DENSION GATEWAY 500 for MOST – MENUS in COMAND
05-28-2007, 03:30 PM
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2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
DENSION GATEWAY 500 for MOST – MENUS in COMAND
The following guide is intended to supplement the Gateway 500 for MOST bus User’s Manual when used with COMAND. The Dension User’s Manual covers several brands of cars, including Mercedes, and of course each brand not only differs, but different varieties of head units are used in different models even within the same brand. As a result, the Dension User’s Manual is not specific to any car, and learning to use the Gateway 500 menus with COMAND is not intuitive. While this guide does not cover all possible options in the menus, hopefully it gets one far enough along to enjoy the iPod integration, and advances understanding of the menus. This guide also does not cover many of the items discussed in the User’s Manual or Installation Guide for accessing the Gateway 500 vice the CD Changer. For that information, see the Dension guides or forum posts at https://mbworld.org/forums/audio-electronics/194660-gateway-500-most-o-good-unit-poor-documentation.html and at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/show...86#post2376586.
I regret that I do not know enough about head units other than COMAND such as Audio 50, etc. and I cannot answer questions about them. I understand that the menus function similarly on D2B COMANDs, except that song titles do not display. However, I am not familiar with the Gateway 500 menu displays on D2B COMANDs; I hope that D2B COMAND users will point out similarities and differences.
The COMAND display background colors in the pictures that follow have nothing to do with the Dension menus, or the particular menu selected. They were the result of different lighting conditions when I took the photos over several days.
The Photo below shows the top level of the Dension User Interface (UI).
The Dension User Interface (UI) top level is selected by first selecting CD Changer in the Audio menu of COMAND, and pushing button #6 to the right of the COMAND display; or by pressing the “CD Mag” soft key until it shows. If one is already in the Dension UI, but this level is not displayed, one can also scroll to it using the < or > command keys on either side of the “OK” button.
The Dension UI top level allows selection of the first four playlists on the iPod; allows one to show all songs on the iPod (this is not the iPod UI, addressed later) by selecting #5 (either by scrolling or by pressing button 5); or to go to the second level of the Dension UI by selecting “Menu” (button 6).
Access to playlists after the first four in the Dension UI is through the Browser function.
Selecting #5 from this menu will display the first few song names recorded to the iPod, Song titles will be displayed on the COMAND screen, and track numbers (limited to 2 digits) are shown on the instrument cluster display. This selection will allow scrolling with the steering wheel buttons and COMAND controls. However, playlists, albums, etc are not accessible – only songs.
I regret that I do not know enough about head units other than COMAND such as Audio 50, etc. and I cannot answer questions about them. I understand that the menus function similarly on D2B COMANDs, except that song titles do not display. However, I am not familiar with the Gateway 500 menu displays on D2B COMANDs; I hope that D2B COMAND users will point out similarities and differences.
The COMAND display background colors in the pictures that follow have nothing to do with the Dension menus, or the particular menu selected. They were the result of different lighting conditions when I took the photos over several days.
The Photo below shows the top level of the Dension User Interface (UI).
The Dension User Interface (UI) top level is selected by first selecting CD Changer in the Audio menu of COMAND, and pushing button #6 to the right of the COMAND display; or by pressing the “CD Mag” soft key until it shows. If one is already in the Dension UI, but this level is not displayed, one can also scroll to it using the < or > command keys on either side of the “OK” button.
The Dension UI top level allows selection of the first four playlists on the iPod; allows one to show all songs on the iPod (this is not the iPod UI, addressed later) by selecting #5 (either by scrolling or by pressing button 5); or to go to the second level of the Dension UI by selecting “Menu” (button 6).
Access to playlists after the first four in the Dension UI is through the Browser function.
Selecting #5 from this menu will display the first few song names recorded to the iPod, Song titles will be displayed on the COMAND screen, and track numbers (limited to 2 digits) are shown on the instrument cluster display. This selection will allow scrolling with the steering wheel buttons and COMAND controls. However, playlists, albums, etc are not accessible – only songs.
Last edited by Skylaw; 05-28-2007 at 03:42 PM.
05-28-2007, 03:32 PM
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Using Playlists in the Dension Menu
The second level of the Dension UI (first photo below, left) is the Browser function is brought up by selecting #6 either on the keypad or by scrolling to it and selecting “OK.” It is used to access a number of listing options, including playlists (all), artists, albums, genres, and the like. At the initial level of the browser, the first eight options appear in brackets [...], and correspond to the same options on the iPod standard menus.
To load the desired item, scroll to the desired bracketed item (a bracketed item is a folderor playlist) using the up/down arrows on the COMAND keypad or by using the “Seek+” and “-Seek” keys at the bottom of the buttons to the left to the display, until the desired bracketed item is highlighted ([Artists] in the first picture below). Now, here is a useful hint: To load the items, according to the Dension instructions, you use the Fast Forward key. On COMAND, there is no Fast Forward key marked as such. The function is achieved by pressing and holding the “Seek+” key in for at least 2 seconds.
The “Seek+” key is also used to choose certain other options such as “+Paging” and battery charging. These options are reached by scrolling past the first eight bracketed iPod items (however, I had best results in selecting the "+Paging" option by reaching it through the selector switch cycling described in the installation manual). The “-Seek” key is used to remove a prior selection.
When loading of a bracketed item is selected, a “Loading” advisory will appear briefly onscreen. If there are too many items in a playlist, artist list, etc. a bracketed [<SEARCH>] will appear; selecting this will result in a list of alphanumerics which, when selected, will give a listing of items sorted under that character.
The second photo below shows the selections that result after choosing [Playlists] in the browser, using the “Seek” key. It is the second level of the Browser.
Please also note that because of extensive experimentation with the menus and taking photos over several says, selections (highlighted items) will not necessarily track. For example, while the folder [Artists] is highlighted, the selection made to display the next photo was [Playlists]; and while the playlist "Beethoven Symphonies" is highlighted, the selections in the photos following were made from a playlist named "Beydrich Smetana."
