HOWTO: Install COMAND in a facelifted CLK cabriolet

Detailed below are the steps I took to install COMAND into my facelifted A208 CLK320
cabriolet.
A short note on the type of COMAND to obtain;
Always, if at all possible get the newest COMAND for your type of vehicle. The installation
will be a lot easier if your unit was designed for your type of car. I obtained the A208 820 44
89 unit which is the latest one available for a 208CLK. There are others.
There is a useful article on COMAND installs showing the relevant COMAND part numbers
here; http://www.ibex.co.uk/mbstuff/Retrofitting%20Comand.htm
Before starting on this project it is best to obtain all the parts that you are likely to need.
In addition to your COMAND unit you will need the following;
A recent Teleatlas Navigation disk (www.navshop.com)
Model year 01 update CD if your unit hasnt got it already. (Optional but recommended)
GPS Antennae (I recommend you get the genuine article not a copy)
Parts to make up a C2 connector
Parts to make a C1 connector if you will be adding in a CD changer
soldering iron
Length of wire (only required if you do not have a wire in Pin1 of your A connector).
small hacksaw
Wire cutters
Radio removal keys
Short Phillips screwdriver
I started by removing the Audio10 Cd that I had in the vehicle and the little trinket holder
beneath the unit. The Audio10 come out very easily with the two keys. Disconnect the
aerial, the A, B and C connectors from the unit and completely remove the unit. This leaves
just the trinket holder to remove. Feel behind the trinket holder and there is a plastic lug
which clips onto the underside of the plastic divider between the two din slots. I snapped
mine off as it was a very tight fit.
Next we have to remove the plastic divider to make the two din slots one double din size. I
used a junior hacksaw foir this. Take great care not to damage the surrounding trim when
you do this.
Remove your gear knob otherwise you wont be able to slid the COMAND unit into place.
Next we need to remove the glove box. There are four screws holding this in place. Two on
the top of the inside and two on the bottom of the inside. You will need a short stubby
phillips screwdriver for this. The arrows in the image below point to the location of the upper
screws. The lower ones are beneath the two grey plastic covers.
Carefully withdraw the glovebox, disconnecting the two electrical connectors from the top as
you withdraw.
With the glove box out we can now install the GPS aerial. I cable tied mine onto the top of
the strengthening bar that runs across the car behind the glove box. It is possible to just
about get your hand up higher than this to affix the receiver to the underside of the dash
but it isn't really worth the bother. My unit regularly picks up seven satellites with the
receiver where it is. Make sure you fix the receiver firmly in place. I used a couple of those
outdoor sticky fixer things and cable ties. Route the cable back down through into the rear

of where the COMAND will sit. If like me you have the GPS extension cable which converts
the connector from the co-ax type to the type that fits the COMAND then you will need to
carefully store this excess cable somewhere behind the COMAND. Make sure there are no
metal objects obstructing the receiver as this will severely affect satellite reception. Do not
replace the glove box yet.
We now need to make up our C2 connector.Full Pin assignments can be found
here; http://users.pandora.be/miata/docume...Pin_Layout.doc
With a diagram showing the connectors
here; http://users.pandora.be/miata/docume...schlusplan.jpg
I used the pins i'd ordered and crimped and soldered pins 6,8,9 and 10. I then assembled
the C2 connector by sliding the one part into the other.
My car had a C connector with the two CANBUS wires connected to pins 1 and 2. On my car
these are coloured Black and Black/White. Cut both these off, noting which one was in which
position.
On mine the Black one was in pin 2 of the C plug (Canbus LO) and the Black/white one was
in pin 1 of the C plug (Canbus HI). Solder the black wire to pin 8 of the new C2 connector.
Solder the black/white wire to pin 9 of the C2 connector. If you have any other wires in your
C connector then you can either just leave them connected on the C plug which we will
leave in behind the unit or you can investigate where they go on the C1 / C2 connector. I
soldered a wire to my C2 pin10 so that I can later add a CD changer. C2 pin 10 is required
for this. I also soldered a wire to C2 pin 6. this is required for the speed pulse. Without it
your COMAND wont update your position as you drive. If you have a wire in pin 1 of your A
connector, then you need to bridge that wire across to pin 6 of the C2 connector so that
both C2 pin6 and A pin 1 are connected to that wire. If (like me) you do not have a wire in A
plug pin 1 then you are going to have to tap into the speed pulse wire which is located
within the passenger side (on RHD cars) sill.
Only perform this next section if you DONT have a wire connected to Pin 1 of the A plug.
Remove the sill by gently prising it up. Pull a short section of the door pillar trim off and
remove the plastic trim from the footwell (secured with a single screw and two clips). This
will expose a mass of wiring which disappears into the black plastic trunking. Open up the
trunking.
Next we need to locate the speed pulse wire. On my car this is coloured green/black and
was connected to a large blue connector;
Next we need to expose some of the copper in this wire and connect a length of new cable
to it. I twisted mine on and soldered it. Mask this joint up and route the cable back up the
side of the footwell, across and behind the glove box to the rear of the COMAND. Replace all
the footwell and Sill trim in the correct order.
Replace the glove box.
Next we need to solder this new wire to our A plug pin 1 / C2 pin 6 bridge. Mask all soldered
joints to prevent grounding.
Next we insert plug A, plug B and our new C2 connector. Note we do not use C1 unless we
have a CD changer. I'll cover that another time when I've installed mine!
With these connectors in place, plug your antennae in to the rear of the COMAND. Ditto the
aerial.

