AVIN Mercedes ML, GL, or R Class 9" Android 10 Infotainment Install! (W164, X164, W251)

[@SamAbraham]

WIRING: Hey guys, so it seems that there are a good amount of questions regarding the wiring and powering of the unit along with the MOST Amp. From what I've learned over the past few months, it seems that your wiring harness for the original head unit can slightly differ depending on facelift (MY2009-MY2011 for ML, up to MY2012 for GL in the US) or prefacelift (pre-MY2009 W164), along with certain options your car had from factory. While you could spend hours looking for wiring diagrams on forums for your specific W164 model (if you do, I don't blame you, that's what I did), I recommend getting a multimeter to see which of the wires on YOUR car's harness receives power ONLY WHEN IGNITION IS ON. This would ensure you do not have the battery drain issues some people have had, along with myself. I'm no expert regarding wiring, but perhaps someone can respond to this comment with some better info and advice on the best way to tap into the power wires, to ensure a clean source, especially for the MOST amplifier. REGARDING THE AM/FM RADIO: One of the biggest issues I've been having with this unit so far is the FM radio. Now, for me personally this isn't an issue as I use CarPlay as my audio source. However, this is my dad's daily driver, and he almost exclusively uses the radio. For the time being I have swapped the original head unit back in so that he has music, but I am still looking for a proper solution to this. I believe the way to fix this issue, is to plug one the white FAKRA cable (with the provided extension) into the satellite radio receiver. For the prefacelift cars (not sure if all prefacelifts or just certain model years), it seems that the satellite radio is under the rear seats, in fact, this is where AVIN themselves told me to plug in the FAKRA cable. On my car (facelift 2009 ML63), under the rear seats I only have the AMG fuel pump modules, and a voice command module. At this point, I haven't had enough time to continue looking for the satellite radio reciever, but my next guesses would be either behind the tail light, above the headliner in the cargo area, or in the tailgate itself. I will update this comment once I figure it out. THE GAUGE CLUSTER CLOCK: After changing the unit, you may realize that there is now no way to change the analog clock in the instrument cluster. Someone in the comments mentioned there is a fuse you must remove, which then activates a clock menu in the gauge cluster screens. I will look into this in the future. Thanks for your patience, I'm hoping to resolve these small issues soon, and will make an update video when I can. If anyone has some advice or info regarding all this, please respond to this comment, it would be greatly appreciated!

[@harveydouglas5496]

You probably dont care but if you are bored like me atm then you can stream pretty much all the latest series on instaflixxer. Have been watching with my brother lately xD

[@neiljaxtyn4504]

@Harvey Douglas Yup, have been using instaflixxer for since december myself :D

[@leonallan8602]

@Harvey Douglas definitely, I've been using InstaFlixxer for since november myself =)

[@mercuriomeanadelcastro7614]

Wiring Most Amp: If you look at the Cambus of the steering wheel, it has the same power supply calbes, red, yellow and black. You can see that they are connected to the power sockets of the original black connector. The best connection is to splice them to the cambus wires. This way you don't need to manipulate the original calbes of the car.

[@pauljohnson1404]

Company with no phone to call, I would never buy from

[@andrewturner67]

Just came across your channel. I have the exact oem setup for my head unit 2011 GL 450. I was in search of a new unit and absolutely loved the one you installed. Unfortunately, I just got diagnosed with cancer, and that is draining my wallet. But with some more treatments, I still have my life and for a while. So once I recover strength and $$$, lol I want to get this. Do you remember how much they cost. I'm trying to plan out projects to keep my mind busy in the next few months. Thanks, man. Also, I absolutely love the consistent step by step walk through. Very well done. Much love, brother 🙏

[@actionjacksonva]

Nice to see your ML63 videos Sam!

[@SamAbraham]

Got lots more planned with it!

[@Trashpanda_404]

That’s awesome about retaining the surround sound. Just makes it sound a lot better. Wish they had ApplePlay though.

[@SamAbraham]

By your comment on my other video I think you know it has Carplay now haha

[@hydrocarrot229]

Does it connect to camera

[@faceouterspace]

THANKS FOR SHARING THAT WAS VERY much INFORMATIVE 💯🔥👏

[@Seyfullah6464]

Hi can you tell me Which cable is for the multifunction steering wheel

[@yuberalpha3060]

I have the cambus connected but the buttons do not work ... do I have to configure something? Could you help me? Thank you

[@richardwilliams8899]

I got a 450gl 2010 about what's the price for this radio.. Cuz I will be changing mine THANK U MUCH SIR..👍

[@jorgejimenez9609]

You didn’t let the radio sound on the video , didn’t it actually worked?

[@PatrickJRoland]

SWC with this car. Any canbus on the car to tap into?

[@yuberalpha3060]

where the colored fiber cables go? I am Spanish and I do not understand English thanks !!

[@SamAbraham]

Ellos conectan al adaptador por AVIN para convertir el signal análogo. Es el aparato que dice "MOST" Mi español no es muy bien pero espero que es útil jaja

[@yuberalpha3060]

Thakn you!!

[@starkness65]

Can you help me? My android head unit is similar to your but its an xtrons android 12. I cannot get the steering function program buttons to work. When ai go into factory setting, Canbus Type there is just an option to enter a number. Mine is a 2011 Mercedes GL450z

[@nbsman80]

Hello. Did you manage the steering wheel buttons to work using CAN Bus decoder that came with the unit?