Selecting the iPod folder name starts playing all songs on the iPod. Using that choice from here results in song titles being displayed. However, this does not initiate the “iPod UI.” Control of the iPod is still through the Dension menus and from the steering wheel and COMAND from this selection. Scrolling of songs is from the first recorded (or the last song being played when starting this sequence), following the order of song titles as listed in the music library on the iPod.
Selecting a playlist will list the songs in the playlist, each with a period in front of the song title. Selecting a song with the “Seek+” button starts the selected song, with its title displayed on COMAND (the period in front of the title disappears once it begins to play); and the iPod is directed to the playlist containing that song. Further scrolling and selection of songs thereafter, songs may be by COMAND or the steering wheel controls.. They are displayed three at a time until a selection is made. Not making a selection within 30 seconds results in resumption of the selection made before initiating the sequence.
The third photo below shows the way in which a song is displayed after loading of a playlist is complete. Note the period before the title. Selecting the song title (again using “Seek+) will begin play with that song, and result in the next menu screen. I chose The Moldau; the next screen resulted.
The fourth photo shows the Dension UI while playing song. Note that after one selects the song to begin playing in the browser, the song title is displayed without a period, and the top caption in the menu changes from “Menu” to the iPod’s name. If scrolling is begun after a song begins, three titles at a time will be displayed onscreen.
In the browser, if one scrolls to the end of the list, several items appear without being in brackets. See the fifth photo. Selecting “.AlbumPlay” while a song is playing will play all of the songs from the same album.
If one selects “.Access iPod UI” from this point, control of the music (sorting, selection) reverts to the iPod controls; the COMAND display shows only Track number (to two digits), and all sorting and song selections are done on the iPod display – except that the COMAND buttons #1 through 6 will add certain functions such as seek, change repeat mode, previous/next playlist, previous/next album, and return to the Dension UI as explained in the User’s Manual. The next photo shows the COMAND screen in the iPod UI.
Selecting [Charge] brings up charging options for no charge (”Off”), charging only while the head unit is on, and continuing charging for 2 hours after the head unit is off (“.+2”). However, I have had problems getting the"+Paging" instruction to “take” from the [Config] folder in this menu, and it bears repeating that I have had better luck using the rapid repositioning of the selector switch (3 up, 3 down in rapid succession) as described in the Dension manuals.
To load the desired item, scroll to the desired bracketed item (a bracketed item is a folderor playlist) using the up/down arrows on the COMAND keypad or by using the “Seek+” and “-Seek” keys at the bottom of the buttons to the left to the display, until the desired bracketed item is highlighted ([Artists] in the first picture below). Now, here is a useful hint: To load the items, according to the Dension instructions, you use the Fast Forward key. On COMAND, there is no Fast Forward key marked as such. The function is achieved by pressing and holding the “Seek+” key in for at least 2 seconds.
The “Seek+” key is also used to choose certain other options such as “+Paging” and battery charging. These options are reached by scrolling past the first eight bracketed iPod items (however, I had best results in selecting the "+Paging" option by reaching it through the selector switch cycling described in the installation manual). The “-Seek” key is used to remove a prior selection.
When loading of a bracketed item is selected, a “Loading” advisory will appear briefly onscreen. If there are too many items in a playlist, artist list, etc. a bracketed [<SEARCH>] will appear; selecting this will result in a list of alphanumerics which, when selected, will give a listing of items sorted under that character.
The second photo below shows the selections that result after choosing [Playlists] in the browser, using the “Seek” key. It is the second level of the Browser.
Please also note that because of extensive experimentation with the menus and taking photos over several says, selections (highlighted items) will not necessarily track. For example, while the folder [Artists] is highlighted, the selection made to display the next photo was [Playlists]; and while the playlist "Beethoven Symphonies" is highlighted, the selections in the photos following were made from a playlist named "Beydrich Smetana."
Selecting the iPod folder name starts playing all songs on the iPod. Using that choice from here results in song titles being displayed. However, this does not initiate the “iPod UI.” Control of the iPod is still through the Dension menus and from the steering wheel and COMAND from this selection. Scrolling of songs is from the first recorded (or the last song being played when starting this sequence), following the order of song titles as listed in the music library on the iPod.
Selecting a playlist will list the songs in the playlist, each with a period in front of the song title. Selecting a song with the “Seek+” button starts the selected song, with its title displayed on COMAND (the period in front of the title disappears once it begins to play); and the iPod is directed to the playlist containing that song. Further scrolling and selection of songs thereafter, songs may be by COMAND or the steering wheel controls.. They are displayed three at a time until a selection is made. Not making a selection within 30 seconds results in resumption of the selection made before initiating the sequence.
The third photo below shows the way in which a song is displayed after loading of a playlist is complete. Note the period before the title. Selecting the song title (again using “Seek+) will begin play with that song, and result in the next menu screen. I chose The Moldau; the next screen resulted.
The fourth photo shows the Dension UI while playing song. Note that after one selects the song to begin playing in the browser, the song title is displayed without a period, and the top caption in the menu changes from “Menu” to the iPod’s name. If scrolling is begun after a song begins, three titles at a time will be displayed onscreen.
In the browser, if one scrolls to the end of the list, several items appear without being in brackets. See the fifth photo. Selecting “.AlbumPlay” while a song is playing will play all of the songs from the same album.
If one selects “.Access iPod UI” from this point, control of the music (sorting, selection) reverts to the iPod controls; the COMAND display shows only Track number (to two digits), and all sorting and song selections are done on the iPod display – except that the COMAND buttons #1 through 6 will add certain functions such as seek, change repeat mode, previous/next playlist, previous/next album, and return to the Dension UI as explained in the User’s Manual. The next photo shows the COMAND screen in the iPod UI.
