miroj

A recent install. Sorry about the quality - it was the second best camera on hand. Pretty much the whole interior and undercarpet was worked on.

StephenK

Someone must really want to see TV bad in the car!

Should have got a handheld dvd player, would have been a lot easier.

miroj

Im just glad he didnt ask for a rear screen

But strangely enough it was all for the sake of one cable that had more arms than an octopus.

carlosfernandez

I don't understand well, he did ALL that disarm of the car for the instalation of a TV on the SL? wao. Did the instalation done good?

miroj

The windscreen has fine copper wires in it. If you INSIST on using the windscreen antennas and not the alternative antennas which are just as good in most cases, then this MUST be done to the car. Why ? Just to remove the front control units for FM to make it FM + TV.

The rear trim must be removed to connect new fuse connections and so on. The TV sits in the rear. On the older version in the left and on the newer version in the right.

The centre console has to be removed no matter what but usually the woodtrim not the frame.

carlosfernandez

Could you put pics of the work done.

miroj

I probably could but I dont think it is something I want to encourage freelance installation unless it is done under the guidance of a Mercedes workshop. It is not simply a matter of dismantling and assembly as there are some very specific parts relating to the country the car is driven in and to the existing equipment already in the car.

- Replacement antennas at the front window ---> FM radio + TV

- Main replacement cable harness with COMAND and TV (also does CD)

- Installation of TV tuner with bracket

- Possible replacement of storage bucket according to TV or BOSE inclusions.

I personally dont feel the need to withold any information. I prefer not to give people any chances to ruin their car. Several dashboard alignments were very time consuming and it is something that can cause pain and misery if you dont know how to reset. A jammed glove box is usually cracked open but with experience it is possible to open it without causing damage.

carlosfernandez

I can't wait to see pics of this TV tuner in action after all this dismantling.

miroj

Works fine ........ if I had failed I dont think I would show it. I would still be there working on it.

carlosfernandez

How long does that kind of work take?

miroj

2 people, 1 day with rest period.

blueSL

At UK labour rates, that would be close to $2000 plus parts plus tax. All the proof anyone needs that if you think you might ever need a TV in your SL, check the box on the order form, much easier to do while the car is being built.

I'm glad that the quality of Oz broadcast TV justifies this level of investment.

Here in the UK, they've just announced that analog TV will soon be switched off in favour of Digital Terrestrial which will mean that the TV tuner in the SL will be useless in a few years time... As we see with things like Sat Radio, the in-car entertainment electronics in cars lags what's happening outside.

miroj

UK labour rates are nothing short of obscene. Luckily we dont have to pay so much anywhere else in the world.

Now that the client has analog TV onboard they are able to apply for the official Mercedes upgrade to digital in a few years time. This digital upgrade uses the antennas already installed and takes advantage of the onboard upgrade.

I think you are assuming that digital = better but in reality the benefit to the client is that now they have more options NOW and in the future.

Incidentally there is no mention as yet of a digital tuner without the initial investment of the analog version. This of course will change in time - by then we will be talking about nightvision and pre-safe on a C-class.

blueSL

Main dealer labour here varies according to where you are, but £80/hour, €115, US $150 plus tax. Hence your two people, 6 hours each, 12 hours total, US $2k. It's what I charge my people out at, so I can hardly complain.

There's no assumption that digital is better, just that it's tough to pick up analogue signals if they're no longer being transmitted. Analogue is actually better in a car environment because when the signal degrades, you just get a noisy picture which is at least still watchable. When digital degrades, the pciture becomes pixellated and freezes.

miroj

Send all your cars to Australia. We dont charge so much.

blueSL

Just as well your maintenance rates are so low after you've paid 60% more for the car in the first place than we do here...

miroj

At that price point ..... the cost of anything is trivial.

carlosfernandez

Hey Miro:

Did you finish the job? I wait for the pics and also others fellow members.

miroj

I dont understand your question. The pics are an indication for what has to be done before the main wiring harness for TV can be installed. Part # 230 540 44 06.

This cable is in the second image draped over the trunk lid. Before and after looks the same. TV button works though.

The concrete bunker where the cars are held shows really terrible image quality. What is the point of that ?

carlosfernandez

I would like to see the command scren with a movie or tv program just to figure out the afterworks result.

miroj

I dont think that was on my mind when we finished. It was time to go home and that is what we did.

blueSL

This is how it works. You drop more money to have a fuzzy 5 inch TV retro-fitted than it costs to have a 42 inch plasma hanging on your wall at home. I am sure miroj did a great job but with so much dismantling, difficult to believe that everything goes back without marred surfaces/something breaking/rattling/screws left over. Where's the sense in that?

miroj

This job was easy. I bagged and labelled every set of screws. Even then about 80% of the screws were the same. Not one broken panel or clip missing.

I dont know why you think that it cant be so, it is true that Mercedes makes the drivers car but also the mechanics car. This type of car truly snaps back together. The glovebox is rather difficult. All the other trims have perfect fit so putting them back is no issue.

I dont really understand why money is the problem here. The customer invested less than 2% percentage of the cars value. The government took around 15% in luxury tax and 10% in sales tax plus 40% in importation duties. Sounds to me like we offer better value.