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I'm new here, but I have read posts for a couple of hours, and I haven't found any with exactly my predicament / situation.
I recently became the proud owner of a 2009 S550V, and I wanted to add Bluetooth audio streaming from iPhone 6 Plus. The car has an old-school IPOD adapter connection in the glove box, so I thought I was halfway there.
I ordered a WMA1000 from Amazon, connected it, and paired it effortlessly.
What I'm left with is this:
The source selections under Audio menu in COMMAND are:
The firmware version is:
Current state:
Music plays from iPhone (my music) as expected.
I have no display of what's playing on the center Command screen.
The song info is displayed on the Instrument cluster in the center of the speedometer.
There's no control of the music (pause, stop, change) via any of the car's controls (steering-wheel buttons, COMMAND controller). Mute works, of course.
If I press the Home/touch ID sensor button on the iPhone, the music is interrupted, but Siri can't hear. Even if I turn COMMAND off, she can't hear.
Questions:
What is the latest firmware update from Viseeo? When I look at their website, I see that 3.23 is available. Seems to me that 3.2.4 is more recent...
Is there a COMMAND update I'm lacking that would add the music-control functionality? A Media choice?
What's the best I can expect with Siri integration? Clearly I can't fumble with disabling Bluetooth every time I want Siri to respond.
Any ideas?
If I can't improve from what I have, a $700 head unit replacement doesn't sound as bad as it might.
The functionality on 07-09 cars is very limited as you described. I'm not aware of a work around unfortunately. HU swap would be tough given the degree of integration.
Thanks, Mike, for your prompt and forthright reply. I read your posts on your WordPress site, and obviously you're an expert.
I'm left with one question: is the reason that I don't have IPOD integration (COMMAND song display, track control) because my car is a 2009, which doesn't support that? Is my IPOD connector just connected as some kind of dumb AUX input? (I was a bit encouraged because I do see the track info on the center display in the instrument cluster...) Is there anything I can do about that?
If it's as good as it can get, I'll let it go. I don't think there's any reason to keep the WMA1000, though, because wirelessly streamed AUX audio without control is not worth the inconvenience of disabling Siri. It is disappointing that there really are no solutions, even if I were willing to spend $$$.
Yeah, I think what you're bumping up against is inherent to the pre facelift (07-09) cars. But if money isn't an issue you could always trade for a 2010
Thanks, Mike, for your prompt and forthright reply. I read your posts on your WordPress site, and obviously you're an expert.
I'm left with one question: is the reason that I don't have IPOD integration (COMMAND song display, track control) because my car is a 2009, which doesn't support that? Is my IPOD connector just connected as some kind of dumb AUX input? (I was a bit encouraged because I do see the track info on the center display in the instrument cluster...) Is there anything I can do about that?
If it's as good as it can get, I'll let it go. I don't think there's any reason to keep the WMA1000, though, because wirelessly streamed AUX audio without control is not worth the inconvenience of disabling Siri. It is disappointing that there really are no solutions, even if I were willing to spend $$$.
Any further thoughts?
--Rob
This system is a somewhat carryover from the 2005 integration, which is one if the first methods that can be used to integrated the iPod into a vehicle. The COMAND was introduced in late 2003 in the US, so it was clearly developed before that, so true iPod integration would have been an impossible task. A module connected to the CAN bus and audio piped into the AUX of whatever head unit that's in the car was doable. This was the only option that were offered in 2007 in the W221, although the MMI interface was offered soon after in the W204. You do have steering wheel controls, and decent audio (compared to the W211, which had background hissing). Not sure exactly what you were expecting for the amount of money the Tune2Air costs, but if you are looking for streaming, it is a good solution at a good price.
I'm not aware of an aftermarket BT/Aux In/IPod module for the 07-09 221, but the question comes up a lot so post a link if you know of one.
There was a module by MoBridge that worked on post facelift W220 (04-06) and allowed you to bypass the factory CD changer in the trunk and replace it on the MOST ring:
I've installed two of them, in my 04 and 06 W220s. Audio was absolutely perfect (digital via fiber optic, no hiss) but you had to use the CD Changer controls on the HU to navigate the IPod so it was a little clunky. (I just used the streaming BT function and a mount for my iPhone). If you were hard docked you could use steering wheel controls to skip tracks, and COMAND to search by title/album/artist/genre etc. On BT, the steering wheel controls still skipped tracks.
They were also expensive at $700 but they did get you BT/Aux/IPod. There was no option (or requirement) for CAN bus integration.
Unfortunately they didn't develop one for the W221. But even an imperfect solution would be better than nothing.
Last edited by Mike5215; Jun 19, 2016 at 11:25 AM.
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