When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I haven't seen this unit much in these forums. An occasional mention here and there but not much, which I kind of find surprising.
I bought this unit for my daughters 2013 E350, which is a replacement for the 2011 E350 we sold her a few months ago. Literally 3 days after we sold it to her, a large truck bumped her on the freeway in a rainstorm, which spun her around into a wall. So, she replaced it with a model two years newer.
As some of you know, that opened up options on the carplay unit going from the 2011 NTG 4.0 to the 2013 NTG 4.5.
I had a lot of trouble installing it, but finally got in done and working. Well, mostly working. Occasionally, the factory backup camera either wouldn't work, or it would cause the unit to not display carplay & android auto. I'm still certain it was fixable, but the support was great until it wasn't great. Eventually, if you ask too many questions, they just stop responding to you. Whether it is phone, chat, or email. When they're done, well, they're done. So, I just shut that off and pretended it didn't work.
My daughter didn't have it long, but she complained about the sound. Like most of the other units it used the AUX input, and she complained about the lack of bass. I guess I'm not an audiophile because it never bothered me.
Anyhow, on the new car, I bought this mr12volt, primarily because they used the most bus and claimed the sound quality was better.
I got it on a Mothers day sale at 399 plus 15 bucks shipping. It's on sale now too.
It turned out really nicely. There are a few advantages I see over this unit, and the Kremersino & Roadtop units I've seen reviewed.
1. Uses the MOST bus for sound. I have to agree with my daughter. The bass is better. Not a huge difference to me, but there is to her.
2. Starts up automatically. Since it uses the TV input on the video menu, carplay and android auto start up when the car starts up. To me this is worth redoing an install...
3. These two things make it almost factory.
4. No programming. I literally held down the clr button and the back button simultaneously and it programmed the TV function. No engineering menu. No checking and rechecking when you don't have sound, etc.
5. Fewer cables made the install and the inevitable hiding cables exercise easier. The unit is sitting inside the plastic tray under the glovebox as shown in the video. I may take the glovebox down at some point and hide it in the side of the center console the way the guy in the Bucks Garage video did it (his install video was great, BTW), but it is good enough for now.
I have no affiliation with these mr12volt guys, but today I'm a happy customer. My daughter and her husband are thrilled and that's good enough for me. I did ask a "prebuy" question which got a snarky answer of (yes, your question was answered in our FAQ). Honestly, I never looked. But still, it was snarky, so I don't know if support would've been better than what I got with ******* or not. I'll tell you that the ******* guy knows everything there is to know about these units, but he's (IMHO) a jerk. In his defense I'm not the smartest guy in the room, and I did ask a lot of questions.
Hope this helps someone. Give it a try. If I had installed either the Kremersino or Roadtop unit, I'd pull it out for this one, just for having it auto start up when I hit the ignition, but that's me.
Main features : Touch screen, 1920*720 HD screen resolution Wired/wireless CarPlay, Wired /Wireless Android Auto
Bluetooth audio output, the sound quality is perfect Support aftermarket backup camera (optional) and OEM backup camera Screen mirror link (Airplay / Autolink) Built-in Microphone (for phone calls) Compatible with all original OEM features. Contains steering wheel buttons, knobs, parking sensors, cameras, and more. Plug and play, no coding. link ：https://carlinklife.com/products/mer...x-touch-screen Enjoy $30 OFF + Worldwide Free shipping ! (USE CODE: mbworld ) Only for mbworld forum members!
Last edited by Carlinklife; 06-17-2024 at 07:09 AM.
I know you're a sponsor and am grateful for your participation here.
The "non factory" look just isn't for me, regardless of the functionality.
This screen is appealing to me with regard to my 18 GLE. Not necessarily the 12.3, but maybe your 10.25. The features I'd want for that car are touchscreen and wireless carplay/android auto. As you know it supports wired carplay/android auto. A touch screen would be useful in that car.
I see the unit you currently offer for the GLE. I bought a wireless adapter that "works most of the time" for about $50 bucks. It could be better but it was cheap. Usually on longer drives I use the wired feature to keep the phone charged. Also, no idea of your products screen quality, but I wouldn't want it to wash out in direct sunlight, nor blind me with night driving.
For this W212, if you offered a direct 7 in screen replacement of the factory screen, I might have been a buyer for that, but I think the features I posted in my original post are a great value for my use case.
06-16-2024, 08:09 PM
