rdolce

I recently purchased a 2013 SL550 and would like to install CarPlay. My research has shown the following options:
1. USB adapter
2. Plug in under dash
3. Replace car radio
My mechanic said that the cleanest approach is to replace the car radio. I called Best Buy and a few after market audio shops and none of them have a conversion kit for the SL550.

Can anybody out there share some insight on how to install apple carplay on a 2013 SL550.
THX,
Bob

thethunderbird

Hi Bob,

I've done a ton of research into this over the years, so I'll try to summarize the important bits of what I know.

It used to be that cars would have a "radio" or stereo system, sometimes single or double DIN. You could simply swap the factory radio with a new radio and the only interfacing you would need to do was between your new radio and the audio system, which could almost always be completed with a simple wiring harness. In modern cars, the audio system is fully integrated with a wide variety of other vehicle systems, from steering wheel controls to climate controls to seat massagers.

In modern Mercedes-Benz models (like your 2013 SL550) the COMAND system is the system that handles all of these functions. The option you mentioned above to “replace car radio” would involve either abandoning all/most of the functions of your car, or coming up with a new custom system to replace all of that functionality. The latter would take years of reverse engineering and lots of money to develop, and there aren’t millions of SL buyers looking to shell out thousands on essentially a new version of COMAND.


CarPlay runs on the phone itself, with the headunit outputting the display and any CAN inputs, and inputting touch and car data from CAN. Cars that retail with CarPlay have had their COMAND hardware and software specifically designed to be able to input and output the correct signals to the phone over a USB interface. Since the hardware and software of your COMAND system are not designed for this, there is no such thing as a simple USB adapter to enable CarPlay for your car.

Now, onto the options that do exist: video mirroring, a CarPlay “box” or a screen replacement.

Video mirroring is not something I would recommend. Essentially, it just uses the video auxillary input on the COMAND system to “mirror” the display of another device. This is a one way video input. There is no way to input/control the phone with either the screen or the vehicle controls. All it would let you do is to see your phone screen on your headunit accessed via the video auxillary input option.


The second option is worth considering if you want to keep the interior looking 100% stock. It is a CarPlay “box” made by some Chinese manufacturers. Basically what it does is it acts as a middleman between your phone and the COMAND system, translating output from your phone for your headunit and inputs from your COMAND system to your phone. Your normal wheel that controls COMAND controls CarPlay (no touch, obviously). It requires some dash disassembly to install and costs a few hundred dollars. You’ll find one example by Googling “Unichip Smartauto Apple Carplay Box”.

The third option is what I’m considering when I have some project time. This option replaces the factory screen with an Android tablet. The Android tablet interfaces with COMAND to act as a new display for the existing COMAND system. It also reads the COMAND inputs for other parts of the Android system, allowing you to control the tablet with the wheel/buttons as well as with the typical tablet touch interface. Additionally, the tablet itself will act as a host for CarPlay and Android Auto, allowing you to connect your phone over USB. You can also run other apps and you get a larger, more modern-looking screen in your car. Learn more about these by Googling “Mercedes Android Screen” or searching “Android 10.25 Screen Unit” here on MBWorld.

The downsides to the third option are that these products are very new, can be difficult to install and setup, and can be buggy. Support is limited, as these are all aftermarket Chinese products that I believe all come from the same factory. There is very little support for these units, so best to buy from Carlife-mall or CKM Car Design as they will at least warranty their sales and provide some remote customer support.

For any of these solutions, you will need to run a USB cable somewhere to plug into your phone.

eddieo45

what about THIS?

thethunderbird

This is basically a hybrid between a video mirroring option and the second option I listed above. This requires your COMAND system to have Video Auxillary in, which I believe is an option.

I would go with the second option over this. It's about the same price and retains the factory COMAND wheel control for CarPlay instead of adding that additional controller that will need to be mounted somewhere.

Wolfman

That should be the best option. Love to see somebody install it. I believe that another member in the W222 tried and failed. He eventually went o use an iPad. Not sure what the reasons were for abandon the CarPlay option...
https://mbworld.org/forums/new-s-cla...w222-90-a.html

thethunderbird

I feel like that's a pretty janky setup compared to either the box or the screen replacement (and he explains why). If you just want the cheapest possible option, it seems like this is it. For me, spending a few hundred dollars to get a nice OEM-looking and working setup is worth it.