Hello Friends!
I have just bought a Mercedes SL R230 2008 year and i have some questions. Hopefully you can give me some tips:

- the thing that i least like in my car is the current steering wheel. I would like to change it for something like the steering wheel of the next image:


would it possible with all the old steering wheel options working?

- under the central armrest is the handsfree installation. There is the charger of a Nokia celular but the mobile phone is missing. Can you tell me wich is the particular model of celular that was installed in this model of car?

-in the future maybe i do the front facelift to R231 model. Only the front restyling. I suppose the items what i will need are:
new front bumper
new bonner
new front light
2 front side fenders
Somebody knows where can be bought this body kit in order to restyle the SL500 230 to SL500 R231? is it neccessary widen the car just to restyle from SL500 R230 to SL500 R231 only in the front?

Thanks in advance for your time.
Best regards!

I am not sure all of the buttons would work. That wheel has 10 buttons, which is the newer style, where your will have only 8 buttons. IT might would require some rewiring of the harness so that 8 of those buttons would match the outputs for your wheel's original 8. An easier swap might be with then MY2009 facelift wheel, as it should be plug and play:



What you probably want to buy is a Bluetooth adapter puck. It plugs into the dock there and emulates an old Nokia phone, but pairs with most any modern BT-capable phone. You'll get hands-free calling, but not audio streaming.


I seriously doubt that you can do that. The "frame" on the R231 is totally different.

I have seen in this forum people who changed the front of the R230 for R231....

Really? I haven't noticed that. I do seem to recall someone who changed out with the MY2009+ facelift front end. It required all body panels forward of the front doors. I guess as a project, it might be interesting to accomplish, but price wise, you'd probably be better off trading the car for a later model with the style you like.

Personally, my favorite modern SL front end is the R230 MY2009+ facelift version. The earlier R230 front end is nice, but looks dated now. I do not much care for the R231 front or rear, although the interior is nice. But as they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!

I think the 09+ r230 facelift is what he is referring to b/c you're not going to be able to put the r231 stuff on.

Yes, unless you get an insurance claim that is going to front a bunch of the money you are much better off just buying a newer car. You need hood, fenders, bumpers (the rear bumper is also different on the facelift cars, but that would be optional), headlights, headlight adapters and several brackets to make it work. Plus then all the labor not only to remove/replace everything but to also paint the new stuff you are going to be money behind vs just buying a facelifted car. The resale value will also be better on just buying an 09+ car vs. an older car that was converted.

Thanks in advance for the explanations. Really i had a mistake. The restyling is for 2009 facelift model not R231. Even knowing that it would be a very expensive project, do you know where can be sold this kind of kits?
thanks again

The 3 spoke steering wheel on the pictuer looks great i think

Also the buttons are the same from the first model year of the R230 so do you think that this 3 spoke steering wheel will fit a 2003 and up SL, R230?

I don't see why that wheel could not be used on an earlier model. The only issue might be the wiring connections from the clockspring. I recall a forum member with a W203 who was trying to replace an older wheel with a newer one and ended up having to do a little but of wiring to match the new wheel, even though it had the same buttons.

Somebody jnow tge part number of the wheel of the last picture?

A2304601876 (plus color code 9E38):

https://www.genuinemercedesparts.com...PWxheWVyXzE%3D

Plus you need the airbag:

A2308602302 (plus color code (9E38):

https://www.genuinemercedesparts.com...23086023029e38

Many thanks for the information.
finally, i would need to kno the best opcion for handsfree function. Which is the bluetooth kit above mentioned?
best regards

Mercedes makes a Bluetooth puck, and there are also some aftermarket version by Viseeo. I have no experience with either, so I can't make a recommendation.

If I may chime in...

Am I correct in assuming that no puck is available that will allow music streaming through the COMAND system?

Correct - the Bluetooth puck is for hands-free calling only, not streaming. Do you have the ipod interface? if so, you may be able to by an aftermarket BT adapter for the 30-pin connector.

I do not. In fact I own no things Apple, just a portable MP3 player and USB stick.

I meant does your car have the factory iPod interface. But I understand - I'm no Apple fan, either. They lost me as a customer when they abandoned the iPad 1 with no more O/S updates, then required all their app writers to only support the latest O/S's - not a good way to treat your early adopters. I do have an old click-wheel iPod in the car. It's lasted for quite a while now as I originally bought it for my ML320 to plug into the Ice-Link interface. I don't use it much as I mostly use the music register on COMAND NTG2.5. I don't really do streaming music services. When I find something I like, I download it, copy it to an SD car, then upload from that to e the music register.

So i suppose the best opcion is to buy a old Nokia a make a copy of the SIM card, right?
Thanks in advance.

Rodney,

I don't think it has an I-Pod interface. Where would it be located? There is a connector inside the center console but I thought that was only for the phone dongle.

Patrick

Not in the USA - the compatible Nokia phones are old analog units that won;t work on modern cellular networks.

Patrick, I'm not sure where it might be. I think for NTG2 systems like yours, they routed it into the glove box and it replaced the AUX input. So if you have the AUX input there, and it works, you probably do not have the iPod interface.

Unfortunately, there is no AUX jack or any other connection in the glove box.

So there is no mini jack on the right side of the interior of the glove box? When you you press the AUDIO button on the COMAND, is there not an AUX selection?

Correct.

Strange. I thought all MOST head units had an AUX input.

When i come to think of it, if you change to the newer 3 spoke steering wheel perhaps you will have to change the slip ring behind the steering wheel?