Live traffic nightmare

[IvorB]

Hi there

Sorry if this has been answered as I'm new here, but my issue seems rather specific and I'm at my wits' end.

I bought an A200 last October from an independent dealer. It's a 2019 car, and is lovely. But...

Live traffic has never worked.

Initially the dealer said I needed to activate MercedesMe to make it work.
I did that - it didn't help

Then they said I need to activate live traffic in the app
It's marked as active.

Then the star team said the garage needed to reset the communication module to make it work
They say they did that - it didn't help

Then the star team said the comms module needs replacing
Garage seems to be ignoring this part

Today garage tells me I need to subscribe to an ITC (internet in the car) tariff with vodafone to make live traffic work
I have no need of this service - surely I don't need to pay for something I don't want in order to make the SatNav work properly?

Please can anyone offer the solution to my problem? Here is the overview of my services...

Many thanks in advance!
Ivor

 

[mikrt]

I'm pretty sure you will need a mobile data connection for "live traffic"

That's how the messages get to the Sat-nav unit.

 

[IvorB]

You're right, it must need a data connection as it gets the information from the TomTom server.

But that should be completely separate to paying for a wifi hotspot in the car, which is what the garage are telling me is the issue.

 

[Flyinspanner]

Use free app WAZE on your phone

 

[steve_w]

I have Live Traffic Information working without Internet in the car. The two are separate.

 

[mikrt]

I have Live Traffic Information working without Internet in the car. The two are separate.

With tom tom?

 

[jimbg]

I have LIve Traffic ( Comand ) and no separate internet, 3 years subscription are included with a new car this uses the built in Sim.

Tom Tom, that's the older systems?

 

[IvorB]

Sorry if I mis-spoke and TomTom is older systems. I've been scouring the internet to find the solution as the dealer is unable to fix it.

According to MercedesMe my traffic is subscribed until 2023, and there is no indication you have to pay for another service to make this work.

 

[markjay]

The TomTom Live Traffic service on COMAND is receiving data via the KOM Module which has a built-in Vodafone simacrd. In the UK the connection used to be 3g, though I've driven a rental in the Continent that had a 4g connection. This is also one of the reasons that the KOM Module and the TomTom Live Traffic service can't be retrofitted to a car that didn't have these factory-fitted (because they require the Vodafone account from MB).

I am not sure how the TomTom Live Traffic service is delivered on cars equipped with Audio20 and Garmin Map Pilot. It might be via the mobile phone, or the car might have a KOM Module (same as with COMAND) - I don't know.

 

[markjay]

I have LIve Traffic ( Comand ) and no separate internet, 3 years subscription are included with a new car this uses the built in Sim.

Tom Tom, that's the older systems?

TomTom sell their TomTom Live Traffic data as a service to car manufacturers, separate of their own TomTom satnav devices.

MB have contracted the TomTom Live Traffic service from TomTom, and they are providing it to cars equipped with either COMAND navigation (from mid-2013) and for cars equipped with Audio20 and Garmin Map Pilot navigation (from mid-2014).

TomTom provide the data but it's a customised service for MB - I tried talking to TomTom about it once, BTW, and they just said 'talk to MB'... they don't provide the service directly to consumes (unless bundled with a TomTom satnav device).

 

[BTB 500]

The TomTom Live Traffic service on COMAND is receiving data via the KOM Module which has a built-in Vodafone simacrd. In the UK the connection used to be 3g, though I've driven a rental in the Continent that had a 4g connection.

It's 4g in our 2019 W205 (although it connects in 3g mode fairly often).

 

[markjay]

Hi there

It's a 2019 car... The star team said the comms module needs replacing...

This needs to be done under the MB new car warranty.

I suggest you take the car to your local MB dealer (not the selling garage), present it to them and ask for the fault to be rectified under warranty.

If the MB dealer mentions any costs (which they shouldn't really), then you can always revert to the selling garage and ask them to cover the bill.

 

[IvorB]

To prove whether there was no physical part needs replacing the garage suggested I sign up for a trial of the internet in the car service, having found no fault codes in the computer.

They just returned the car and live traffic is now working!

Whether this goes away after the month's trial of ITC remains to be seen. These things really shouldn't be related. I'm hoping that maybe activating this service caused vodafone to reset the SIM and traffic will stay on...

 

[IvorB]

To prove whether there was no physical part needs replacing the garage suggested I sign up for a trial of the internet in the car service, having found no fault codes in the computer.

They just returned the car and live traffic is now working!

Whether this goes away after the month's trial of ITC remains to be seen. These things really shouldn't be related. I'm hoping that maybe activating this service caused vodafone to reset the SIM and traffic will stay on...

 

[st13phil]

Whether this goes away after the month's trial of ITC remains to be seen. These things really shouldn't be related.

Live Traffic is not dependent upon having Internet in the Car active on the W177 MBUX system. The dealer who told you that is plain wrong.

Either the Comm's module is faulty (as the Star team suggested), or there was a glitch in the service provisioning that activating the Internet in the Car trial has kicked into life.

They just returned the car and live traffic is now working!

Glad to hear it, and hopefully it will stay that way.

 

[IvorB]

Live Traffic is not dependent upon having Internet in the Car active on the W177 MBUX system. The dealer who told you that is plain wrong.

Either the Comm's module is faulty (as the Star team suggested), or there was a glitch in the service provisioning that activating the Internet in the Car trial has kicked into life.

Glad to hear it, and hopefully it will stay that way.

The dealer was reading from an internal memo that he wouldn't share, saying that traffic is dependent on ITC subscription after Jan 2020. But yeah, fingers crossed.

 

[st13phil]

The dealer was reading from an internal memo that he wouldn't share, saying that traffic is dependent on ITC subscription after Jan 2020. But yeah, fingers crossed.

Interesting. I wonder why Live Traffic works on mine without an ITC subscription?

 

[jimbg]

Mine works OK as well, maybe it is from new cars after Jan'20 ?

 

[st13phil]

Mine works OK as well, maybe it is from new cars after Jan'20 ?

Going from the screenshot in post #1, the OP's car was first used in June 2019.

 

[IvorB]

It's Jan 2019 actually - not sure why the traffic sub runs until June rather than Jan 23.

The dealer tried to suggest it was because I'd bought it from an independent rather than a main dealer (hence 15% cheaper)