[@bogdanpanici5010]

could you please explain more in detail, how did you connect to the new model, the black cabel, the blue, the yellow and the green one.(7:17 in your video) For me it's not clear... I have buy a piece and I want to send it back, because there is no place to connect the original cables and they don't give any guide to teach you! 1. As I see at 11:00, you had to buy an extra adapter for the video camera(the green cable in the original device) 2. than the GPS cable, if you could send a picture with the place where you put it, because on my device, there is not place named GPS, backside!(the blue one in the original assembly) 3. It is not clear what with the black and the yellow one! Could you please give as a link with the adapters that you used?

[@nicholasjones7368]

Hey Sam can i install this screen in my 2010 merchandise GL450?

[@LosTheGamer01]

I installed the radio everything works the volume is very low I have to turn it all the way to 60 to get decent sound ? Also I hook the wire up for the camera and my back up camera still don’t work I need help?

[@LosTheGamer01]

I need help to did you ever figure it out ????

[@Olusola02]

I Want same kind of upgrade to my ml350 2007. What kind of description you can give to get the perfect one and where can I get it from?

[@ghostinth3fl3sh96]

How did you get Bluetooth to work having problems with mine

[@chulo3849]

Did you ever fix the radio line

[@TaySo_Real]

Hey how do you get that push button for your 2011 . My cousin is selling me her truck for 3000 . So now I gotta learn some stuff about this truck.

[@brandtblocker7716]

Hi Sam! I installed as you recommend and everything is working great. Except, I am getting battery drain. So, I moved the ACC wires from the MOST, HU, and Canbus to the cig adapter which allowed the radio to turn off when I shut the car off. But, I’m still getting battery drain. What have I missed? Any suggestions? Thank you!

[@SamAbraham]

Hey there, so it seems like this is where some cars differ, when it comes to connecting the MOST power to the harness on the car. In the video clip I put in the video, the wire I tapped into did NOT cause battery drain, however, I was having issues before. I ended up having to use a multimeter to see which red wire on the car harness only received power when the car had the ignition on, and was able to get it working. However, it seems that this same wire in other people's cars (perhaps depending on year/model) differs from mine. For reference mine is a 2009 ML63. If you can get a multimeter in there and retap the amp and the unit into the main harness for the head unit, I think you will be all set.

[@brandtblocker7716]

@@SamAbraham I really appreciate your response. I have a 2012 GL450. The harness from the car looks EXACTLY like yours. But, I’ll get a meter on it and confirm the connection. Thanks, again, for all the help!

[@jacobqvisth1861]

@@brandtblocker7716 Great question. I have the same problem on my 2011 GL350. Did you get any clarity on which cable to use? I will try myself also and let you know if I figure it out.

[@brandtblocker7716]

@@jacobqvisth1861 I did as Sam suggested and tapped into the wire that Sam said caused him battery drain in his video. 24hrs later, I’m not having issues. Will wait 48 hrs until I feel good about putting everything back together. I’ll keep you posted.

[@jacobqvisth1861]

@@brandtblocker7716 Thanks for responding 😊 I checked the wires with multimeter and the wire Sam suggested was active when car was turned off. So I will try the wire at the top left corner which only gave current when I turned on the car. I will let you know how it turns out. I also have problem with noise from speakers after turning off. I bought I audio filter and will try that.

[@stevek917]

I had no idea this was available. I have 2010 ML350. It annoys me none of the tele features work anymore since AT&T shutdown their 3G network. I' wondering if any of the button work? Steer wheel controls? The SOS button? The Info and Maint buttons? I'm also curious about if SiriusXM works? And what is required to make it work. Thanks for the great video.

[@SamAbraham]

Hey there, steering wheel controls work great although not sure about SOS, I don't think so. Sirius XM should work, just make sure you buy the correct antenna for it, you should see it in the options list before adding it to cart.

[@AcousticMoon]

Does it have an optic fibre connector? Also I hear that my controls on the steering wheel for this will not work. Is that correct? Thankyou.

[@SamAbraham]

If you have the MOST audio adapter then you will be able to use the fiber optics, and the canbus decoder is needed for the steering wheel controls to work

[@TehSnoik]

Installed one on my MY09 63 back in may and got no drainage on the battery. The 12v you recomended did not lose power when the ignition is turned off.

[@SamAbraham]

Yes, that's because I edited out the wire tap I did which caused the drainage, at least for my car lol

[@nycliving9514]

After 1 year of owning this I finally installed it right now. The radio FM is TRASH TRASH TRASH.. How do I wire it so it can sound clear with no static?

[@starkness65]

Where does the yellow wire and the red wire go for the fiber optic amplifier box? Does yellow go in yellow wire and red go into to red wire of the power cable of the stereo? Or are you connected both the yellow and red cable into the red wire?

[@edwintanco1109]

Hi, I want change my radio for this. Where I buy this display?

[@franckonstek8459]

Champion Sam. Just installed as per your instructions and everything working fine except the lights stay on when the ignition is in. I'm assuming that's what the reference to battery drain is. Is there away to stop this from happening?

[@salesmotowiseauto7012]

nice. I was wondering if you have some video or info on how to get the android phones going with it. i have it set up for my ML63 AMG for apple carplay but dont know how to set up for android auto.

[@SamAbraham]

My dad currently uses Android auto with it. Do you have one of those usb dongles for carplay currently? All we did was plug his phone into the dongle, then opened android auto on his phone. I'll make a video on that soon

[@spektrapainting8585]

What is the exact name of the unit and where you buy it?

[@ClarkRegan]

Hi Sam, thx for the great video. Could you explain slowly your advise at 12m40s regarding the red wire which should be connected in the middle. According to OEM pinout that’s the pin 16 - MOST Wake up. So what are you recommending connecting there to avoid the battery drain?