Check that you have all joints properly masked and secure. Carefully slide the COMAND into
the DIN hole in your dash, ensuring that no cables are snagged.
Switch on your unit and insert your Navigation disk. Your unit should then start searching
for satellites.
It can take up to fifteen minutes to find them. Press the MAP button and you should see
how many the unit has found. If after a while it hasn't found any, then you either have a
faulty Antenne (I did!),not connected the antenne properly or your COMAND is faulty! Start
by checking your Antenne.
If when you drive with the map displayed, your position does not alter as you drive, then
your speed pulse is not working. Check all connections.

Once you are happy with the install, you need to take a trip to your local dealership to get
your COMAND enabled for use with your instrument cluster if you have a facelifted car. This
step is not necessary to use the COMAND it just completes the job properly.

The cheapest place to purchase a COMAND unit is from Ebay there are
some useful searches shown in my buying guide
at http://www.mercupgrades.com/buyit.htm
You can obtain warrantied used units from: COMAND.co.uk www.comand.co.uk speak to Mark
MBenzNL www.mbenznl.com
- speak to Steve or Wanda
Megacomm www.megacomm.de
Audiocomp www.audiocomp.info
If you have a relatively new car, you should buy the latest available unit for
your model. Mercedes part numbers take the format: -

A XXX YYY ZZ BB
The XXX is the vehicle model number that the part first appeared in. Here is a
selection
203
208
209
210
211
215
220
230
463

Current C class
Old CLK
New CLK
Old E
New E
CL
S
New SL
G-Wagen

You should purchase the part starting with the correct code for your car
otherwise the catch mechanism will be wrong, the gyroscope angle will be
wrong, and at a minimum it wont work until a MB dealer has re-coded it,
and in fact it may not work. This is because different units expect the Speed,
Reverse and Lighting signals to be wired either via the cars CAN bus, or via
discrete wiring, and cannot easily be changed.
Be ware that if you have one of the earliest CLK or E (ie model year 1999 and
before) then you need to purchase the exact unit that would have been in the
car, or a M class unit consult your MB parts department for the part number.
The older cars do not have CAN bus connected to the radio/command (and
nor does the M class).
Also, if you are installing in a ML (or a car not designed for COMAND) you
must by a ML unit although some W208 CLK units can be made to function.
I believe that the new CLK/C/G-Wagen units may be interchangeable, but they
will only fit in Mercedes Benz vehicles as they have non DIN shaped front
panels. It may be that the speed signal is on the A connector on the G-Wagen
unit, but they may be able to be coded to behave like a C/CLK unit. The SL
unit is a different shape.
Here is an incomplete list of COMAND unit part numbers note that this
includes COMAND 2.5 systems for the S/CL (upto MY2002) which have very
different wiring to that described in this document.

A more complete list of part numbers can be found on my

website http://www.mercupgrades.com
Part Number

Model Year

A163 820 14 89
A163 820 36 89

2001
2002-2004

A203
A203
A203
A203
A203
A203
A203
A203
A203

From 05/00
From 03/01
Up to 9/2002

820 91 89
820 96 89
827 36 42
827 52 42
820 92 89
827 31 42
827 37 42
827 53 42
827 23 42

820 30 89
820 31 89
820 37 89
820 38 89
820 34 89
820 35 89
820 40 89
820 44 89

From 06/99

A210
A210
A210
A210

820 48 89
820 51 89
820 54 89
820 56 89

A220 820 37 89
A220 820 40 89
A220 820 41 89

Europe
Europe

C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new)
C (new), GWagen
C (new), GWagen

