Comand or Alternative what have you?

[bouncer]

I have a pre facelift W203 2004 with Audio10 CD. I would like Comand but feel put off by the uber price of a retrofit refurbed unit and all the cable and bits needed to get it to work.
I have emailed Alfie and Co. and have a price for supply and fit myself.
I have been to see a couple of local ICE specialists and looked at alternative solutions. I have seen one installation that didn’t look quite right and immediately caught your eye as being wrong as soon as you got in the car.
Now question is :- Spend loads of money on retrofitting a “dinosaur” CD based Comand in my car Just so it looks right or fit something that up to date.
This is where I need your help does any one want to post pictures of their non Mercedes ice solution.
Who's first ?

sTeVe

 

[kwakdonut]

Don't bother? Buy a TomTom and next time, buy a car fitted with COMAND!!!

Sorry it's not that helpful lol

 

[npuk]

IMO it wouldnt be worth doing for the older cd based Comand system that would have been fitted as an option to your car.

It would however be worth doing for the latest unit the Comand NTG2.5 but it will require you to also change part of the dash to the post facelift. Others have done this upgrade.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/electronics/79495-my-w203-faclifting-inc-new-comand-ntg-2-5-a.html

 

[bouncer]

IMO it wouldnt be worth it for the older Comand cd based system that would have been fitted as an option to your car.

It would however be worth doing for the latest unit the Comand NTG2.5 but it will require you to also change part of the dash to the post facelift. Others have done this upgrade.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/electronics/79495-my-w203-faclifting-inc-new-comand-ntg-2-5-a.html

That's interesting . . . is there a total price for this mod ?

sTeVe

 

[markjay]

I can't comment on the cost, it is indeed high and your are not likely to recoup it come selling time...

But from the professional point of view, the NTG2.5 (hard disk drive based COMAND) installation carried-out on my W203 by Alfie and Richard is stunning - perfect fit both physically and in terms of integration with the steering wheel and instrument panel. And it did not take them very long either - I was surprised at how quickly it was all done, it seems they have done this many times before and knew exactly what they were doing.

If you can't justify the expenditure then this is perfectly understandable, and if you are a proper 'fiddler' and like to do things yourself then this is fine as well.

but otherwise nothing comes close to a professionally-installed COMAND unit.

I have been using TomToms for many years prior to the COMAND installation, and they are great, and I still kept one for when I go abroad and rent a car. But in my opinion there is no comparison between the TomTom and COMAND.


There is no doubt in my mind that getting Alfie and Richard to install NTG2.5 is the best thing you can do for your car - but again, it is all down to whether you are are happy to foot the bill.

 

[markjay]

The following image will give you an idea regarding the quality of the fitting on my car:

(caution - big file)

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1106/image0496.jpg

 

[Merco]

If I might add my tuppence worth - I was a little bit suspicious about COMAND when I was buying the new Merc. I had used a Tom-Tom for a few years and had to be encouraged to get into that as I always liked trying to use my brain and an old-fashioned map-book but succumbed in the end.

I have to say, in the very short time I have had the car (a week and a half) I am mightily impressed by COMAND. It is true that Tom-Toms etc are great and useful at what they do but the COMAND is really in a different league. You're talking about Aston Villa under Martin O'Neil vs. Liverpool in the 70s and 80s. So, I would fully support the utility of COMANDas a system not just for navigation but for everything else it offers. I am surprised by how much I am using and enjoying the Linguatronic for example.

But you are correct that it is expensive and so the questions to answer are - how long do you intend to keep the car for? Are you going to use COMAND to the fullest capacity - i.e. as an integrated system to the media and navigation functions you require, and finally - how much value do you place on recouping the cost of installation when and if you move the car on?

If you only really use the sat nav, already have a reasonable bluetooth system, ipod/ music player etc then there is little point in installing COMAND, especially if you are only going to have the car for a short time. It's unlikely that you'll get the cost back when you move the car on. But, if you plan on enjoying your car for a ghood while yet and want to integrate all the functions then COMAND really is an excellent system from what I know of it. Everything I hear about Alfie et al. on this forum is really excellent so he comes with a fantastic reputation and will no doubt be honest with you about what you might need and whether it's worth it.

So all-in-all, if it meets your need it's a great system but if you're not going to use it, it is expensive and you might be better sticking with the Tom-Tom...

 

[bouncer]

I understand that 2.5 Comand is quite simple to do for a facelift model, but my vehicle is pre-facelift.
I would be quite interested to find out the cost from anyone who has done the full dash conversion from pre-facelift to facelift and fitted the 2.5 Comand.
Like I said before the older CD Comand would be a dinosaur, the newer Comand would be ideal. I’m not that bothered about resale value. I plan to keep this car for some time.
I would only consider the older Comand if the price was acceptable, Audio 10 makes the car look dated.
Referbed CD Comand unit, loom adapters, fitting and Disk £1200. I would consider it for say £500.

Tom tom is not an option for me, replacing the Audio 10 is.
I have the factory fitted phone kit but would love to replace this with the bluetooth of the 2.5 comand.

sTeVe