[@tinosimpson6264]

Does this come for setup with iPhone???

[@ALONER_PELLE]

Thanks for the video! Question! So I plugged all the wires in to its corresponding location but I didn’t have to twist any color wires together for this unit to work. The 3 cables coming from amplifier yellow, pink and black I don’t have connected to anything either. But the unit works sound, power on off with vehicle. Is it possible I did this right? I have a 2010 ml350. The only thing that happened is my outside temperature reading is wrong on my dashboard. (Back up camera doesn’t work fully bc my package didn’t come with the splitter wire fire oem connection. Ordered it now) also my original direction compass does work either. Bluetooth music and the gps all seem to function properly.

[@mahmoudbraima6188]

Sam, I had a shop install the 9" Avin Multimedia System and three days later the battery completely drained overnight? What would be the solution? Help please! Anyone?

[@SamAbraham]

My guess is they tapped into the incorrect wire for the MOST amplifier power, this is a common issue as the correct power wire to tap into is slightly different depending on specific trims and model years. Simple solution is to connect it to the other red wire in the harness, but for the time being of course its annoying with the battery drain

[@UncleChisel]

What fits a 2015 ml350

[@Olusola02]

I also want to upgrade my ml350 2007 stereo to android what kind of android you think my be the best one

[@nycliving9514]

I want to get this for my R-Class but my question is, how fast or slow is it to raise and lower the volume on the actual radio lcd screen?

[@acemac1844]

Did you get one yet? I want one as well but hoping it’s not junk.

[@nycliving9514]

@@acemac1844 Got one but haven't installed yet

[@theonlyne0]

@@nycliving9514 did you manage to get it installed?

[@brunoantunes8985]

Hello Sam and thank you about this nice video, I noticed that sometimes there is the problem of battery loss, I was checking and the radio when turned off in on / off button, turns off the lighting but keeps on, I ask, on this radio the yellow cable will be the permanent and the red what connects to the ignition?? what I saw, was in the original head harness, the 12v are not cut by ignition, so the problem must be here right? Many thanks in advance.

[@franckonstek8459]

Hey Bruno, did you work this one out. My lights are constantly on when the ignition is off🥴

[@nutcrackerBtK]

Hey Sam, thanks for the video you posted.I was going to upgrade my 07 GL just because the radio is so limited. It drives and runs excellent so now I want to upgrade the radio to the unit you have but I need to know two things first. When in reverse the backup camera comes on by itself regardless of the screen menu are you in? Have you found a workaround for the analog clock on the dash? Thanks

[@SamAbraham]

Yup, the backup camera will come on no matter which menu you are in at the time. For the analog clock, someone mentioned you can remove the fuse for the original system (with the battery disconnected) and it actually adds a clock adjustment menu to the gauge cluster. Unfortunately I never ended up doing that, but a quick look at a X164 fuse diagram should help you with that

[@SoODoMiNiCaN]

Hey Nutcracker, did you successfully install this in your 07? Wondering if this bigger screen works or if our models HAVE to use the smaller screen one.

[@nutcrackerBtK]

@@SoODoMiNiCaN no, not yet

[@SoODoMiNiCaN]

@@nutcrackerBtK Thanks for the reply!

[@MrThrall4yy]

I got just the same on my 420, but suddenly it just lost the audio, it stays muted by no reason please help me

[@Pghrayy]

I’ve bought 2 different aftermarket headunits like this one and I cannot get it to power on. What am I doing wrong? I bought a separate fiber optic, and still no power to the headunit.

[@Pghrayy]

2009 Mercedes GL 450

[@gabeteee8932]

Does the backup camera work on the car after you installed the head unit?

[@nickpapantonakis2907]

Hey Sam thank you for videos! I installed an android to wife’s 2010 ML 350. Everything works well except for the radio reception and Bluetooth sounds kind of amplified like I can hear everything from road noise to bumps to you name it. I used the factory mic, the aftermarket mic and the built in mic and that one seems to be the better one! Any suggestions would be appreciated. As far as the radio reception goes. I had a white fakra wrapped in foam which I connected and extended to Sirius box under rear seat but still horrible. Then I used the antenna that came with the radio and I plugged that directly in the Sirius box and still nothing! Any help from anyone would be appreciated. Thank you

[@SamAbraham]

Hey there, as for the mic is the issue only with carplay, or using the android's bluetooth phone app? I notice carplay typically has worse call quality in all of my carplay android units... that being a said a ground loop isolator for microphones may make that a little better. You can find some on amazon. The radio reception was something I had a hard time figuring out as well... one day it just started working well. I wish I had a better explanation for this... Unfortunately I cannot go back and test it because I removed the unit quite a while ago. My dad who daily drives this ML63 prefers the stock unit.

[@nickpapantonakis2907]

@ Thank you brother for the input. I fixed the radio reception almost 95% the remaining 5 is the am stations. I took the white double fakra under the rear seat and I used the extension fakra plugged directly into the radio and the other directly into one side of the white double fakra. FM works great. The other side of the white fakra is for AM. So I ordered a split fakra and waiting for it to come in. I played around with the Bluetooth gain settings and changed the baud rate and got better results. I also ordered another microphone from amazon that got great reviews FingerLakes is the brand. Again thank you

[@yuberalpha3060]

Hola! Para el canbus en ajustes has tenido que hacer algo! No consigo que funcione los botones del volante

[@niravhazariwala4806]

Does it fit on 2012 GL550

[@SoODoMiNiCaN]

Does this particular model work with the 07-08’s or do I need the ugly one with the smaller screen and buttons?

