Am I being over optimistic - Updates to COMAND from MB
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
Am I being over optimistic - Updates to COMAND from MB
I know mine's a 2014 and Mercedes will not show any kind of love of old cars and the reason is pretty obvious. But I want to request few features in the COMAND upgrade.
1. The use of telephone buttons on the steering wheel to skip a song or go back to previous song.
2. Use the 360 camera system as dashcam when needed (with loop feature of course and other similar features the 50$ cheap dash cameras offer). I can buy the SD card that is needed, if MB doesn't want to use the SSD or use an old cheap external Harddisk in FAT32 format.
3. The order of streaming options under Audio; (currently bluetooth is at the very bottom of the list of options and that is the only one I use)
Am I being too optimistic from a company who charges 280$ for Annual NAV updates where cheap Garmin GPS system comes with LTM for less than 100$..!
On the serious note I want to learn how to hack/update the current COMAND firmware outside factory. Is there a tutorial or a service that can make these changes or let me do the changes on my own?
1. The use of telephone buttons on the steering wheel to skip a song or go back to previous song.
2. Use the 360 camera system as dashcam when needed (with loop feature of course and other similar features the 50$ cheap dash cameras offer). I can buy the SD card that is needed, if MB doesn't want to use the SSD or use an old cheap external Harddisk in FAT32 format.
3. The order of streaming options under Audio; (currently bluetooth is at the very bottom of the list of options and that is the only one I use)
- Radio
- Bluetooth
- aux
- etc..
Am I being too optimistic from a company who charges 280$ for Annual NAV updates where cheap Garmin GPS system comes with LTM for less than 100$..!
On the serious note I want to learn how to hack/update the current COMAND firmware outside factory. Is there a tutorial or a service that can make these changes or let me do the changes on my own?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,053
Likes: 347
2011 E-350 4Matic Sport
That stuff would be nice but I doubt the vast majority of owners would start writing in. I think most car buyers take what they get and then move on to something else in a cycle of perpetual purchase or lease.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,107
Likes: 394
From: West Central Florida
2011 E550 P2 4M Sedan
Sorry OP but I would call it dreaming instead of overly optimistic to expect MB to do anything. I could see the 360 camera recording becoming a reality in the aftermarket space. But it will take years and more car makers offering 360 cameras (or really just front cameras) for there to be enough demand. It would be like adding remote start to your car - you'd need a make/model specific module and a bunch of wiring. Then the issue would be is there are market for some $1k+ accessory or are folks just going to buy cheap dashcams for $100 or less.
I agree but we take what we get because we are stuck with it. The only car company that upgrades existing tech in cars that I can think of is Tesla. Hopefully, others will adopt their practice of updating the tech and adding features. Once more competitors do that, it will put pressure on others to replicate. You're starting to see that with safety features like radar cruise control and lane departure warning. It was a high cost premium feature for years but now it is coming standard on a few models (i.e. new Hondas). Change will be slow unfortunately.
Bluetooth is pretty much standard now on most base models when it used to be a premium feature 10 years ago. But that's mostly due to the new laws on handsfree cell phone use while driving.
Bluetooth is pretty much standard now on most base models when it used to be a premium feature 10 years ago. But that's mostly due to the new laws on handsfree cell phone use while driving.