Japan

A208
A208
A208
A208
A208
A208
A208
A208

A220 820 04 89
A220 820 34 89
A220 820 35 89

Vehicle

USA
USA
USA
USA
Japan

A203 827 54 42

A220 820 03 89

US/Europe/Japa
n
Europe
Europe

ML
ML

From 12/99
MY2000
From 06/00
MY2001
From 07/00
From 08/01

Europe
USA
Europe
USA
Europe
USA
Europe
Europe

CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)
CLK (old)

From 06/99
From 06/00
From 07/00
From 08/01

Europe
Europe
Europe
Europe

E (old)
E (old)
E (old)
E (old)

From 08/98 to
06/99
To 06/99
From 12/99
From 09/99 to
06/2000
From 08/00
From 07/01
From 07/01 to
09/01

Europe

CL/S

USA
Europe
USA

CL/S
CL/S
CL/S

Europe
Europe
USA

CL/S
CL/S
CL/S

A220 820 46 89
A220 820 47 89
A220 820 48 89
A220 820 49 89
A220 820 58 89
A220 820 59 89
A220 820 60 89
A220
A220
A220
A220
A220

820 71 26
820 72 26
827 04 42
827 05 42
827 14 42

A230 820 05 89
A230 820 06 89
A230 820 25 89
A230 820 28 89
A230 820 23 89
A230 820 29 89
A463
A463
A463
A463
A463

820 10 89
820 15 89
820 16 89
820 17 89
820 18 89

From 04/99
From 06/99 to
09/99
From 06/00
06/00 to 06/01
MY2001
16x9
Widescreen
MY2003 (Dvd?)
16x9
Widescreen
MY2003 (Dvd?)
16x9
Widescreen
From 10/99
From 09/99
MY2002
MY2002
16x9
Widescreen NO
NAVIGATION
MY2003

Europe
USA

CL/S
CL/S

Europe
USA

CL/S
CL/S

Europe

CL/S

USA

CL/S

Japan

CL/S

Europe
USA
Europe
USA
Europe

CL/S
CL/S
CL/S
CL/S
CL/S

Up to 31/07/02 /
Chassis
F026959
Up to 29/10/03 /
Chassis
F069434
From 31/07/02 ;
Chasis F026960
From
31/10/2003
(MY2002)
Up to 31/10/02
From 10/09/02

Europe

SL

USA

SL

Europe

SL

USA

SL

Japan
Japan

SL
SL

Europe
Europe

G-Wagen
G-Wagen
G-Wagen
G-Wagen
G-Wagen

Upto 31/10/03
From 31/10/03

USA
USA

If you use a European COMAND unit on a US vehicle then weatherband will

not work and AM radio reception will be incomplete because Europe uses a

different spacing between stations than USA. European COMAND units have
a TV button. US units have a blank button instead. The latest US units can be
made to work with TV, older ones cant. Early COMAND 2.5 units do not
support TV. US units do not support RDS text, European units do.
The COMAND unit has an inbuilt gyroscope, which must be aware of the
angle that the unit is mounted in the dash. On the side of the unit is a special
clip different coloured clips are used for the different angles if the wrong
one is installed, navigation may not work well. These are the clips I am aware
off: Car
E Class (W210)
CLK Class (W208)
SL Class (R230)
ML Class (W163)
CL/S (W215/W220)

Colour
Yellow
Green
Brown
Yellow
White

Angle
25 degrees
20 degrees
30 degrees
25 degrees
22.5 degress

These are some of the differences that occur between different versions of
COMAND, although no one has a public list describing how each is different.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Gyroscope angle (see above table)

Software versions originally supplied
Whether CANbus is used
Which signals are on CANbus and which are discretely wired
Mounting brackets (how it fits to the dash board)
Whether they can support DX maps or not.

3) Normal Radio and COMAND Connectors

The standard Mercedes head-units have various connectors: A
Power connector
B
Speaker connector
C
Mercedes-benz special connector (CD power, CANbus etc)
D2B D2B fibre optic connector
D
Antenna connector
F
Diverse Antenna connection (on Audio-30 for instance)
COMAND has the following connectors: A
Power connector
B
Speaker connector
D2B D2B fibre optic connector

D
F
E
C1
C2

Main Antenna connector

Diverse Antenna connection (small coax connector)
GPS antenna connector (square grey coax HRS connector)
Mercedes Benz 18-way high density connector (control signals)
Mercedes Benz 8-way high density connector (TV RGB, CD

power)
Note, if you car has the Digital BOSE system, connector B will be empty as
the amp connects to the head unit via the D2B fibre optic connection.
And, A and B connectors tend to be moulded together on the cars wiring.
4) GPS Antenna connector types
There are various connector types used for the GPS/Phone antenna.
On the back of the COMAND unit is a HRS Connector which is grey in colour.
WICLIC connectors are sometimes used on the GPS antenna and often on
phone antenna.

