COMAND-APS FAQ
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Last Updated: 21 May 2008
Here are the questions I get asked most about COMAND-APS (The DVD based Mercedes Sat-Nav system)
Questions:
1 How do I retrofit COMAND APS to my car?
2 What cars are factory fitted with COMAND-APS ?
3 Where can I buy the map disks ?
4 My Mercedes was not supplied with the COMAND-APS system. Can this be retrofitted ?
5 Who can retrofit COMAND-APS to my car
6 Where can I get a manual for COMAND APS ?
7 What part number for COMAND-APS do I need ?
8 What are the connectors on the back of COMAND-APS ?
9 Who makes COMAND-APS ?
10 What bits make up COMAND-APS and what do they do ?
11 What hidden menus are there ?
12 I got an E class unit, will it go in my C class ?
13 I just installed COMAND-APS and it immediately turns off -Why ?
14 What Map disks work with COMAND-APS ?
15 What are the map disk part numbers ?
16 Are software upgrades available for COMAND-APS ?
17 How do I get Estimated Time of Arrival on the screen
18 My COMAND-APS has 3 part numbers on the label - what do they mean ?
19 The dealer can't activate the instrument cluster Navigation screen.
20 The dealer can't make my phone work after installing COMAND
21 Can I reset my COMAND-APS, its going slow, not finding many satellites etc ?
22 Can I put a European COMAND-APS into a North American car ?
Answers:
1. How do I retrofit COMAND APS to my car?
Look at my document Retrofitting COMAND APS. This covers A and B class in detail, but the principle is the same for C, CLK ,ML, GL. There are other documents on Mercupgrades.com that cover how to install the head unit for different vehicles. The E / CLS / SL / SLK system is more difficult as it has units in the boot (trunk) as well as the centre console, and I hope to add some information on that shortly.
2. What cars are factory fitted with COMAND-APS ?
The new A class (W169), B Class (W245), C Class (W203) from roughly April 2004, CLK (W209) from roughly June 2004, E Class (W211), CLS (W219), GL (X164), new M Class (W164), R Class, SL Class from roughly June 2005, S class (W220) from MY2004, CL class from MY2004 and the Smart ForFour. The latest S (W221) and CL (W216) class have newer systems which are not really covered by this document. Note that the A/B/C/CLK/ML/R/GL in the USA is not fitted with COMAND-APS it is fitted with MCS-II which is completely different to COMAND-APS.
3. Where can I buy the map disks ?
You can buy new genuine European map disks from Comand Online Web Shop
Theres a good supply of European map disks on EBAY. Click
Here
for a suitable ebay search.
But be ware, there are plenty of fake copies - make sure you really do buy the latest version, and the correct version for your vehicle - there are three types of map disk and the numbers clash, and the latest releases do not have the same number - for instance Version 6.0 for E/CL/S/SL/SLK/CLS is different to Version 6.0 for the A/B/C/CLK/ML/GL/R - but actually V8.0 is current for E (etc) and Version 9.1 is just being released for A/B/C/(etc).
4. My Mercedes was not supplied with the COMAND-APS system. Can this be retrofitted ?
Retro-fitting European and US A/B/C/CLK/M/GL/R and Smart ForFour with COMAND-APS is relatively easy because all componenents are contained in the single head unit. Other vehicles are more complicated as extra wiring is needed as the AGW (Audio Gateway) and the DVD navigation processor are often seperate.
5. Who can retrofit COMAND-APS to my car
Most Mercedes dealers will not - or it will cost an arm an a leg. If you are in the UK, then the best people to supply and fit (or arrange fitting) is Comand.co.uk. In Australia, see Benzmodz. And, Steve at MBenzNL visits the US and probably most of the world regularly on "retrofit missions" fitting COMAND and lots of other stuff to Mercedes vehicles. And, in the UK there is also Braybrooks
6. Where can I get a manual for COMAND APS ?
You can get European manuals for the A/B/W203-C/W209-CLK/ML/GL/R and E/CLS class COMAND APS manuals from Comand Online Webshop. They are very hard to get hold of as Mercedes seem to only stock in small batches and run out quickly the the shop runs out of stock quite often.
Most of the USA COMAND manuals are Here.
7. What part number for COMAND-APS do I need ?
There is a document on My site with part numbers for COMAND and COMAND-APS.