[@SamAbraham]

This will work on 07s as well. The unit with the smaller screen also works on both

[@yellabella1992]

What would be the reason I’m not receiving no sound apple car play and when I change the station the screen radio station doesn’t move I have a 2015 ml350 do you have any suggestions or can help I got it installed professionally no sound tho

[@carbot31]

How do you connect this to the steering wheel controls?

[@jothyganeshan9262]

did you solve the FM antenna issue? I am having the same issue on my E350 with HK similar to your unit.

[@SamAbraham]

Not yet, haven't had time but I should later this week. Have a few ideas in mind, hope they work.

[@jothyganeshan9262]

@@SamAbraham thanks! Please share if you do solve it. I am thinking that it has something to do with the NAV and voice command unit. Good luck.

[@SamAbraham]

@@jothyganeshan9262 Yup, I actually tried plugging the radio cable into the voice command unit below the rear seats in the ML and while that drastically improved the radio, it’s still not where i’d like it to be. I will be making a video when I resolve it!

[@jothyganeshan9262]

@@SamAbraham check this post on MB world. looks like we have to connect the antenna connection at satellite box. i have not tried it yet. mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-x164/721294-gl450-mercedes-benz-ml-gl-9-8-0-oreo-4gb-ram-navigation-system-5.html

[@SamAbraham]

@@jothyganeshan9262 Thanks so much for sharing that! Once I get the car back from some warranty work I’ll take a look. Hopefully thats it

[@johnsorto4230]

Where they sell !????

[@nttam1920]

Hi, I changed the stereo in my ML350 4MATIC 2011 to an Android Auto unit bought from Ebay. After connecting everything, my car won't start anymore. The battery is good. I think it is something related to the Canbus decoder box. I reconnected the old stereo, and it works without starting the car. Now, with the old stereo in, I can't start the car. It makes a cranking sound but won't start the engine. I checked the fuse. It looks fine. It wasn't blown out. Please advise what's going on. Has the Canbus communication network been messed up as a result of changing the stereo? I don't see any solutions online.

[@SamAbraham]

I dont see how a canbus issue would cause this, but everything points to a wiring harness issue if its happening with both the android and stock unit. Take a good thorough look at any harness modifications you've made to ensure nothing is shorting out

[@jinxtuber5113]

Hey, very interesting tutorial, does it work with original camera system ? when it have rear camera ?

[@SamAbraham]

Yes, mine has the original camera

[@ejf23]

@@SamAbrahamwhere did you get the Adapter for the original camera?

[@joelguzman2356]

Hey man off topic here but what kind of headlights does that car have ? I have a 2008 320cdi and I want to upgrade my headlights

[@SamAbraham]

Factory facelift W164 Xenon headlights, only difference is I've painted the internals black to match the later 2011 W164 ML63 and W164 grand edition headlights

[@arjunmandhare5070]

what extra parts did you get with this?

[@joseftvrdy8539]

Thanks a lot! My 2007 ML63 Comand NTG2 unit is not working properly and therefore I am looking for some better unit.. so far this seems to be the best one (is that the newest px6 version?), I am only thinking whether to go for AvinUSA or some cheaper aliexpress version (they are really similar and should have the same chipset, and warranty is not a topic for me as I am from Czech Republic and it would be nearly impossible to claim anyways..). What is the sound quality? I read somewhere it is much worse with Harman Kardon than with original Comand system, could you please comment on that? Thx anyways, great video!

[@SamAbraham]

Hey there! Glad you found this vid. Yes this is the absolute latest version, PX6 and Android 10 with the highest specs on their site. The sound quality is just as good if as the stock (I have Harmon/Kardon too) Because I’m using AVIN’s MOST amplifier. It’s made for cars which utilize fiber optic signals like our ML63s, and allows the stock amplifier to still do its job. That alone is why you should buy the AVIN unit. When I unboxed the unit at the beginning of the video you can see the MOST AMP, I also show how I installed it. So far the unit has been great!

[@joseftvrdy8539]

@@SamAbraham Great, you just convinced me! I still do not know whether I can do that on my own (and with support of your great video) or if I should go to some local shop to do that, but I will have some time to think of that until it comes. Glad to hear about the unchanged sound quality, I can't wait to have fully working system even with connection to Spotify, to use Waze or Google Maps.. it just looks to good to be true!

[@SamAbraham]

@@joseftvrdy8539 It’s awesome! Really brings the car up to modern standards. For CarPlay you need to get a USB dongle that Avin sells, or one off of amazon. Also something to note is that the 2007 and 2008 ML63s may have slightly different wiring due to the older COMAND unit so just keep that in mind! It should be relatively similar to my 2009 though.

[@joseftvrdy8539]

@@SamAbraham hey again, hope you are fine! I have two more questions (as my COMAND unit is getting worse and worse over the time). Do you know what is the consumption? I mean, if I will leave car for a few days without driving.. when the unit shuts off completely to stop battery drain? And if you lower volume to very low or even zero, could you hear some hum, buzz or noise, or is it absolutely silent? Thanks a lot for answers!

[@johnbryman]

Hello there, thank you for your demonstration video. I have installed this unit in my GL450. It would be wonderful if you might have some insight on these issues. Since the install the following is happening: 1. The starter button does not work and have to push several to times when starting and turning off. 2. Only one station comes when I choose America 1 or America 2 on the region setting. 3. The OBD2 adapter is not working I cannot get it to connect to the torque app. I have a Android phone. 4. I cannot connect the wireless Android auto. I have the newer upgraded Wireless one.

