2005 Mercedes CLK55 AMG: Navigation Radio Upgrade

This client has been working with us for many years and brought us his Mercedes that we last equipped with an iPod/Auxiliary port. The factory radio began to fail and with a new replacement radio from Mercedes approaching several thousand dollars, he wanted to explore an aftermarket option.

He initially suggested a piece he found on the Internet that was listed as compatible with his vehicle. Unfortunately, this is yet another reason why you need to rely on professionals to save you time and money instead of working with an unfamiliar brand and product of low quality. The unit he brought to us would fit physically in his Mercedes but because his vehicle has a MOST communication ring, there are very limited options for such a vehicle and what he bought online would not work.

We did a trial-fit to confirm the incompatibility, found our initial assessment was correct and did some research [...]

Our client came to us wanting commercial-free music for the long trips to visit family out of town. We suggested two methods of integrating SiriusXM into their factory radio as a solution. They selected a seamless integration which ties into the factory steering wheel controls and radio interface.

While we were at it, we suggested a reverse camera to leverage almost all the integration possible for the factory 6.1″ radio (a navigation add-on is available for select non-navigation equipped radios) to add some driver safety.

This Accord had a broken CD changer and the customer came to us to get some help to set the car up for the new young driver in the family as well as for their use. The factory steering wheel controls were retained and we installed a new climate control panel since this year of Accord usually requires this piece.

Our aftermarket solution to replace a malfunctioning Honda radio is typically less than the dealer and offers you features that were not available when the car was brand new.

On this vehicle, we were able to provide additional rear visibility by installing a reverse camera when it was not installed by the factory. You can see the increased visibility you have, even at night.

When they leave our field, they know where they want to get work done because we are the technician’s choice!

The owner of this Golf came to us with a build with some equipment he ordered and some in storage that he described. We switched to some of our components once we actually started the build and the components were retrieved from storage. We provided a modest amplifier, as ours was much smaller than the one he initially was going to use and had in storage and there was no room for it and have a hidden installation. We selected a high end piece to do the amplifier integration with the factory radio and ensure the best signal quality possible.

We were also tasked with building a custom trunk panel so that the subwoofer could breathe and the factory piece would not have to be modified. Our finished panel was factory fit and finish [...]

This discerning father and son approached us wanting to improve sound quality as a birthday present. We came up with a solution to deliver a marked improvement in the sound quality within a reasonable budget. We did not change the factory radio but added an amplifier, modified the door panels to provide enhanced sound but still look well integrated (component speaker upgraded where there was no factory component location) and added a single subwoofer under the rear seat. The rear stage was left factory but we pre-wired the installation so an upgrade of the rear speakers at a later date would require minimal duplicate work on our part to save the son as much as possible (that part of the build is going to get funded by his summer job).

Our customer wanted to add SiriusXM as well as enhanced smartphone connectivity to their German roadster but the dealer didn’t give them much of an option. We replaced the entire radio, added the satellite receiver and were even able to retain the OEM steering wheel controls.

This customer came to us with a factory sound system that needed a lot of help. After listening to a couple different options, our demo car was what let them get a true understanding of what it sounds like to have a fully integrated and upgraded audio system.

A subwoofer, amplifier and upgraded speakers along with appropriate installation gear were selected to provide much better sound than factory but kept the car’s appearance and function unaltered.

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We presented a couple of options for this customer to add an auxiliary port so their smartphone would be able to play through the car (the VW will eventually become their daughter’s car, so we had two sets of needs to address). Instead of the more expensive option of replacing the radio, they elected to have us do an add-on.

We were able to place the port and controls for it in the transmission shift panel in some unused switch positions for a factory look that would be easy to reverse if they needed to in the future.

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

The whole family came into town to get this daughter’s BMW connected to her smartphone. Since it already had Bluetooth for the telephone, we focused on a solution to be able to play music that wasn’t a CD or the radio. With a little custom integration, the port is barely visible and easily hidden temporarily or can be removed permanently with almost no signs of our installation.

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755