Road Top Wireless Carplay Retrofit Kit Decoder for Mercedes Benz C Class W204 C180 C200 C250 C300 C350 C63 AMG 2011-2014 Year, Support Wireless/Wired Android Auto, Mirrorlink, Reverse Track Camera

I have a 2013 Mercedes C300 4 Matic. The upgraded HK sound system sounds very good and it has a video screen in the dash. However, it is one generation too old for Apple Car Play or Android Auto. It came with the factory Becker navigation system, which is clunky, useless, and has no decent real time traffic, etc. My streaming had to be done directly through the phone and while Google Maps (or other) navigation commands could be heard through the speakers, I had to look down at the phone to see the maps. It always seemed to me that there must be a way to retrofit Android Auto (in my case) capability to this car. This Road Top unit seemed like it could be the answer.I was nervous buying it because installing it does take some surgery on your dash. There are videos on YouTube, but you have to be comfortable tearing the dash up and putting it back together. It took me a whole day to do it, but of course having done it once, I could probably do the whole job now in 3-4 hours. I took the factory navigation unit out of the glove compartment and used the factory holes to run the wires to the Road Top unit which now sits in there. Since I have a slightly older version of Android, I decided to connect my phone to the unit using the USB and the aux jack on the center console. The USB connection is in the passenger's foot well and I took apart some of the console between the seats to run the aux wire to the storage compartment where the aux jack is located in my car.As for using it, OK it isn't perfect. You have to disconnect and reconnect your phone every time you start your car for the unit to recognize it. At first it seemed buggy, but then you learn what the unit likes. It can be slow and freeze. Much of the instability was fixed by changing USB cables. I was using a new cable, but when I switched it out to another one I had, the unit became stable. USB cables are more than just wires and they often fail as I've learned from other devices. I also used to think that I had to turn off the car each time I wanted to reset it, but apparently the unit has a reset feature. Your "back button" that you used to toggle between the Road Top unit can be pressed for a several seconds which will reset the unit while you're driving should something go wrong. Now that I'm using it for a while, it works reliably, but you still need to connect and reconnect the phone each time you turn on the unit after starting the car. People tell me that my voice doesn't sound as clear when using the unit for phone calls. Instead, it looks like you can still pair your phone with the excellent Mercedes system and leave the unit playing music in the background (when you hang up your call) or toggle over to look at maps even while talking through the Mercedes phone system. (The unit is connected by USB and aux cable to the Mercedes sound system while your phone is simultaneously connected to it by Bluetooth for calling purposes.)The one problem I had and it was a big one, was that there was a high pitched whining noise when playing music. An email to Road Top's customer service in China actually got a response! An actual conversation with someone wanting to help! Eventually, they suggested I add a ground loop isolator between the aux line and the car's input. They even sent me an Amazon link for the right product and then refunded me the purchase price of the isolator. Now it sounds crystal clear. They also answered several other questions I had regarding how to use it. The unit comes with instructions, but frankly, not being an electronics expert, it took some figuring out mostly because there are many ways to connect things depending upon your particular set up. Typically when you buy a product such as this, you feel like you're out there alone. Customer service was a very pleasant surprise!The limitations of the unit are the limitations of Android Auto, mostly the limited apps, but it does what I want it to do: texts, Pandora, YouTube Music, Google Maps, etc. It brings the interior of the car up to date and is worth it if you are careful and willing to master the installation. Good purchase!

Everything the video shows ins't accurate nor the installing instructions!! Also once everything is installed it works!! But stays on for two to three minutes and cuts off!! One of the worst things to install and to have in your car!!

I was looking to update my 10 year old map system and car across the product on the mb forum. The install was a bit difficult, but works as advertised. I have wireless android auto with Waze, Spotify, and calls now. The USB also doubles as a charger which a bonus. I left the wires hanging out in the picture, but hid the us in the glove compartment when not in use. The aux runs through the center console completely out of sight.My reason for deducting a star is the music stutters occasionally when also using navigation. Not sure if it's a bandwidth issue with the wireless port or not. I haven't tried connecting via USB to determine if it solves the issue. If that didn't occur, 5 stars easy.

Amazing product. It took several hours to disassemble the dash of my car and the glove box, etc but the final result is worth it.I found the best spot for the additional cables is to sit it in the far back right behind the head unit. You may need to drill a slightly larger hole for this. My unit itself is sitting inside the carpet on the left side of the glove box and the aux wiring is under the carpet.I have no problems with sound or streaming, however you'll want to buy a noise reducer for the aux cable. Benz have an issue usually where engine noise can come out into the auxAll of my buttons work with the new unit and switching between the two is easy. If you need any help as I did, road top can be easily contacted online and reply asap

While the official installation guide is a little confusing, the actual installation is not that hard at all, and many people posted their installation guide on forums like MBWorld. A particular useful installation video is by Bucks Garage which can be found by searching “E550 CarPlay”.I removed the radio and glove box (9 screws), installed the unit in the space between radio and glove box, while WiFi antenna is put above glove box assembly (see attached picture).The official guide suggests using AUX channel for audio and connect AUX cable. I did not connect the AUX cable but rather chose to connect my phone to MB Bluetooth in addition to CarPlay. In this setup the CarPlay interface still showed the music info and prev/next track can still be controlled in CarPlay. An additional benefit is that the mute button and prev/next track button on steering wheel would work, as opposed to the case of using AUX channel.

Came completely unboxed without any documentation at all. NOTHING. Just a rats nest of wires and a scratched up box.

The carplay works perfectly and the customer support is just fantastic. I could not be happier, I was able to modernize my car and was able to install a rear view camera. Its just absolutely fantastic and a must have for everyone with a W204 Mercedes!!!

I installed this in my girlfriend's 2018 c300 in about 2 hours. It all went smoothly minus locating the optical cables and then after realizing that they are affixed to the OEM harness via a simple clip. (It pulls out the two cables in unison.) my only issue that I cannot seem to figure out is the constant echo I recieve and everyone else who is on the phone with her while using the CarPlay. Her Bluetooth audio never did that, but on this interface it does. We tried everything in the microphone monitoring settings and haven't found a remedy.