Thread: Bluetooth pairing new install

Car recognizes telephone present, says NO SERVICE. Shows strong signal bars but never appears to pair with any telephone (tried iPhone, Blackberry) and I cannot find any instructions to get pairing to advance.

Thanks in advance for any help, I have searched and cannot find my problems. New MHI (USA) install in W203 (2007 C280). I have "pre-wired for telephone" car with satellite radio and Harman/Kardon sound system with CD changer in glove box, not command. Car does not have "tele aid" module installed.

Install went as well as can be expected seeing I could only find Star bulletin for August 2004 "preliminary draft" instructions. My W203 is a 2007 without command.

Head unit appears to find telephone and shows strong signal bars, but I cannot get any phone to pair. Preferred would be my iPhone 3gs (iOS 4.0.1).

I purchased the hardware for install from MB of Fort Lauderdale FL, and the blue tooth adapter from eBay.

I think the adapter is the problem, B6 787 6125. I found a site that says this is an older European BT (SAP?) and can find references to using US adapters in European cars but not European in US cars. Also cannot find a definitive answer to what part actually supports iPhone 3gs in US market. I think this one does not?

Any help is appreciated. Apologies if I forgot any important facts about my problem.

There has been some problems with mixing MHI and UHI compatible modules.

Can you go to the dealer and try to follow the MHI instructions. If that doesnt work then your MHI controller doesnt accept UHI cradles.

I can go to dealer. I don't know if you are in USA (my guess is you're not) but here, the dealer will laugh at any owner attempting to do work on their own vehicles. Don't get me started about the dealers in my area. The Service departments here have a long list of necessary services above what MB recommends that they claim are .... bit my cheek, sorry.

Yes, I can go. As far as your reference to MHI "instructions" no instructions came with the MB OEM parts and as I am not an authorized MB repair shop. I have no access to Star bulletins other than download links I can search. The only instructions I have are the often confusing posts. Many people know little and post a lot.

From what I've read just in this question thread area, I have found:

07-12-2010

Hi There,

I was thinking about upgrading my phone to either and iphone 4 or possibly a HTC desire. I have a 2007 w203 with pre-wire, and a SAP V2 module.

Will the iphone (or the HTC) work OK? I currently use a Nokia 6301, and it works fine.

Many thanks for your help, great site!

Cheers,

Tom

07-12-2010, 02:07 PM
richard
Guru

Neither will work i'm afraid. That cradle only works with Nokia's 'SAP' implementation.

I would suggest this cradle: -


There is an issue with iPhone OS4.0 and address book on loads of Bluetooth systems including most Mercedes cradles, and MB-2 - but we hope Apple will fix that soon (and many people have stuck with OS3)

Richard

This is the closest I've found to my install but again do not know if that owner was a MHI or UHI install. Guru Richard's answer is either incomplete or edited out? Rest of the posts do not clarify. Seeing as this was over a year ago, I had hoped for some help. Even a direction to look? I am a computer hardware professional who dabbles in cellphones and has extensive networking background. There is no hardware reason for this blue tooth incompatibility charade being pulled by MB.

What is hardware difference between UHI and MHI? Frequency transmission bands? My owners manual implies CDMA band phones can be BT paired with the install and work? So much for the correlation to frequency...

When I install the SIM (USA T-Mobile) into the dongle, the bars of service disappear. The head unit seems to think phone is there and functional, even displays SIM contacts, but reads "NO SERVICE" when I try to place a call. When I leave SIM in phone, blue tooth "appears" to connect in that unit recognizes phone is there, even shows signal strength bars but if you attempt a call it says TELEPHONE ERROR. In this scenario, unit in center console continues to blink blue fast, indicating it is searching to pair, but NOT paired though the head unit is reporting signal strength. Phone states still searching, indicating no pairing.

Never, does phone or car prompt or respond to any pairing that I can tell. It appears to be an incompatibility in the blue tooth implementation. Problem is I cannot find any explicit information about MHI or UHI hardware implementations let alone software! Any direction pointing is greatly appreciated. Anyone know which specific MB blue tooth dongle works with USA MHI unit for iPhone on iOS 4.x.x? Anybody know if there are any carrier restrictions on US blue tooth pairing? Is T-Mobile okay or just AT&T? Does MHI actually transmit/change carrier frequency (not doable to my knowledge of cell phone billing, but could function through roaming agreements...users would have complained by now though)?

The MB instruction booklet with the dongle I purchased rivals the English instructions that come out of China for computer hardware. No wonder nobody can figure things out.

I guess, could someone just tell me which BT dongle will work in US (part number), and I will buy another one, this time hopefully compatible with my install?

Thanks for your time and knowledge. I will ask dealer, but respect the forums knowledge better.

Here's the answers for anyone looking with the same issues or other pairing problems. Wish I'd found it before:

Mercedes Phone Systems FAQ

And just to summarise. The poster has a SAP V1 european cradle.

SAP is a bluetooth protocol that takes over the SIM id of the paired phone (and there aren't that many that support the SAP protocol) and is a phone in itself.

But, European GSM is on 900 and 1800MHZ, and USA GSM is on 1900Mhz, so it will not be able to find the local network even if you managed to pair it.

Answer, get a USA cradle or a Viseeo MB-2 to plug into your MHI system.

Cheers

Richard