mhaskelo

Can an ipod be hooked up w/o dealer install kit?If so what shows up in dash? What controls work for ipod(ie steering, radio)?What kind of cord do I need...t
Don't want to buy ipod if I'm stuck having to buy dealer install....thanks!!

sosh

I believe if you use the aux jack in the glove box without the MB kit no car controls will work except the volume, nothing will show up on the dash and the Ipod will not charge. Why are you so against doing it right?? I do not have one in my ML but do in my E Class and its great. May do it in my ML.

C43AMG

Harmon Kardon came out with a new system for Ipod called "Drive & Play".You may want to look into it.

sosh

Not compatable with the MB systems. some features may work but not all.

C43AMG

How come ?

whynot

The AUX. plug in the glove box basically turns your car speakers in to earphones. Any playing device that has an earphone jack can pluged up using a 3.5mm "jack" cable. Sosh may be right about the HK drive & Play, but I see no reason for it not to work. I was checking the diagram for the HK device and it looks like it would work fine. It uses the base as a C.U to connect wirelessly to the screen and controls. The base does all the work involed with the IPOD and then just sends the audio through the AUX. plug to the speakers. If your ML does not have the AUX. plug, the HK kit has a built in FM transmitter so it can feed sound through radio with the use of a clear FM station( sometime this can be a pain as the airways don't always stay clear). It has a option to wire a FM transmitter in, but I don't recommend this on the ML. The one down side I see is the the HK systen has to be plugged into the 12volt outlet to power it's self, but maybe this is a sign that it may power the IPOD also.

benzmodz

Holy cow. Precisely what is the reason why the Mercedes kit wouldnt work ?

I am willing to take a wager with any person here that the original MB iPOD kit takes no more than 15 minutes to install, 4 minutes to code, works first time and gives none of these headaches.

sosh

The button controls on the wheel do not work with the HK kit and some people have had volume level problems in other types of cars. The MB kit for the Ipod was designed partially by HK/Apple and MB to overcome these problems with the HK kit. This was told me by an upscale audio shop owner who is an engineer and confirmed by MB. Don't believe me just buy one and try it!!

firstmbml350

MB IPod kit is quite impressive, I have seen kits available in Volvo/BMW and they do not offer the integration capabilities as offered by MB.

There is a bit of learning curve in getting used to control IPod via steering wheel controls, but once you are comfortable it is very very convenient.

Since I got the IPod integration kit installed, I have not used CD Changer even once. Do not waste your time/money in other kits , just go and get MB kit installated, you will not regret. IMHO

sosh

Agreed!!!

mhaskelo

Thanks all.....I guess I need to buy the kit from MB. Great advice as always. Happy holidays.

sosh

You might be right on the coding time but way off on the install time. Took over 4 hours in my E Class. Do not have one in my ML but I am told install is at least 2 hours.

benzmodz

You making a wager ... I could use a free ticket to Hong Kong.

The complete head unit replacement took all of about 4 minutes. Add another 8 minutes for careful step drill operation and the rest is just to clean up and assemble.

Please refer back to my COMAND photos. ...

https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/120870-w164-ml-euro-navigation-retrofit-thanks-steve-parts.html

You will note that the space behind the ML radio or COMAND is huge and that the glovebox is right there. I suppose one needs to take 2 hours to make it look hard and charge more.

mbbodytech

The descrepancy in install times between the ML and and E is due to the fact that the interface "box" is installed in the trunk area in the E, whereas in the ML it's behind the head unit.

That would certainly explain the difference in times, however you can always count on a dealer taking advantage of it's customers!

benzmodz

The ML and E have the box in the same locations. The E has a power cable, relay and fuse for the iPOD kit plus it also has to reach the audio gateway under the left trunk hinge.

The ML has all of the required connections behind the radio or COMAND unit. There is no need to do anything radical to get the install done.

The control box for the E goes under the dashboard. Since there is a really close CAN connection point there and the CAN cable is only 15cm long, just enough to reach the mounting point on the under-dash panel.

DMXtremeZ

Is the MB unit an aux input... or something different? I'm interested in something similar to an "icelink" where you can plug in your ipod and view the songs playing on the COMAND unit and control playlists, change songs through the steering wheel or headunit.

And for those with video ipods - I'd also be interested in something that plugs through the NAV computer and taps into the video input (I believe in Europe, NAV can come with a TV tuner) so you can watch movies/video on your NAV screen. eAs just came out with a video module, and I know someone was able to wire a pioneer amp/video input and made this work. These setups can be pricey though. I was wondering if anyone has this, or is planning on doing something similar to this?

benzmodz

That is like a dozen questions. What are you trying to say here ?

In the middle of 2006 there will be a video iPOD version of the iPOD interface. This will be over the MOST OPTICAL BUS not the AUX IN port so it will have more functions.

This unit will satisfy all Mercedes models and all Jaguar, BMW versions.

DCApilot

I had the MB iPod kid installed about 2 weeks ago and it's working great. Cost for the kit and dealer installation was about $760. Dealer said it was a standard job (2.0 hours) but it normally takes longer. It came with a low-quality glove box carrier to hold the iPod while it's connected to the car audio system. Also, the dealer left just enough cord to be able to physically connect the iPod. Part of the installation also removed my AUX connection in the glovebox. They gave the AUX cord back to me, although I'm not sure I'll ever use it.

Using the iPod via the steering wheel controls is great, although as stated earlier, takes a bit of learning. Sound is incredible and sure makes investing time in play list development worth it. I think it was a great investment.

jcr22042

Buy the Belkin TuneDock, which fits in the cupholder and has a "arm" which holds the ipod, nicely angled towards the driver. Connect the ipod to the aux input, and you have great sound quality, the ipod is easy to see and use, and you still have the other cupholder for drinks. By the way, the cord fits perfectly in the gap of center console/dash over to the glove compartment and is barely visable, the door of the glove compartment stays closed, and any slack in the cord can be tucked in the map pocket below the glove compartment.

mhaskelo

....and that is what i did....fits nicely in cup holder....i use plug in rear(out of sight).I could not bear the thought of my dash being taken apart by the idiots in our dealership. My last 2 MLs were rattle traps. This vehicle is so quiet...wanted it to stay that way.