Selecting [Charge] brings up charging options for no charge (”Off”), charging only while the head unit is on, and continuing charging for 2 hours after the head unit is off (“.+2”). However, I have had problems getting the"+Paging" instruction to “take” from the [Config] folder in this menu, and it bears repeating that I have had better luck using the rapid repositioning of the selector switch (3 up, 3 down in rapid succession) as described in the Dension manuals.
Last edited by Skylaw; 05-28-2007 at 03:49 PM.
05-28-2007, 03:33 PM
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The iPod UI on COMAND
The first photo below is the screen that results from choosing “.Access iPod UI” iPod from the browser (last photo, preceding post). Note that entering the iPod UI this way results in no display of song title. The iPod screen must be used to determine ID information, as well as song sorting. Control of the iPod is by using the iPod controls.
From the iPod UI menu in the firs photo below, pressing the “CD-Mag” button will bring up the screen in the second photo below.
The first four items in the second photo seem to have no noticeable function. However, selecting item 5 returns one to the previous menu in the iPod UI.
One reverts to the Dension UI by pressing keypad button #6 or by scrolling using the > button on COMAND (after which it will read “Menu” at the top of the screen) and selecting it using “OK.” After returning to the Dension menu, control of the iPod shifts back to COMAND and the steering wheel.
Note item 4 in the second photo below. Repeat/random and other playback options are controlled on the COMAND “Settings” menu (the Settings” soft key shown in every menu photo above). With Firmware version 1.05, I have noticed that if my car is left off for a long time (such as overnight), the iPod may start with the very first song on the iPod; and it defaults to “Repeat” playlist in the Settings. It must be changed back manually. Firmware version 2.0 is likely to address these. The iPod should start up playing the last song underway when the car was turned off – which mine does if the car is shut down for only a few hours or less.
From the iPod UI menu in the firs photo below, pressing the “CD-Mag” button will bring up the screen in the second photo below.
The first four items in the second photo seem to have no noticeable function. However, selecting item 5 returns one to the previous menu in the iPod UI.
One reverts to the Dension UI by pressing keypad button #6 or by scrolling using the > button on COMAND (after which it will read “Menu” at the top of the screen) and selecting it using “OK.” After returning to the Dension menu, control of the iPod shifts back to COMAND and the steering wheel.
Note item 4 in the second photo below. Repeat/random and other playback options are controlled on the COMAND “Settings” menu (the Settings” soft key shown in every menu photo above). With Firmware version 1.05, I have noticed that if my car is left off for a long time (such as overnight), the iPod may start with the very first song on the iPod; and it defaults to “Repeat” playlist in the Settings. It must be changed back manually. Firmware version 2.0 is likely to address these. The iPod should start up playing the last song underway when the car was turned off – which mine does if the car is shut down for only a few hours or less.
Last edited by Skylaw; 05-28-2007 at 03:50 PM.
05-28-2007, 03:34 PM
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Dension Displays on iPod Screen
If the Dension UI was previously selected, and when ignition is turned on with COMAND on, the iPod will display a “do not drive while distracted” screen. Next, the iPod will display a check mark and an “OK to disconnect” at the bottom (first photo). It will then change to an intermediate screen that displays the firmware version number, and finally the Dension UI menu (second photo).
If the iPod fails to complete its initialization process (mine sometimes gets hung up switching from the checkmark screen to the next one; the screen blinks and the checkmark screen reappears), all that may be necessary is disconnecting the iPod and resetting the iPod menus (not the Gateway 500). On my G4 iPod, this is done by simultaneously pressing and holding the “Menu” selection on the click wheel and the center button, until the iPod resets. Reset may take several seconds. Different iPods may have different reset procedures. Then, reconnect the iPod (the ignition need not be switched off). If that does not clear the problem, see the Trouble section in the User’s Manual.
NOTE: When my iPod hung up on the checkmark screen, the Gateway 500 did not recognize it. I had no thumb drive or other USB device inserted; therefore, the display defaulted to the AUX input. This simply showed “AUX” at the top of the COMAND display. From this display, pressing the “CD-Mag” soft key brought up a six-line item menu; numbers 1 through 5 had blanks; and item 6 was AUX. I suspect that if I had inserted a USB device, it would show on this menu as well.
The USB input will utilize menus that work similarly to the iPod menus, including use of browsers, if the music is organized into folders or playlists. In addition, a thumb drive is used to perform firmware updates on the Gateway 500.
Once music selection has been made, the iPod will display the song title, artist, and album on its screen, while the COMAND display shows song title (only the first line of the iPod display).
If the iPod fails to complete its initialization process (mine sometimes gets hung up switching from the checkmark screen to the next one; the screen blinks and the checkmark screen reappears), all that may be necessary is disconnecting the iPod and resetting the iPod menus (not the Gateway 500). On my G4 iPod, this is done by simultaneously pressing and holding the “Menu” selection on the click wheel and the center button, until the iPod resets. Reset may take several seconds. Different iPods may have different reset procedures. Then, reconnect the iPod (the ignition need not be switched off). If that does not clear the problem, see the Trouble section in the User’s Manual.
NOTE: When my iPod hung up on the checkmark screen, the Gateway 500 did not recognize it. I had no thumb drive or other USB device inserted; therefore, the display defaulted to the AUX input. This simply showed “AUX” at the top of the COMAND display. From this display, pressing the “CD-Mag” soft key brought up a six-line item menu; numbers 1 through 5 had blanks; and item 6 was AUX. I suspect that if I had inserted a USB device, it would show on this menu as well.
The USB input will utilize menus that work similarly to the iPod menus, including use of browsers, if the music is organized into folders or playlists. In addition, a thumb drive is used to perform firmware updates on the Gateway 500.
Once music selection has been made, the iPod will display the song title, artist, and album on its screen, while the COMAND display shows song title (only the first line of the iPod display).
