Aftermarket audio

[clk320-]

Will fitting an aftermarket headunit mean that I will lose anyother functionality in 2003 w209 as I think I read somewhere about the fibre optics?
Thanks

 

[PobodY]

Quite possibly. - How much time and money are you putting in to it?

If you just swap COMAND for something like an Android replacement you will lose the steering wheel controls and the navigation screen in your instrument cluster.

Do you know if you've got the D2B or MOST system installed? - One is more problematic than the other.

You can buy "gateway" devices to convert analogue outputs to digital for the fibre optic MOST system, but they seem quite expensive to me (although this would mean that you install two components and the rest of the existing system works). - I think there's an additional unit to reinstate the steering wheel controls.

I'm happy to be corrected, but as I understand it it's no small job.

 

[alabbasi]

I'm not sure about the W209, but with the W210 , the CD connection to the stereo is fiber optic. As indicated, you'll lose the steering wheel controls.

 

[markmifsud]

there are adapters for the steering controls depending on what HU you get. On my Kenwood all of the controls work apart from the Dial/Hangup buttons, they just mute and unmute. My partners Focus has a cheap Chinese winCE system and the adapter for that allowed for programming into the radio all button functions.

You will of course loose the satnav display in the cluster.

 

[clk320-]

Yeh I don't mind sat nav in cluster and steering wheel but I heard somewhere that I may lose the power door function where the window opens a bit when door opens and goes up when closed? Thanks

 

[PobodY]

I don't think the doors are related to COMAND. - They open like that even with Audio 20 installed (don't they?).

I can see it might be controlled by a CAN bus, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same bus as the audio system.