Bluetooth Google maps into Audio 20 unit

[M&NW]

Hi all, I am new to this club as we have just bought our first Merc and we love it.
The car came with Pre-wiring for the Becker map pilot but I am reluctant to buy the Becker unit and have to pay for yearly updates. I also have a perfectly good Garmin with lifetime free updates, but my preference would be to get my mobile with Google maps or Wayz maps to display on the Audio 20 unit.
I have set up the Bluetooth for my mobile into the Audio 20 but can't seem to find a way to get the maps to show on the Audio system.
Has anyone managed to Bluetooth Google maps, or connect another sat-nav to the Audio 20 system?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Mr Filipov]

I believe unless you have apple carplay/android auto, it will not work.

 

[M&NW]

Thanks Mr Filipov I will download the android auto app and try it.
Much appreciated I will let you know how I get on.
Thanks again

 

[M&NW]

Unfortunately I still can't get google maps to show on the screen I can only get my mobile contacts to show.
I guess this means that I'm either stuck with my Garmin on the screen or Google maps on my mobile in the phone holder or...fork out for a Becker map pilot.
Thanks again for the reply.

 

[-AJC-]

You will need to replace the head unit with an aftermarket one that supports Android (for Google maps) and/or Apple CarPlay (for Apple maps).

I am considering a similar unit for my W164 ML. Google maps with the traffic feature enabled is excellent and I've tested against the latest OEM sat nav units from Mercedes, BMW and Volvo whilst driving through Central London and Google is superior and avoids traffic hotspots better than each of these. The BMW iDrive is a close 2nd but why pay for Nav updates each year when you can download them for free?

 

[M&NW]

Hi AJC, thanks for your reply.
I guess the head unit will be MB dealership only purchase and very expensive.
Let me know how you get on.
I agree with your last sentence, why pay for yearly updates when Garmin and TomTom give lifetime free worldwide updates, traffic warning and speed cams!!??

 

[-AJC-]

No quite the opposite. Only the very latest Mercedes Comand head units support Apple CarPlay. You can buy aftermarket units for as little as £250 and recognised brands such as Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine etc are priced from around £420.

 

[breal]

you can NOT run nothing different on your Audio 20 than the MB navi. The bluetooth can operate only with your phone and contacts.
If you want to run something else you'll have to change the whole Audio 20 device with the aftermarket one.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hi all, I am new to this club as we have just bought our first Merc and we love it.
The car came with Pre-wiring for the Becker map pilot but I am reluctant to buy the Becker unit and have to pay for yearly updates. I also have a perfectly good Garmin with lifetime free updates, but my preference would be to get my mobile with Google maps or Wayz maps to display on the Audio 20 unit.
I have set up the Bluetooth for my mobile into the Audio 20 but can't seem to find a way to get the maps to show on the Audio system.
Has anyone managed to Bluetooth Google maps, or connect another sat-nav to the Audio 20 system?


Thanks in advance.

Just ask alfie on this forum.

 

[markjay]

On another note, the Audio 20 screen on my W204 is very low res, not sure how Garmin Map Pilot or Google Maps will look on it even if using the external box for screen mirroring. It would have been nice if the Audio 20 screen was upgradeable to something more decent without having to also upgrade the entire unit to COMAND, but as far as I know the screen can't be upgraded on its own.

 

[markjay]

As far as I know the Bluetooth feature on the Audio 20 is for audio only.

It is possible to mirror Android or iPhone to the car's screen using an external box that connects to the car's video aux port (usually used for reversing camera), but I don't know for certain if the Audio 20 has a video aux port.

 

[-AJC-]

As others have commented the Bluetooth feature is purely for connecting your phone to allow incoming and outgoing phone calls via your cellular provider. Your contacts list can also be imported subject to memory space available.

On some newer cars you can choose to sync Bluetooth audio as well as telephone functions. This will allow you to receive calls on Wifi/4g enabled services like Skype and WhatsApp and stream/play your saved music files (iTunes/GooglePlay) from your phone.

It does not sync any other Apps or features so you can't use Google maps or Wayz maps like you intend. Some kind of mirroring feature may work as markjay has suggested using an external device connected to an Aux port of the Audio20 unit. However, you will most likely have to control and interact with the App using your phone handset so make sure you're stationary and off the carriageway when doing so. This of course is a compromise and why you may wish to investigate installing a completely new head unit that has Google maps built in.

If you already use an Android phone then Google maps will be available once you connect your phone to the new head unit usually via a cable. Google maps is then controlled via the head unit and or steering wheel controls if enabled, and the GPS signal is achieved through the phones cellular (4G/3G) signal strength. Be aware when using Google maps your data usage will increase even if you have downloaded all of the maps beforehand so worth considering what data allowance our current contract allows?

There are some inexpensive Android units from the Far East available for circa £250 that will allow complete customisation of the screen and it's colours to match your current set up and give an OEM feel. You can even select or create a Mercedes start up screen when turning the unit on. Depending upon what you want to spend and are trying to achieve this could be your best option.

