Thugs Bunny

Well my search for a W220 may have come to an end. I was looking for either a 2005 S500 or a 2004 S55 and I have made a deal for a 2004 S55 in Philadelphia. The problem is the guys I'm buying from seem a little fly by night. No major red flags but not great confidence either. I think they are just a small dealer trying to get started but they may be a front for the Russian mob in Philly If you don't hear from me by Saturday evening, I was killed by a Russian named Zac The saga begins...

newton22

Get dressed up and pack heat like you mean business. Inspect interior panels of the W220 to confirm none have been used in stashing substances.

Thugs Bunny

I think I'll wear my bullet proof vest and make tactical entry into the dealership

benz_addict

Good luck with the purchase and make sure to post some pics when you get it

Thugs Bunny

I just got back from driving it home and I am PSYCHED!!! This car is awesome! I am now the very proud owner of a 2004 MB S55 AMG with 50K miles and LITERALLY EVERY OPTION AVAILABLE! I wasn't looking for all the options this just came up and worked. It even came with a Verizon V60. So now I just have to clone it for my RAZR. I also found a strange red switch above the rear view mirror and this long cable with a 1/8" stero plug on the end emanating from under ash tray. Turns out the previous owner put in some king of direct to antenna RF module for an iPod. So i was able to listen to my iPod a bit on the way home. That will be changed however to a setup similar to SKYLAWs as the sound quality just wasn't happenin'. Minor problem with the keyless-go in that the RF features aren't working. I'm hoping it's either a dead battery or bad key. That's first on the agenda after a full detail. WHO HOO!! Okay I'm going to sleep.

my06clk

LEt me be the first to congrat you and welcome you to!!
THere is no need to clone the V60. Just buy a v60 bluetooth module from AWS and pair your Razr to it.. 350 bucks.. thats it.

What do you mean the RF features? you mean the windows down windows up feature? or the key doesn; unlock the doors?

4matic

congrats on the purchase...we're all glad you made it back safe lol

whoover

Enjoy the car.
Do you mean IR, not RF? Opening and closing all doors and sunroof? Make sure you're aiming the key at the IR sensor on the driver's door. If it doesn't work it's probably the IR sensor in the handle. They are a very-high failure item.

Skylaw

Congratulations on your car - and on not getting whacked!!

Thugs Bunny

Thanks everybody, it's good be be alive, but it's even better to be alive and driving an S55!

Whoover,
The Rf I was talking about is actually opening the doors and starting the car with keyless-go. To unlock the car I actually have to remove the key from my pocket and press the unlock button. And if that weren't bad enough, in order to start the car I have to put the key in the ignition and turn it!!! Can you believe it! That's it I've decided it's going to the scrap yard. It's been a good run but all good things come to an end. pitty
I'm hoping it's just a dead battery in the key. If not maybe a bad key. Let's not talk about the possibilities after that, I'm still on my new car high

whoover

OK, it's not RF that's broken, but Keyless Go. The unlock button works by RF, which is why you had us a bit confused. My guess is that if that much RF is operational it's not a battery. KG is pretty complicated and the security implications mean that only a dealer will be able to sort it out if it's not.

S500 Man

what you pay for it and any pics?

Thugs Bunny

Okay my mistake. I thought the keyless entry was IR and the keyless-go was RF, thus allowing you to keep it in your pocket. Anyway sounds like it's time for my first trip to the dealer. I'll hold my breath

Thugs Bunny

I'll try to snap some pics here soon.

Thugs Bunny

Okay so here is my first try at posting some pics.

Thugs Bunny

Here are a few more.

Skylaw

That's one solution. However, there may be one that costs a lot less.

The RAZR has notoriously poor reception, and works much better when connected to the car's external antenna. Unfortunately, in your car that means adding something like a SmoothTalker cradle in addition to the Bluetooth puck, so that you can connect to the external antenna. Add another $180 bucks to the cost of the bluetooth puck.

If the phone is original to the car, it's a V60S - a very lucky break. They're around $700 through AWS these days. The V60S is a CDMA phone usable with Verizon only - so if Verizon is your carrier, you're in very good shape. Plus, it's the only E911 capable V60 on the market, so it is still acceptable on Verizon's network. Other V60 models are not. The MB branded V60S integrates perfectly with your COMAND, and it connects to the external antenna - so you get excellent reception and network connectivity. And cloning your RAZR info (number and phone book) to the V60S is only about $10.