[@SamAbraham]

Hey there John, I'll do my best to help you out with these. 1. The start button should not have been affected at all from the install. All I can think is that somehow some wires were loosened up when the original head unit was out. Or, potentially the car battery is low. 1. If you take a look at my pinned comment, you'll see that the radio is a common problem with these units. You'll have to connect the cable to your satellite radio amplifier, which is usually below the rear seats, or somewhere else in the rear of the car. 3. I don't have the OBD adapter, but I know with those devices you usually need the car's ignition to be on, and to connect to the adapter's wifi network before opening the Torque app. 4. You say you have the newer "wireless one" for Android auto. Is that referring to the USB adapter? Or your phone? Wireless Android auto is still pretty new from what I understand, and nowhere near as common as wireless CarPlay. I personally have not seen a single USB adapter capable of wireless Android auto yet, so maybe double check what you received

[@Makeit996]

Where do i get this??

[@lamaterfamilias]

Avin no longer seems to offer any kind of support whatsoever. It is so frustrating. They send you a box with a bunch of unlabeled stuff, no manuals or guides of any kind, and they take ages to respond to inquiries.

[@lofistudio8756]

Hey mate your tutorial helped heaps. I have a differsnt headunit being Junsun but same same anyways. I installed everything correctly and everything works fine apart from the sound quality, its okay but no where near as good as what it used to be OEM when turning it up to louder volumes its horrible. I noticed there was a blue "amp ctrl" wire coming from the fibre optic dongle i did not wire that to anything, could that be why my sound quality is shit, is there anyway to take back the beautiful sound quality of harmon kardon? I have a 2007 ml500 btw

[@MonroeHandyMan]

How about satellite radio?

[@SamAbraham]

That is not supported

[@gingertronix]

How did you make the canbus steering wheel controls work?? I have the same unit in my CLS but I can figure out what wires on the RCA harness connect to the two brown wires of my canbus??

[@SamAbraham]

The AVIN unit I got had a CANBUS decoder in the wiring harness, I didn't have to do anything aside from plug it in normally

[@jenniferking9975]

Do you use Spotify loaded directly on the device as an app and if so, can you skip songs using the up and down arrow on the steering wheel? The volume functions with my steering wheel controls on my unit but the up and down arrow make the beep but do not do anything. Curious if yours is the same.

[@SamAbraham]

I use spotify through carplay or android auto, so no I don't have the ability to change the song with the steering wheel. I haven't tried with the app directly on the head unit, but I don't think it would work, as if you get to the audio menu in the gauge cluster it says "AUDIO OFF" or something like that

[@jenniferking9975]

@@SamAbraham Thanks for the reply. A couple of other questions if you don't mind. Does your instrument cluster read "audio off" or something else when the device is on? Also, do you get any kind of a loud click when you turn off the ignition and exit the vehicle? Thanks!

[@jenniferking9975]

Sorry, I figured out the steering wheel controls. My unit was not set to CAN BUS in the settings - > car - > factory settings -> other -> steering wheel controls. Once I went in and changed that setting to canbus the unit allows me to assign all steering wheel buttons through the steering wheel app. This is also the menu that allows you to setup things like the Mercedes logo on bootup. One other thing I found useful. I installed the nova launcher app and was able to fully customize the home screen. I am still interested to know if you have a popping noise on exit. Thanks!

[@SamAbraham]

@@jenniferking9975 Yes, I do have a popping audio noise when I turn it off or get out of the car, I’ve contacted AVIN about this and am waiting for a response about a fix. I’m guessing it’s related to the power wiring for the MOST amp

[@jenniferking9975]

@@SamAbraham I solved the popping noise by connecting the accessory line from the most adapter to the small red wire on the harness and the yellow bat wire to the large red wire. It has not drained my battery and the popping noise is gone.

[@joshtuttle3193]

Hey Sam, I have a 2008 W164 ML350 that I'm stalling this in. Went through wired everything up but for some reason, the AVIN head unit will not power up or turn on. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

[@SamAbraham]

Strange, perhaps you have to check the pins on the main connector and see if the new unit has a different positioning, requiring you to move some pins around

[@hadrianhaine5204]

How does one know if you have Harden Karman system? Is there logos or branding on the head unit?

[@SamAbraham]

You'll have a subwoofer in the cargo area/trunk/boot (depending where ur from lol) and it would have a harmon kardon logo. Also, in the system itself you'd have a menu for sound where it would give you the option to turn on or off Logic 7.

[@hadrianhaine5204]

@@SamAbraham thank you

[@carmensonia98]

I have the ML550 with Harmon speaks, I bought the additional harness that cost me $400 because that’s what they told me I needed, we got everything connected and now there is no sound 😭. Do you know what it can be?

[@SamAbraham]

$400 harness? Are you referring to the MOST adapter? That shouldn't cost that much, but either way it means that it is either incorrectly connected, perhaps with an insufficient power source (I hope this is your case), or a fiber optic cable was damaged during install

[@mauricejones3350]

Hey enjoyed the Video. You think you could give me A list of all the accessories I would need for a 2006 Mercedes R500, or just everything you used. I do have the Harman Kardon system.

[@jdepratti]

Just bought this direct from Avin and it didn’t come with outside bracket that holds the screen. Unable to install as it without. Reached out to avin. I’ll update when I receive word

[@jdepratti]

they sent the outside bracket. Installing in a week

[@jdepratti]

Installed. Works perfect. Ask me anything

[@samilyas7206]

Hi! I really hope you can answer my question! Will this product work on 2011 ML350 4matic? I wanna make sure because Ml350 is not W164…

[@SamAbraham]

2011 US market ML350s are still W164s. The change to W166 only happened in 2012. I cannot speak for other markets though. If your interior looks like mine then you have a W164

[@jacobqvisth1861]

Thanks Sam! Can I ask you about noise from speakers? I have tried with audio filter but it does not help (or can you suggest one that does?) There is a low noise when it is just turned on and it increases when I connect the apple car play adapter from Avin. I have tried to disconnect all bluetooth (I think..? how many can you disconnect and how?) and also tried turning ow wifi and only connected with usb cable but there is still noise from speakers. Appreciate all help and ideas.

