W169: Problem while updating nav-software onto NTG 2.5 (BD0811/ A169 900 24 00) alpine: update-loop.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

urkel

New Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
7
Location
brunswick, germany
Car
MB W169 A200CDI
Hello MB-community,
my parents got an 2011 A-class W169 with a navigation-unit, already with firmware 09.29 (HW-version 09/34) and sadly, with the maps 6.0 from 2009. So I decided to do them a favor and bought a used DVD-set on e*ay (A219 827 27 00): 2019 - version 16.0.
I received the DVDs (they looked very well and clean) and I inserted the first DVD into the drive. It asked me for updating and I selected: yes.

The progress-bar went onto 15% in 10 mins - so far, so good. Then I heard a scratchy noise from the dvd (from revin' inside of the drive). The Update stopped with <can't read the DVD, please insert the Update-DVD>. The DVD came out and I could see deep scratches on the data-side.
This is where it got worse.
The headunit is in a <please insert Disk 1>-loop and the optical drive (single version -- no multi-changer) won't read any disk. I already contacted Mercedes Benz Germany, they told my local dealer and he sold me a new DVD-set. So I made an image + copy on DVD+R DLs, but the drive wont read it. YES, I KNOW, the drive only reads original disk -- I inserted the original disk, but this won't also be recognized.

The headunit is already open, I removed (and cleaned) the drive, but any try to got the DVD-drive reading won't work.

Is there any way to do the update with the SD-slot? Both discs are DVD-R-DL (so both are filled with each 8 GB).
I also made (for backup-reasons) a dump of my 40GB harddrive - then I tried to copy the files from the first disk to one of the partitions (most of them formatted with FAT32), but it won't do the update.

If there is no option to update from HDD/SD, I have two other ideas:

- get another BD0811 and temporary switch the DVD-drives (--> damn, even the carsellers here in .de won't trade A-classes)
- get an IDE/ATA DVD-Rom + flexcable-adapter.


I'm not sure, if one of this works, so I'd be glad, if one of you has some ideas to fix my problem. :'-(
 
OK, the flexcable-thing won't work. Maybe, they have their own specs (instead of default-pinout). So I need to fix the drive. :-/
 
I doubt that NTG2.5 maps can be uploaded from SD-Card, the maps on this unit do not require a PIN and are protected instead by using crashed tracks on the original DVD. So it would be odd for MB to allow maps update from SD-Card and in effect bypass the DVD protection. The maps can be updated by cloning the HDD from another unit, but there are many reasons why this isn't a good idea, including the legal aspect. The firmware can be updated from SD-Card, but you are already on the latest version anyway (09/29).

You could try replacing the optical drive inside the device, or just get a second hand NTG2.5 off eBay if you can find one that is identical to the one you have (same MB P/N).

Another last-ditch attempt could be resetting the unit, to be honest I doubt it will help with the missing maps but it's always worth a try.
 
Last edited:
BTW, if I got this right, then the first DVD set that you bought off eBay was either a damaged original, or a convincingly-looling fake of an original set, and it damaged the optical drive?
 
BTW, if I got this right, then the first DVD set that you bought off eBay was either a damaged original, or a convincingly-looling fake of an original set, and it damaged the optical drive?
It looked quite new. At first, the drive won't spin-up the disc, so I opened the top-cover of the case and inserted the eBay-disc-1. Then, the update started. It asked, if I wish to like to update - I agreed. Then the update started until maybe 15% and I could hear, how the drive got louder... the disc started to scratch on the lower side, the headunit displayed, that it can't read the disc and I should insert the disc 1.

Then I bought the original discs on my local MB-dealer (again) for 150 Eur / 135 GBP and tried to make the update again - but the drive won't recognize the discs. My drive seems to be broken.

Your suggestion to switch the drives (temporary) should be the solution. Sadly, also here in germany nobody sells the BP0811/A...) for cheap.

Greetings. :)
 
If swapping only the optical drive, the donor unit does not need to be identical, any NTG2.5 will do, but make sure the donor unit has the same type of drive (they come as either single-CD unit, or with internal CD-changer).

The main difference between the various NTG2.5 units is the front facia panel which is specific for the model of the car, so it may be possible to remove the facia and replace it thus using an NTG2.5 unit that came from another model of car - but I don't know. But if you do that, then compare the rear side of the unit on sale with yours, to make sure it has the same ports and connectors layout at the back.

The other alternative is to replace the entire HU with an Android-based unit, e.g. Erisin, but that's a separate discussion.....
 
The other alternative is to replace the entire HU with an Android-based unit, e.g. Erisin, but that's a separate discussion.....
I've had a Pumpkin-headunit in my Audi A3 (8P) with Bose-amp and I've had so much trouble. I removed it, because I couldn't get more than 3GB (of 16GB) of it's internal SD-memory as base-partition. Why buying a 16GB-Headunit, when I can only use ... 3 GB of it? The next problem was the lowpass-filter, that was always on ("small" speaker-setup with Subwoofer) where I needed a "large" speaker-config without subwoofer-out for my external amp. (Bose: 4.0). For my Audi, the next device will be a Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB with SW-config: disabled.

This is one of the reasons, why I invest so much time in this original MB-system unit instead of changing it.
The car is owned by my mothers friend (74yrs) and I'm glad, he is familiar with the usage of the native device.
 
Update: Swapping the drive was the solution for my problem. Now, it installes and tells me after 3 mins, I need to switch on the ignition, or it will shut down. And then, it shuts itself down. Power -> Resuming... But it takes hours. Maybe, I should re-install it into the car and ignite the car. hrhrhr.
BTW: take care, if you also want to remove your headunit from the car - the cover of the climate-control is VERY sensitive. I scratched mine and ordered a new by MB for 70 Eur (55 GBP). Now I wait until everything works fine and then, I put the new, shiny cover on - at last.
You can't imagine, how pissed I am about the consequences for <just updating the navigation-data>... 100 Eur eBay DVDs, 150 Eur MB-DVDs, 70 Eur cover, 330 Eur alternate headunit...650 Eur (540 GBP) + alot of time+nerves.
 
It took almost 3 hours - the first DVD took 50 min, then disc 2 started and after almost 5%, it told me, updating was not possible, I should contact my MB-dealer. On the next day, I started over and ... tada... the Disc2 could be detected and it installed the next ... 50%, then the same message: Update not possible.
It's a very "sensitive" device... Then I replaced the brakes (discs+brackets) and after finishing the swapping of the brakes, the update was finished:
(The update of the nav-content endet successfully. The DVD will be ejected.)
20200611_140140_.jpg

Thank you for your help. I expected to get a hint like: "put it on a SD-card and press three buttons at the same time, run two times across the car and then it'll update from SD", but you helped me a better way. ;-)

Sunny greetings from germany - I hope, you'll enjoy the weekend.

Regards
Sebastian
 
Well done for persevering on this. Glad to hear that you successfully updated your maps in the end.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom