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newbie and new owner of gl550 with lots of questions
hello everyone. i just joined MBWorld as i have purchased 2014 gl550 today.
the car came with pre-wiring done for entertainment, but no headrest dvd players.
it does have CD changers and i don't know if dvd works for main screen in the front.
i've looked at authentic MB dvd players and they're (obviously) very expensive. i want to know if i can use front lcd as dvd player. i've seen youtube videos that let you play dvd in the front while driving.
and also i've seen youtube videos about mirroring iphone/android.
can anyone give me some pointer how to use front screen as either dvd player or mobile phone mirroring? i just want to be able to play something on long trip for kids and not spend hefty money on getting MB dvd players. and no, i do not like those cheap portable dvd players because i am not able to control them while driving. any help would be great.
also, does anyone have any recommendations for all-season floor mats? mine came with carpeted mats.
it has nicely upgraded leather seats (desigo? that 4.1k option...) it shows some cracks on outer side due to people getting on and off the seats all the time. it's not that bad but i was looking for leather conditioner to repair it little bit. please share any info. thank you.
1) I did the retro fit it was very expensive due to labor. I would probably get rear iPads! For the front there is a mirroring option off phone but need to did it up.
2) I used leather cleaner consistently to avoid cracking, I use Meguiar's and others I find at autozone.
3) I use Aries winter mats all year round! All 3 rows. Most probably use weathertech which is also the oem one.
Weathertech has by far the best product on the planet. IMO. You can find there matts at your local dealership with the MB logo, or you can purchase on line directly from them. https://www.weathertech.com/mercedes...er-digitalfit/
The Weathertech floor mats are crap. Terrible material that is slippery, prone to warping, won’t stay put, and difficult to clean. Go with real rubber mats, like Lexus use, if you can find them.
Aires was just a re-badged Maxpider mat, but you're right....they aren't re-badging them any more for the GL. I have 3D Maxpider mats for all 3 rows and they are fantastic. I also had the Maxpider's in my S600 for the 3 years I had the car and loved them. I kept them in year round. Super light, stick like glue to the carpet due to the special material they use on the bottom, perfect fit, and your feet won't slide around when they are wet. They are significantly cheaper than Weathertech's and 10x better IMO. The only problem is that they don't offer any mats for the cargo area. So I purchased one of these for the cargo area and it has been great. It also sticks like glue to the carpet and holds items in place very well so stuff isn't sliding around back there.
Regarding watching DVD's on the front screen, you can absolutely do that without any modifications. But you need to have the truck in park in order to view. If you want to watch with the truck moving, you can purchase a DVD in Motion device that you plug into the back of your radio. But IMO, that is stupid and very unsafe.
thanks for info. i was mainly trying to enable video in motion (well to avoid buying expensive dvd players), and to enable them for rear passengers and not for me when i'm driving. however looks like my kids can't see the screen well from behind. the software hack would have costed $200.
Originally Posted by DaveW68
Aires was just a re-badged Maxpider mat, but you're right....they aren't re-badging them any more for the GL. I have 3D Maxpider mats for all 3 rows and they are fantastic. I also had the Maxpider's in my S600 for the 3 years I had the car and loved them. I kept them in year round. Super light, stick like glue to the carpet due to the special material they use on the bottom, perfect fit, and your feet won't slide around when they are wet. They are significantly cheaper than Weathertech's and 10x better IMO. The only problem is that they don't offer any mats for the cargo area. So I purchased one of these for the cargo area and it has been great. It also sticks like glue to the carpet and holds items in place very well so stuff isn't sliding around back there.
Regarding watching DVD's on the front screen, you can absolutely do that without any modifications. But you need to have the truck in park in order to view. If you want to watch with the truck moving, you can purchase a DVD in Motion device that you plug into the back of your radio. But IMO, that is stupid and very unsafe.
thanks for info. i was mainly trying to enable video in motion (well to avoid buying expensive dvd players), and to enable them for rear passengers and not for me when i'm driving. however looks like my kids can't see the screen well from behind. the software hack would have costed $200.
Even though your rig is pre-wired, you would still need to purchase the OEM rear seat DVD player. It goes in the spot right below the climate control. I'm not sure where the wires for the headrest monitors are hidden in the seats, but I assume they're in there somewhere with your truck being pre-wired. You'd also have to have it turned on via programming at the dealer.
All of this is a very expensive proposition and not worth it IMO. Rear seat DVD entertainment systems are so 10 years ago with everybody now having iPads and phones that stream movies in 4G HD.
forget the rear entertainment... use ipads.... if they are young kids.. you will forever be pulling over to restart..pause.. setup headphones.. total pain! just Ipad!
the weathertech mats are great.. perfect for beach or snow.. they have snaps that fit right into the oem plugs in the floor. In fact, I think OEM MB mats are rebadged weathertech.
If you want something much nicer.. try the cocomats https://www.cocomats.com/ I got mine in black/silver.. they are very very sharp but expensive.
McGuires is by far the best consumer products out there for cleaning...
