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I read through this entire thread. You are super helpful. I am also in DFW and wonder if you would share any of the more cooperative local mechanics you have run across.
Thanks for the kind words. I had my firmware updated at Park Place MB in Grapevine, now Avalon MB. I had this done under warranty, complaining of the audio glitches you've read about in this thread. So, I did not have to find an indy shop to do this work. Accordingly, our situations are different.
I have used German Car Care for other, non-warranty things, 846 E Northwest Hwy, Grapevine, TX 76051, (817) 416-2087. They are just north of the Grapevine MB dealer. I do not know what they will tell you, or if they have all the programming hardware available.
If you have any extended warranty (I don't) I would call the dealer first, if for no other reason to check their records for your car to see if your firmware is already upgraded. Sorry I can't help further. HTH.
My dealership upgraded the COMAND firmware to High_CY15_9...
Excellent. I'm also in Toronto - which dealer did you use? Clearly at least one of them is helpful... My vehicle is - or hopefully will be next week - a 2016 B-Class, fairly fully equipped. I was lucky to find it; relatively high mileage (or kilometrage officially here) but the build sheet included 14U and 16U, so it's ready. I need Android - no iPhones for me.
Big thanks to everyone in this thread for being the guinea pigs on this. I am sitting at my local Mercedes dealer as we speak, waiting for my firmware to be flashed after spending almost 1/2-hour convincing them I have bluetooth issues (note to anyone else using Android - check out Tasker-- a simple script to randomly turn bluetooth on and off on your phone helped my cause )
ODB connector on the way from Vladamir, fingers crossed I'll have AA up and running by next week!
It would appear the "dealer method" no longer works. My local dealer was game to try. They got the firmware updated, but could not add the option codes. MB denied their request to add 14U/16U/17U to the data card. Even manually coding it they couldn't get it to stick.
I'm told by a few people i've inquired with that MB changed the licensing scheme for retrofit coding. If I was in Europe, I could have it done by MBenzNL Steve. To add those codes MB would charge 500 euro!
The OBD module isn't really an option as I don't do crypto.
I'm too worried about breaking the car to try the vediamo/monaco route.
Too bad there is not something like Vagcom or OBDEleven for mercedes.
So, no carplay for me. For now...
Postscript: I bought a launch creader benz 2.0. after seeing @DFWdude thread on the device. This was much cheaper and easier than vlad's dongle, and way, way cheaper than remote coding.
It showed up today, I wasted no time in plugging it in and seeing what happened. I was able to enable carplay, using the settings from @kenneyd youtube video on using vediamo to code carplay.
I think I got ILS+ pretty much done too, but forgot to enable the option in the instrument cluster. I'll try that tomorrow.
Prompt to activate carplay once phone is connected carplay!!
way to go @crashmtb . Can you provide more details on the process you followed? Thanks
1)spend months reading everything I can find; this thread, everything else google has to offer, youtube videos.
2)show local dealer the carplay retrofit bulletin (via @DFWdude post ages ago) while in for service.
2.1)Dealer shop foreman notes seemingly everything but 212 is listed for retrofit, when CLS has the same hardware. They think this is silly, offer to update software and try coding it. I am billed one hour's labour, they actually spend half a day on it. Mercedes denies request for data card additions, manually coding 14U/16U/17U doesn't stick. They are apologetic, but won't do anything more.
3)look into the canfilter/vlad dongle. It is expensive and I don't do crypto/my ebay account is dead. Look into remote coding. Expensive, some tell me it is impossible. Even talk to Steve of MBenzNL, who advises he's activated carplay on 2016 212s, but Mercedes charges 500EUR to enable those three option codes. Plus he's in the Netherlands. So that's not an option. Give up, for now
4)notice threads on Creader launch elite 2.0, wonder if it can do the necessary carplay coding. Order from amazon.
5)Using notes from
and some digging around to find the right items(it looks different in the creader interface than vediamo - it's actually in English, things aren't numbered the same)..flip the right switches.
I was also able to enable ILS+ (AKA IHC+) via the creader 2.0. At least I think I was. I'll find out next time I drive at night.
Also turned on traffic sign recognition with some poking around in various modules. Similarly don't know if that's actually working yet, plus my car is on 2016 maps still.
As far as I can tell, I haven't broken anything in the process.
The link to kenneyd's youtube video would help, thanks
I put a link to it in my reply, which has yet to be approved by a moderator/got eaten by the forum.
Originally Posted by nightspd
way to go @crashmtb . Can you provide more details on the process you followed? Thanks
Sure!Here's information overload
discover car can have carplay activated. Read every bit of information I can find.
look in to the various methods. I decided I should be able to get the dealer to do it.
While in for a warranty issue (replacement of rear BSM sensors/harness) I mention it to the service advisor, explain MB sells a carplay retrofit for everything but the 212. I send them the bulletin about the retrofit as shared by @DFWdude ages ago. He takes it to the shop foreman.
Shop foreman reviews information, his interest is piqued, say it's odd there is a retrofit for W218 CLS which has the same hardware/interior, but not 212. They offer to update the firmware and try coding it.
