Aftermarket Radio Installation Thread W140's 91/93 ?

3 long cables from the rear trunk to the inside Radio plus the Radio cable , installation takes about 2/3 hours , i got to keep my original Amp .
It now sounds like a moving cinema with a DVD inserted , phone is on all Speakers as well as the Gps Nav with all Speakers working , the installer didn't even touch the Amp or its cable , the trick was at the tuner in the trunk , loop the 2 speaker cables ( Black & white in Plastic plug ) from it and you have all the original sound from your speakers with no interference at all (not my car anyway) .
Blue for the Amp trigger , i will see if i can make some pictures for anyone interested , for now what i saw how easy the installation into the 1993 S500 is , to all owners of the early models , keep the 2 wires at the tuner in mind thats how it will work , there is no need to hack into any wires , installation cost me AU$300 plus i gave a 100 $ to the guy who did a wonderfull clean install .
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ALL THAT YOU NEED TO DO IN THE BOOT IS ::
(1)
DISCONNECT ,FROM THE BACK OF THE TUNER
THE WHITE & BLACK PLASTIC CONNECTORS ( speakers)

THEN THE WHITE/BLUE (amptrigger wire ) WITH A BLACK CAP PROBABLY

DISCONNECT THE ANTENNA AT THE TUNER

DISCONNECT THE 2 POWER CONNECTORS AND PUT ONE INTO EACH OTHER .
RECONNECT AS FOLLOWS

(2)
1 WIRE/CABLE ,,FOR EACH ,,OF THE 2 (PLASTIC WHITE / BLACK ) SPEAKER CONECTION , ENDS UP 2 WIRES/CABLES ,BUT 2 FOR EACH OF THE 2 PLASTIC CONECTORS ,4/5 metres of SPEAKER WIRE
(3)
you need:: 4/5 METRES OR SO ,LONG Enough TO REACH YOUR FRONT RADIO OF ANTENNA CABLE ,Black , ONE SINGLE LONG CABLE
(4)
you need:: 1 , AGAIN 4/5 METRES OF SINGLE BLUE WIRE/CABLE WICH YOU CONNECT TO THE WHITE/BLUE WIRE
(5)
ONCE YOU GOT ALL THE WIRES CONNECTED AND MADE IT PAST THE HOLE BEHIND THE AMP YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR BOOT , THATS IT ,FINITO ,MUSIKA MAESTRO
(6)
NOW PULL THE DOORSTEPS FROM YOUR DOORS UP AND UNDO 2 SCREWS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEATBELTS ENDS PLASTIC COVER , PLACE ALL YOUR WIRES NEATLY IN THERE THEN RECLOSE THEM UP .
FEED ALL THE WIRES AROUND THE FRONT FOOT ARCHES ETC NICE AND NEATLY OUT OF VISION NOW IT'S TO THE FRONT OF THE RADIO , YOU WILL NEED 2 HOOKS TO REMOVE THE RADIO , IM SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO , HOPEFULLY YOU KNOW ALL THE COLOURS BEHIND THERE BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE I STOP .
All i know is that Red is Power ,Blue is Amp trigger then you got to plug in your new Antenna cable and THE 8 DIN PIN PLUG IS NOT USED ANYMORE BUT DONT CUT IT INFACT DONT CUT ANY WIRES AT ALL , NO NEED FOR , IF YOU LOOK AT THE PLUGS THEY OPEN
UP .
What you basically did is go around the tuner , if you look back , there is only the 8 din plug and the little brownish beige coloured wire connected to it not even the power is connected anymore at the tuner .

There is a little hole big enough to feed the 3 Wires plus the new long Antenna cable just behind the Amp , you can only see it from inside , you need to take the rearseat bottom bench out then unscrew the 3 bolts at the bottom one on each site , one nut in the centre so you can move the rear upper bench forward a bit , there is the hole on the top on the AMP SITE .
Have Fun 👍
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The Caps on the speaker wire can also be opened up , check 1st before you cut the Wire , you can weld the new speaker wire on top of it .

Hi
I will take pictures of the wires tomorowe & post them here , its very easy to install ,just knowing HOW TO thats the biggest problem with these cars ,the installer took about half an hour to figure it out , by reading all this stuff here regarding the aftermaket installation it made me buy every single Harness there was and could find , ended up i dident need none of them , you wont belive how easy it is to actually install the Aftermarket radio into the 91/93 W140's, i have to be the most sceptical person here because it took me over a year to make the final step to install it and take the risk as my car is in absolutely imaculate condition , at least i try to keep it this way , now my new problem is learning all the new technologie wich came with it , no more CD player with 10 Disks ,now i have the 8 or 9 Gigabyte USB wich stores 100s of musiksongs and maybe even movies ,the other problem is now i have the GPS of wich i look more than what i look at the road for now ( LOL ), i had my AMP rebuild recently and thats why all of my sound speaker system is working 100% ,what a wonderfull sound with this new stereo , i can adjust the Bass /treble/ fade/ front /Back /Left or right anywich way you want , i had a look at the Movie King Kong Chapter 25 The T-rex Battle last night , i tell you what , it sounded like i was in the cinema itself with the Subs going of and all , a really nice sound ,5.1 dolby surround , you can even feel the wind from the speakers a bit , as far as the Volume knob goes , it is perfect i dont need to turn it to much or to little to hear the sound coming out , just like the Becker if not better .Dont worry i wont blow my Amp or Speakers , there is a circuit safety switch or fuse between the radio & Amp , b4 any even trys to get me on that .
My AMP was send from Australia /Sydney to this Centre in the US wich did a perfect Job :

