Bluetooth woe
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
S320cdi 2009
Bluetooth woe
Hello everyone,
This is my first post so if I need to do any introductions I apologise in advance. I have very recently bought the car I’ve always wanted - a W221 S320cdi (I wanted the S500, however fuel just keeps going up and up in this country and road tax is hideously expensive on petrol models too). It’s a 2009 model, so pre-facelift and I have come from a 2001 W220 S500L which was a lovely car and I loved every second of driving it around for seven years and it never once let me down but I just felt the time was right to upgrade. I simply cannot believe the difference in the quality of everything in comparison! The W221 is on a completely different level! I am a VERY happy chap! There’s just a tiny fly in the ointment though: I can’t get my phone to pair with Comand, I’ve tried everything, there’s a cradle in the stowage compartment but my iPhone won’t seem to pair. Comand does all the searches and comes up with devices but my phone doesn’t see it. Is there something I’m missing here? Thanks in advance.
This is my first post so if I need to do any introductions I apologise in advance. I have very recently bought the car I’ve always wanted - a W221 S320cdi (I wanted the S500, however fuel just keeps going up and up in this country and road tax is hideously expensive on petrol models too). It’s a 2009 model, so pre-facelift and I have come from a 2001 W220 S500L which was a lovely car and I loved every second of driving it around for seven years and it never once let me down but I just felt the time was right to upgrade. I simply cannot believe the difference in the quality of everything in comparison! The W221 is on a completely different level! I am a VERY happy chap! There’s just a tiny fly in the ointment though: I can’t get my phone to pair with Comand, I’ve tried everything, there’s a cradle in the stowage compartment but my iPhone won’t seem to pair. Comand does all the searches and comes up with devices but my phone doesn’t see it. Is there something I’m missing here? Thanks in advance.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,322
Likes: 1,678
S500
the bluetooth in pre facelift cars is NOT for the connection of a mobile phone - it can't function - it was ONLY for a proprietary dumb BT handset to talk to the UHI
if you have the UHI socket in the centre armrest you can clip in a viseeo MB3, 4, or 4+ (with dip switch settings set as per an NTG4 set up)
or one of the Merc ones - multiple iterations old cheap ones have lesser firmware and its never been updatable
if you have the UHI socket in the centre armrest you can clip in a viseeo MB3, 4, or 4+ (with dip switch settings set as per an NTG4 set up)
or one of the Merc ones - multiple iterations old cheap ones have lesser firmware and its never been updatable
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,322
Likes: 1,678
S500
goodness the viseeo ones go for stupid money
this is a sensible price for a new merc one - but they are really early ones and might play up on later phones
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/396771304166?
4 years newer
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135786900659?
later and cheap
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146719859870?
DO NOT get the funkier looking SAP iterations - it will be painful
this is a sensible price for a new merc one - but they are really early ones and might play up on later phones
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/396771304166?
4 years newer
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135786900659?
later and cheap
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146719859870?
DO NOT get the funkier looking SAP iterations - it will be painful
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
S320cdi 2009
the bluetooth in pre facelift cars is NOT for the connection of a mobile phone - it can't function - it was ONLY for a proprietary dumb BT handset to talk to the UHI
if you have the UHI socket in the centre armrest you can clip in a viseeo MB3, 4, or 4+ (with dip switch settings set as per an NTG4 set up)
or one of the Merc ones - multiple iterations old cheap ones have lesser firmware and its never been updatable
if you have the UHI socket in the centre armrest you can clip in a viseeo MB3, 4, or 4+ (with dip switch settings set as per an NTG4 set up)
or one of the Merc ones - multiple iterations old cheap ones have lesser firmware and its never been updatable
I have the cradle in the centre arm rest and it does say UHI on my phone after a search but it won’t connect. Do I have to remove the cradle to get to the UHI socket?
