C180, Satnav update 2018 issue

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GinP

New Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
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15
Car
M-B 204 series C180 SE Premium +estate auto
Earlier this year had my new(to me), 2014, C180 satnav updated to the latest software version; it was still on the factory issue version.

Since then there has appeared, completely at random and infrequently, a glitch referring to a virtually non- existent 'A' road with traffic congestion, wherever I may be on a route.

I can't remember the number of the 'A' road at the moment, but I did try to find it and it turns out to be a 7 mile section in the Essex area of Greater London, which overlays a similar short section of urban road there.

The message says "between the A**** and the A**** (the same numbers in each) traffic congestion for zero5 miles, max speed **mph"

Now, this message has popped up time and again whether I'm in Guildford, 30 miles nearer home on the M25@ J6, Bromley (where I Live), Dartford, Rochester. i.e. Nowhere have I had a route going into Essex, across the Thames or into London- it's most annoying. Now, MB suggest that having forked out £213 earlier for this update (having been quoted £98 originally) I may have to pay another £175 + for an investigation, as my car is out of warranty, ignoring the fact that their software is only a few months old-I should have complained earlier as this issue appeared soon after a two day software installation update but I didn't want the hassle at that time.

Has anyone had any similar experience, which would more definitely identify the fault as a software issue and not the hardware in my car?
 
1. Is your C180 a W204 (2008-2014) or a W205 (2014 onwards)?

2. Do you have COMAND navigation, or Audi20 with Becker Map Pilot / Garmin Map Pilot navigation?

3. Do you the free TMC traffic service, or the paid-for TomTom Live Traffic subscription?

4. Did you check if Traffic Announcements (TA) is enabled on you radio?
 
1. Is your C180 a W204 (2008-2014) or a W205 (2014 onwards)?

2. Do you have COMAND navigation, or Audi20 with Becker Map Pilot / Garmin Map Pilot navigation?

3. Do you the free TMC traffic service, or the paid-for TomTom Live Traffic subscription?

4. Did you check if Traffic Announcements (TA) is enabled on you radio?



1. S204
2 Comand ( Satnav is TomTom)
3. Paid for and up to date
4. Yes, it is
 
So you have COMAND NTG4.5 Gen 2 (aka NTG4.7). And the latest maps installed were v16.0? If TomTom is enabled then TMC is disabled - the only thing I can think off is that the TomTom Live Traffic service is playing-up?
 
So you have COMAND NTG4.5 Gen 2 (aka NTG4.7). And the latest maps installed were v16.0? If TomTom is enabled then TMC is disabled - the only thing I can think off is that the TomTom Live Traffic service is playing-up?
Yes, V 16.0 Europe & UK- I'm no expert on such stuff, hence my bewilderment, but this mysterious random reference to an irrelevant road but probably a valid attempt to inform me of a congested area somewhere on whatever route I have loaded, seems more like a glitch in the software which MB really struggled with- as I said it took repeated attempts over two days to successfully download the update disks, as the download failed at least twice.
My guess is that a file or files did not successfully load the first time, maybe even a second time, so perhaps a technician decided to 'skip and ignore' to get the job done'- I'll probably never know as I certainly will not be shelling out another load of dosh on this very disappointing vehicle on several fronts.

I might add, that having bought my son a GO6200 standalone TOmTom for his Golf, it is clearly significantly superior in performance and routing than my poor integrated unit

However, thank you for your thoughts
 
Might be worth a trip to comand.co.uk at Lightwater, Surrey - they know more about comand than MB!! They're sponsors of this forum (and t'other side, MBOA) and hopefully Alfie or Richard will pick up on this thread.
 
Might be worth a trip to comand.co.uk at Lightwater, Surrey - they know more about comand than MB!! They're sponsors of this forum (and t'other side, MBOA) and hopefully Alfie or Richard will pick up on this thread.
Thanks for that suggestion as it isn't something I would have thought of.

I've just been out to the car to load tomorrow mornings 7 mile journey from Bromley to Blackheath SE London- and BINGO! up popped the mysterious audio message once again- I now remember that it is always the A1208 which, as previously commented is a short section of road in East London- in fact from Old Street tube station to Cambridge Heath, at the junction of the A107
 

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I might add, that having bought my son a GO6200 standalone TOmTom for his Golf, it is clearly significantly superior in performance and routing than my poor integrated unit

I'd go along with that any day. I have the NTG5.5 in my S213 and it is a dog. My (fairly old now) TomTom is way superior in every part. I sometimes wonder how the F1 boys manage to find their way round the circuits to keep on winning. I bet the don't use MB Sat Navs :)
 
I am not an expert in COMAND, but I don't think it's possible to 'half upload' maps or software to it, in fact it's actually very sensitive to this sort of things, and will 'brick' itself quite quickly (rather than work with a malfunction).

I am inclined to think that this might be an issue/bug with the v16.0 maps affecting your route (in which case, anyone with the same set up as yours will have this issue), or perhaps the dealer did not update the COMAND software as well (i.e. they have only updated the maps), or an issue with the TomTom service, or possibly some TA setting on COMAND was changed inadvertently by the the dealer?