06-17-2007, 10:30 AM
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Update
Dension has released firmware version 2.02 for the Gateway 500, for both the D2B and MOST versions. It is a significant update that makes the menu functions far easier to use because it is much more logical. 
In addition, the user manual has been updated; the firmware update is available at Dension Support Center (Thanks, GW500) and the user manual is available at Dension - Support. The firmware download page indicates that FW 1.0x (which would include 1.05 and its menu functions discussed above) is no longer supported, and indeed the FW 1.05 page has been taken down on the Dension Support Center site.
I downloaded the update to my desktop, and copied the G5_B UPD.ROM file to the root level of a USB thumb drive, as instructed. The "root" level simply means the file should not be in any folder; you do not copy the update folder nor do you place the file in any other folder. The instructions for the update are clear, so I will not repeat them - it worked exactly as advertised. I left my iPod connected during the process, and when the update was complete the iPod screen blinked, it restarted, and the final startup menu showed the new firmware version. The light on the thumb drive also went out.
After the update loaded, per the instructions, I shut down the car, including COMAND, and re-started. I used the mode selector switch to reset "+Paging" and could see many of the changes right away. On the intitial startup, and after setting "+Paging" the song I had selected to play showed its title on COMAND; however, when scrolling in the playlist, the next song would come up with the Track number, then switch to the title. When I shut the COMAND down the second time and re-started, that did not happen - all song titles appeared in the playlists during scrolling.
The following discussion relates to the iPod.
Two bugs in version 1.0x firmware have apparently been fixed. First, the track sequence (normal, random, mixed, etc) settings are now retained after the car has been off overnight. Second, the iPod begins playing the song being played when the car was shut down (sometimes under FW 1.0x it would revert to a different song, usually the first one in the music library).
There is a significant change in the use of COMAND buttons 1-4. They are no longer the first four playlists on the iPod (at least in the MOST version). In the Dension interface they are now 1) "Scan Playlist" (use Fast Forward - "Seek+" on COMAND - for 2 seconds to begin playing); 2) is "Scan Artist" (same begin play steps); 3) is "Scan Album" (same begin play steps); and 4) is not used.
Button 5 no longer selects the iPod UI; it is a "parking" for instructions (the CD shown on the instrument cluster will be CD 5) and "Play all." Button 6, as before, selects the menu function in the Dension UI.
The selection of input sources, playlists, artists, and albums is far simpler, not only because of the changed button functions, but also within the Dension menu itself. When reaching choices of selections on the Dension menu, one can navigate far more easily to AUX, USB, the iPod UI, playlists, artists, and albums. Playlists, artists, and album selections are no longer shown in brackets, but have a ">" to the left to designate them. If the list of songs, artists, or albums is long, the selection feature of the browser comes up, breaking the possible selections into alphabetical groups - making navigation in the menus faster.
In all, Firmware 2.02 is a significant improvement in ease of use. The supplemental features to the iPod interface have also been improved somewhat. In addition, the new user manual is much clearer than its predecessors; because it describes the new interface very well, I will likely not update this post with more screen shots.
The new user manual indicates that a new circuit board will be available - hardware version V1R1X, which includes capability to add accessories for the following functions: iPod video output; music playback for mp3 cell phones and ability to respond to calls on such phones (my guess is that it does not replace the need for separate Bluetooth equipment, but simply provides the ability to switch between music playback and talking on such a phone). The new hardware version also permits use of an accessory to allow audio from a portable navigation device to be selected and fed to the car's audio system (I believe it would be handled much the way the car's audio system would handle a built-in nav system). The latter capability is still under development.
GW500, one of the Gateway 500 developers, has indicated in another post that although the user manual references hardware version V1R1X as being able to use the expansion accessories, all of the older Gateway 500 units sold to date (V1R4 and V2R1) will also be able to take advantage of the expanded capabilities.
In addition, the user manual has been updated; the firmware update is available at Dension Support Center (Thanks, GW500) and the user manual is available at Dension - Support. The firmware download page indicates that FW 1.0x (which would include 1.05 and its menu functions discussed above) is no longer supported, and indeed the FW 1.05 page has been taken down on the Dension Support Center site.I downloaded the update to my desktop, and copied the G5_B UPD.ROM file to the root level of a USB thumb drive, as instructed. The "root" level simply means the file should not be in any folder; you do not copy the update folder nor do you place the file in any other folder. The instructions for the update are clear, so I will not repeat them - it worked exactly as advertised. I left my iPod connected during the process, and when the update was complete the iPod screen blinked, it restarted, and the final startup menu showed the new firmware version. The light on the thumb drive also went out.
After the update loaded, per the instructions, I shut down the car, including COMAND, and re-started. I used the mode selector switch to reset "+Paging" and could see many of the changes right away. On the intitial startup, and after setting "+Paging" the song I had selected to play showed its title on COMAND; however, when scrolling in the playlist, the next song would come up with the Track number, then switch to the title. When I shut the COMAND down the second time and re-started, that did not happen - all song titles appeared in the playlists during scrolling.
The following discussion relates to the iPod.
Two bugs in version 1.0x firmware have apparently been fixed. First, the track sequence (normal, random, mixed, etc) settings are now retained after the car has been off overnight. Second, the iPod begins playing the song being played when the car was shut down (sometimes under FW 1.0x it would revert to a different song, usually the first one in the music library).
There is a significant change in the use of COMAND buttons 1-4. They are no longer the first four playlists on the iPod (at least in the MOST version). In the Dension interface they are now 1) "Scan Playlist" (use Fast Forward - "Seek+" on COMAND - for 2 seconds to begin playing); 2) is "Scan Artist" (same begin play steps); 3) is "Scan Album" (same begin play steps); and 4) is not used.
Button 5 no longer selects the iPod UI; it is a "parking" for instructions (the CD shown on the instrument cluster will be CD 5) and "Play all." Button 6, as before, selects the menu function in the Dension UI.