FAKRA connectors (which are different colours for different usage) are also
used. Blue is used for GPS, Purple for phone. and black for combined
usage.

Mini-UHF connectors are used for the phone sometimes

If you do not have a Mercedes, then Mercedes sell a GPS antenna that can
be stuck to the underside of the dashboard (looking up through the
windscreen) and use an extension lead which converts it to a HRS connector.
See the fitting instructions for the SL later in this document.
I believe Clarion also sell an after market aerial with the HRS connector
suitable for COMAND.
Be careful with vehicles with metalised tints on their windscreens, these will
not pass GPS signals through them. I recommend using a roof mount antenna
(or the correct antenna for your vehicle if a factory fit navigation system was
available for it).
5) Making up the wiring converter loom to connect COMAND.
As shown above, the radio connectors are different to those on COMAND in
the vehicle.
Rather than modifying the cars loom, it is better to make (or purchase and
modify) a wiring loom converter harness.
Note that for some Mercedes vehicles (W203/W209/W164 (New C/ New CLK/
ML) there is an adapter loom available from Mercedes, or the original
COMAND loom can be purchased cheaply. See the vehicle specific install
section below.
It may be possible to purchase a pre-made converter loom
from http://www.comand.co.uk ,www.megacomm.de or www.audiocomp.info
Wiring converter.

You need to make a cable up that goes from the C connector on the vehicles
wiring harness to the C1 and C2 connectors on COMAND.
I suggest that you start with the new C (203) / new CLK (209) loom (correct
version for whether your car is left or right-hand-drive), and install that
alongside the existing loom. The D2B wakeup (blue/black) interconnect will be
in one of the wiring ducts by the front door sill (normally found by removing the
door sill), and the CAN distributor in the same duct but in the foot-well. If you
have a CD Changer in the trunk/boot, you will have some splicing to do as the
CD power lead only reaches the glove-box. If not, put your CD changer in the
glove-box.
Alternatively, purchase the ML adapter and add the wiring for the reversing
signal and the speed signal to it, or purchase the C/CLK loom and obtain the
C connector (Male) to plug into the existing C connector note that the C
connector (male) may be hard to obtain.
Buying the loom is a slightly more expensive way of doing this then
purchasing the individual components and assembling it yourself, but the C
connector (male) is often not available. If you start with the ML adapter, you
will just need some pins, connector contacts and twisted pair cable.
These are the parts you need if you are not installing the C/CLK loom : Count
1
5
1
1
1
7
3

Part
A016 545 36 26
A018 545 19 28
A034 545 75 28
A000 545 42 30
A001 545 48 40
A008 545 55 26
-

Description
C connector (male) (Hard to Obtain)
Pins for above
C1 connector block
C2 Connector shell
C2 connector block
C1/C2 connector contacts
Assorted 30 cm sections of different colour
cable
30cm Piece of one-pair twisted pair

You have to make the following connections :From

To

Colour

C
pin 1

C2
pin

Brown/Re
d

Not
e
A

Usage
CANbus high

C
pin 2
C
pin 5
C
pin 6
C
pin 4

9
C2
pin
8
C1
pin
6
C1
pin
5
C2
pin
10

Brown

CANBus low

Red/Black

CD Changer +

Brown

CD Changer -

Blue/Blac
k

D2B Wakeup

A = These two cables must be twisted pair (to prevent signal interference). If
these are the wrong way round, all sort of electrical things may misbehave. It
has been reported that some cars are wired the other way round, so it may be
worth comparing the cable colours.
Note, the colours shown above are those found in the C (203) class. On CLK
(208) (for instance) CANbus high is black/white and CANbus low is Black,
sometimes CD+ is black.
You may also want to add the following wiring when making the loom. These
are useful when using a COMAND system that was not the correct one for
your vehicle or if making a loom to use in the ML
From

To

Colour

C2
pin
15
C2
pin
6

Not
e

Usage
Reversing Signal
Speed Signal

5.1) Diagnostic Connection

In order for the dealer to configure the COMAND system the head-unit must
connect to diagnostic connector.