Either way.... as above, Comand UK www.comand.co.uk will know everything there is to know about COMAND.

I do have COMAND NTG4.7 (albeit with maps v15.0, and TMC only), fitted by Comand UK, and I find it very good on motorways due to the integrated display.

But in town I just use Waze on my smartphone.

What else is wrong with the car?
 
I am not an expert in COMAND, but I don't think it's possible to 'half upload' maps or software to it, in fact it's actually very sensitive to this sort of things, and will 'brick' itself quite quickly (rather than work with a malfunction).

I am inclined to think that this might be an issue/bug with the v16.0 maps affecting your route (in which case, anyone with the same set up as yours will have this issue), or perhaps the dealer did not update the COMAND software as well (i.e. they have only updated the maps), or an issue with the TomTom service, or possibly some TA setting on COMAND was changed inadvertently by the the dealer?

Either way.... as above, Comand UK www.comand.co.uk will know everything there is to know about COMAND.

I do have COMAND NTG4.7 (albeit with maps v15.0, and TMC only), fitted by Comand UK, and I find it very good on motorways due to the integrated display.

But in town I just use Waze on my smartphone.

What else is wrong with the car?


Since you first commented on the possibility of the TomTom Traffic service being the problem, which I initially discounted, I think you may well be on to something because I recall something which frequently occurs but whichIi hadn't linked with the prime issue- namely, that the unit frequently tells me that "the route has been changed due to current traffic reports" and while I cannot say that in every case such a change has not occurred, I frequently use a route to my club via the M25 and the A2(M)- that route never changes on screen even though the audio says otherwise.

What else is wrong with the car?-- mostly me probably, having driven E (e.g.320CDI)class vehicles for the past 20 years, this C Class hasn't got the oomph, its got more gears but the marriage of the transmission with its small 1.6 petrol engine is not a happy one, in that it has to work hard and noisily to accelerate quickly and is nowhere as smooth as I was once used to- minor niggles 1) no self dimming rear view mirror 2) no electric folding door mirrors 3) body roll is pronounced particularly on roundabouts (and I don't drive furiously) 4) the radio reception on FM and DAB is pants, even after yet another 'MB update to the DAB stations- so much so that I often have to turn it off to avoid the mush and to avoid distracting me from driving through endless searching of a station to listen to- Classic Radio is about the only consistently reliable FM station which I can get in most areas but not all of its output appeals to me 5) much smaller cargo space so I nearly always have to fold down the rear seats for all my sailing gear, which the E Class gobbled up without a problem.

What do I like - 1) the remote opening tailgate 2) the seats- much superior to any of my E Class estates with decent lumbar support 3) cheaper road tax.... that's about all really


FOOTNOTE- There is no evidence on the dealer's invoice as far as I can see referring to any update of the Comand software and two MB outlets today claim that this is the first time they have heard of this problem
 
....this C Class hasn't got the oomph, its got more gears but the marriage of the transmission with its small 1.6 petrol engine is not a happy one, in that it has to work hard and noisily to accelerate quickly and is nowhere as smooth as I was once used to

Agreed, and although personally I'm OK with the 1.6L M274, yes it would have been nice if there was a V6 variant for the 2013/2014 W204 petrol in the UK. Said that the 2.0L M274 on the W205 might be good enough - I don't know.

1) no self dimming rear view mirror 2) no electric folding door mirrors

Same here... poverty spec. Had both on my W203 C180K Classic, which was a basic-trim-level car, so not having it as standard on the W204 does seem like a backwards step.

3) body roll is pronounced particularly on roundabouts (and I don't drive furiously)

Sadly yes it is. Mine is an Executive SE on 16" wheels, so possibly the sporty variants with the lowered/stiffened suspension and low-profile tyres might be better - I do not know.

4) the radio reception on FM and DAB is pants, even after yet another 'MB update to the DAB stations- so much so that I often have to turn it off to avoid the mush and to avoid distracting me from driving through endless searching of a station to listen to- Classic Radio is about the only consistently reliable FM station which I can get in most areas but not all of its output appeals to me

Don't have DAB, but the FM works OK for me.

5) much smaller cargo space so I nearly always have to fold down the rear seats for all my sailing gear, which the E Class gobbled up without a problem.

Don't have an estate....

What do I like - 1) the remote opening tailgate 2)

Don't have an estate....

the seats- much superior to any of my E Class estates with decent lumbar support

Agreed.

3) cheaper road tax....
Agreed
 
Since you first commented on the possibility of the TomTom Traffic service being the problem, which I initially discounted, I think you may well be on to something because I recall something which frequently occurs but whichIi hadn't linked with the prime issue- namely, that the unit frequently tells me that "the route has been changed due to current traffic reports" and while I cannot say that in every case such a change has not occurred, I frequently use a route to my club via the M25 and the A2(M)- that route never changes on screen even though the audio says otherwise.

TomTom live traffic is excellent but can come up with offering reroutes saving 3 minutes, I have mine set to ask before reroutes yoursmust be set to automatically set alternative route.

