This may be a chronic issue but I wanted to see if anyone had any fresh ideas

I have a 2010 e550 4M and I went through the engineering menu to activate bluetooth audio streaming. It worked flawlessly on my android. I recently "upgraded" to the iphone 5 and now everytime I turn the car off I have to externally authorize the phone for the bluetooth audio streaming to work again. The bluetooth headset feature works fine at all times. It seems from reading the hacks thread that this was an issue with the iphone 4 as well and perhaps a command update may fix the problem.

1. Are there any fixes other than trying to get the dealer to update the command software? (im not even sure which version I have)

2. Are there any tricks/ tips to get the dealer to upgrade it under warranty?

3. Should I even discuss the bluetooth audio streaming with the dealer? Im concerned that since I used the engineering menu it may effect the warranty or that they may tell me that it wasnt supposed to do that in the first place.

Thanks

 

have you tried to un-pair and re-pair them? also, my tech is using iphone and he said in most cases turn off, take out the sim, restart your phone and you should be good to go. hope this helps.

 

unfortunately all I do is pair and unpair it. thats the only way to get the audio streaming to work. Its worse than using an aux cable. I've tried restarting and turning off the phone but that doesnt work. Haven't tried the sim, but from reading other threads it seems like its a command issue and probably why they didnt release bluetooth streaming activated with the 2010. Its interesting that it worked perfectly with my android but the iphone is giving me grief

 

err im not sure about fixing it, but i have the 5 as well and havent had any issues, paired it once when i got it and its streamed just fine every time....

 

This very well could be your version of COMMAND. I have a 4S without issue.

In fact, I did not have to enable any special features through the engineering menu. Just worked from the day I bought it.

 

most likely is the command then. As I've read from the forums, the command version is different from the 2010 vs 2011. 2011 owners dont have to modify the system through the engineering menu to get it to work. I'm going to call the dealership and see what shakes loose. I'll keep you informed.

 

Good luck!

 

just spoke to the dealership and they said to bring it in and they'll do a command software upgrade under warranty. Going to take it in on friday. So far so good hopefully it works and they cover it under warranty.

 

Do you guys find that your text messages don't beep on phone when paired? I can hear them when streaming bluetooth audio through the speakers but never from the phone even when not streaming

 

Yes - in my 2010 with the COMAND firmware upgrade all the audio goes through the car when your phone is paired, which is kind of annoying. Also due to the the triggering latency of Bluetooth you don't always hear the entire notification tone.
If it is any consolation, I have noticed the same behavior on multiple rental cars (different brands), so it could be just a Bluetooth thing or an iPhone thing.

 

so with the command upgrade does bluetooth now work flawlessly with your iphone? Specifically do you need to reauthorize it whenever you get back in the car or does it just plain work?

 

I wouldn't say that it is flawless - song progress doesn't update, nor does the name of the song playing - but the sound works and I do not need to repair every single time.
Sometimes I need to reconnect but not re-pair.

 

Thanks for the reply, thats a reassurance for me. If thats the final result, I'll take it. Repair-ing the device everytime I get in the car is a very inelegant solution

 

Good news, the dealership upgraded the software under warranty and it completely fixed the problem. It took 2 sets of command upgrades but then they finally got it. I was extremely impressed with their service as well. They never gave me a difficult time. Also I made a stupid mistake by running my battery down in the parking lot ( I was on a phone call with the engine off). When the service guy couldn't get it to jump he replaced the battery free of charge. I was very impressed with the experience.

 

good to hear your problem has finally resolved but your phone call must be looooong ! long enough to drained your car battery before your phone battery .

 

My thoughts exactly
Meanwhile, I am happy for two reasons 1st they found the glitch and resolved it and 2nd you left a positive feedback on them . I appreciate that because normally most car owners seem to complain about their dealers and they seem right with their moans / whines too

 

It was for a lot shorter time than I expected. There's no doubt that I shouldnt have left the car on battery power for 20 minutes but I guess I was expecting it to last a bit longer. I've learned that hard way that theres enough going on behind the scenes from a battery consumption perspective that its unwise to do much with the engine off.

 

engine on: save battery life
engine off: save the planet

i guess the best thing to do is turn the engine off if you are planning to stay in the car for more than five minutes. i have to admit, though. i keep the engine running when i'm waiting for someone but not more than five minutes . i would've been gone if that person doesn't show up within that time frame .

 

Apple implemented Bluetooth 4 with the iPhone 5 which should in theory be backwards compatible. My incoming telephone call audio on my 2010 GL350 "ticks" and crackles. I have not tried to stream music through the MI Interface yet but I'll test it tomorrow. Lots of cars makes and models having problems with Apple's upgrade.

Garmin GPS devices like my motorcycle Zumo 665 receive calls but lose caller audio after 5-10 seconds though the call is connected and the caller hears you.

Hopefully Apple will issue an iOS upgrade that fixes this for all of us as the problem is rampant across many platforms.

Meanwhile, I'll get my GL into the shop for the upgrade.

Many thanks!

Robert