The selection of input sources, playlists, artists, and albums is far simpler, not only because of the changed button functions, but also within the Dension menu itself. When reaching choices of selections on the Dension menu, one can navigate far more easily to AUX, USB, the iPod UI, playlists, artists, and albums. Playlists, artists, and album selections are no longer shown in brackets, but have a ">" to the left to designate them. If the list of songs, artists, or albums is long, the selection feature of the browser comes up, breaking the possible selections into alphabetical groups - making navigation in the menus faster.
In all, Firmware 2.02 is a significant improvement in ease of use.
The supplemental features to the iPod interface have also been improved somewhat. In addition, the new user manual is much clearer than its predecessors; because it describes the new interface very well, I will likely not update this post with more screen shots.The new user manual indicates that a new circuit board will be available - hardware version V1R1X, which includes capability to add accessories for the following functions: iPod video output; music playback for mp3 cell phones and ability to respond to calls on such phones (my guess is that it does not replace the need for separate Bluetooth equipment, but simply provides the ability to switch between music playback and talking on such a phone). The new hardware version also permits use of an accessory to allow audio from a portable navigation device to be selected and fed to the car's audio system (I believe it would be handled much the way the car's audio system would handle a built-in nav system). The latter capability is still under development.
GW500, one of the Gateway 500 developers, has indicated in another post that although the user manual references hardware version V1R1X as being able to use the expansion accessories, all of the older Gateway 500 units sold to date (V1R4 and V2R1) will also be able to take advantage of the expanded capabilities.
Last edited by Skylaw; 06-17-2007 at 05:52 PM.
06-20-2007, 11:31 AM
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Further Update FW 2.02
One additional difference I noticed between firmware 1.05 and 2.02 is that the menu choices for charging the iPod are gone in 2.02. GW500, a Gateway 500 developer, confirmed that they were indeed not a part of FW 2.02. He said that the feature was included for batteries in older iPods, but that the G4 and newer iPod batteries (which are of different technology) did not require the charging 2 hours after shutting down the car. The default setting for FW 2.02 is to charge while the head unit is on. He did hold out the possibility - no more - that the feature could return in a later firmware update.
He also suggested a workaround - setting the charging through the USB menu. I tried, but with only a thumb drive to connect, the option did not appear there either.
Further communication from Dension indicated that the option of charging 2 hours after the car was shut down caused some MOST systems not to shut down at all, discharging the car's battery.
He also suggested a workaround - setting the charging through the USB menu. I tried, but with only a thumb drive to connect, the option did not appear there either.
Further communication from Dension indicated that the option of charging 2 hours after the car was shut down caused some MOST systems not to shut down at all, discharging the car's battery.
06-20-2007, 11:51 AM
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E-ZGO 53hp., 1999 E 430 sport, 2004 E 55, 2008 Tahoe LTZ on 24"s
Skylaw,
Thanks for all the information. I have some questions easy stuff, Where did you get your GW500? Tampa/Montreal? And have you tried anything in the GW500s aux like a secondary nav system?
Thanks again your truly an asset to the board
Thanks for all the information. I have some questions easy stuff, Where did you get your GW500? Tampa/Montreal? And have you tried anything in the GW500s aux like a secondary nav system?
Thanks again your truly an asset to the board
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06-20-2007, 01:01 PM
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2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
Thank you for your kind words, Yacht Master.
I got my Gateway 500 as an anniversary gift from my sweet wife, who had listened to me bemoan the inability to connect an iPod to my '05 S500 (after having done it in my '00) - and when she heard me mention the availability of the MOST version in the U.S., she did a web search and found it at Discount Car Stereo (http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=1062).
However, she was unaware that I had been in communication with BenzWorld contributor Rob13572468, a member of a custom engineering team for prestige cars in Chicago, who had been very helpful to me and to others on a variety of issues including the Gateway 500. In private correspondence he has told me that his company is still finishing its website so as to provide installation assistance and so forth - it had been my intent to buy the unit through them. He provided me the contact point of Dan at 312-421-1114. Rob took the care to do a physical installation on each type of car to gather the documentation before beginning to market the unit. When I followed up a communication where he mentioned that process was nearly complete, the specific communication he sent regarding the website was "we are waiting on the web company to get our new site up an running... the idea is to have alot of these questions answered right on the site so that eveyone can make an informed choice."
Rob answered my questions on the GW 500 immediately, before I got one. He also stayed with the problems after I told him my wife had bought me the GW 500 from another source - which I really appreciated. He is the one who worked out the problems of where to splice into the fiber optic bus with me when I had the initial installation problems (see http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...ime-time.html). This is not a knock on Discount Car Stereo, but with the support Rob13572468 provided, there is no question but that I would recommend his business as the best source.
I don't have a link to the site yet, but will post it as soon as I do. Meantime - call Dan at 312-421-1114.
I haven't tried any of the expansion devices yet. I'm intrigued with the ability to display iPod video from 5th Gen iPods, and may explore that.
I got my Gateway 500 as an anniversary gift from my sweet wife, who had listened to me bemoan the inability to connect an iPod to my '05 S500 (after having done it in my '00) - and when she heard me mention the availability of the MOST version in the U.S., she did a web search and found it at Discount Car Stereo (http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=1062).
However, she was unaware that I had been in communication with BenzWorld contributor Rob13572468, a member of a custom engineering team for prestige cars in Chicago, who had been very helpful to me and to others on a variety of issues including the Gateway 500. In private correspondence he has told me that his company is still finishing its website so as to provide installation assistance and so forth - it had been my intent to buy the unit through them. He provided me the contact point of Dan at 312-421-1114. Rob took the care to do a physical installation on each type of car to gather the documentation before beginning to market the unit. When I followed up a communication where he mentioned that process was nearly complete, the specific communication he sent regarding the website was "we are waiting on the web company to get our new site up an running... the idea is to have alot of these questions answered right on the site so that eveyone can make an informed choice."