Older European vehicles (pre 2001/2002, except ML, A and new C class)
have a large diagnostic connector under a circular cover in the left or right
fusebox under the bonnet.
Newer cars have only a 16pin OBDII connector somewhere on the panel
above the drivers legs (beneath the steering wheel) it has a cover on it,
and is approximately 2 inches by one inch.
Note that there are some W210 (E) and W208 (CLK) cars that have both
connectors. I
Nothing has to be done if you only have the OBDII connector as a cable is
already connected between the COMAND and pin 12 or 13 of this connector,
however with the older connector a connection must be made between pin 2
of the A connector at the COMAND unit and pin 34 of the diagnostic
connector.
If your car had a standard radio, then the cable will already go from pin 2 of
the A connector to pin 33 of the diagnostic connector it is likely to be
coloured grey. The diagnostic connector comes apart and the pin-insert can
be easily moved from 33 to pin 34. Be careful as some of the connections
have power when the ignition is off.
If your car had the older APS system (with separate navigation unit), then you
will have to run a new wire from pin 2 of the A connector to pin 34.
Part numbers are :Diagnostic connector contact (for pin 34)
26
A/B/C connector (car side) contact

A 003 545 48
A 011 545 80 26

5.2) Auxiliary Input

COMAND can have an Auxiliary audio input this is normally found in the
glovebox and can be used to connect a cassette/mp3/md player or other
music source.
The input connections are on the C2 connector and are as follows: Right Signal
4
Right Ground
5
Left Signal
13

Left Ground

14

Shielded 3-core cable should be used with the shield connected to pin 14 of
connector C2.
There is a loom available from Mercedes for this which has a 3.5mm jack
for the glovebox and a white connector that plugs into the COMAND wiring
loom this is part number
A210 440 50 05
It has the 3.5mm jack socket at one end, and a white four pin connector at the
other. You can either cut that connector off and connect it directly to the C2
connection to COMAND, or you can make a short loom between C2 and that
using the male connector, which is part number: A037 545 06 28
Pins for that are
A035 545 73 28
If you started using the C/CLK loom, then you will not need the male
connector as it is part of that loom already.
6) Vehicle Specific Notes
6.1) W163 ML
COMAND Mounting.
You should also install the rear support bracket for COMAND. It is part
number
A 163 546 16 43
GPS Aerial
On ML vehicles, a combined GPS and GSM antenna is fitted on the roof at the
back of the vehicle. These have changed depending on the vehicles Model
Year of construction. The model year can be found on a black sticker by one
of the front door hinges. Look for the 3 digit code starting with 80X. MY1998
is 808, MY1999 is 809, MY2000 is 800, MY2001 is 801, MY2002 is 802,
MY2003 is 803 and mY2004 is 804.
GPS Aerial - MY2002 to MY2004

There are separate coax cables already installed from the aerial (Blue
FAKRA) to the back of the head unit for GPS (wiclic), and from the aerial
(Purple FAKRA) to under the right-hand seat (wiclic or Purple FAKRA), and
from the under the seat to behind the COMAND unit (Mini-UHF or Purple
FAKRA) for the phone on European models, and from the aerial (Purple
FAKRA) to directly behind the head unit on US models..
Some MY2003 vehicles seem to have an older connector in the hole in the
roof, if you follow the cable, you will find the new type connector for the GSM
antenna, and if you go to the left of the aerial, you will find the blue GPS
FAKRA connector.
To installing the antenna: - Open the rear door, and pull off the top-centre trim
panel, start at left side, and pull down gently to release the first clip and work
along. You can then access where the underside of where the antenna fits to
install it.
Part-Numbers
ML 2002-2004 Combined Antenna

A163 820 15 75

There are apparently some MY2003 RHD MLs that seem to have the
correct connectors behind the dash and under the seat, but only the phone
antenna seems to appear in the roof, connected to an older style aerial
connection at the grommet in the middle of the roof. In fact, the blue GPS
FAKRA is somewhere to the left of that, and if you follow the coax from the
aerial connection, you will find the purple FAKRA connector for the phone
aerial.
Here is a picture of the under-side of above the head lining beneath the
grommet for the aerial. This one has the phone cable. You need to remove
that connector, and follow the cable to identify the GSM connection. If you go
to the left of the grommet you will find the blue FAKRA connector for the GPS.