Also.. you can Bluetooth audio from your phone once you have setup the Bluetooth phone... I can run Spotify and Pandora all wireless.
wash with some cleaning agent and plenty water, dries all nice and clean. Black won't show any staining that might eventually happen, light color blends with carpet perfectly.
wash with some cleaning agent and plenty water, dries all nice and clean. Black won't show any staining that might eventually happen, light color blends with carpet perfectly.
is that the same one as the link i posted? the one i found seems to be more rubber than carpet... your pictures look like more carpet to me. i do see another maxpider product that has classic carpet in the name. is that what you posted above? little confused.
on GLC300 #2, a 2022 CPO purchased b/c I really dislike the X254's UI (GL350 before those)
That second link you just put up is correct, it's Classic Carpet that you want for your Benz. I was forced to choose kagu rubber mats from 3D Maxpider for my new Miata because Classic Carpet was not availablefor that car. It's still a great product, but the Classic Carpet is really much more luxurious seeming than any plastic liner will feel, particularly the industrial plastic hard echoey and cut way too short WeatherTech crap.
Also owner pf 2013 gl550, have no paper manual (old school guy) how do I broadcast music or Sirius from my phone throughout the car (have Harmon Kardon)?
Also owner pf 2013 gl550, have no paper manual (old school guy) how do I broadcast music or Sirius from my phone throughout the car (have Harmon Kardon)?
Thank you
i'm also new to the car, but you'd connect your phone to your car via bluetooth first. and then in the drop down from audio, select bluetooth as your input.
my other cars just start playing music on my phone when i get into my car but i haven't found this auto play feature from gl. not that i always like auto play feature but sometimes it's convenient to have.
You can get a software from BimmerGuru to unlock your infotainment unit so your DVD and navigation address entry would work while in motion. Here's a video on how it works:
yes i have contacted bimmerguru. it is $200. which means not cheap. also my kids can't view front screen very well from back (yet). probably not worth 200.
I happen to like the entertainment system on the head rests because of the convenience. Once I start a movie, I don't have to worry about it for 2hrs. I've also found a few adapters to tie a laptop or tablet to the rear system, use my hotspot, and watch a movie on Amazon prime while on the road. There are other adapters that stream to the headrest screens directly but at a cost of a few hundred dollars.
However, I can understand the ease of a tablet strapped to the back of a headrest (my buddy does this in his Escalade) but I just don't want to forget items like that when stopping in another state to eat at a restaurant or at my final out of town destination. (where's the tablet, did you charge it, the window is broken and the tablets are gone).
Originally Posted by cyclrder
forget the rear entertainment... use ipads.... if they are young kids.. you will forever be pulling over to restart..pause.. setup headphones.. total pain! just Ipad!
the weathertech mats are great.. perfect for beach or snow.. they have snaps that fit right into the oem plugs in the floor. In fact, I think OEM MB mats are rebadged weathertech.
If you want something much nicer.. try the cocomats https://www.cocomats.com/ I got mine in black/silver.. they are very very sharp but expensive.
McGuires is by far the best consumer products out there for cleaning...
Also.. you can Bluetooth audio from your phone once you have setup the Bluetooth phone... I can run Spotify and Pandora all wireless.
Weathertech has by far the best product on the planet. IMO. You can find there matts at your local dealership with the MB logo, or you can purchase on line directly from them. https://www.weathertech.com/mercedes...er-digitalfit/
Hope you find what you are looking for.
I'm thinking of purchasing a 2014-16 GL 550 but the sales guy at MB told me this is the most expensive vehicle MB makes to maintain... any thoughts or comments on this? I just sold my 2014 E63 and that wasn't too bad...Curious to know current GL550 owners thoughts. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I'm thinking of purchasing a 2014-16 GL 550 but the sales guy at MB told me this is the most expensive vehicle MB makes to maintain... Curious to know current GL550 owners thoughts. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Besides consumables, it's been reasonable. Here's what I've had done on my GL550 since new:
20180405 72903 front brake pads
20180212 70501 Svc A
20171212 68279 alignment
20171110 67111 2 rear tires DWS06
20171104 ? front wipers
20170808 63246 rough idle
20170606 60895 detail
20170530 60748 Svc B, front camera, brake fluid, spark plugs
20170417 58453 tire repair
20161125 53599 new tires DWS06
20160915 50869 Svc A, add coolant, B pillar noise
20160823 49988 rearview mirror cowling, rattles
20160602 46352 D pillar rattles, reinstall wiring clip
20160229 40756 suspension pump leak
20160126 ? rear wiper
20160213 40302 Svc B, brake fluid, air filter, console rattle
Maxpider FTW, Weathertech's marketing has most folks fooled.
2nd on personal tablets > rear system.
i bought Maxpider after reading negative feedbacks on weathertech and how it feels cheap rubber and easily get folded/rolled.
i'm very glad that i went with Maxpider as it feels premium softer, yet durable. i still haven't made up my mind about cargo space because i do want to occasionally use 3rd row.
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