Live traffic in command online - Is it worth it?

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dannysmivs

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Hello everyone,

I have recently purchased a C63 2014 , i have just had an email from the dealer regarding my subscription for live traffic information is coming to an end.

It is worth having this ? Does it work, everyone seems to use Waze now.

Package is £39 for one year, or 89 for 3.
 
I've just renewed it in one our cars, 3 years for £89. It's handy and personally I wouldn't be without it. Having it fully integrated with COMAND makes it worth it for me.

I didn't receive a renewal notification, and the first day after expiry I looked at COMAND to see how bad the traffic was when I noticed there was none, which I thought was odd in Birmingham during the rush hour. I clicked a few buttons and spotted it had expired the day before, so I renewed it when I got home.
 
Do you have to pay for it now? Both my last two MBs have had this and I certainly haven't had to pay any subscription.
As for is it worth it, well in my experience, yes and no. I realise that isn't helpful but whilst it has helped on occasion, most other times it will suddenly and annoyingly pop up on the Comand screen just after I've joined the long queue of traffic! :mad:
 
Do you have to pay for it now? Both my last two MBs have had this and I certainly haven't had to pay any subscription.
As for is it worth it, well in my experience, yes and no. I realise that isn't helpful but whilst it has helped on occasion, most other times it will suddenly and annoyingly pop up on the Comand screen just after I've joined the long queue of traffic! :mad:

I believe it's only cars equipped with COMAND Online - it's free for the first three years but subscription thereafter. Older cars with COMAND (pre-Online) don't need a subscription in my experience.
 
Ah right that's good thanks. :thumb: All the more reason not to change.
 
Yes definitely worth it. Seems just as up to date as Waze to me.
 
I'd say it's definitely worth it. Sometimes I've ignored it at my peril, thinking "Oh this is rubbish", and then get stuck in a massive traffic jam.

On the way back from Heathrow the other day going back to NW London, it told me to go down the M4 to Chiswick Roundabout, up the North Circular Road to Hanger Lane, and then on the North Circular Road again. I was going to ignore it, but my passenger said, "No, believe the Mercedes". I sailed through... no traffic at all.

Work that one out!
 
I think the point is that you need to have Comand Online.

But I am not sure if it will work with pre-2014 cars equipped with Comand Online but not equipped with factory-fitted Mercedes Me Connect.

Either way it does not seem to be able to work with the Mercedes Me ODBIi adapter.
 
Yes you need a Mercedes Me online account to renew the subscription. You can register online. Connect and the Connect Adaptor are services for the "conncted" services, but there are many more services, albeit rarely used by the average owner, like concierge, service bookings, etc

The best reason for registering on Mercedes Me is because that's the best (and maybe only) way of sending a destination to your COMAND Online from your phone or computer. It used to be possible from Google but I think that no longer works. Here's how:

Register for Mercedes Me, download the Mercedes Me app (not the Mercedes Me Adaptor app), and login. Then from any app (e.g. Google Maps) you can tap share, add and then select Mercedes Me, and the app will send the destination to your car :cool:
 
I have followed all the instructions , have an account, registered my car.

I had to call MB customer services , as it wouldn't let me add it to my car , just for reference if anyone else is having the same issue.
 
I don't see this option in Mercedes Me for my car. Service advisor was going to check how to renew subscription and call me back. I think prices quoted above are reasonable and worth paying. I followed the link above but getting "500 Internal Server Error" when adding licence to basket. I will have to try later then.

I assume that update of speed limits from gantries is part of that package and it will still work? I find it quite useful.
 
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Ok so I have got a 3 year old S204 with command online where the tomtom live traffic has expired and a letter from Merc confirming to go to Mercedes Me and create account t etc. Couple of questions:

If I buy a new licence on my computer how does this new licence get sent bk to my car? ... some kind of SIM? Do I need the chassis number?

If I choose not to renew is the command online automatically going to revert back to the old TMC system or is this not valid anymore?

When in my old car last year with command NTG4 going across Europe I found TMCPro on the continent pretty accurate in regards to traffic an EE routing.

Also takes the proverbial urine that an optional extra such as command costing the best part of £2000 doesn't come with lifetime maps and traffic when a sub £100 TomTom comes with both.

Just my thoughts, I know it won't change the money counters!
 
Ok so I have got a 3 year old S204 with command online where the tomtom live traffic has expired and a letter from Merc confirming to go to Mercedes Me and create account t etc. Couple of questions:

If I buy a new licence on my computer how does this new licence get sent bk to my car? ... some kind of SIM? Do I need the chassis number?

If I choose not to renew is the command online automatically going to revert back to the old TMC system or is this not valid anymore?

When in my old car last year with command NTG4 going across Europe I found TMCPro on the continent pretty accurate in regards to traffic an EE routing.

Also takes the proverbial urine that an optional extra such as command costing the best part of £2000 doesn't come with lifetime maps and traffic when a sub £100 TomTom comes with both.

Just my thoughts, I know it won't change the money counters!

I don't know how the car knows, but the car knew immediately after I updated.

From memory, you will need the chassis number to register for Mercedes Me, but once registered you won't need the VIN to update your subscription.

No idea re TMC, but from memory I had no traffic data visible when he subscription lapsed.
 
Bobby Dazzler said:
I don't know how the car knows, but the car knew immediately after I updated. From memory, you will need the chassis number to register for Mercedes Me, but once registered you won't need the VIN to update your subscription. No idea re TMC, but from memory I had no traffic data visible when he subscription lapsed.

Interesting, thanks for the reply. Guess il tinker with it to see if I can get command to show TMC if not il begrudgingly get another subscription
 
I just went through real hassle to get new subscription but as earlier stated you can't get it without Mercedes Me online account and agreeing to T&C. Car is SLK55 2014 with NTG 4.5

My car was added online but consultant said it's not online and he can't see it and maybe I didn't save or maybe added it to American website, etc. I told him I don't believe him, I know it's added. I logged in while on the phone and my car was there. Had to read VIN number and they added it manually and activated it.

Live Traffic was activated straight away and got licence until end of 2018, I didn't pay anything for it.

To get there, I called about 5 times and got different answer every time:
1. You have to renew it online, only way. But it doesn't work for me online. Answer: That's the only way.
2. You have to go to the car and call us from the car
3. You have to update your mobile phone information in Mercedes Me online account and verify it.

No one bothered to check or tell me if my car was visible in their system and why it's not visible. No troubleshooting scenario at all.

I'm not happy about the online account and providing data about my car to Mercedes so may just revert to standard navigation with traffic updates. I would prefer to just pay at the dealership and get renewal based on VIN without any online accounts.
 
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I believe it's only cars equipped with COMAND Online - it's free for the first three years but subscription thereafter. Older cars with COMAND (pre-Online) don't need a subscription in my experience.

I wasn't aware of this so it did make me wonder enough to go out (in the rain!) and check the COMAND Online in my 2012 C350. I haven't renewed any subscriptions since the car was new (just had free map updates for the first 3 years) but either live traffic is working, or there just happen to be lots of red cars parked on Edgeware Way in London. :D

It's been great so far, albeit limited by the speed of information that it's supplied with. Only once have I ignored the advice of the lady in the dashboard because I knew the roads well - she was right and I was wrong. :mad: I now use it for almost every journey, no matter how well I know the route.

It's good at dynamically changing routes to avoid traffic, although it can sometimes change too far ahead - that's when you have to take a gamble on whether or not the traffic holdup will clear before you get there.
 

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