GPS Aerial - MY2001 and before

On older vehicles there is only one COAX lead from the antenna to the back
of the head unit and a splitter/amplifier is needed at the head unit end. These
come with 2 different types of connector depending on the model-year
This cable plugs into a GPS splitter/amplifier, and cables go from that to the
COMAND and to the phone.

Splitter (FME connectors)

Cable from FME splitter to GPS

A163 820 12 89
A163 540 01 13

Picture of FAKRA type splitter

Splitter (FAKRA connectors)

Cable from FAKRA splitter to GPS

A163 820 30 89
A163 540 09 13

Aerial (GPS and Phone)

A163 820 06 75 or A163 820 18 75

(2nd part replaced 1st part at some point)

Wiring Loom.
Purchase the wiring adapter loom from Mercedes, it will save you lots of grief.
The wiring loom connects the reverse signal, and the CD changer power to
the COMAND unit.
MY2002 Adapter loom
MY2001

A163 540 78 10
A163 540 12 09

The MY2001 version is similar to the MY2002 part, but doesnt have the
GPS aerial converter lead (from WICLIC to HRS), as that is fed direct from the
GPS amplifier/splitter.
Here is a picture of MY2002 wiring, into which the converter loom plugs.

From left to right, you have the wiclic for the GSM aerial, the FM/Am aerial,
the A/B connector, and the C connector.
The ML does not have an auxiliary input in the glove box, although it can be
added, as described above.
Pre Year 2002 MLs.
Before MY2001, MLs did not necessarily have the speed signal on Pin 1 of
the A connector, or the diagnostic connection on Pin 2 of the A connector, and
do not have a C connector with the reverse signal

You should look at the A connector to determine what your vehicle has
installed. I believe that MY98/99 have neither connections.
To install the diagnostic connection (so that the COMAND can be coded
using Star Diagnosis by the dealer) you need to run a cable from pin 2 of the
A connector to pin 12 of the diagnostic (OBDII) connector. The diagnostic
connector is above the drivers feet, and is roughly 2 inches x 1 inch. You will
need
2
meters
Green 0.5mm cable
1
A012 545 39 26
Diagnostic connector contact
1
A011 545 80 26
A/B/C connector contact
If you need to install a speed signal, then please see Wolfgangs web
pagehttp://www.whnet.com/4x4/vss.html - that will provide speed signal for pin
1, and put the reverse signal on pin 3 which you should disconnect and then
rewire to the COMAND C2 connector pin 15. You may have to connect the
speed signal to C2 pin 6 as-well as A pin 1.
Other Units
Some CLK units, after MY2001 software update has been done, can be coded
to function like ML units, but the speed signal must be connected to the C2
connector as-well as Connector A Pin 1.
6.2) W208 CLK
COMAND Mounting
You should install the rear supporting bracket for COMAND. It is part number
RHD A 208 546 03 43
LHD A 208 546 04 43
You will have to carefully cut out the divider between the lower and upper DIN
radio slots to allow the double-DIN size COMAND unit to fit.
GPS Aerial

The aerial is on the roof, at the rear. It is a combined GPS and GSM antenna
sprayed to match the car. You should ask your MB dealer for the part number
(and colour code) for your car.
The GPS aerial cable should run along the roof lining parallel to the rear
windscreen on the right of the car. (The phone aerial runs along to the left of
the car). It then runs down beside the windscreen, and along the panel to the
right of the rear passenger and in the wiring duct below the right hand door
sill, across the front of the right hand seat and up into the centre console, and
then to the COMAND unit.
Note, that it may be easiest to run the cable above the foot-well and into the
back of the COMAND, rather than across the front of the right hand seat that
saves some dismantling of the centre console.
If you do not mind about the installation not being identical to the factory fit,
then use the C/CLK (W203/209) class or SL (R230) class GPS antenna and
wiring loom to install the antenna somewhere under the dash board, looking
up through the windscreen.
Wiring
You may need to add a discrete speed signal to connector C2 pin 6 see the
W210 E-Class instructions below
Other Units
Apparently the later 210 units will function in face-lifted CLKs (i.e. those with
steering wheel controls.
6.3) W210 E-Class
COMAND Mounting
Part of the plastic dash (under the wood trim) needs to be replaced, its
available for a few euros/pounds from MB dealers there are pictures
at www.megacomm.de explaining how to do this.
The plastic part is part number
A210 689 09 16