I don't see the MB logo on the phone - not important if it has the proprietary MB firmware. Does the phone show on COMAND (even though it might indicate "no service" - or does it shut down when you turn the phone and COMAND on? To work with your car, plug-in phones require Mercedes proprietary firmware. Usually, phones that have this are also Mercedes branded and have the MB logo on the front, but I cannot say this has always been the case. http://www.wireless4mb.com/MB.pdf

When you have your V3 cloned, DO NOT let Verizon make any changes to your basic V60S phone firmware!!!! If it is wiped, you are unlikely to be able to get it restored. The proprietary firmware is one of the reasons it's so expensive. You can update the roaming profile, and probably should; and bring over the phone book and so forth - but DO NOT let then touch or "update" the firmware. Verizon stores do not have the firmware that lets that phone work with your car. Relatively few of their service techs will know this. MB Dealers won't have it either, and AWS won't load it for you.

I go through the same thing with my MB branded V710. "We'll update your firmware while we're at it." "Noooooo!!"

The V60, especially the V60S, is a bit bulky - so is my V710. When I had to carry a cell phone a lot (something I am free of now), I got a family plan and a second phone and number; gave out only one number; and put the phone with that number on "no-answer call forwarding." If I was in my car, I had great reception and integration, and I got my calls. If out of the car, calls came in to the phone I was carrying. I could carry the "latest and greatest" without worrying about integration problems, or carrying a bulky phone - and having to plug it in every time. Something to consider.

Nice car - Distronic, Sirius, AMG - ya got a gem!

AH1W-COBRA

either a dealer or the prior owner really new how to spec a car right when they ordered/built this one.all the accessories that make MB a dream car.it dosent look like the lot monkeys/detailers had the opportunity to blast every electrical component/connector under the hood with high pressure water and then spray armor all on it like they were putting out a fire.it is better when you do it yourself and make it look like brand new.excellent choice.

whoover

It is a V60s. You can see a small bump in the picture at the top of the phone, just below the cradle latch. That's the speakerphone switch. The "s" stands for "speakerphone" and only the V60s has that switch.

Gondon

LOL you sure this is your car and you took the photos? I saw it on Ebay few weeks ago. Your photos are straight from Ebay.

Skylaw

It looks like the same car as the ebay car; and some of the photos were taken in the same neighborhood. But dealers who sell on ebay often photograph their cars in nicer locations than their lots; and even the photos Thugs Bunny posted similar to those on ebay seem to be taken from different angles; some are in a different neighborhood altogether.

Doesn't mean he didn't buy the car.

Thugs Bunny

It is the same car you saw on eBay. I bought it!! Skylaw thanks again for the great info but I was already ahead of you. Got up too early, my brain was caught off guard and actually came up with that idea. Yes the phone is a V60s and yes Verizon was able to activate it in fifteen minutes this morning and yes it now works seamlessly with the car and no I didn't have to pay a penny I don't know what I did to deserve it but I am on a serious good luck streak lately! I'm going to need to create more happiness emoticons. I already had an account with Verizion, and I really don't care what phone I carry as long as it's not a bag phone. So the V60s will be fine for my needs. Let's just hope I never lose it. Thanks again for all the great help and advice. I'm still going to do the Dension system later so I'm sure I'll need more. But for now put this on the record. My car works great, I'm thrilled and all is well. This car still rocks!!

hadam

Thugs Bunny, great car. You did good. Now enjoy it.

Skylaw

All good news, TB! Really glad the V60S worked.

If it's not too much trouble, could you go into your "phone info" menu and let us know what your F/W (firmware) version is? I'm trying to post better information than the "Mercedes proprietary" that AWS lists, so that folks buying from ebay or other sources can check that they're not buying a pig in a poke - an MB-branded phone that has had its firmware replaced (or a non-MB one with the cover plate switched). The firmware version will tell.

The MB proprietary firmware version for the MB-branded V710 is 8700_01.40.0R. It is found by accessing Main Menu>Phone Info>Other Information>S/W Version. Your V60S menus may be somewhat similar, but it could also be labeled "F/W version." It would look something like the V710's version, but with different numbers.

If any contributors reading this could post the MB firmware version designation for the V600 as well, we'd appreciate it.

whoover

I've switched to the Bluetooth puck, but my V60s is working fine. If this will help, mine (which is the MB version and was originally installed in a pre-MHI car but later moved into my 2006) shows:

S/W Version 8610_02.0F.02