Rob answered my questions on the GW 500 immediately, before I got one. He also stayed with the problems after I told him my wife had bought me the GW 500 from another source - which I really appreciated. He is the one who worked out the problems of where to splice into the fiber optic bus with me when I had the initial installation problems (see http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...ime-time.html). This is not a knock on Discount Car Stereo, but with the support Rob13572468 provided, there is no question but that I would recommend his business as the best source.
I don't have a link to the site yet, but will post it as soon as I do. Meantime - call Dan at 312-421-1114.
I haven't tried any of the expansion devices yet. I'm intrigued with the ability to display iPod video from 5th Gen iPods, and may explore that.
Last edited by Skylaw; 06-20-2007 at 01:27 PM.
06-20-2007, 01:25 PM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
Call Dan, if you want to get charged 1000.00.
Not to knock dan, but with the support I get at my local Retailer, who isn't a big box store, I would rather shop them, then someone in the windy city.
Not to knock dan, but with the support I get at my local Retailer, who isn't a big box store, I would rather shop them, then someone in the windy city.
Thank you for your kind words, Yacht Master.
I got my Gateway 500 as an anniversary gift from my sweet wife, who had listened to me bemoan the inability to connect an iPod to my '05 S500 (after having done it in my '00) - and when she heard me mention the availability of the MOST version in the U.S., she did a web search and found it at Discount Car Stereo (http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=1062).
However, she was unaware that I had been in communication with BenzWorld contributor Rob13572468, a member of a custom engineering team for prestige cars in Chicago, who had been very helpful to me and to others on a variety of issues including the Gateway 500. In private correspondence he has told me that his company is still finishing its website so as to provide installation assistance and so forth - it had been my intent to buy the unit through them. He provided me the contact point of Dan at 312-421-1114. Rob took the care to do a physical installation on each type of car to gather the documentation before beginning to market the unit. When I followed up a communication where he mentioned that process was nearly complete, the specific communication he sent regarding the website was "we are waiting on the web company to get our new site up an running... the idea is to have alot of these questions answered right on the site so that eveyone can make an informed choice."
Rob answered my questions on the GW 500 immediately, before I got one. He also stayed with the problems after I told him my wife had bought me the GW 500 from another source - which I really appreciated. He is the one who worked out the problems of where to splice into the fiber optic bus with me when I had the initial installation problems (see http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...ime-time.html). This is not a knock on Discount Car Stereo, but with the support Rob13572468 provided, there is no question but that I would recommend his business as the best source.
I don't have a link to the site yet, but will post it as soon as I do. Meantime - call Dan at 312-421-1114.
I got my Gateway 500 as an anniversary gift from my sweet wife, who had listened to me bemoan the inability to connect an iPod to my '05 S500 (after having done it in my '00) - and when she heard me mention the availability of the MOST version in the U.S., she did a web search and found it at Discount Car Stereo (http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=1062).
However, she was unaware that I had been in communication with BenzWorld contributor Rob13572468, a member of a custom engineering team for prestige cars in Chicago, who had been very helpful to me and to others on a variety of issues including the Gateway 500. In private correspondence he has told me that his company is still finishing its website so as to provide installation assistance and so forth - it had been my intent to buy the unit through them. He provided me the contact point of Dan at 312-421-1114. Rob took the care to do a physical installation on each type of car to gather the documentation before beginning to market the unit. When I followed up a communication where he mentioned that process was nearly complete, the specific communication he sent regarding the website was "we are waiting on the web company to get our new site up an running... the idea is to have alot of these questions answered right on the site so that eveyone can make an informed choice."
Rob answered my questions on the GW 500 immediately, before I got one. He also stayed with the problems after I told him my wife had bought me the GW 500 from another source - which I really appreciated. He is the one who worked out the problems of where to splice into the fiber optic bus with me when I had the initial installation problems (see http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...ime-time.html). This is not a knock on Discount Car Stereo, but with the support Rob13572468 provided, there is no question but that I would recommend his business as the best source.
I don't have a link to the site yet, but will post it as soon as I do. Meantime - call Dan at 312-421-1114.
06-20-2007, 01:54 PM
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2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
Not quite. I just spoke to Dan (Mid-City Engineering). At the time of this post, the retail of the GW 500 from him would be $599 out of the box; $899 installed.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
Last edited by Skylaw; 06-20-2007 at 02:05 PM.
06-20-2007, 02:15 PM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
Not quite. I just spoke to Dan (Mid-City Engineering). At the time of this post, the retail of the GW 500 from him would be $599 out of the box; $899 installed.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
06-20-2007, 02:19 PM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
Not quite. I just spoke to Dan (Mid-City Engineering). At the time of this post, the retail of the GW 500 from him would be $599 out of the box; $899 installed.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
The GW 500 has not been available through U.S. distributors until quite recently - and in fact the MOST version wasn't available anywhere, even in Europe, until about 2 months ago.
You have a local dealer that provides good support - that's super. Please continue to recommend them as you have.
Meantime, I would still buy from Mid-City, myself. Discount Car Stereo, which sold at a lower price ($459, marked down recently from $559), simply didn't have the knowledge base to resolve the problem I had - while Rob at Mid-City did. I don't know how many more hours or days of mounting frustration it would have taken me to resolve the problem if they had not helped.
Incidentally, Dan also tells me that Mid-City Engineering is also working on a radar detector with a COMAND display; radar detectors that will work on Benzes with Distronic; and has XM installations, vice Sirius, for folks who want them.
06-20-2007, 02:33 PM
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2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
If I knew in advance that I could get better support from one organization than another, I would buy from the one providing better support even if I had to pay a bit more. That properly states my case.
Of course, when my wife surprised me with the purchase, I had no knowledge of the support Discount Car Stereo would provide (or even that she was doing it) - and no idea that Mid-City would help, especially after I had received answers from Rob on early questions then didn't buy from them. But they did, and I appreciate it.