You will also need a replacement wood dash surround, as the hole for
COMAND is larger than the hole for the normal radio. Your dealer should be
able to work out which part this needs, as the dash has different cut-outs for
different options, there are a lot of possible part number variations.
GPS Aerial
There is a combined GPS and GSM aerial on the roof of the vehicle sprayed
to the cars colour. Ask your MB dealer for the correct part for your vehicle.
You will then need an extension lead to take that down to the COMAND unit
I suspect the GPS aerial lead from the W203 C-Class will suffice. (see below).
If you do not mind about the installation not being identical to the factory fit,
then use the C/CLK (W203/209) class or SL (R230) class GPS antenna and
wiring loom to install the antenna somewhere under the dash board, looking
up through the windscreen.
WIring
Some (older) E-Classes have a speed signal connected to Connector A pin 1,
and some do not. Some COMAND units (such as A210 540 54 89 and A210
540 56 89) need the speed signal connected i.e. they do not use
CANbus to get the speed signal.
You therefore will need to run the speed signal from Connector C2 pin 6 (and
potentially Connector A pin 1) and connect it to the speed signal. On a RHD
Model Year 2002 E-Class, I found this in the left hand wiring duct. The duct
accessed by pulling the plastic sill cover up from the left hand front door, and
lifting up the cover of the duct to expose the wiring looms. In there were 3
wires, located near the front of the door sill, with insulation on the end of them.
These were Green, Green/White and Green/Black. Connect the Green/Black
wire to the COMAND.
6.4) W203 C-Class and W209 CLK
COMAND mounting
You will need 4 screws to fasten the COMAND,

A001 984 64 29
There is some copies of MB service information on how to remove the centre
section of the dash here
http://www.buellwinkle.com/Comand/COMAND install and removal WIS.pdf
GPS Aerial
The antenna is at the top of the rear windscreen. On US vehicles the aerial
wiring is all in place and the connection for COMAND is already behind the
radio (along with the diverse FM antenna for command (small coax
connector).
The GPS aerial is stuck to the rear windscreen at the top in the middle.
The following parts are needed (note that the GPS aerial and aerial lead is
probably in place on US vehicles): GPS aerial
A203 820 09 75
GPS lead from aerial to front of car
A203 540 70 06
Wiring
The original wiring loom is available which includes the auxiliary audio input
connector and wiring. It does not include the GPS cable or the reversing
signal, so should not be used on the ML.
New C/CLK Adapter loom RHD
New C/CLK Adapter loom LHD

A203 540 10 09
A203 540 09 09

The new loom has the C1/C2 connectors for COMAND, the power connector
for the CD player in the glovebox at one end, and connectors to plug in the
Auxiliary audio input, the CAN bus distributor and the D2B wakeup
distributor (which connects to the other components such as phone/boseamp/voice-recognition).
I would remove the existing wiring loom for the C connector, and lay in
the new harness at the same time, that way you can follow the wiring back to
the CAN distributor and the D2B wakeup distributor, which I believe are in the
sills.

The CAN wires are brown/brown-red and the D2B wires are black/blue. The
AUX connector is white, and you will also need to purchase the small loom
described in the Auxiliary Input section below.
6.5) R230 SL-Class
COMAND Mounting
You will need 4 screws to fasten the COMAND, A001 984 64 29
GPS Aerial
GPS Aerial, sticks to windscreen behind mirror, part
A230 820 08 75 or A001 920 76 75
You will also need the GPS antenna harness to connect the aerial down to the
COMAND unit.
A230 540 38 07
Wiring
The adapter loom will function fine, but if, for some reason, you want to install
the original wiring loom, it is
COMAND (Europe)
COMAND
COMAND

A230 540 50 09 (From chassis F071048)

A230 540 34 07 (Not Japan. MY2002)
A230 540 44 06 (Not Japan, MY03/04)

Coding
The dealer should also code the System Diagnosis (or Central Gateway
depending on model year) to tell it that it has COMAND (see section 7).
6.6) W220/C215 S/CL Classs
In MY2003 the widescreen version of COMAND 2.0 was supplied in S/CL
class vehicles. This has the same wiring as the COMAND in other vehicles.
Before this date, COMAND units were very different they had integrated
tape (cassette) player, and very different wiring these units were known as
COMAND 2.5 (as they were 2.5 din units high).

However, the standard fit system (in Europe) for MY2003 does not support
navigation its seem to have all the correct connectors, and parts inside, they
just seem to have Navigation disabled, and it can not be turned on with Star
Diagnosis. (In fact, Star Diagnosis warns that that version of COMAND does
not have Navigation). I do not know if the vehicles actually had the GPS aerial
installed.
As an option (527 in Europe, 530 in USA), a COMAND with Navigation was
available
See the parts list at the top of this document and
on http://www.mercupgrades.comfor the MY2003 COMAND units.