[@SamAbraham]

I actually didn't need to use a filter, but I think your main issue is coming from the MOST Amp's power source. Maybe your wire tap into one of the power wires isn't clean enough for some reason? Does the noise only happen with CarPlay? Or is it a constant thing. If its only during CarPlay then I would bet you have a faulty CarPlay adapter

[@jacobqvisth1861]

@@SamAbraham Thanks Sam. The noise is constant even without the carplay, but it increases when connected to carplay. So I will check the power wires ones again. Maybe using T tap isn't the best solution. I also just want to say that after looking at your video, I was inspired to buy the unit from Avin. So big thanks.

[@Makeit996]

Is thus plug n play??

[@christophercamel92]

Will the backup camera still work with this unit

[@SamAbraham]

yup!

[@NordicVulture]

Hi, I used this video to install an Xtron radio as everything looks very similar with the wiring. Had to connect to the sigarette lighter because the other wire was causing battery drain. Everything looks good but the rain and light sensor has stopped working. I assume there is a wire I need to connect, do you know which one? I have a GL350 2011

[@rbrood267]

Did you figure out ?

[@NordicVulture]

@@rbrood267 I was messing with the fuses and it started working again somehow

[@rbrood267]

@@NordicVulture oké. Did you have the oem rear camera v

[@vishal5340]

Is backup camera will work?

[@SamAbraham]

Yeah the stock one does

[@OKELA25]

родная камера ne rabotaet na cc3 ?

[@SaultiBalldeip]

Man, this whole MOST box has been a HUGE headache for me. I have 2 ML's and both do the same thing, even with 2 different MOST boxes! All wired up correctly but it is almost as though the MOST box doesn't send a signal to the HK amp fast enough and thus the amp just goes to sleep, doesn't send anything and I get no audio as a result. I have not been able to figure it out to get it to work. Tested my deck & het get audio from it via the speaker terminals as well as the AUX OUT so it seems to be all due to those damn MOST boxes. What are the chances of getting 2 bad ones, slim I suspect?

[@SamAbraham]

Very strange, I wouldn't think that two would be bad. Perhaps a different trigger is required? I haven't really touched any of this since I installed this and then removed it years back now. Wish I could be more helpful. Are your MLs facelift or prefacelift?

[@SaultiBalldeip]

@@SamAbraham the ML350 is a 2007 and the ML320 is an 08. I bought some fiber optic loops to try and go through the system and loop off each one at a time to see if maybe the CD player or the tele-aid is causing the problem. The only thing is if those were causing a problem then they should also inhibit the stock radio from working.

[@SamAbraham]

@@SaultiBalldeip All I can think is that the prefacelift has a different wiring harness for the COMAND NTG 2 with the white/blue UI originally rather than the 2.5 with the tan/black UI in my 2009. This might require a different wire to tap into for power. I'm sure you've already looked through the forums on MB world but that would be the first place I look just to see if other people have run into similar issues with 164s 2006-2008

[@SaultiBalldeip]

@@SamAbraham yeah I already have that's where I got the ideas for the fiber optic loops. I have my most box connected with the ACC to the positive of the cigarette lighter, the negative to the cigarette lighter negative, and the b+ continuous directly to the red with black stripe continuous wire from the actual Mercedes harness that goes into the back of the stock stereo.

[@ricardodias5703]

Hello Sam. I have a R 350 2011 and would like to buy a px6 version of this radio which has hdmi output for headrest monitors, and I have original headrests. Do you know If the px6 version is compatible with the original mercedes headrests? Or do I have to buy the px5 version of the rádio which I dont prefer. Do you have headrests on your ml? Thanks!

[@SamAbraham]

I have the rear seat entertainment in my ML from factory but I don't think they've ever been used as no one really sits in the back. I do not think they are compatible but I am not 100% sure, I think sending AVIN an email would be able to get you an answer.

[@omarkamis5560]

Hey thanks for the video! I just installed one of these head units on a 2008 ML63. My install is almost done except I’m unsure about a few things. Doesn’t the canbus power the head unit on and off? Wouldn’t that mean the power and acc wires wouldn’t need to be hooked up from the head unit? I ended up tapping into my cig lighter for acc as there’s wasn’t acc in the radio harness. Why is the MOST adapter not getting constant power and acc like it states on the harness labels?

[@SamAbraham]

The CANBUS alone is not enough power for both the unit and the MOST adapter, hence why you have to tap a couple wires from the car's harness to receive the full 12V. I'm guessing this is what you mean by constant power source, however, this is why some people have battery drain issues (if you tap into a wire off of the harness which is always providing some power)

[@omarkamis5560]

Hey thanks for the reply. I didn’t end up using the acc wire nor the illumination wire. I ran the most wires to the amp con wire and everything seems to work. I haven’t tried it longer then about 10 mins and seems good. The lights for the side buttons on the head unit light up. If you unplug the wire taps that connect the acc wire and Illumination wires does your head unit power up? When i did connect the ill wire and acc wire from the main harness of the head unit, the head unit wouldn't turn off with the ignition. The acc wire was keeping the head unit on while the ignition was off. I also want to add when the acc and illumination wires were tested for voltage. They were supplying voltage. This is unusual for these wires to supply power rather then receive power.