Now, I have that knowledge, and I put a price on it - if I were to do it again, I would buy from Mid-City, without saying Discount Car Stereo (that is the retailer's name, not a generic one - see the link I provided in the response to Yacht Master) was bad - even with Mid-City costing more.
I have a sense that you have interpreted Discount Car Stereo as a generic name and a slam. If so, you need to read my responses a bit more carefully.
Last edited by Skylaw; 06-20-2007 at 02:43 PM.
06-22-2007, 08:06 AM
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I have a few questions and statements, I tried to read it all but couldn't focus...
Why not the NavTV iPod interface, seems the same as the Gateway? and has been available for months.
Rob has knowledge that separates him from other car shops huge, and you pay for that knowledge. In fact out of every car audio shop out there... robs knowledge from just his posting and some of his interfaces for the distronic put him way above the curve...
Which also brings me to, I can see Toyota owners price shopping and squabbling over a few hundred bucks, but Benz owners?
Radar on any vehicle is not an issue today... distronic plus, or not
Why not the NavTV iPod interface, seems the same as the Gateway? and has been available for months.
Rob has knowledge that separates him from other car shops huge, and you pay for that knowledge. In fact out of every car audio shop out there... robs knowledge from just his posting and some of his interfaces for the distronic put him way above the curve...
Which also brings me to, I can see Toyota owners price shopping and squabbling over a few hundred bucks, but Benz owners?
Radar on any vehicle is not an issue today... distronic plus, or not
06-22-2007, 09:52 AM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
I have a few questions and statements, I tried to read it all but couldn't focus...
Why not the NavTV iPod interface, seems the same as the Gateway? and has been available for months.
Rob has knowledge that separates him from other car shops huge, and you pay for that knowledge. In fact out of every car audio shop out there... robs knowledge from just his posting and some of his interfaces for the distronic put him way above the curve...
Which also brings me to, I can see Toyota owners price shopping and squabbling over a few hundred bucks, but Benz owners?
Radar on any vehicle is not an issue today... distronic plus, or not
Why not the NavTV iPod interface, seems the same as the Gateway? and has been available for months.
Rob has knowledge that separates him from other car shops huge, and you pay for that knowledge. In fact out of every car audio shop out there... robs knowledge from just his posting and some of his interfaces for the distronic put him way above the curve...
Which also brings me to, I can see Toyota owners price shopping and squabbling over a few hundred bucks, but Benz owners?
Radar on any vehicle is not an issue today... distronic plus, or not
What I've seen on this board, is that most benz owners don't spend any money and tend to pinch a little, which is fine, not knocking it at all.
Never doubted Robs Knowledge.
Differences between NavTV and Dension. NavTV MSRP 649 without installation, haven't heard good things about it. Dension MSRP 499, without installation. NAV TV only works with MOST and Nav Radios. Only does iPod. It also doesn't offer full control that the dension does.
Dension has the bypass switch which allows you to shut it down "for service" so you aren't hassled. Dension also offers an Aux in and USB and iPod. Translation, mass storage devices, iPod and video. Dension is also releasing an update for a blue tooth kit.
06-22-2007, 02:39 PM
#17
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we're past the distronic plus problems for months now, sure a bit extra wiring but Radar Works.
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much
06-22-2007, 03:08 PM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
[QUOTE=jbondox;2285742]we're past the distronic plus problems for months now, sure a bit extra wiring but Radar Works.
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much[/QUOT
No, we're actually not past the radar issue, yet. K40 Calibre, is wireless, and uses BT. Only wire is the brain to the igntion and pods. The lenses themselves are wired to a power source, not each other or the brain, thats where BT comes in. This is still a known issue with the K40 radar and the Distronic from benz being on the same frequency. Interferes and sets radar off.
NavTV
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much[/QUOT
No, we're actually not past the radar issue, yet. K40 Calibre, is wireless, and uses BT. Only wire is the brain to the igntion and pods. The lenses themselves are wired to a power source, not each other or the brain, thats where BT comes in. This is still a known issue with the K40 radar and the Distronic from benz being on the same frequency. Interferes and sets radar off.
NavTV
06-22-2007, 07:03 PM
#19
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we're past the distronic plus problems for months now, sure a bit extra wiring but Radar Works.
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much
Not trying to pimp NavTv here at all, so don't take it wrong, but they do have an aux input into them, full iPod control, and can be operated from the keys or the iPod itself.
I will look into the Dension piece though. I know navTv was working on BT but they slack off way too much
NavTV
http://www.esotericsoundandperformance.com/index.php
Last edited by jbondox; 06-22-2007 at 07:08 PM.
06-22-2007, 07:10 PM
#20
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also K-40 doesn't use BT until they pay for the rights to say BT, that is why it is all wireless on their website... no mention of BT, unless it says BT spectrum...
06-23-2007, 07:14 AM
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ML350, Lotus Elise
hi everyone... first of all thanks for the kind words from everyone... i try to be on these forums pretty much every day just to come in and answer questions if it can help people out. i dont do it in an attempt to drum up business; i have more work just locally than i can ever hope to handle but at the same time if someone does want work done i am always glad to help. Im an engineer and solving difficult problems is something i enjoy doing.
At any rate i just wanted to share a couple of thoughts on this discussion in general... i do alot of work on luxury vehicles in general but the majority of development work is usually mercedes. I happen to like mercedes vehicles alot: when you pull the trim panels and look behind them you start to see that the guys who designed the vehicles really spent alot of time on little, sometimes innocuous things that the owner of the vehicle will probably never see but they did it anyway. They wanted the vehicles to be designed as best they could. I believe that the majority of people who buy a mercedes tend to appreciate that quality and are willing to spend more money (sometimes considerably more) to have something that is really great. When i design a special product or module i really strive to attain that same level of quality because i want what i build to be the best i could possibly make it. I like to test things alot. I sometimes have endless discussions with people in my profession about how important i believe testing is even if it means falling behind schedule or even losing money because in the end i personally feel that having a product that works as close to perfect as possible will build the reputation that will pay the bills.
