audio MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2004 W163 Comand Manual
Page 6 of 173
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Where to find it  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Operating safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7At a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
MCS control unit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Display screen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Quick reference MCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Switching the MCS operating 
unit on and off  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Adjusting the volume  . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Radio Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tape operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CD operation*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Satellite radio* operation . . . . . . . . 18
Telephone* operation . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Navigation system*, entering a 
destination and calculating 
a route  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Radio operation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Quick reference  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Menu overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Switching radio operation on  . . . . . 30
Switching another system on . . . . . 30
Changing the Radio band . . . . . . . . 31
Selecting a station  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Memory functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Tape operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Quick reference  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Inserting or ejecting a tape. . . . . . . 40
Menu overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Listening to a cassette . . . . . . . . . . 44
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Changing sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Fast forward and rewind . . . . . . . . . 45
Music search  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Tape scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Blank skip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dolby B (noise reduction) . . . . . . . . 47
Pause  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47CD operation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Quick reference  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
General information on 
CD mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Inserting or ejecting a CD . . . . . . . . 51
Menu overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Switching CD operation on 
and off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Selecting a CD
MCS with CD changer. . . . . . . . . . . 58
Track select  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Music seek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
CD track scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
CD track repeat  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
CD track random play . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Pause  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Elapsed time display . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Audio Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Audio Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 
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5
Where to find itIntroduction
 Where to find itThis Operator's Manual is designed to pro-
vide support information for you, the MCS 
operator. Each chapter has its own guide 
color to provide fast access to information.At a glance
This chapter will give you an overview of all 
MCS control elements and system compo-
nents. If you are operating MCS for the first 
time or if you have rented or borrowed the 
vehicle, this is the chapter you should read 
first.Audio
Here you will find detailed information on 
how to use the radio, cassette player, sin-
gle CD player*, CD changer* and adjust 
the audio system settings.
Satellite radio*
This chapter contains all information relat-
ed to the satellite radio system.Telephone*
Here you can learn in detail about the 
many functions of the telephone, how to 
initiate an emergency call and use service 
numbers. Navigation*
This chapter provides detailed information 
on the following topics:
Destination input
Route selection and calculation
Route guidance
Destination memory
System settings
This chapter provides information on how 
to adjust MCS system settings.Directories
The table of contents and index will help 
you to quickly locate the information you 
need. 
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7 Introduction
Operating safety
 Operating safety
Warning
G
Any alterations made to electronic compo-
nents and the software can cause malfunc-
tions. 
The radio, amplifier, CD player*, CD chang-
er*, and telephone* are interconnected. 
When one of the components is not opera-
tional or has not been removed/replaced 
properly, the function of other components 
may be impaired. 
This condition might seriously impair the op-
erating safety of your vehicle. 
We recommend that you have any service 
work on electronic components carried out 
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. 
Warning
G
In order to avoid distraction which could 
lead to an accident, the driver should enter 
system settings while the vehicle is at a 
standstill and operate the system only when 
permitted by road, weather and traffic con-
ditions. 
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 
30 mph (approximately 50 km/h), your car 
is covering a distance of 44 feet (approxi-
mately 14 m) every second.
MCS supplies you with the information to 
help you select your route more easily and 
guide you conveniently and safely to your 
destination. For safety reasons, we encour-
age the driver to stop the vehicle in a safe 
place before answering or placing a call, or 
consulting the MCS screen to read naviga-
tional maps, instructions, or downloaded in-
formation.
While the navigation system* provides di-
rectional assistance, the driver must remain 
focused on safe driving behavior, including 
attention to traffic and street signs, and 
should utilize the system's audio cues while 
driving.
The navigation system* does not supply any 
information on stop signs, yield signs, traffic 
regulations or traffic safety rules. This al-
ways remains your personal responsibility 
when you drive. DVD maps do not cover all 
areas nor all routes within an area. 
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11 At a glance
MCS control unit
Function
Page
1
Switches the radio oper-
ation on
26
2
Color display
3
Delete the last input, re-
turn to previous screen
4
Press to:
Open and close the con-
trol panel
Cassette compartment 
and CD/DVD slot are lo-
cated behind control 
panel
40,
51
5
Press to:
Switch the MCS on and 
off
Turn to:
Adjust the volume of an 
audio source, or naviga-
tion voice prompt during 
active route guidance 
announcement.