What else is wrong with the car?-- mostly me probably, having driven E (e.g.320CDI)class vehicles for the past 20 years, this C Class hasn't got the oomph, its got more gears but the marriage of the transmission with its small 1.6 petrol engine is not a happy one, in that it has to work hard and noisily to accelerate quickly and is nowhere as smooth as I was once used to- minor niggles 1) no self dimming rear view mirror 2) no electric folding door mirrors 3) body roll is pronounced particularly on roundabouts (and I don't drive furiously) 4) the radio reception on FM and DAB is pants, even after yet another 'MB update to the DAB stations- so much so that I often have to turn it off to avoid the mush and to avoid distracting me from driving through endless searching of a station to listen to- Classic Radio is about the only consistently reliable FM station which I can get in most areas but not all of its output appeals to me 5) much smaller cargo space so I nearly always have to fold down the rear seats for all my sailing gear, which the E Class gobbled up without a problem.

I guess a small petrol engine will need working hard compared with a larger diesel which had oodles of torque.
 
No idea how to change the Live Traffic settings but i shall investigate.

As to the engine- my old car told me several times that it wanted a new owner and I dithered for so long making the switch to petrol that I ran out of time (6 visits to the workshop and a £1000 spent on correcting small failures) that I jumped at the first car with a sunroof and aircon- unfortunately I hadn't been able to find an E350 estate with low mileage and sunroof/climate control and I had no awareness that the C Class would be so different- we live and learn!
 
After much further investigation I now know, having struggled to contact TomTom (15minutes waiting on the phone) that although they supply the cartography for the Mercedes/Comand satnav for my car, they do not supply hardware or the live traffic information; therefore they do not support the system, so it's all in the lap of Mercedes to which this issue falls. However, since MB seems to be at a loss but hinted that they would like quite a bit more of my money without any assurance of a solution it looks like I shall simply have to put up with this unsatisfactory system.

I spoke to the nice people at Comand but they too have never heard of such a problem

I might try a direct complaint to the MB factory if only in the hope that on a wider scale someone, somewhere may have come across this problem
 
It would be kind of nice if MB monitored these forums and, occasionally at least, came back with some helpful hints, but I don't think they really care. They just want more of your money.
 
It would be kind of nice if MB monitored these forums and, occasionally at least, came back with some helpful hints, but I don't think they really care. They just want more of your money.

Sadly, I have to agree- I've always enjoyed my E Class vehicles but my experience of the manufacturer, over the years, hasn't been nearly as pleasurable!
BUT, watch this space.... I've just spoken to a delightful young woman in another local MB outlet who has promised to talk to the workshop to see if they can offer a solution, failing which she may be able to raise a 'technical issue' with the factory to see if the manufacturer is aware of this issue and can resolve it.

I shall update here with the outcome in due course
 
I was clearly naive to expect the promised update from MB- no call back after the 14 August contact- contacted again on Tuesday 21 August to chase it up but joined a merry carousel of going from extension to extension and back to switchboard, at which point I was again promised a call back- nothing happened.
So this morning I've tried again, and been invited to submit my car for investigation, which I declined on grounds of it being unlikely to be successful as they had never experienced such an incident AND that they may try to charge me for an investigation which would in all likelihood prove negative.
After a longish wait, I'm now told that since the local MB outlet has rationalised its two service departments, they are 'super busy' but they are still awaiting a response from the workshop.

Unless I get a very positive indication of being able to resolve the issue, and indeed if I even get a call back, I shall not waste any more of my valuable time/money on this vehicle's satnav problems.

Thanks MB!!!!!
 
I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with the MB dealer.

Not making any excuses for MB's appalling customer service... but I am not 100% sure that I understand your expectations from the MB dealer on this occasion.

If there's indeed a fault in the system as you say, then MB will likely want to charge for investigation as the car is no longer under warranty.

It would be cheaper and quicker to see a specialist instead (again, www.comand.co.uk if you can get to them).

Or am I missing something?
 
Really it's all about trust for MB (or my lack of it, from experience over the years) and a reluctance, as I said earlier, to spend time and money fruitlessly on this vehicle, so unless someone there can say "Oh,yes we have had previous incidents of this" then I shall just put up with it, unless of course the factory can say as much from a wider experience base than just the local dealership, which would be a very welcome development.

As to Comand- I followed your suggestion of 6 Aug, and maybe you missed my response of the 14th when I reported that they had had no experience of anything like this and could not help.

If a critical repair/maintenance/service is ever needed to keep the car safe and otherwise reliable then I shall, of course do the necessary via my affiliated independent workshop, who cannot help with this issue- so unless there is an unexpected breakthrough by MB I shall regard this affair as closed as this is an irritant rather than anything serious.
 
I have a 2015 E250 AMG Line estate that suffers from this problem. It has been onto the merc dealership 10 times in as many months. Their response is that mine is the only car that has this problem and they don look at posts on forums (or Listen to customers). Mine faied under a Merc approved warranty and I told the dealershoip I was rejecting the car under the Consumer Rights Act. Their response was to return my car to me and told me to complain to the Motor Ombudsman if I wasn't happy. Did that and we are now in month 8 of waiting for a response.
I live in NW England so a trip to Cmmand.co.uk osnt an option but that web site appers to be a recruitment agency
 

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