Thinking of changing my satnav in a w203

[Paul.k88]

Hello all
I'm thinking of changing the sat nav on my c270 having bought it recently and have found this one.
mercedes sat nav c class w203 CLK C209 ML W163 vito Viano W639 Android 4.4.2 gps | eBay
IF it works as expected, it seems perfect and also a reasonable price however I can't find anything on the Internet that tells me anything about them.
I was wondering whether any of you fine folk had any experience of them?
Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[Giantvanman]

There are several vendors selling Chinese made copies or pseudo COMAND units. Some look identical to MB units but are anything but. It seems, because of the cost of genuine units, the market has responded and these type of things appear. Personally, I have always gone for genuine or recognised name (e.g. Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer et al) because there is a proper warranty back-up and network for repairs and,more importantly, based on how good the reliability these days, map updates for as long as you need them.

It is cheap for a reason but you pay your money and take your chance.

 

[Paul.k88]

Thanks for that, i think that was probably the same opinion I was leaning towards.
It did seem a bit too good to be true.
I'll wait and see for the time being. See if there are any other options around

 

[flango]

Some of these are better than others we fitted a few for customers and some were better than command but others were shocking so it's a bit if a lottery

Personally I'd go with an Alpine or Kenwood as Command is carp anyway and was outdated the day it was fitted

 

[C43AMG]

Give Richard or Alfie at Comand a call. They are Forum traders and highly recommended and will advise you.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I'm looking into headunits for an S203 so I'll be interested to hear of any recommendations; I generally prefer the branded name route but I also prefer the OEM look that these units give.

 

[tanuie]

Hi, I agree with everything GVM said.

 

[Rory]

I think mine works fine for navigation but the one in the OPs link does have an amazing range of features. I never thought about being able to run Torque - that'd be pretty cool!

 

[markjay]

It depends what's important to you.

An Android-based unit is infinitely more versatile then COMAND, and obviously allows choice of navigation software (Waze, Co-Pilot, TomTom, Michelin, Google Maps, etc etc).

The downsides are that you need to find a good one, and also that I am not sure it is a good idea to have a fully-featured computer in your dash due to potential distractions.

On the other hand, if your W203 is post-facelift, then COMAND NTG2.5 will offer integration with the car, steering wheel and the instrument cluster, which - while not a 'must-have' - is a nice feature if you are an MB enthusiast and appreciate the 'original' feel of the system.

 

[Paul.k88]

I was just amazed by the amount of stuff that you can do, most of which i probably won't use. What i'm really after is the up to date maps (without having to pay >£100 pounds for a disk), the ability to sync my phone and use it through the steering wheel and also play some movies through it. By the time i get the adapter to sync my phone and the new disks for uk and europe, I'm most of the way towards a new unit altogether. Is there a genuine merc unit that will do the above?
Peter, i think i will give them a bell, talk over my options at least.
There is definitely a distraction risk isn't there, i wonder what the legalities are surrounding them.
Thanks for all the replies

 

[markjay]

I think that the issue is when you have an Android/iOS/Windows phone, it is clear that it is a 'phone', i.e. it is a separate unit that looks like a phone, and it is therefore clear to both the drivers and police when the driver holds or taps into the phone (other than to make phone calls or use the SatNav).

But when the unit is installed where the radio would normally fit, the borders are blurred and drivers feel that it is 'OK' because it is part of the car, like radio, or CD player, or factory-fitted SatNav.

It is definitely impossible to enforce, because the Police can not see that the driver is doing something he or she shouldn't be doing, not even if they stop the driver - unlike phone calls or text messages, playing around with the system does not leave a log that is easy to trace (checking the browsing log at the ISP based on the ISP 3g/4g records is anything but trivial and is only likely to be applied in case of a fatal crash).

The combination of the 'it's OK because it's part of the car just like a radio' feeling and the very low risk of getting caught is likely to trip many drivers and have a negative effect on road safety.

I think that the car industry should have a serious discussion regrading what is acceptable and what is not. The old restrictions prohibiting holding the handset or sending/receiving text messages is out of date, with people using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Email, or just Googling at the wheel.

The reality is that people just do this... saying it is wrong won't change it. I think the industry will have to come up with an ISO or DIN or BSI standard for 'mobile data interface to be used in automobiles' or such like, based on ergonomic research, detailing which features are allowed and which are not, and fitting any device that is not certified (or has been tempered with) will be illegal.

At current manufacturers just make it up as they go, from BMW iDrive to MB COMAND and Linguatronic etc etc....