housclass

for the life of me, i can't figure out how to scroll between radio presets in the multifunction display that's controlled using the steering wheel controls.

is it possible? ...if so, how the hell do i get it done?? currently it goes from the current station to the next station it receives.

thanks in advance for your help!

john

Vetluver

I don't think you can do it. I would highly recommend getting Sirius then you can scroll to your heart's content. Quality is much better and no talk unless you want it. I haven't listened to FM since getting Sirius added.

Can Drive 55

Vetluver

That is good news to me. I have Sirius in my car that is on order. I am aware that the steering wheel buttons will seek only on AM & FM, but I haven't talked to anyone who has Sirius experience. So, you can really scroll through the Sirius pre-sets using the buttons on the wheel? If so, good. Thanks.

housclass

thanks vetluver...that's what i thought...my S-class would!!

if that's that the case, i need to get the sat. radio!!!

thanks!

john

Vetluver

MY only gripe about Sirius in the MB is that you can't change stations with voice activation module. I would expect that eventually they'll make it interface with dealer installed Sirius but since it's a new item it doesn't. Electronic gadgets are not MB long suite.

Vetluver

Sorry guys and girls, I steered you all wrong. Today I started playing with the scrolling buttons and realized that I do scroll to several stations on Sirius but they are all next to each other on the same list. They won't scroll thru the programmed stations. You have to push the buttons on the telephone pad.

Fast55

That's one thing I really like about my W210 E55. You have the choice of seeking the next station, or seeking the next preset. I can't for the life of me understand why they dropped that on the W211's???

BklynMarc

This is frustrating because, from what I recall, you can't jump to the next song on a CD/MP3 or the CD changer either with these buttons. This then begs the question, "what good are these two buttons?" During normal usage, I find it hard to believe that people normally scan from radio station to radio station. I wonder why Mercedes would opt for this obsolete functionality.

housclass

guess if we wanted to scroll from preset to preset using the steering wheel, we could have paid an additional $30k for the S55...NOT!!

my old '01 S500 would and it was a complete surprise to find out it will only do a seek function with the new E...oh well...the power makes up for it!!

john

Fast55

I know! Makes as 'bout as much sense as a screen door on a submarine! I thought this was a mistake when I first heard it. I'm keeping the W210 E55 and when the E63 has the "problem" corrected I'll get one of those too.

darylhuff

Just took delivery on my wife's 2005 E-55 and one of the options we ordered was the Sirius Satellite Radio. When we arrived at the dealership we were DISMAYED to discover the Sirius "antennae" is a black box that they bolt on top of the trunk at the factory. When we questioned the salesperson, he mumbled something about anywhere else they had tried placing it, there had been major problems with very poor reception. Had we known, we definitely would not have ordered Sirius. Blows the sleek line but guess there's nothing we can do about it now.

We have not found a way to scan through the presets which seems like a whoops omission.

Finally, be aware that the satellite cuts out quite a bit just driving through shady or tree-lined streets. Seems like a small buffer would have made a lot of sense.

Can Drive 55

Daryl

If you think that antenna looks bad, you should have seen the antenna that came on my Lexus LS430. It was a big black square piece of plastic that was stuck on the trunk with a wire coming out of it that was routed around the trunk lid and wrapped on the hinge. It looked bad. I had it moved to the package tray. It looked better, but was still not up to lux car standards. There was a buffer of some sort in the radio. It was supposed to have been 4 seconds. The radio cut out under some bridges and not under others. The length of the bridge was not a factor. It must have been the type of construction material used in the bridge. Occasionally, trees caused a cut out.

You might be able to paint the antenna to match the car color. Audi, Honda, and Acura color code theirs. I do not know if it is an issue with the MB system. I do know that in a couple of weeks, I will be carrying around the same box on my trunk. I think it will be worth it in the long run. Satellite radio is soooooo much better than AM or FM.

Congrats on the new car.

xraymd

You should be able to get your box painted. I know my dealer said he would paint mine when it came in.

darylhuff

My car is black and the box is black, but it still looks like a big wart sitting on the back of the trunk. I can't imagine how I would feel if I had bought a white car and found the black wart sitting on the trunk when I came to pick up the car. I'm sure as they work out this technology they'll be able to build them into the roof of the car so it isn't noticable. I thought this technology had been out long enough so that I wouldn't end up with "early adopter" problems, but I guess not.

xraymd

Quote - I thought this technology had been out long enough so that I wouldn't end up with "early adopter" problems, but I guess not.

Ha! Welcome to Mercedes.

Can Drive 55

I am going to check into getting the antenna painted. One dealer told me that they paint them on a regular basis and another one told me they would not paint it because it would cause reception problems. I guess nobody told Honda, Acura, BMW, Audi, etc about the reception problem. The last time I talked to my salesman, he said that he thought the antennas were now being painted at the port. I will find out soon if he is correct.

vitaman

Sirius makes a mini antenna that can be mounted right next to the GPS one on the roof. Do a search on this topic. That placement seems to be better for reception too. Mine very rarely cuts out even in garages and tree lined Boulevards.

scorchie

They CAN be painted, as long as you know how to paint it. This means if your car is a metallic color, it needs to be painted with a paint that will not block the reception... i.e. not the normal paint used on the car.

The W210 E55 from 2000-2002 has an antenna on the roof that receives GPS signals, and it is painted body color; it is not painted at the same time as the rest of the car, it receives "special treatment" so that the paint does not block the signals.

-s-

scorchie

Dunno about your car, but mine does switch tracks on the CD changer using the steering wheel buttons.

-s-

Can Drive 55

Scorchie, Have you heard anything about the antenna being painted at the port? My salesman said that he thought they were now being painted there. Thanks.