Hello,

I have tried searching for the topic, but I did not get much wiser. Has anyone here tried installing an aftermarket Android touch screen for their R230?
I installed one in my Bentley, and I am so very pleased with it. I have noticed that they are available for sale on AliExpress for the R230 as well, but I am curious if anyone here has attempted the installation? The majority of the ads seem to say for just the 2001-2007 model year?
Something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004231486597.html

 

There's quite a few threads regarding this kind of thing.

There's a couple of issues to deal with when you remove the factory COMAND unit and replace with an aftermarket audio system.. But they can be resolved. As usual, all you need is money.....

1)An aftermarket head unit from the usual brands (Kenwood, Pioneer, etc.) can be used, but you'll need adapter systems to interface to the factory amplifier/speaker system and steering wheel controls to make it work. One of the top brands for these adapters is Metra/Axxess Integrate.

2)The factory radio antenna system is a relatively complicated diversity+amplified system and doesn't work well with aftermarket head units. Your best bet for good radio reception with an aftermarket head unit is to abandon the factory radio antenna and install a new one.

3)If you have the Bose audio option, you may find the sound quality with an aftermarket head unit is less than audiophile grade. This is because the Bose system uses a specifically tailored EQ curve along with speakers and amplifiers that are lower impedance than typical. You lose that specialized EQ when you replace the COMAND unit, and the low impedance of the amps and speakers doesn't play well with normal aftermarket head units. It'll still work, you'll still get audio and it won't be horrible, but if you're picky about sound quality you may be dissatisfied. To fix this, you have to abandon the factory amps and speakers and replace with aftermarket components.

I've got a Pioneer head unit in my car and my steering wheel controls work fine. It was already there when I bought the car so I don't know which adapter systems were used. It has an aftermarket antenna that's a lot like this one stuck to the inside of the windshield at the top of the passenger side. Works well, but it's a bit uglier than I'd like so I'm going to try replacing it with one that can be more well hidden . I do have the Bose option and audio quality is just OK, but I'm very picky. I'll be digging into the system soon, likely replacing speakers and amplifiers and devising a subwoofer system that is fully hidden and works well even with the top down.

There is an aftermarket unit from Seicane that is advertised as a plug-and-play replacement for the factory COMAND unit, but there have been varying levels of success reported........... a lot of early reports of problems, but it might be that the manufacturer has resolved issues with the unit over time. Try a search on this forum for "Seicane" and see what you think. Also try searching for aftermarket brand names like Kenwood, Pioneer, Metra, etc. and you'll get some results about specific installations.

 

brucewane, I've read a number of threads/posts on this subject over the years but I'd have to say that your post was the best summary of the issues I've come across so far. I'm not looking to change my COMAND as I prefer the OEM unit, however I enjoyed your post.

 

I would be interested to see what you do about a sub woofer. I have a kenwood installed but needs a sub. It had a big box sub in the rear behind the seat but didnt like the looks so i removed it.

 

My plan right now is to have a look at the factory subwoofer housing/cabinet to see if I can modify it for use with an aftermarket driver. Looking at pictures of the factory unit online, I can see that it is a vented enclosure so the first modification will likely be to close those vents so I can use it a a sealed enclosure. Vented enclosures are the preferred choice IF and ONLY IF they are properly tuned to the specific driver. Using an improperly tuned vented enclosure is a sure path to poor performance and often a blown driver due to over-excursion. A sealed enclosure won't perform as well as a properly designed vented enclosure; it won't go as deep and it'll have slightly lower overall output. But sealed enclosures are much more forgiving; you can be a lot more flexible as far as box size, you'll still get pretty good bass, and you're far less likely to blow the driver due to over-excursion. Since the factory enclosure is a pretty complex shape and has equally complex port paths, I don't know that I can accurately calculate the box tuning; for this reason it'll be a surer path to decent performance to convert it to a sealed enclosure. For typical car audio subwoofers, vented enclosures need to have a volume of at least 1 cubic foot/28 litres; Mercedes specs say the factory Bose sub enclosure is about a third of that (10 litres), so it's not likely it can be re-purposed as a vented enclosure for any aftermarket driver.

Over the weekend I had my console apart to install the updated/improved metal shift lock lever and also went ahead and pulled my head unit to see how it's hooked up. Found a rat's nest of messy wiring with wads of unraveled electrical tape and residual goo everywhere, just a big sticky mess.

A note to anyone setting out on DIY audio - electrical tape is TEMPORARY, it is NEVER your final solution for insulating wires/connections. It will ALWAYS loosen over time and leave behind a gooey mess. Use electrical tape if you need to test for correct wiring before committing to permanent connections, but ALWAYS go back and make your permanent connections with heat shrink butt connectors like these.

Anyway, I found that there were wires hooked up to both the preamp outputs and the speaker outputs. Makes no sense, right? So with the console already open I took apart the rear paneling/storage compartment area and found no factory amplifier or audio gateway, but instead a JL Audio XD600/6 power amp. Power amp is connected to the head unit preamp outs as well as the factory speaker wires, as well as nice big JL Audio hot and ground cables, but the hot cable is not connected to power (I previously found the other end of this cable unconnected in the trunk)...... looked at the wiring at the head unit again and figured out that the XD600/6 and the factory speaker wiring were apparently abandoned for some reason and new wires were run from the head unit speaker outs to the factory speakers (looks like the factory subwoofer is not currently functional all). The XD600/6 is set up to 5 channel operation, so my guess is that one upon a time the car had aftermarket speakers that were swapped back out for the factory units when the car was traded, but the XD600/6 was not operating with the Bose speakers because of low impedance issues so the speakers were hastily connected to the head unit speaker outs instead because it basically works. Doesn't sound great, but it does sound OK-ish, fairly loud but sound quality is a little weird/harsh/stiff sounding. Hard to describe, there seems to be decent bass but it's somehow lacking fullness. Could also be that the XD600/6 is dead, but I can't imagine why it would be left in place if that were the case. Next step is to disconnect wires from the XD600/6 speaker outputs and hook it up to power. see if it even lights up.

 

I'd like to read your comment on that original sub woofer, once it's connected as it should. My 100% NTG1 setup is far from spectacular but it does the job without a glitch. Drove on the highway with windows and wind breaker down yesterday and the sound stood up against other cars and truck(-tires) very well. That's what it does - deliver the message without struggle.
On a side note- as trucks have become much quieter it's their tires now that produce most of the noise at speed. Especially so under heavy load. No joy driving alongside one at 100 kph.