Comand versus not comand

[TrickyTrev]

All,

I have been looking for a clean e55 for a little while now, and think I have found the one....except that it has small screen sat nav and does not have the full comand set up. Does anyone know whether this can be retrofitted?
Cars look much better with the full screen set up and without the retro-style tape deck
Thanks in advance
Trev

 

[J0hn]

If you do a bit of research as to which comand you need then search eBay, they are easy enough to fit but unit and cabling can prove quite pricey even second hand, brand new will need a remortgage, might be worth finding to car with the full spec you want.

 

[joecash]

COMAND is very important for resale
If it hasn't got the toys you want then leave it be - there are plenty out there or will be shortly - adding bits and pieces afterwards can turn this type of car into a money pit rather than the "bargain" you thought you had bought.

 

[TrickyTrev]

Thanks John.

Thought as much...

Lovely car though. Big quandary - buy it with small screen or pass on it and wait for a full size screen.

Man maths says do it - likely re-sale value says stay away...

Cheers

Trev

 

[Ginger55k]

I would pick the car that mechanically is the best, I have full comand with HK but to be honest it never gets used, why would I want to listen to anything but that v8 soundtrack.

You can retrofit other systems if you want, pick the best car you can afford factoring in any mechanical work needed, that would be my advice.

 

[TrickyTrev]

Thanks ginger

Of the 8 or so that i have looked at so far, this is one of the best - just had its airmatic serviced, has a full mb service history, unmarked alloys and everything inside is in good condition - all the buttons work, it has blinds, dynamic seats etc too. So it does look like a good one. Mileage is okay too..

You may have a point on the sat nav,

God I hate this....

Cheers

Trev.

 

[TrickyTrev]

Oh and by the way, I looked at a later car with less mileage, and it had led a very tough life as many of the interior panels were scuffed and a couple of buttons were missing from the seat controls.

I would fix bits like that before I put the car up for sale as its the first thing you do when you go for a test- drive. Adjust the steering (broken) and adjust the seats (button missing)

Shame too. In my head this was the one, but I immediately thought that there would be other issues later on if these bits have been missed.

 

[flango]

I'm going to go against the trend, Command is an overpriced outdated piece of kit that does not affect resale value. There are too many aftermarket systems now that are so much better than Command that no one is interested in it any more. It's just a legacy and perception created by people that have spent a fortune on it, most of the functions such as linguatronic etc don't work reliably enough. Buy the best car of the model you want the toys don't matter. If you are thinking of resale value you are only considering the next owner so why does it matter? The lack of Command will not affect depreciation.

 

[camerafodder]

^^ This ^^

 

[Benzowner]

I'm going to go against the trend, Command is an overpriced outdated piece of kit that does not affect resale value. There are too many aftermarket systems now that are so much better than Command that no one is interested in it any more. It's just a legacy and perception created by people that have spent a fortune on it, most of the functions such as linguatronic etc don't work reliably enough. Buy the best car of the model you want the toys don't matter. If you are thinking of resale value you are only considering the next owner so why does it matter? Cars without command are cheaper to buy so obviously you get less for them when you sell them

Surely your last sentence is contradictory to the rest of your post

 

[flango]

Surely your last sentence is contradictory to the rest of your post

I did think about that when I re-read it as to whether it was clear or not. Maybe a more accurate description is it will not affect depreciation

 

[Vilus]

My Comand recently went down due to a faulty microphone controller, so for 4-5 weeks until I could get it diagosed and fixed, I was without all the functions. To be honest I did not miss it hardly at all, aside from the radio for traffic reports on longer trips. As mentioned, ten years ago it was an impressive piece of kit, and the main bonus all integrated into one system. If fitted then make sure it is all working, but if you can live without it then an £80 Tom Tom, and a Parrot handsfree will prove far superior.

My car is also missing some of the big options that many state are must haves, such as panoramic roof, dynamic seats, keyless go, distronic etc. However to me these items were never even a consideration when I was searching for a car. I looked at four vehicles with a higher spec than the one I bought. My main consideration was a car with FSH, (not Mercedes stamps until two years and 20k miles ago and nothing since), and in good mechanical order.