7) Dealer Programming
Once youve installed your COMAND, it should mainly work however you
really need the dealer to plug in their Star Diagnosis computer and perform
various settings and configuration. They need to configure the D2B bus to tell
COMAND what phones/CD/amplifier etc is connected. And if you have a
phone etc, configure the phone settings as well. They should also check the
COMAND is correctly coded for your vehicle type, steering and seats
(leather/fabric), otherwise lighting may not work, and navigation may not work
because COMAND may not know what speed you are going.
If you have a information display in the instrument cluster, the dealer should
program the cluster to tell it that there is COMAND then you will be able to
view routing information in that display.
Later vehicles (such as the SL) may also need the System Diagnosis
control unit and possibly the EIS to be told that the vehicle has navigation
although I am not sure what is necessary.
Dont forget that on older cars you will have had to move the diagnostic
connection in the diagnostic socket under the bonnet, or the Star diagnosis
will not find the COMAND system.
Many Mercedes dealers are not used to detailed configuration of COMAND,
here is what the dealer must do (this was done on a W208CLK)

a) Start Star diagnosis, and select the correct vehicle

b) In the Main Groups screen, select Control Units
c) In the Control Unit Groups screen, select Information and
Communication
d) In the Information and Communication screen, select D2B
COMAND or Audio
e) In the Cockpit management and data system screen, first select
Retrofitting of D2B Components
- run through that process and select YES when it asks whether to
actually write the new configuration
f) Return to the screen in (e), and select Control Unit Adaptations
g) Select Read coding and change if necessary
h) Select configuration of components (not D2B)
Enable the following: Telephone with enlarged functionality
TV Tuner
Instrument cluster with automatically centering text ***
Analog BOSE (IF YOU HAVE ANALOGUE BOSE only)
SMS transmissions permitted
And save the changes to the COMAND system
(*** I think this is true for all models)
i) Return to the (e) screen, and select Radio parameters
Set the Tuner ident to the correct country for you
(Europe/Japan/North America/South America)
k) Return to the (e) screen and select Variant Coding
set the Model/Series correctly, and the FADER ON if your vehicle
has front and rear speakers (most vehicles except the SL).
l) Return to the menu in (c) above, and select ICM Instrument
cluster
m) Select Control Unit adaptations, then select Variant Coding,
then select Optional Equipment
n) Set Navigation to PRESENT and save the coding.
On each of the steps (e), (h) -> (k) and (n) Star Diagnosis will ask for the
coding to be transferred to the vehicle, which should be done.
On the SL (R230) the System Diagnosis or Central Gateway should also be
configured to tell it that COMAND has been fitted.
8) Installing COMAND in other vehicles, or I bought the wrong COMAND

In order to install the COMAND in other cars, you need to do the following: a) Purchase a COMAND system that is without CAN, or one from a
ML I suggest one from an ML, as it tends to have the latest
features.
b) Use the wiring description above to supply power/wakeup to the MB
fibre optic CD player if you have one.
c) Ensure speed signal from car is connected to connector A pin 1 AND
to pin 6 of the C2 connector.
d) Connect reversing signal to connector C2 pin 15 if you can.
e) Connect pin 2 from connector A to cars OBDII diagnostic
connector pin 13 if you dont have a diagnostic connector, make
one up it will need + on pin 16, ground on pin 4 and COMAND on pin
13. Then the MB dealer will be able to configure the car if he tells
COMAND that its in a ML (163) good luck persuading the dealer
to plug his Star Diagnosis system into a non-Mercedes vehicle.
If you already bought the COMAND and its not one without CAN or from a ML,
but is from a CLK (i.e. part number starting with A208 540 xx xx), then if it has
late enough software, it may be usable: 1) Have the dealer upgrade the software on the COMAND to MY01
software using their update disk.
2) Have the dealer code the COMAND using Star Diagnosis to tell
it that it is installed in a ML (W163) vehicle.
3) Ensure speed signal is connected to both possible speed sensor
connections as described above.
If you purchased an E class COMAND unit, you will need a CANbus adapter
fromwww.megacomm.de or www.audiocomp.info - This has some connections
for lights/speed-signal/ignition/reverse signal, and a CANbus output to
connect to the CANbus input on COMAND they come with the C2 connector
to make life easy.