Can an option code 537 DAB radio be fitted to a 2007 W221 S500L that was built without it? If so, what are the likely costs? Clearly the DAB radio is RRP 320 inc VAT as an option, but is the price of the option equipment and what are likely labour costs?
Can 537 DAB radio be retrofitted to 2007 W221 S500L
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television
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
When I last looked at this it was unclear and my info only shows it only as a retofit to the existing tuner at £650
I think that you must contact MB and ask them.
I think that you must contact MB and ask them.
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Braybrooks tend to do the things Mercedes-Benz say cannot be done, but forget the price of the option, you will be talking mega-bucks for the labour.
Regards
John
Regards
John
Any idea where the DAB radio arial lives, as it appears this if there is a difficult bit, it is this.
The dealer is currently saying "ooh no-one's ever asked that". The situation is a dilemma as to whether to go with a new car (with DAB) or a cancellation car with no DAB radio available sooner (+/- several other complicating factors) - I am trying to persuade the dealer to fit one, preferably at his expense, so I'd like to know what the expense is likely to be.
The dealer is currently saying "ooh no-one's ever asked that". The situation is a dilemma as to whether to go with a new car (with DAB) or a cancellation car with no DAB radio available sooner (+/- several other complicating factors) - I am trying to persuade the dealer to fit one, preferably at his expense, so I'd like to know what the expense is likely to be.
grober
MB Master
May be integrated into the rear parcel shelf/ rear screen or bumper assembly so might be very expensive to retrofit if its required for DAB ?? Not familiar with the w221.
grober: indeed, hence I am trying to find out what the pre-wiring is. One current theory is that chassis built after a certain date have the pre-wiring (i.e. the arial) irrespective of whether the DAB option is actually fitted, and chassis before that date do not. This would make some sense as the arial for most DAB receivers is just a simple dipole affair (needs to be outside the faraday cage of the car, obviously) so there would be comparatively little wasted cost in just running an extra wire. The manufacturing date was after the DAB radio was introduced (as far as I can tell) so this would be hopeful.
mxs: thanks; right now my effort is focussed on getting a 537 to work so it appears in Command etc. - or more accurately trying to decide whether it requires and is worth an extra 3 month's wait to get a car of exactly the right spec.
mxs: thanks; right now my effort is focussed on getting a 537 to work so it appears in Command etc. - or more accurately trying to decide whether it requires and is worth an extra 3 month's wait to get a car of exactly the right spec.
television
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Is DAB worth having in a car, like all digital signals it either works or you get nothing, with FM if you hit a bad reception area and you may get some background noise but for the best part you can hear what going on, with DAB that would not be the case
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
With the greatest of respect I think you will be very lucky to get a decent answer from either here or the main dealer. Miro, Alfie etc will retro fit far more COMAND system's than any main dealer, but will they know anything about this very new, top of the range model? Will the technicians at your main dealer? I would guess that one or two might have been away on a course but you are asking a very technical question, my advice still stands about Braybrooks and if they cannot give you an answer, then that is an answer in itself.
I'm not sure I would want this retro fitted on such a nice car just because it might mean dabbling with either ther carpets and various trim areas of a new car, but this might not be a problem and it may be mean overly worrying.
regards
John
I'm not sure I would want this retro fitted on such a nice car just because it might mean dabbling with either ther carpets and various trim areas of a new car, but this might not be a problem and it may be mean overly worrying.
regards
John
Diesel Benz
MB Enthusiast
The DAB antenna appears to be attached to the GPS/cell phone antenna on the roof. A specific part where a dipole like antenna seems to be attached to the shark fin.
The roof rear rail amplifier unit seems to be different for DAB.
At EPC, the DAB tuner has the same part number (on the figure), would it mean that DAB and TV tuner are mutually exclusive?
Didn't even try to look at the wiring.
The roof rear rail amplifier unit seems to be different for DAB.
At EPC, the DAB tuner has the same part number (on the figure), would it mean that DAB and TV tuner are mutually exclusive?