I dont personally feel that mercedes owners are "tight" with their money as has been suggested, on the contrary it seems to be quite the opposite. not that i am trying to say that mercedes owners throw money around either. i would say its more a case that your typical mercedes owner tends to have a bit more disposible income and is willing to spend more when it comes to having a really nice car and put really nice things in it. still i would say that its not always that cheap car=cheap owner... the dension kit looks and works beautifully in an audi yet the market research shows that the average audi owner believes that anything more than $300 installed is too much for an ipod kit. at any rate i still believe that everyone should be a smart consumer and there is nothing wrong with shopping around. my company is not a discount outlet so we dont have that sort of discount pricing but we still do attempt to be competitive with the marketplace. if someone really wants a dension kit it never hurts to call and talk to Dan about a discounted price.
Finally, as with all markets that have multiple retailers and products, things can sometimes get a bit adversarial when they do not need to be. Mercedes is a very complex vehicle and there are really only a few companies out there that have the knowledge and expertise to do great work on these kinds of vehicles (guys like jbondox are a good example). every company and product has its own advantages and drawbacks and how they balance will ultimately decide which product or company to go with. nav-tv is a good example of this: i applaud the fact that they are out there building some of the products that they do: it takes alot of time and effort to come up with a product like their MOST ipod interface but again they are not without their criticism... I have heard many people complain about buggy products and poor technical support and i can attest to had somek issues with their products. overall i wouldnt say that they are that far off qualitywise form any other smallish comapny and they certainly could fix those problems. I personally think that if anything their issue is that simply try to develop and build far too many products at any given time without doing the support and debugging and software revisions. in contrast the dension guys concentrate on ipod kits... they regularly release software revisions... they have real instruction manuals instead of a photocopied piece of paper.. etc.
like i said its all about weighing the advantages vs disadvantages of the various products. thats another reason why forums like this are great since a prospective buyer can read all about each product objectively. i end up regularly buying, studying, taking apart and then installing products from pretty much every manufacturer so i dont mind posting comparisons of how the products stack up against one another. if another person can look at that info and then use it to make an informed purchase than that makes me feel pretty good as well. in the meantime ill be here answering questions and helping out where i can...
At any rate i just wanted to share a couple of thoughts on this discussion in general... i do alot of work on luxury vehicles in general but the majority of development work is usually mercedes. I happen to like mercedes vehicles alot: when you pull the trim panels and look behind them you start to see that the guys who designed the vehicles really spent alot of time on little, sometimes innocuous things that the owner of the vehicle will probably never see but they did it anyway. They wanted the vehicles to be designed as best they could. I believe that the majority of people who buy a mercedes tend to appreciate that quality and are willing to spend more money (sometimes considerably more) to have something that is really great. When i design a special product or module i really strive to attain that same level of quality because i want what i build to be the best i could possibly make it. I like to test things alot. I sometimes have endless discussions with people in my profession about how important i believe testing is even if it means falling behind schedule or even losing money because in the end i personally feel that having a product that works as close to perfect as possible will build the reputation that will pay the bills.
I dont personally feel that mercedes owners are "tight" with their money as has been suggested, on the contrary it seems to be quite the opposite. not that i am trying to say that mercedes owners throw money around either. i would say its more a case that your typical mercedes owner tends to have a bit more disposible income and is willing to spend more when it comes to having a really nice car and put really nice things in it. still i would say that its not always that cheap car=cheap owner... the dension kit looks and works beautifully in an audi yet the market research shows that the average audi owner believes that anything more than $300 installed is too much for an ipod kit. at any rate i still believe that everyone should be a smart consumer and there is nothing wrong with shopping around. my company is not a discount outlet so we dont have that sort of discount pricing but we still do attempt to be competitive with the marketplace. if someone really wants a dension kit it never hurts to call and talk to Dan about a discounted price.
Finally, as with all markets that have multiple retailers and products, things can sometimes get a bit adversarial when they do not need to be. Mercedes is a very complex vehicle and there are really only a few companies out there that have the knowledge and expertise to do great work on these kinds of vehicles (guys like jbondox are a good example). every company and product has its own advantages and drawbacks and how they balance will ultimately decide which product or company to go with. nav-tv is a good example of this: i applaud the fact that they are out there building some of the products that they do: it takes alot of time and effort to come up with a product like their MOST ipod interface but again they are not without their criticism... I have heard many people complain about buggy products and poor technical support and i can attest to had somek issues with their products. overall i wouldnt say that they are that far off qualitywise form any other smallish comapny and they certainly could fix those problems. I personally think that if anything their issue is that simply try to develop and build far too many products at any given time without doing the support and debugging and software revisions. in contrast the dension guys concentrate on ipod kits... they regularly release software revisions... they have real instruction manuals instead of a photocopied piece of paper.. etc.
like i said its all about weighing the advantages vs disadvantages of the various products. thats another reason why forums like this are great since a prospective buyer can read all about each product objectively. i end up regularly buying, studying, taking apart and then installing products from pretty much every manufacturer so i dont mind posting comparisons of how the products stack up against one another. if another person can look at that info and then use it to make an informed purchase than that makes me feel pretty good as well. in the meantime ill be here answering questions and helping out where i can...
06-23-2007, 11:27 AM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
As far as Mercedes owners being "tight", not all are, some that I have encountered on this forum, unfortunately, have a skewed understanding of what quality costs. Others however know exactly what it costs, and want it. Like a G55 owner who put a completely new audio system in the wagon, won't let me call it a truck, with a new W205, backup camera, nav, etc, etc.. No quams about spending money there.
It's all relative. There are those that do, and those that don't. I love seeing and sharing the work of all those that "do".
I've attached a link of some "samples" taken recently.
Like they are not making a killing already...
06-23-2007, 01:22 PM
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EFF YOU JACKIE