8. What are the connectors on the back of COMAND-APS ?
The E/CLS units have between 1 and 4 connectors depending on whether the unit has video capability. The A/B/C/CLK/etc units have more connectors because they contain the AGW (and thus the tuner) and the Navigation processor.
| 1 | Green FAKRA - Video Input (only if Video capable) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 25-way D-Type - Rear Screen (only if Video capable) |
| 3 | 3 Way - AUX audio input |
| 4 | Multiway - Power, Ground, Wakeup & MOST fibre plug |
| 1 | Green FAKRA - Video Input |
|---|---|
| 2 | Blue FAKRA - GPS aerial |
| 3 | Yellow Fakra - 2nd FM Aerial |
| 4 | Black Fakra - Main FM Aerial |
| 5 | Multiway connector - AUX, Power, Speakers, MOST Fibre connections |
9. Who makes COMAND-APS ?
Harman Becker and Siemens make the COMAND-APS units. Siemens seem to make the S(W220)/CL(W215)/SL units and the USA versions of the E/CLS/SLK units. Becker seem to make the others. There may be Becker versions of the USA E/CLS units. The USA A/B/C/CLK/ML/GL/R unit is not COMAND-APS, it is MCS-II and is made by Alpine.
10. What bits make up COMAND-APS and what do they do ?
There are a number of components that make up the COMAND system, in some cars many of these components are in the main display unit, in others they are distributed around the vehicle.
Audio Gateway (AGW) - this unit contains the Tuner (radio), the MOST fibre optic controller and the diagnostic interface.
COMAND - this is the display module
Navigation - this module provides navigation functionality.
In the A/B/C/CLK/ML/GL/R/ForFour all 3 of these units are built into the display module. On other vehicles the Navigation system is in the trunk (boot) of the car. The AGW is either near the Navigation system, or built into the head unit. (Certainly on S/CL/SL it is built into the head unit). The US COMAND-APS unit is very different, and in fact is known as MCS-II - the navigation unit is in the head unit, but it is an option and can be added (or removed) later.
11. What hidden menus are there ?
On the E/CLS, holding down 1,3,8 keys simultaneously just after COMAND-APS is turned on without a CD in the drive will put the COMAND-APS into 'update' mode, waiting for a service CD to be inserted.
There is also a hidden menu on E/CLS/CL/SL/SLK which reveals 'engineering mode' - that allows you to change DVD region coding, and to enable another menu that allows video in motion. I do not beleive in watching TV/DVD whilst driving, so please dont ask me for more information on this.
12. I got an E class unit, will it go in my C class ?
The units will only fit in the vehicle they are designed to. This means the part number starts with the model series - i.e A211 870 xx xx goes in an E class (W211). However, some cars are based on each other (such as A and B, or E and CLS).
B class (W245) uses A class (W169) units, CLS (W219) uses E class units (W211), CL (W215) uses S (W220) units and GL (X164) uses ML (W164) units. CLK (W209) units and C Class (W203) units are definetly not interchangable.
13. I just installed COMAND-APS and it immediately turns off -Why ?
COMAND-APS will display the Mercedes Star and turn straight off (or within a short while) if its expecting equipment on the MOST fibre optic network that is not present. You will need to get the unit coded by the MB dealer and his Star Diagnosis computer.
14. What Map disks work with COMAND-APS ?
The map disks are different for the A/B/C/CLK/ML/R/GL/Smart-forfour and the E/CLS/S/CL COMAND systems, and of course, the numbering systems overlap.
Version 6.1 for A/B/C(etc) was the first disk to support TMC in the UK (older versions supported TMC in other parts of Europe. Version 5.0 was the first E/CLS/etc disk to support UK TMC
The latest A/B/C/CLK/ML(etc) disk for Europe is V9.1 - Version 8.0 is the just becoming available for E/CLS/(etc) disk, and V3.0 is the latest New-S-Class (W221) disk.
Theres a good supply of European map disks on EBAY. Click
Ebay Search for COMAND-APS map disks.