I bring the car back some time later(down three weeks waiting to replace a cracked winter wheel), they are able to update the firmware after a few attempts, with the comand unit getting stuck in a boot loop at one point. A request is sent to Mercedes to add 14U, 16U, 17U option codes to the datacard. Request immediately denied with a note to check WIS. They try manually adding the options, no joy. That is as far as they got. I was only charged an hour, despite them spending a solid 3-4 hours on it.
With the firmware updated, I begin looking again at alternate options. Consider the OBD dongle from vlad, but it is expensive and I don't do ebay/crypto. Look at remote coding via MBHouse in toronto. They want $450. Look at RJ automotive out of the UK, they advise the software actually needs to be downgraded, as the current version blocks coding via MB. (possibly explaining why the dealer was denied). This seems like a hassle to me. Ask friendly local russion euro car mechanics, they advise they would have to scan the car and send it elsewhere. This also seems like a hassle.
See threads about launch creader elite 2.0 Benz. I wonder if It can do the necessary coding for carplay, ILS, all the stuff I want to add. At about the price of an hour of dealer time, what have i got to lose? So I ordered one from amazon.
) as a guide, I changed all the necessary variant coding. Carplay works great!
While I was poking around, I enabled IHC+ also using @kenneyd notes. I'm pretty sure it should be working, but haven't had a chance to go for a night drive. I even turned on traffic sign recognition/speed limit assist(option 513), but can't get TSA settings for Canada to stick in the multifunction camera coding for some reason.
The last thing I tried was changing the colour of the car in the surround view camera overlay. I got that to work, but I flew a bit too close to the sun. The car now has decided the surround view camera module requires calibration. I am able to get the cameras to come on via the test function(and the car's the right colour, not just silver!), but nothing happens when engaging reverse, and I get "surround view unavailable" when trying to activate them in comand. I can't get calibration to start with the creader, so I might have to go to the dealer again.
Last edited by crashmtb; Mar 25, 2024 at 12:02 PM.
way to go @crashmtb . Can you provide more details on the process you followed? Thanks
I wrote a very detailed step by step, but the forum ate it since I embedded a link.
So, once again for the second time:
find out car can do carplay with the existing hardware. Scour this thread & everything else I can find for info, determine the safest option seems to be to have the dealer do it. How hard can it be?
While the car was in for warranty work(rear blind spot sensors and wiring, prone to corrosion, are covered for 250,000km fun fact), I asked about doing the firmware update/activating carplay. I showed them the retrofit bulletin posted by @DFWdude . The service advisor asked their foreman about it. He noted it was weird the 212 was excluded while the CLS is on the list with the same hardware.
Dealership offers to update the firmware and try coding carplay. They quote me an hour for this. Seems fair. I bring the car back for this some time later. The foreman manages to get the firmware done, which takes quite a while as the COMAND unit got stuck in a boot loop, taking a few attempts. They submit a request to MB to add 14U,16U,17U option codes added to the datacard, which is denied with a note to check WIS. harsh! I get the car back, am charged only an hour despite them spending probably 3-4 on it. No joy, but we tried.
Start looking at other options; remote coding is expensive. one outfit in toronto wants $450. RJ auto in the UK advises the latest software does not permit coding carplay - MB will deny it, and downgrading software might not work. Sounds complicated. I even talk to Steve of MBenzNL notoriety, who explains how MB in Europe would charge 500Eur for the three option codes, and since the end of 2018 have upped prices and limited what can be coded by retrofit significantly.
I enquire about vlad's dongle, but my ebay account is kaput, and I don't do crypto.
see a couple threads about the creader elite 2.0 benz etc. I wonder if it can do the necessary variant coding for carplay....So i hop on amazon and buy one.
Using @kenneyd video and notes, I figure out what needs to be changed - things are ordered a bit differently in the creader interface. Great success! It works!
While i'm in there, using @kenneyd notes again, I enable full IHC+. I'm pretty sure this is working. I haven't had a chance for a night drive. I also turned on option 513, traffic sign assist, but the multifunction(stereo) camera module won't take the coding to turn on TSA for Canada. Not sure why. The last thing I did was change the colour of the car in the 360 camera view. This worked (I can enable the cameras via test function, however there's now a code stored that the camera module isn't calibrated, yet the cameras each show as calibrated. Consequently the cameras won't come on in reverse, or when activated via the comand interface. It's going to get that sorted out tomorrow hopefully.
I got back from the dealership a couple hours ago having paid them for 1-hour of labour to update the firmware in my 2016 E400 S212. Firmware update was confirmed via WhatsApp by eBay seller vladimircdi so I purchased the OBD unlock activator. I'm looking forward to the plug-and-play update when the module arrives.
However, there was one fairly large hiccup along the way: I took the car in to have the update done over a week ago and after 3 hours of waiting at the dealership I was told the technician encountered an error and the COMAND unit was now in a boot loop displaying "Bootloader Active" on the screen and no functions available.
