Bluetooth Microphone Upgrade

[jagoode]

has anyone performed a supplemental or complete microphone replacement for their bluetooth set-up?

I cannot use the bluetooth system at all if the vehicle is running and/or moving. I have to sit forward, face upward, point my head at the microphone, struggle to see out the windshield and talk loudly. IMHO it is a safety hazard by introducing more challenges than it was intended to reduce.

I cannot seem to find any aftermarket microphones that can simply be wired inline to some other location in the car, possibly in the corner by the clock.

Any help with resources and wiring diagram of microphone set-up would be appreciated.

thx!

[roots4x]

I have the full service manual. It seems it's a condenser microphone and it's pretty straightforward to replace. The mic can just be popped out of the roof panel and probably be replaced fairly easily.

[jagoode]

what is the best way to pop out the mic panel? inside piece or outside piece?

Any electronics whizzes out there?
Can I simply parallel wire/solder a new mic so that both mics work, or do I need to replace mic altogether?

[jagoode]

Does the diagram show how much power the mic needs? mA/w?

[fishmd]

The mic is very easy to get to. You basically just pry off the piece in the roof liner by placing a flat bladded screwdriver under the outter plastic piece. It will all pop out in one piece. As to the mic, I am not sure. I actually set up a whole new bluetooth system in my car when I installed the pioneer AVIC-D3 so I put a new mic in the corner of my clock cluster area. Sound is really good from there and the mic is fairly well hidden there too.

Just try it. Get another mic with a really long cord and tap into the two lines of the factory mic and see if you get it to pick up sound. If it works then you can run the line through the headliner and down the A-column, underneath the dash, and up into the center console to the clock area.

Good luck.

[roots4x]

I'm bringing this thread back. I need to upgrade it because 9/10 people can't hear me very well. It seems the easiest place to intercept the mic signal is through the trunk where the bluetooth unit is. I think a big problem is that the mic signal is not balanced and is prone to a lot of EMI.

The pinout is simply a +5V +/- condenser microphone input to the telephone unit in the back. I pulled out the mic panel but it's too difficult to take out the harness without taking out the map light. And if you take the map light out, you have to replace it with a new unit (that's what it says in the service manual, anyway) so I'm not going to do that.

The three wires are Red/Blue/White which correspond to +/-/+5V which should be on the harness going into the telephone unit. I'm going to try attaching a shielded balanced cable and a separate +5V cable from the back to the front and place a PC mic between the steering column and the left side of the stereo somewhere.

It is really annoying that they placed the mic there. On the new mercedes C-class they put the mic right where I described it and there is excellent voice clarity. Well it might also be because Mercedes might use better wiring and a better noise cancellation filter.

if anyone else has anymore input, it'd be appreciated.

[badboy06]

I may be one of the few lucky ones..No problem/issues with system.

FYI, I did use a soft brush to clean around that area once?

[BlackonBlack06]

yea me neither, I have not had any issues with people on the other end not being able to hear me, even with the windows down and the wind blowing. How's the mic replacement going?

[roots4x]

I'm still searching for a new mic. What I'm a little confused about is that all the voice recordings for people's names sound very clear to me. So maybe it's my phone? I dunno, I'm gonna give it a shot anyway but I just have to find a suitable mic. I don't think computer mics would be suitable.

[roots4x]

I'm beginning to think it might be the phone, or at least its settings. If you are having troubles, try setting the volume on the phone (not the car) to the lowest setting. My girlfriend always used to be able to hear me but that was it. Now it seems that this one friend who could never hear me never has an issue hearing me. Also, I was recently given a Moto Q9c from work and it works well too. I'm not sure but it may have to do with the noise/feedback cancellation in the phone conflicting with the system used in the car.

I ended up buying a PC condenser mic to try it out but I'm going to give this a try because I'd rather not have to do any mods if I don't have to.