 

[markjay]

...There are some inexpensive Android units from the Far East available for circa £250 that will allow complete customisation of the screen and it's colours to match your current set up and give an OEM feel. You can even select or create a Mercedes start up screen when turning the unit on. Depending upon what you want to spend and are trying to achieve this could be your best option.

See for example:
Mercedes Benz Android 6.0 Marshmallow In-Dash Car Stereo DVD GPS... - SMARTY Trend? Company

However, while tempting, the key difficulty is that most of these after-market units are made by unknown Chinese manufacturers and there is not telling how reliable the hardware is - lack of proper cooling and overheating can be an issue. I would be hesitant to install such kit without recommendation from others who installed it before, or better still from comandonline.co.uk - choosing reliable tried-and-tested hardware is paramount.

On a more general note, the obvious plus side is that you get an Android device and can use it for almost anything (with road safety in mind!) from Goggle maps to Waze, so this is a very flexible solution. The downside is that it will never fully integrate with the rest of the car in the same way that COMAND (or even Audio 20) does.

And given that many of those retrofitting COMAND do so for the original 'feel' rather than due to any spectacular features on the 4, 5 or 10 years old COMAND tech.... an Android after-market unit might not be to everyone's taste in spite of some superior features.

 

[-AJC-]

See for example:
Mercedes Benz Android 6.0 Marshmallow In-Dash Car Stereo DVD GPS... - SMARTY Trend? Company

However, while tempting, the key difficulty is that most of these after-market units are made by unknown Chinese manufacturers and there is not telling how reliable the hardware is - lack of proper cooling and overheating can be an issue. I would be hesitant to install such kit without recommendation from others who installed it before, or better still from comandonline.co.uk - choosing reliable tried-and-tested hardware is paramount.

On a more general note, the obvious plus side is that you get an Android device and can use it for almost anything (with road safety in mind!) from Goggle maps to Waze, so this is a very flexible solution. The downside is that it will never fully integrate with the rest of the car in the same way that COMAND (or even Audio 20) does.

And given that many of those retrofitting COMAND do so for the original 'feel' rather than due to any spectacular features on the 4, 5 or 10 years old COMAND tech.... an Android after-market unit might not be to everyone's taste in spite of some superior features.

I agree with markjay that you need to be careful replacing OEM parts or equipment with cheap inferior items especially those that haven't been fully tested. The last thing you need is to spend £250 and the thing doesn't work or worst still overheats and causes more permanent damage.

I assume you currently have something like this......

Whilst the features may be lacking this unit does at least fit seamlessly with the dash and integrate with the multifunction display to show radio stations etc.

Have a look at this aftermarket install on a Porsche Boxster:

Having owned one of these cars I can confirm the original head unit is rubbish and worthy of replacement.

In this example the replacement head unit provides all the Apps and functionality you want, can be customised to look totally OEM from a much later model and can be fitted by any half competent or DIY installer.

I agree with markjay that Comandonline provide an excellent service and only use original OEM parts that are tried and tested and give you an instant OEM upgrade. If you want original Mercedes parts or options that weren't specced on your vehicle when new then look no further.

However, I'm not aware that there is an OEM Mercedes head unit compatible with your car that will give you the functionality you want (Google maps etc.) or that can be sensibly retrofitted without seriously denting the bank balance??

If you decide to fit an aftermarket unit and want to ensure quality then opt for a known brand such as Pioneer, Kenwood etc.

Alpine make a headhunt for my W164 ML referred to as the 8500D-ML. This is part of their Premium Fit range and has been optimised purely for the W164 cars.

As far as I know this can't be upgraded to accept Google maps (shame?) and comes at a price.........£1,800!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-kJ-6Cn_Is&t=243s

 

[markjay]

....The car came with Pre-wiring for the Becker map pilot but I am reluctant to buy the Becker unit and have to pay for yearly updates....

A second-hand unit can't be that expensive.... must be worth a try?

https://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/2453427-post22.html

They are also available from eBay and Amazon.

And a 2-year subscription is €129.95 Euro:

https://www.beckermappilot.com/shop...hop.DetailPage&lang=en_GB&p=europe-eu-abo&v=3

 

[M&NW]

A big thanks to everyone for their helpful and informative replies.
Being a retired commercial vehicle mechanic I don't think that I have the required finesse (Ability or agility) to start ripping the guts out of the dash and fitting replacement units. I would also be worried about losing the 12 month warranty I have on the car.


My main worry was cluttering up the windscreen with a sat nav or a mobile phone I have now found a phone holder that fits into the CD slot so I think that we will persevere with that system until we buy a newer Merc.


Markjay, the problem I have with the Becker unit is that it doesn't have traffic warning.


Thanks again

 

[markjay]

The live traffic feature on the Becker is indeed basic, and very similar to my previous COMAND NTG2.5 or to early TomTom units where only incidents on major roads were showing.

The unit also received traffic messages over RDS but ultimately it is nowhere near Waze.

For this reason I use the built-in SatNav mainly when driving on motorways due to the good integration with the instrument cluster, but around town I use Waze on my mobile phone.