14
16
Function
Page
6
Radio operation:
Selecting a station
Saving stations manually
CD operation:
Selecting a track or CDs
Telephone:
Entering the unlock code 
Entering the telephone 
number
34
36
59, 58
84
86
7
Joystick: 
Activates equipment 
functions and submenus 
via menu fields
Pressing :
Confirms a selection
8
Switches the navigation* 
system on
Activates the navigation 
menu
102
Function
Page
9
Repeats current (last) 
voice instruction
a
Softkeys 
b
Ending a call
87
c
Accepting an incoming 
call
Sending a call
85
d
Switches telephone* op-
eration on
84
e
Switches satellite radio* 
operation on
71
f
Switches CD operation 
on (single CD player*, 
CD changer*)
56
g
Switches tape operation 
on
44 
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12 At a glanceMCS control unitMain menu structureMain radio display
1Active system/function display field
2Inserted cassette icon
3Inserted navigation DVD or audio CD 
icon
4Inserted CD changer icon
5Telephone roaming indicator
6Telephone signal strength meter
7Selected station preset / CD
8Softkey menu Active system / function display field 
Display screen
System
Display
FM
AM, WB
CD
CHANGER
SAT
PHONE
TAPE
Roaming 
indicator
S
R
R (highlight-
ed)
Meaning
FM radio band selected
AM radio band or Weather 
Band WB selected
Single CD player* select-
ed
CD changer* selected
Satellite radio* selected
Telephone* selected
Tape selected
Signal in home network
Roaming
Roaming on non-home 
type system  
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16 At a glanceQuick reference MCS
Turn the rotary/push-button.
For the audio sources
Radio
Tape
CD* (single CD and CD changer)
Satellite radio*
you can set the volume jointly.
For the service source 
Telephone* 
you can alter the listening volume for the 
telephone only.For the service sources
Voice output during route guidance 
(navigation system*)
and
Voice Control System* (refer to sepa-
rate operating instruction)
you can set the volume jointly.
Switching on
Press .
The radio is switched on. The station 
last tuned to will begin to play.
Changing the radio band
Press the softkey   AM, FM or WB.
Adjusting the volume 
iThe volume of the navigation voice 
prompt can only be adjusted during 
active route guidance. Turn the rotary 
push button during an announcement, 
or press Navi Voice to repeat the 
current/last voice instruction and turn 
the rotary push button during the 
announcement to adjust the volume. 
During a navigation announcement, the 
volume of the audio source is lowered 
automatically.
Radio Operation 
Page 23 of 173
20 At a glanceQuick reference MCSEntering the unlock code 
Use the number keys from   to 
 to enter the unlock code. 
Asterisks instead of digits appear in the 
input line.
If the code entered is correct and the 
phone is registered in a network, the 
phone is ready for use.
Outgoing call
Enter a telephone number
Use the number keys from   to 
 to enter the telephone number. 
The menu changes when the first digit 
is entered.Begin dialing
If you have entered the correct num-
ber, press  .
Dialing will begin. If the phone number 
and name are stored in the phone 
book, the name appears on the screen. 
The active audio source will switch to 
mute.
Conducting a call
When the call is initiated, the call time will 
be displayed.
Ending a call
Press .
Refer to (
page 80) “Telephone opera-
tion” for additional information.Switching the navigation system on
Main destination input menu
Press .
If the navigation system has not been 
booted, the navigation startup screen 
appears during the software loading 
process.Navigation system*, entering a des-
tination and calculating a route
	 
Page 28 of 173
25 Audio
Radio operation
Tape operation
CD operation
Audio Adjustment 
Page 29 of 173
26 AudioRadio operationQuick reference
Page 30 of 173
27 Audio
Radio operation
Function
Page
1
Switches radio operation 
on
30
2
Color display
3
Press to:
Switch the MCS on and 
off
Turn to:
Adjust the volume
14
16
4
Selecting a station (pre-
sets)
Selecting a station via di-
rect frequency entry
Saving a station
Selecting a station from 
the preset menu FM/AM
Selecting a station from 
the WB preset menu
36
34
37
5
Joystick
: Automatic seek 
tuning, ascending
: Automatic seek 
tuning, descending
: Manual tuning, 
ascending
: Manual tuning, 
descending
33
33
33
33
6
Softkeys
LIST: Preset menu
AM, FM, WB: Changing ra-
dio band
Weather Band
SAT: Satellite Radio
AUTO: Automatically 
saves stations
ADJ: Audio adjustment
SCAN: Scan
37
31
32
71
33
63
35
Function
Page