[@SamAbraham]

@@omarkamis5560 Thank you for the information, I was going off what the manufacturer advised me doing but if everything works by only powering the amp, I’d much rather do that. Did not realize those wires supplied power either, very strange. Perhaps they’re meant to power a dash cam or aftermarket backup camera? Either way, good to know. I’ll have to adjust mine as I do notice that it sometimes doesn’t like to turn off immediately when I exit the car. Takes abt 30 seconds.

[@omarkamis5560]

@@SamAbraham no worries at all. Please also keep me updated how that works. I’m still curious if my install is correct. This has been a lot of trial and error forsure. I will also update you if I have any issues down the road.

[@SamAbraham]

@@omarkamis5560 I appreciate it! There truly has been a lot of trial and error with this, not the most straightforward thing in the world as you would think. Hoping to make a revised/update video in the future to address slot of these nuances. How’s ur FM radio out of curiosity?

[@jayduby3969]

Do they come with DVD player?

[@SamAbraham]

No

[@longancho4833]

Will this be the same process for a 2006 mercedes r 350?

[@SamAbraham]

Removing the old unit will be slightly different, but the rest is more or less the same

[@heavymetalboy427]

I own a GL320 2007 Will this work inside

[@SamAbraham]

Yes

[@TheBartholr]

Hello would this work for 08 Gl450 back up camara

[@SamAbraham]

Yes

[@TheBartholr]

Still have no Camara

[@TheBartholr]

Any ideas

[@oeh7819]

How can I connect the rear camera? I can't do it thanks

[@SamAbraham]

OEM camera or aftermarket? OEM is as simple as plugging the cable into the back of the unit. Aftermarket usually requires some more steps, and I haven't done that on this car

[@bradyroqueplot4892]

So what screen do I order and where

[@SamAbraham]

links in description

[@garrettpowell5094]

I think that might be wishful thinking on your rear HDMI plug assessment... Unfortunately, the specs say that's an output - not an input. I want to like this head unit but I'm finding it nearly impossible to get set up properly because there's no customer service or technical support available for a phone call or live chat... I am pretty bummed that I can't seem to stream or mirror any video subscription content from my s20ultra. No Netflix, no HBO Max, no Hulu, etc...

[@SamAbraham]

I understand your frustration, I myself swapped back the oem unit until I have some more time to deal with it. You should be able to mirror things with various mirrorcast apps from the play store, or use android auto with an AutoKit adapter. You could also use your phone as a hotspot and just run Netflix or any of those services on the head unit itself.

[@A.Dude.]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I'm currently in the market for something compatible with my GL450 with Harman Kardon and SiriusXM. Your video makes it clear for me that this is NOT the unit for me. I will explain. You neglect the radio part, but I don't, simply because I might drive in some areas with poor data coverage, which would leave me in total silence and I mean radio-silence, not music silence. Second, the Mercedes unit handles beautifully the sound of this very high end audio system and I have my doubts that a stereo (front L/R RCA) audio output into the most which later transforms that into optical and sends it to the Harman Kardon amplifier will be in fact A DOWNGRADE from what is in place from factory and I'm talking pure sound. What you get in return is a gadget a cheap (compared to the car and the cost of it's sound system) one... They sell a DSP module as an extra and that would be nice and acceptable, but again, the MOST would not be able to handle that one at it's capability. I recently installed the latest Joying in my SLK and I replaced the amplifier in order to get full benefits there, but going into replacing and amazing sound-system like the Harman makes no sense; not for this head unit. (BTW, the SLK had the Bose factory system, which is CRAP)... Again, thanks fro sharing and I'm still looking...

[@SamAbraham]

Yup, different products depending on what you want to use it for. Currently have the radio working much better and going to be uploading and update video soon. Basically connected it to the car’s antennae. The MOST amp I’m using has sound quality that sounds exactly the same as when I used to play music through my SD card on the COMAND, so while I see your concerns of theoretically downgrading the sound, I can’t tell the difference at all. I really do care about the sound quality, and I would’ve swapped the COMAND back in if it wasn’t up to standard. Honestly I don’t consider the H/K system that great in general for today’s standards, especially compared with my C63 H/K system. Mind you it is an 11 year old car so Ill give it that. But yeah, I’m personally happy with the setup and the sound quality. I don’t think you can really get better sound quality than this with an Android head unit, but again, it sounds just as good to me and my family haha. I suppose you could retrofit in a double DIN unit from a more known car audio infotainment manufacturer. Also don’t believe any of these are compatible with Sirius XM, so yeah, not the unit for you if you use that! Thanks for sharing ur thoughts and watching the vid!

[@A.Dude.]

@@SamAbraham That was fast... It can get better then the Harman; I did it in my SLK and it sounds simply amazing. My source is a bit higher end then what you might get on an SD (and that depends again). You don't have the DSP in your unit and the ML does not have as many speakers... My concern is audio out over FL?FR into a system which is beautifully tuned. I would like to retain the ability to adjust the sound to my ears...

[@SamAbraham]

@@A.Dude. Haha happened to see the notif on my phone. Yeah I can appreciate that. Currently I can adjust the sound between left and right but that’s about it. If only they sent me one out with the DSP, oh well. Maybe I’ll upgrade in the future. Like I said I personally don’t have any issues with the sound but it seems like you’d prefer the ability to fine tune it some more to your liking. Is ur SLK’s DSP integrated into your head unit? Or did you get an external one? Also now my audio source is just spotify off a phone through apple carplay so I’m not sure how much of a difference could be appreciated with a source like that

[@A.Dude.]

