I could use the collective help of this very informed forum. Here is my tail of woe.
Tech data: 2001 C320 with Bose system
History: Sound system went silent after son and daughter lmatch in cabin (girl 7 and boy 10 years old/Girl won as usual). My wife blames loss of sound on kids! No CD and No Phone messages now appear when you ht the CD or phone buttons. Radio continues to fire up and show stations.
I inspect car to find that there is a 4-6 inch pool of water in the rear trunk well where the geniuses at Mercedes have located the amp - with the connector at the bottom!
Needless to say, the amp was visibly rusted and seemed an obvious point of failure. So, I acquire a replacement amp on eBay, plug it in, nothing happens.
not to mention that I had already cleaned out the water and, sinceVery reluctantly, I bring it in to MB for a diagnosis. I recieve a call back saying they had found water in the trunk where the amp is located, cleaned it out and that I needed a new amp - cost $1200 (P and L). I chose it had not rained in the 2 day interim, their finding water was a spiritual miracle! For the water accumulation theorists, save your keystrokes as no water has re-appered since.
I asked if they were sure this was all, since I knew my replacement amp did not fix the problem and was of a mind to rip out and replace the factory system if it was going to cost much more. The service manager responded that we'd have to take it "Step by Step." After a short conversation about this approach, he reluctantly agreed to plug in an amp they had in stock to verify.
Next day: I get a call to inform me that it was not just the amp, but that the wiring harness was compromised and the estimate now stood at $5680!
Yesterday: I get the car back, having chosen to pass on the $5680 path. I take the conenector cover off and find that the 12v supply had so sev, erely corroded that the wire was no longer attached to the connector. "Aha," I think, this is clearly the problem. To validate, I by passed the connector to provide the amp with voltage and ground, plugging in the fiber optic cable to turn it on. (Note: I verified that the fiber optic cable is sending a red signal to the amp)
RESULT:: NOTHING. I should note that I did not have the speakers connected, but assumed I would get at least a minor hum or switch click noise as a sign of life. In any case, this leaves me very frustrated, with no clear next step to take.
I would prefer to get the system fixed as oppossed to replaced since my wife, whose car it is, has no desire for a more powerful or feature rich system.
Here are the possibilities I have identified and the questions I have. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated:
Possibilities:
1. The ebay amp is no good.
2. The ebay amp, which does not come from a C320, will not work on my model - even though it is exactly the same size and has the same plug connector
3. The system needs to be re-intiialized anytime a new component is installed.
4. The fiber optic "In" works but the "Out" doesn't, bringing the whole system down.
5. The amp worked, but without the load of the speakers, would not give off any life signs (unlikely as the NO CD and NO PHONE messages continued to show up on the HU screen when the associated buttons where pushed)
Questions:
1. Is the Bose amp model specific?
2. Is a re-set needed?
3. Does anyone know where I can get the ebay amp tested - or a way I can do it myself?
4. Has anyone else had this water issue happen?
5. Any other HELPFUL advice?
6. Is there anyone besides me who would like to have the Chairman of Daimler Chrysler forced to drive their car for life as a punishment for the insanity of allowing this car's electronics to reach the market?
Thanks - Harvey Bondar Redwood City, CA
Linear Mode