 

[SavMan]

I'm going to go against the trend, Command is an overpriced outdated piece of kit that does not affect resale value. There are too many aftermarket systems now that are so much better than Command that no one is interested in it any more. It's just a legacy and perception created by people that have spent a fortune on it, most of the functions such as linguatronic etc don't work reliably enough. Buy the best car of the model you want the toys don't matter. If you are thinking of resale value you are only considering the next owner so why does it matter? The lack of Command will not affect depreciation.

It would be harder to sell but agree if the purchase price reflect this then should not be a problem, I do agree though that far better to fit an aftermarket one with better features. There are even some that use the same Comand look but have updated features including touch screen functionality

http://youtu.be/UtubKbi73xs

 

[Major774]

I'm in the hunt for a E55 as well, in black only haha.

Tricky are you looking at the 52 plate black E55 on Autotrader, all the options but with a small screen?

 

[TrickyTrev]

I'm in the hunt for a E55 as well, in black only haha.

Tricky are you looking at the 52 plate black E55 on Autotrader, all the options but with a small screen?

Is this the one near Luton? I prefer the slightly higher mileage but cheaper one in east horsley. I am looking at a couple in Yorkshire at the moment

 

[markjay]

I'm going to go against the trend, Command is an overpriced outdated piece of kit that does not affect resale value. There are too many aftermarket systems now that are so much better than Command that no one is interested in it any more. It's just a legacy and perception created by people that have spent a fortune on it, most of the functions such as linguatronic etc. don't work reliably enough. Buy the best car of the model you want the toys don't matter. If you are thinking of resale value you are only considering the next owner so why does it matter? The lack of Command will not affect depreciation.

Agreed, outdated and not half as clever as your average TomTom, but... if you are a perfectionist, no other unit will integrate with your car as well as COMAND does.

Starting from the fact that every button on the steering wheel works as it should, through the seamless integration with Bluetooth, the small display on the instrument cluster, and up to tiny details such as displaying the front wheels' steering angle (useful when starting off in the snow or ice).

In addition the car niw had the original factory look.

The above relates to my NTG2.5, retrofitted by comandonline. And, they fitted a brand new unit that came out of an original MB box, at a very reasonable price.

So.... If you want the best way to get from A to B quickly, buy a TomTom. If you like your car to look factory-fresh and clever, buy COMAND.... my view.

 

[Major774]

Is this the one near Luton? I prefer the slightly higher mileage but cheaper one in east horsley. I am looking at a couple in Yorkshire at the moment

Yeah that's the one, if it was 53 plate+ it would be on my driveway now... its been on there for weeks.

I want to maximise the chance of getting a galvanised version as I'm planning to keep mine for a long long time.

My father has got a W210 from new, well maintained but the rust

 

[TrickyTrev]

Have you been to see it? It's very close to my house I have been over to Luton to have a look when the dealership was closed. The fact that it has a non-standard supercharger puts me off. For the sake of 10k miles I'd go for the one in horsley to be honest.

 

[l5foye]

When I was looking for a ML, I faced the same issue -comand or no comand.
As so few MLs here in N.Ireland have comand, I opted to do without. Later I bought a unit from China which does everything comand does ( in fact more)
at a fraction of the price of the MB item ( 1/7th to be exact) Best of all, I defy anyone to tell that it is not Comand . The local dealers think I got comand retro-fitted ! Certainly the unit performs better than the one in the SL.

 

[pipmk]

I'm going to go against the trend, Command is an overpriced outdated piece of kit that does not affect resale value. There are too many aftermarket systems now that are so much better than Command that no one is interested in it any more. It's just a legacy and perception created by people that have spent a fortune on it, most of the functions such as linguatronic etc don't work reliably enough. Buy the best car of the model you want the toys don't matter. If you are thinking of resale value you are only considering the next owner so why does it matter? The lack of Command will not affect depreciation.

Whilst we, as MB fans, might agree, (and I don't myself)I think Joe Public would favour an MB fitted system like Comand over the best after market kit.What car salesman is going to try to convince a punter that it is better? The punter can see Comand in the MB catalogue. Sales appeal is about perception not value,otherwise half the cosmetics industry would be bankrupt.