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1999 Bose Stereo upgrade. Do I need a Bose amp? And other ?z

2K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  Fenalaar 
#1 ·
My 1999 ml430 radio is crap so I decided to buy the Bose head unit off eBay from a 1999 ml 430 and CD changer. Do I also need the Bose amp? Where are the amps located. They all appear to have the same plugs so everything should be plug and play correct? Any other advice on getting better tuneage would be helpful. Thanks
 
#5 ·
I had no idea the Bose is crapilty. The wiring is there for the cd changer I got one for 50.00. With the mounting bracket. And a Bose factory radio frequency 30.00 so I am not breaking the bank on a vehicle that is not worth a whole lot anymore factory Factory stuff seems cheep so that might be a quick and easy upgrade.

The vehicle appears to be a money pit. I inherited from my mom. She bought it new in 99. I found a stack of receipts from Plaza Mercedes and Gary Larry and Bob's (moms Mercedes mechanics not Clayton, MO). It looks like she payed for the 40,000 dollar truck a couple of times. And, pretty well everything had been replaced at one time or another. It still runs and drives like new even with 232k. The interior is MINT and still smell like key a new car But....The thing still has a ton of real issues that I am fixing to make it good enough to drive or trade or sell or pass on to my son.

It goes in Friday to get the A/C fixed, then gotta get my rear bumper reinforcement replaced, hood replaced rear bumper cover replaced. By the time all is said and done I will have more $ in it than it would ever be worth so I have to wait until never for a good sound system. If you get my drift
 
#4 ·
If you have an amp, it is behind the driver's side cupholder from under the dash. Some vehicles don't. It has been suggested that bose car amps for all cars aren't much more than fancy crossovers. The Bose system sounds better than stock systems in most cars. Check the rear passenger side cavity for cd changer wiring and bracket.
 
#7 ·
You have to ask yourself what are you looking for in a sound system. If it is just music, you could have redirected the $80-00 you have spend towards a OK head unit. For 80-00 for example you can buy a JVC car radio, which is FAR BETTER then any MB head unit. Browse Amazon & you will see what I mean.
Also browse the forum & you will see that 232k is not much for this truck & by the sound of it, it only needs some cosmetic fixes only.
Also as Aaron said, learn to fix the car yourself. You will save a lot of money.
You've got no idea how we are blessed with W163's......Everything is so simple......
 
#8 ·
If the car didn't have a fiber optic system in the beginning, a standard single or double DIN unit fronPioneer or Alpine fits right in. A double din unit requires a couple of minutes with a hacsaw to remove two pins on each side of the console hole and removal of the storage tray under the old radio.

The Alpine head unit I got fitted the factory wiring. All I needed was an antenna adapter to convert from iso to din standard plug.

It is a much better system with a radio that has a handsfree, and that can connect to a smartphone and play music from that.

Johan-Kr
 
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