akbro93704

does anybody here have the hands free phone w/ VCS system in your ML??does it work well?? my dad is having it installed today/tomorrow in his '03 ML55...it's going to be about $2500 overall w/ 5 hours of labor, the phone itself, and installation...is that a good price??it seems ridiculous to me, although our service manager is going to try and give us a "good price" on it....any feedback is appreciated!thanks!

pointman

that is way WAY overpriced. should be about 1200. what system are you installing?

akbro93704

the price includes the 5 hours of labor, the system itself, and the cell phone...hopefully, he will give us a better price than the original 2500

pointman

what cell phone??? that makes the difference cause everything else shouldnt really top out over 1400.

akbro93704

the hands free communication system IS a phone, that's what the system is all about...Mercedes dealers have Motorola cell phones that dock into the center console armrest compartment, downloads your contacts(phone numbers) into the MCS, and charges there too. The hands free part is that you can talk through your sound system without using your hands, and VCS is where you can say who you want to call and it will call it. According to MBUSA, the hands free communication system w/ VCS is $2,045. So plus labor, it probably would be around 2500, even though that's still ridiculous....

pointman

I understand that. but you are saying that the price is inclusive of the phone. so your definition of phone is the kit? in that case, yes... it is definitely overpriced.

gmallory

My 1999 came with one and by the time I bought the car in 2001, the analog phone was obsolete for U.S. cellular providers.

I was working on a project in Central Mexico several months later and had the phone activated there. I loved it and found it very safe and useful. There is no way that I would pay thousands of dollars to upgrade it to a digital model. I bought one of those Jabra wireless earpieces instead and it works fine.

pointman

just buy a bluetooth phone, and get the new bluetooth car kit from verizon. its great, cheap, and installs really easy.

saturnstyl

Installing a phone in an ML is a PITA. 5 hours is correct at my dealer also. You have to pull the radio, glovebox, passenger underdash and right front seat out, along with pulling out the entire center console. Getting the amplifier in to the dash is an adventure itself, then you have to contend with trying to hook up the handset cord and reinstall the center console storage box. It aint fun. Nobody at my dealer will even bother screwing with them anymore except me. I have done lots, and got good at it!
Once I saw an ML phone install literally bring a man to tears. It was quite funny in hindsight. Dude was so frustrated after spending hours to install it and still couldn't get it in..... I'll teach them to steal my work!!! :v

akbro93704

wow! that is a ton of work, no wonder they charge so much....if you dont mind me asking, how much does your dealer charge, total(installation,labor,cell phone)?? thanks!

Noscyr

Don't know if it's true but FYI, I read somewhere that the caller ID is displayed on the MCS only after you picked up the call. Can someone confirm if it's true or not?

saturnstyl

AKBRO, 5 hours labor to install.
Don't know about the caller ID thing.....

akbro93704

we just got the car back today....im pretty sure that the caller ID is only displayed on the MCS if you have entered the number into your address book....no caller ID otherwise(which sucks), at least that's what I have experienced so far. Otherwise, so far the voice recognition works flawlessly, it understands what you say very easily, and the calls come in very clear. The only bad thing is that the Motorola V60i cell phone has dated technology, meaning no SIM card(so you have to enter all of your contacts manually, rather than just switching the SIM card from your old phone and automatically putting all your contacts on your new phone), and also, no new technology GSM networking. I hear that Mercedes is upgrading the cell phones to newer ones in a few months....will we be able to get the new one once it comes out without any problems??thanks!
PS- Mercedes Benz of Fresno had two new SLK350's, one launch edition and one standard model Iridium silver/black w/ heating package,auto transmission, and premium package...I sat in the Iridium silver one, and wow, the interior feels very solid(meaning no creaking, giving in when various interior panels are pressed, buttons that dont squirm around when pressed). The car also looks very good in person, and the standard wheels look bigger and better in person than in pictures...