15. What are the map disk part numbers ?
These are the European map disk part numbers.
| A/B/C/CLK/ML/GL/R/Smart-ForFour (Europe) |
|---|
| Version 2.0 | N/A | A169 827 12 59 |
|---|---|---|
| Version 2.1 | N/A | A169 827 16 59 |
| Version 3.0 | B6 782 3379 | A169 827 14 59 |
| Version 4.0 | B6 782 3386 | A169 827 20 59 |
| Version 6.0 | B6 782 3490 | A169 827 26 59 |
| Version 6.1 | B6 782 3641 | A169 827 33 59 |
| Version 6.2 | B6 782 3674 | A169 827 36 59 |
| Version 6.3 | B6 782 3695 | A169 827 45 59 |
| Version 8.0 | B6 782 3743 | A169 827 51 59 |
| Version 9.0 | B6 782 3848 | A169 827 50 59 |
| Version 9.1 | B6 782 3893 | A169 827 56 59 |
| E/CLS/S/CL/SL/SLK/Maybach (Europe) |
|---|
| Version 3.0 | B6 782 3341 | A211 827 52 59 |
|---|---|---|
| Version 4.0 | B6 782 3369 | A211 827 67 59 |
| Version 4.1 | B6 782 3395 | A211 827 81 59 |
| Version 5.0 | B6 782 3489 | A211 827 68 59 |
| Version 5.1 | B6 782 3627 | A211 827 93 59 |
| Version 6.0 | B6 782 3659 | A211 827 95 59 |
| Version 7.0 | B6 782 3855 | A211 827 10 65 |
| Version 7.0 Platinum | B6 782 3879 | Spain/Portugal Only |
| Version 8.0 | B6 782 3886 | A211 827 15 65 |
| New S-Class (W221) |
|---|
| Version 3.0 | B6 782 3699 |
|---|
Please note that if you are upgrading your map disk from Europe V3.0 or USA V2004.2 to the latest version in the E/CLK/S/SL/CL vehicles your navigation unit may need a firmware update to recognise the disk. This is a 5 minute procedure using disk W211 589 15 22 00
16. Are software upgrades available for COMAND-APS ?
As described above there are 3 different parts of COMAND-APS, the AGW, the Navigation processor and the display unit. In the A/B/C/CLK(etc) all units are in the same physical head unit. In other models the Navigation processor and often the AGW are separate.
In all cases the AGW is only updatable by the dealer using their Star Diagnosis machine.
The navigation processor software normally is on the Navigation disks itself and therefore updates when a new mapdisk is inserted - however there are also sometimes releases that are for the navigation processor and thus applied using the navigation processor's DVD drive.
On A/B/C/CLK/ML/GL/R there is a software release (May 06) for the US headunit to enable MP3 playback. The US unit is very different to EU units (the navigation processor can be removed from the head unit) and therefore the MP3 update/functionality is not available for Europe. There are two or three current disks shown for this update in the list below - different disks are for different part number head units.
The European and USA CL/S/SL units (made by Siemens) update disk is W220 589 03 22 00
There are also specific E and SLK class update disk for Becker units which add MP3 support to older units and fix various issues.
On the SLK/E/CLS/CL/SL/S the navigation processor is seperate (in the boot/trunk) and has its own DVD - the update disk is W220 589 04 22 00. The navigation processor on other cars is built into the head unit.
| Current Software Update Disks |
|---|
| Region/Vehicle | Disk Part Nr | Announced | Version/Date Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU SLK HeadUnit | W171 589 03 22 00 | 18 Jan 2007 | SW-Rel 21.090 30/06>/TD> |
| US SLK HeadUnit | W171 589 04 22 00 | 18 Jan 2007 | SW-Rel 22.100 46/06 |
| US ML/C/CLK/B/R HeadUnit no MP3 | W203 589 03 22 00 | 5th May 2006 | SW 52/ 05 |
| US ML/C/CLK/B/R HeadUnit with MP3 | W203 589 04 22 00 | 5th May 2006 | SW 51/05 |
| US ML/C/CLK/B/R Nav Processor | W203 589 05 22 00 | 5th May 2006 | SW 31/04 |
| EU E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 13 22 00 | 18 Jan 2007 | SW-REL 21.090 30/06 |
| US E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 14 22 00 | 18 Jan 2007 | SW-Rel 22.100 46/06 |
| US/EU SLK/E/CL/CLS/S/SL Navigation Processor | W220 589 04 22 00 | 22 March 2006 | SW-Rel 1.91 |
| EU/US CL/S/SL HeadUnit | W220 589 05 22 00 | 4 Oct 2006 | SW-Rel 22/06 - 25/06 |
| EU Maybach | W240 589 06 22 00 | 22 Feb 2006 | SW-Rel 15.130 Build 51/05 |
| US Maybach | W240 589 07 22 00 | 22 Feb 2006 | SW-Rel 16.150 Build 04/06 |
| Old Software Update Disks |
|---|
| Region/Vehicle | Disk Part Nr | Announced | Version/Date Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU SLK HeadUnit | W171 589 00 22 00 | SW-Rel 9.390 Build 15/04 | |
| EU SLK HeadUnit | W171 589 01 22 00 | 26 Jan 2006 | SW-Rel 15.130 Build 51/05 |