Didn't even try to look at the wiring.
glojo: The car concerned is still at the factory (somewhere between part built and built), and if dealer fitted it would be their responsibility to make sure it was fitted "as new". Once the car has been handed over, I would indeed be loathed to start fitting extra options for the very reasons you cite, hence my keenness to sort it out now. My real question is how I will know whether or not their charge is reasonable - if it's merely plugging in another unit (for instance because post-Jun 2007 W221's have the aerial installed by default) that's one thing; if they'd have to rip the whole car apart the price would no doubt be different (as, probably, would be my attitude to installing it). Last I heard they had referred the issue to product marketing.
Diesel Benz - thanks, that would make sense. My understanding is that DAB and TV Tuner are not mutually exclusive (based upon a conversation I had whilst doing the original configuration), but I have no evidence to back that up as it's not on any configurator.
television: yes and no. You can always use FM if DAB is weak. But performance depends on the type of interference - e.g. in London, pirate radio stations which seem to like transmitting right next to radio 4 (who knows why). In my house, for instance, FM is terrible whereas DAB is near perfect (on 2 DAB receivers and every FM receiver I've tried, even using a proper FM ariel) which appears to be mostly down to (a) crosstalk interference, and (b) FM reflection.
Diesel Benz - thanks, that would make sense. My understanding is that DAB and TV Tuner are not mutually exclusive (based upon a conversation I had whilst doing the original configuration), but I have no evidence to back that up as it's not on any configurator.
television: yes and no. You can always use FM if DAB is weak. But performance depends on the type of interference - e.g. in London, pirate radio stations which seem to like transmitting right next to radio 4 (who knows why). In my house, for instance, FM is terrible whereas DAB is near perfect (on 2 DAB receivers and every FM receiver I've tried, even using a proper FM ariel) which appears to be mostly down to (a) crosstalk interference, and (b) FM reflection.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2005
- Messages
- 7,506
- Location
- Weybridge. U.K
- Car
- 500L ( W221 ), 2014 AMG CL 5.5 Biturbo ( W216 ) Sold, 2014 Brabus Smart ( 451 Coupe ) Mapped 130bhp
I hope not as i have ordered DAB on the new W221
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Hi Alex,
Have you really pushed your dealer to speak with Germany and find out if your car assembly has actually started?
I got caught out with Linguatronic and to have this simple option retrofitted would double (or more) the cost of the option.
Good luck resolving this and I fully understand your reasons.
REgards
John
television
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
My friend has it on his loaded 221, he lives in the Watford area that is reasonably flat and the signal not bad, so for driving round in a known good area could be OK where I live DAB does not exist
I've not bothered to look as of yet but i am planning on retro-fitting this to my SLK.
I need to pull the wiring diagrams for it and take a look, your dealer should be able to do the same and its very easy at that point to figure out what you need to do.
I need to pull the wiring diagrams for it and take a look, your dealer should be able to do the same and its very easy at that point to figure out what you need to do.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2005
- Messages
- 7,506
- Location
- Weybridge. U.K
- Car
- 500L ( W221 ), 2014 AMG CL 5.5 Biturbo ( W216 ) Sold, 2014 Brabus Smart ( 451 Coupe ) Mapped 130bhp
So it's dependent on where you live great, lets hope DAB is alive and well in the London and surrounding area's.
Maybe MB should explain that DAB does not work in all area's before you order it. to much to ask i suppose.
television
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Not having a proper aerial does not help, the 50Ω cable used has an attenuating effect on the signal and just to use an amp to boost it again is bad practice and against everything that I have been taught
television: sure (if I remember my electronics), but the particular problem I have is selectivity, which I suspect isn't much to do with attenuation. If there is a fault, it's the selectivity of the tuner, but I don't expect you can do much with a poorly configured pirate radio transmitter broadcasting about 0.1Mhz away (certainly no FM receivers in the house work well).
