Do Mercedes Benz cars have CD players?
By
Vroomouk
This article will answer the following questions: do Mercedes Benz cars have CD players? Which models get the Mercedes Benz CD player? Why new cars do not have a CD player?
Do Mercedes Benz cars have CD players?
Yes, Mercedes Benz cars not only have a CD but there is also an inbuilt CD changer. Customers can load up to 6 CDs and select anyone to play the music. In 1982, CD players started becoming popular and customers were replacing the cassette players in the car with an aftermarket CD player mostly manufactured by Pioneer or sony.
The aftermarket unit is a direct fit for most models as it was installed in the position of the cassette player. The slot for the cassette player was easily larger enough to accommodate a CD player.
Mercedes Benz started to offer factory-fitted CD players as an optional extra in some models launched after 1985. However, the CD players became mainstream in the late 1990s and Mercedes Benz cars came with factory-installed CD players as standard.
The number of songs on the CD was limited and customers had to carry multiple CDs in the car. Mercedes Benz introduced a CD player with a CD changer in the fourth generation of the S class launched in 1998. The CD player was concealed behind the command display and customers could access it by pressing the CD option on the dashboard.
The theft of the CD players from the locked cars was increasing, despite Mercedes Benz locking the CD players with codes, many customers reported unsuccessful attempts to remove and steal the CD player from the vehicle.
Therefore on the S class W220, the CD player was hidden behind the command display and it was not possible to identify if the vehicle had a CD player from the outside. The CD changer was also located in the luggage compartment in some models. The CD changer was connected to the command by optic fibre lines so there was no lag in the music regardless of the location of the CD player.
Another location of the CD changer was in the glove compartment, it was easier to access the CD changer and the glove compartment can be locked by the Mechanical key of the vehicle.
Mercedes Benz continued to use the CD player with the CD changer but with the launch of the S class model series W221, the complete unit was designed in a single piece, customers could load more than 6 CDs in the CD players directly instead of loading the CD magazine. This resolved the problem of CDs getting stuck in the CD player as the earlier models were difficult to load and more prone to foreign objects like dust or debris.
The telematics system in the W221 was a huge step forward with the command control unit acting as a master control unit and other slave control units like the rear entertainment unit, sound amplifier and navigation drive were connected in series by optic fibre lines. MOST communication was used to transfer the data at speeds more than 20 MBPS.
Which Mercedes models had a CD player?
Mercedes Benz was one of the first car manufacturers to use a CD player in a car, all the Mercedes Benz models produced between 1993 to 2015 had a CD player. The CD player with a CD charger was only available in the models E class and onwards. The new generation cars like A, B, GLA and CLA only got a CD player without a CD changer.
The capacity of CD was also improving and with the addition of a DVD it was possible to watch a video and listen to the audio at the same time, Mercedes Benz S Class model series W221 also had a 2 view display. The display was capable of showing two different pictures, the front passenger could watch the video from the DVD while the driver could see the navigation or another screen.
Why new cars do not have CD players?
Mercedes Benz discontinued the CD player in the models manufactured after 2015. The CD is no longer the preferred medium for listening to songs in the cars. CD players also lost popularity due to the following reasons:
- Bluetooth
With the rise of smartphone technology cables and mobile phones, cradles were no longer required to connect the phone to the Command system of the car. A Bluetooth antenna hidden behind the dashboard allowed the smartphone to pair with the Command control unit directly and customers can play songs from their smartphones.
Bluetooth also improved the in-car telephony as the mobile cradle and an independent antenna were no longer required for answering the calls. The command control unit was also capable of recognising voice commands from the customer to operate the telephony feature.
- USB type A and Type C
Mercedes Benz started installing USB type A and Type C ports in the centre console. Customers can connect pen drives directly to the USB ports and the Command can access the songs/ videos in the Pendrive and play them in the car. The size of the pen drive was also in GBs and as the command supports audio formats like MP3, it was possible to load more than 1 thousand songs in the Pendrive. The memory on the Pendrive or USB stick is also re-writable.
Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in
What does a check engine light mean in a Mercedes Sprinter van?
What is the oil type of the 2012 Mercedes Benz E 350?
What is Mercedes Benz ECO mode?
Conclusion
Mercedes Benz CD players were great pieces of equipment and the addition of the CD changer allowed customers to play many songs without having to remove and re-insert manually. But with the rise of Android Auto and Apple car play CD players are no longer used in the latest models.
FAQs: do Mercedes Benz cars have a CD player?
How do I play a CD in my Mercedes?
To play a CD in a Mercedes Benz Car, check the vehicle if there is a CD player and insert the CD into the player. In some models, the CD changer is located in the glove box or luggage compartment. The CD magazine can take up to 6 CDs, simply load the magazine and insert it into the CD changer.
Does the 2020 Mercedes A-Class have a CD player?
No, the 2020 Mercedes Benz A class does not have a CD player. It uses a command system and can play songs from android auto or apple car play. CDs are not popular anymore and Mercedes Benz removed the CD player from the command control unit in the latest generation of the A-class.
How do you play a CD in a Mercedes C Class?
Mercedes Benz C class has a CD player located in the centre console. Insert the CD into the slot and select the cd option on the audio control panel. The C class does not have a CD changer and can only play one CD at a time.
How do you load a CD changer?
To load the CD changer, open the glove box or trunk and slide the CD changer cover to reveal the eject button. Press the eject button and take the CD changer magazine out to load the CDs. Once CDs are inserted into the magazine, insert the magazine into the CD changer and close the cover.