| US SLK HeadUnit | W171 589 02 22 00 | 22 Feb 2006 | SW-Rel 16.150 Build 04/06 |
| US C/CLK HeadUnit | W203 589 00 22 00 | 25 Jan 2005 | |
| US ML/C/CLK/B/R HeadUnit | W203 589 01 22 00 | 22 Sept 2005 | |
| US ML/C/CLK/B/R HeadUnit | W203 589 02 22 00 | 19 Apr 2006 | SW-Rel E11.1 Build 50/05 |
| EU E/CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 00 22 00 | SW-Rel 7.130 11-06-2003 | |
| EU E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 06 22 00 | 26 Nov 2003 | SW-Rel 9.390 Build 17/04 |
| US E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 07 22 00 | 11 May 2004 | SW-Rel 10.270 Build 13/04 |
| EU E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 10 22 00 | 26 Jan 2006 | SW-Rel 15.130 Build 51/05 |
| US E,CLS HeadUnit | W211 589 11 22 00 | 22 Feb 2006 | |
| US CL/S/SL HeadUnit | W220 589 02 22 00 | 5 Aug 2005 | Built 21/10/2004 |
| EU/US CL/S/SL HeadUnit | W220 589 03 22 00 | 1 Dec 2005 | SW-Rel V28.X.14 Build 51/05 |
| EU Maybach | W240 589 03 22 00 | ||
| US Maybach | W240 589 05 22 00 |
| Other Software Service Disks |
|---|
| Part Nr | Vehicles | Usage |
| W211 589 15 22 00 | E/CLS (etc) | Navigation drive firmware |
| W203 589 06 22 00 | A/B/C/CLK (etc) | Head unit software reset |
17. How do I get Estimated Time of Arrival on the screen
The ability to display ETA below the map whilst navigating was added for Model Year 2007. The software needs to be upgraded in the system to enable this by your Mercedes Dealer - see the sofware section in this FAQ.
18. My COMAND-APS has 3 part numbers on the label - what do they mean ?
The first part number is the unit itself, the second is normally the audio-gateway if the unit contains one, and the third is the software initially installed on the audio-gateway.
19. The dealer can't activate the instrument cluster Navigation screen.
The latest cars (such as new A class) clusters are coded with a 'SCN' code which the dealer gets from Mercedes-Benz. This code is generated from the MB 'FDOK' database which lists exactly what options the car has, its model year and other important information. So the dealer must have Mercedes add the option code for COMAND APS (527 in Europe) to FDOK, wait for that to be actioned then request the new SCN code and recode the cluster. Some European dealers have the ability to update FDOK themselves, mostly the country headquarters have to do it.
20. The dealer can't make my phone work after installing COMAND
This applies to the COMAND-APS with the map disk in the head unit.
When the dealer uses Star Diagnosis and runs through the initial startup sequence they must tell the COMAND APS that there is something on the MOST ring. If they do not, then COMAND APS never looks on it's MOST ring. Telling the COMAND to 'set configuration to match what is actually on the ring' does not work if the COMAND-APS was set to have nothing on the ring. They should set the order of the ring as AGW, Phone, COMAND, save that and then re-scan the ring. Just occasionally the unit needs a proper reset (pull the fuse in the fusebox) after the ring order is set in order for it to be able to find the items on the ring.
21. Can I reset my COMAND-APS, its going slow, not finding many satellites etc ?
On the COMAND-APS with the map disk in the head-unit, hold down the 5 button, wait a second, then hold the 3 button as-well, wait a second then hold the 7 button as-well (you will now be holding down 3 buttons). The unit will then stop responding, and a few seconds later it will reboot.
22. Can I put a European COMAND-APS into a North American car ?
You can not put a European COMAND APS for A, B, C, CLK, ML, GL, R class into a US/Canada vehicle because the MAP disks are not compatable and thus Navigation will not work. The US unit (MCS-II) is made by Alpine and completetly different to the European (and rest-of-world except Japan) unit made by Becker.
If you are bringing a US vehicle to Europe, then you can put the European COMAND APS system in, it has the same connectors, and its just a case of swopping the units over and having it coded to understand the other audio related control units in your car.
I do not know if E/CLS/S/CL/SLK/SL units are interchangeable. I suspect the SL unit is, since both units are made by Siemens.
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