the name of the phone connected if you go to the phone screen.

ttoE550

Page 99 of my 2010 manual states: The connection is always established to the mobile phone that was activated last.

I think this means it will connect to the most recently used phone, assuming it is in range I guess.

mrnoorde

Thanks ttoE550. Very helpful info.

I just searched the PDF of the 2012 Comand manual for the E-Class and there isn't any text similar to what your 2010 manual states. That said, it seems logical based upon my experience (limited at this point as the car is about 5-days old).

Based upon your findings, I assume the next time I get in the car with my wife (likely this weekend as it's her car) that her phone will connect. I will then manually switch the connection to my phone and it should continue to connect to my phone by default until my wife next drives the car on her own.

Not the perfect setup but I least I'm getting all the details gathered for an educated and efficient work around. As with anything, you learn a system and it becomes second nature.

ttoE550

In my manual, the sentence appeared in the section about authorizing phones. Out of place, really.

Good luck!

venchka

Ok, our GLK worlks that way. I drove to work today. My phone connected. After work my wife and I ran some errands. I made a point to start the car after we were both in with both phones. 6 times my phone connected. So, yes, you will need to manually select your phone if both of the phones are present. Or get there first and start the car before her phone arrives.

Wayne

mrnoorde

Thanks Wayne. I appreciate the clarification and info.

venchka

You are welcome. I should have read the book. Then I wouldn't have needed the test.
Be thankful your wife allows you to drive her new car. Grinning!

Enjoy!

Wayne