@@SamAbraham To be very clear, here is a Q&A with the manufacturer of the MOST: Q. Why are there only TWO RCA inputs? A: It only supports stereo input from your front Left and front Right RCA audio output. Q. If it is only using TWO RCA audio cable how will get sound from all of my speakers? A: The MOST interface will convert the TWO RCA audio signal into a fiber optic signal your factory amplifier can understand. Your Harmon Kardon amplifier will distribute sound to all of your speakers including your subwoofer. Q. Can I control fade and balance after this is installed? A: You can control only LEFT RIGHT balance since it is only using those two RCA audio cables. No fading from front to back.

[@SamAbraham]

@@A.Dude. Ah now I understand. Having the DSP then wouldn’t help much as it all comes down to those 2 RCAs is that correct? As at the end of the day, like you said, all it’s got is left and right. And I can confirm that is truly all you have in terms of adjustment. Does the DSP offer any other benefit then? Seems like the MOST adapter can’t utilize it’s functionality

[@gustavorizo3666]

Where can I buy it

[@SamAbraham]

Link is in the description :)

[@leonnoyan9540]

I installed a android radio in my 07 gl450 and battery keep run down in 3 days time

[@SamAbraham]

You'll have to tap into a different power wire on the comand harness for the amp power. This is where some cars seem to differ

[@newbusinesssolutions]

Great job

[@ijeomastanley6155]

Hiw much for this

[@malakaikwabenayaounde6578]

Damn this guy talks too damn fast....good information helped with installing the new radio

[@SamAbraham]

Haha I've slowed down a lot in my more recent videos but I'm glad it helped

[@thisisdanska7518]

Can u text me ? I am changing this on my suv and I have a question

[@Nick325J]

How is the radio almost 3yrs later, any issues with reliability or software glitches/freezing?

[@vasil7410]

Thanks for the video. Were you busting to go to the toilet or something, when you made this video? You need to make these videos when you have a bit more time to spare, so you don't have to speak so fast and rush your way through the instructions. And maybe add some delays between segments, when editing the video, so viewers have time to digest each instruction. It's a bit difficult to follow as it all is.

[@SamAbraham]

This was 4 years ago, things have changed since then lol

[@pauljohnson1404]

This company has no phone number to call or talk to someone live or on the go when an install issue comes up, not even for pre-sales, I wouldn't buy from any company like that

[@onlyonecannoli3952]

Good video, but lay off the caffeine before filming.

[@cassandrabryant7501]

you made me a happy women

[@markk4002]

Great video this was a helpful starting point for me as well as the other video by Renier Van Rooyen kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHWlmYGJgcllask , I went for a similar unit, the 7 inch touchsceen with DVD player. My car is a 2009 ML 550 W164 installed with Sirius, (I signed up for the free trial everything worked fine). The original headunit does not have the AM/FM Fakra cables plugged in just like this unit in the video (So where the heck then is AM/FM signal coming from -- through experimentation it seems to come via Block A -- main connector to the original head unit ). Also, same issue, when I look under the rear seat (passenger side) I only see the TeleAid module and Amp, no sign of the Sirius module like in other posts. I'm pretty sure if I open the tailgate I will see the antenna module, as described in other posts, as that's where the antenna eventually ends up, but wiring a cable all the way back there seems like a hacky solution, also, you would have to worry about powering the antenna. I'm also not comfortable tearing apart the car so much ** LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION STILL ** . If anyone has a link to a wiring diagrams for various models of W164 would be much appreciated. Wiring up the both MOST decoder's ACC and 12V+ to 12+ is a problem for two reasons: 1) Parasitic Battery Drain, my wife was angry with me, when she found the car would not start after a few days (regular daily driving) 2) There is a noticeable POP noise when the car both starts AND shuts down. ** SOLUTION HERE ** --> For this you can simply connect the ACC wire to the cigarette light wire two slots below. After I made this small change, I found overnight battery levels were good and I did not hear the POP noise anymore! This has been a helpful guide as well for AM/FM issues, however the modules are not in the same place for me as described in this forum: mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-x164/721294-gl450-mercedes-benz-ml-gl-9-8-0-oreo-4gb-ram-navigation-system-5.html Playing DVDs routes the video out to the Rear Seat Entertainment units, but playing from USB, etc does not show anything on the video out line to the rear monitors, which is a bummer. Other than that seems to be a good little unit.

[@SamAbraham]

Thank you very much for the information here, unfortunately I personally have not had the time to address the issues with this unit (reverted to stock) but I am glad others have been. This will be extremely useful for other people looking at this unit! The AM/FM continues to be an issue for 2009+ facelift owners like ourselves.

[@anothermarcus]

@@SamAbraham actually found it! You had to unbolt the assembly underneath the teleaid module, the Sirius module and plugs in all their glory are right there. The trick is to have the correct adapters to supply 12V to one of the fakra's and route the anntenna through the other fakra.

[@SamAbraham]

@@anothermarcus No way! Right there all along lol, if I was daily driving my ML and not my dad I would definitely revisit this. Maybe this summer I'll do an update video with this.

[@anothermarcus]

@@SamAbraham Please do! I would really love to see a video if how you neatly run the wires from the headunit to the rear seat and correctly supply 12V+ to one of of fakra's and signal to the other. This may end up being my summer project also. Also, after several weeks driving around with this unit, I prefer using cellular hotspot from my phone over bluetooth so that I can use apps installed on the head unit rather than using my iPhone and weird Apple CarPlay pairing.

[@scottprice1943]

My god thats confusing

[@jaguar7051]

Joe you installing garbage do you know?