The technician escalated it to the national head office and then it was sent to the engineering team in Germany. They responded with a "hard reset" procedure which evidently worked.
I also bought a LAUNCH X431 Creader Elite 2.0 off Aliexpress but I'm not confident I won't mess up coding so I'm fine paying for the OBD dongle.
I got back from the dealership a couple hours ago having paid them for 1-hour of labour to update the firmware in my 2016 E400 S212. Firmware update was confirmed via WhatsApp by eBay seller vladimircdi so I purchased the OBD unlock activator. I'm looking forward to the plug-and-play update when the module arrives.
However, there was one fairly large hiccup along the way: I took the car in to have the update done over a week ago and after 3 hours of waiting at the dealership I was told the technician encountered an error and the COMAND unit was now in a boot loop displaying "Bootloader Active" on the screen and no functions available.
The technician escalated it to the national head office and then it was sent to the engineering team in Germany. They responded with a "hard reset" procedure which evidently worked.
I also bought a LAUNCH X431 Creader Elite 2.0 off Aliexpress but I'm not confident I won't mess up coding so I'm fine paying for the OBD dongle.
My dealer's foreman/master diagnistics technician encountered the same issue, was able to revert firmware and try again successfully.(see my post upthread)
As to coding in carplay/AA with the creader, it's pretty straightforward(I posted about that too), but having it done in one shot via the OBD dongle is even moreso of course.
I'd heard the latest COMMAND firmware no longer allowed you to code for AA/CP ?
The "latest" firmware is as old as the posts describing how to identify it.
In talking to "MBenzNL" Steve Krabbourg, it's not the firmware that disallows enabling carplay, it's that MB switched up how they approve coding requests, and how they charge for them.
If you are using real, online coding with xentry, MB will deny the request, in north america anyway on models not listed in the official retrofit documentation.
This is pretty much only W/S212. i.e. when my dealer's tech put in the request for a VEDOC change it was denied with a note to check WIS for retrofit documentation for the car. Well, there isn't any, because for some reason 212 isn't on the list. So no luck with them doing it, i bought a creader and voila.
setups like the creader device or vediamo/DTS Monaco, or the OBD dongles that plug in and do the same coding but via a script still can enable it, because the functions are there, just switched off.
Last edited by crashmtb; Jul 26, 2024 at 12:40 PM.
Does this all still work? Probably read the first 250 messages seeing how the first people got it setup back in 2019 just wondering if anything has changed. I'm looking at getting a 2016 E350 since my 2014 was totaled and would really like to be able to get Android Auto on it. Haven't been able to check for the "Carplay Ringtone Volume" option with the Hangup+7+9 menu.The VIN is WDDHF8JB9GB239177 and yes I sent it to Vlad to see what he says. Hopefully going to see the car tomorrow and can check if it has the setting.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by dylank22
Does this all still work? Probably read the first 250 messages seeing how the first people got it setup back in 2019 just wondering if anything has changed. I'm looking at getting a 2016 E350 since my 2014 was totaled and would really like to be able to get Android Auto on it. Haven't been able to check for the "Carplay Ringtone Volume" option with the Hangup+7+9 menu.The VIN is WDDHF8JB9GB239177 and yes I sent it to Vlad to see what he says. Hopefully going to see the car tomorrow and can check if it has the setting.
yeah, afaik it does. you still need to pay a dealer to upgrade the 'flashware' in the COMAND system, Vlad knows the correct versions. then there's several ways to get the 'coding' done to enable the 'feature' (your dealer will NOT do this)... you can buy a 'dongle' from Vladimir that will do the coding automatically, or you can use a Mercedes specific diagnostic tool that supports feature coding such as the Launch Cready Elite BENZ, but you need to know all the right codes to set, or if you have an Xentry system on a windows laptop, there's several guys on here who can do the coding with your tool remotely, like BenzNinja, for a fee.
Last edited by Left Coast Geek; Aug 19, 2024 at 01:03 AM.
Yes, mine has worked flawlessly (at least at the car level, AA has had squirrely updates) since 2019. I worked with Vlad and used the tricks in the thread to get my car updated.
rear blind spot sensors are covered under warranty? Is this in Canada? my rear sensors haven't worked in years due to a short. Tried switching sensors... I think it's a wiring issue.
rear blind spot sensors are covered under warranty? Is this in Canada? my rear sensors haven't worked in years due to a short. Tried switching sensors... I think it's a wiring issue.
Yes, in Canada. Check with your dealer. The harness connectors get corroded. The sensor connectors then also get corroded. Fix is new harness and new sensors. Covered up to 250,000km. I don't recall if there's an age limit.
But it is a known problem, local dealer here in Winnipeg has done many across various models.
Yes, in Canada. Check with your dealer. The harness connectors get corroded. The sensor connectors then also get corroded. Fix is new harness and new sensors. Covered up to 250,000km. I don't recall if there's an age limit.
But it is a known problem, local dealer here in Winnipeg has done many across various models.
Wow, amazing. Is there a TSB or something I can refer to? I don't usually go to the dealership in my area so have no relationship with the SA
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