FACTORY SERVICE CENTER
777 S. CENTRAL EXPWY. SUITE 1-M
RICHARDSON, TX 75080
LENNY E'BAY LINK:
https://www.ebay.com/usr/lenny8410?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
https://www.ebay.com/itm/REBUILT-Me...801013&hash=item56bc3f07ac:g:UCMAAOSwdzRbvRoZ

for anyone who may need it , the charge was 199US $ Plus Postage , the guys Name is Lenny and he replaced 85 capacitors also have Warranty ,here in Australia to fix the Amp the charge would have bn 1400AU$ to start with .
Ciao
Here is Lennys Message 2 me .
WE REPLACE OVER 85 CAPACITORS,AS WELL AS ANY OTHER COMPONENTS NEEDED. REPAIR SOLDER AND PC BOARDS AND CLEAN. THANKS, LENNY
Some Extra info Here :
http://www.beckerautosound.com/
Ipod Connect
http://www.beckerautosound.com/parts/cable_part_number.html
Are Post and Pre AMP Interchangable ,NO .
"By the Grand Bayhas .
post and pre facelift are not interchangable.
the pre face lift rear module contains the radio tuner, input selector, as well as the amp. the post face lift however, is nothing more than a basic amp."
Troubleshooting etc..
http://www.beckerautosound.com/1432-1992-93/1432_1992-93 S-class with BOSE index.html
Helpfull Links
http://www.mercedesradiorepair.com/

Here are the Pictures from the rear "TUNER" the Amp is untouched,the blue wire is the Amptrigger wire it is the white/blue behind your Tuner the other 2 are all the speakers , the new speakerwire is the 1 in my hands ( 2 very long cables wich go all the way to the front unit and the blue cable as well then you also have the long Antenna extension ,thats all you need , the rest gets connected all at the rear of your new radio ,like the power plus/minus etc etc... doing it like this ,a proffessional will install you new radio in no time and u safe a lot of Money , it is totally up to you wich radio you choose , just make sure you install a fuse inbetween the system,the installer can use your Conectors behind your original radio , they flip open where he can weld into all the wires without damaging your originals unless you have some of your own Mercedes extension adapters , not that you would need them anyhow , Remember that you dont need to take the rear backseat out only the 3 Bolts , one on each site 1 in the centre on the bottom edges near the seatbelt ,this will give you inaf room to slightly pull the rear backseat forward ,insert a long plastic stick or something where you can hook the wires that you have to pull out from the Boot with and to pull the wiring trough out of the hole from behind the Amp , the wires then disapear into the bottom plastic where the writing Mercedes is at the doorsteps , they just pull of .
some of my friends couldent belive the sound from the system today, absolutely awsesome ....
Enjoy
Ciao

The Amp trigger ( white & blue at the Tuner in the Trunk , Black 1 in my picture ) gets connected to your new Stereo ( long long wire from Trunk to inside stereo ,Blue )wich will have a Plug where you connect the Amptrigger ( this will power up the Amp )then you connect your Power and all the rest wich is at the back of your original Becker Radio all the wires r already there , the 8 din pin Plug is not used anymore that is your CD player ,you just leave it there for when you need to reconnect your original Radio 1 day if you decide to sell it and or the new owner who may buys your car would like it all original , there is no need to cut any wires , also the 2 plastic plugs ( Speakers from TUNER )wich you see in the pictuers are behind the radio ,those are for all your Speakers ,11 in total of them including your subs , those 2 will not be reconnected back to the tuner ,just tape them up after you connected a long long speakerwire by 2 ( 4 Wires in total to the front wich get connected at the same behind radio ) ,the rest stays as is now, it is exactly the same setup as if you have the Becker just a different radio ( Aftermarket of your choice ),Antenna gets a long Extension from the Back of your Antenna all the way to the new stereo ,( No Antenna Command ) Your CD player would get replaced with a USB Flash drive onto where you can store , im not to sure but it looks like the way i have it at the moment over 200 Cds and the soundquality is way past the CD player , My USB flash drive cost me 99$ and it is the 8/9 Gigabyte one , the Radio i board came of E'bay of wich for now im very happy with it has all the features you could Possibly think of , picture is belowe with specifications .
In the Pics it looks like that around my Alarm button it is all scrached , it isnt ,that's the flash from the camera's reflection .The radio itself its a pretty good value an equivalent Kenwood radio would set you back about 2500$ with the inbuild Gps for a normal 1 without it 900$ , thats what the shop told me,i will have to see in the manual for how many Amps it has but i think that it dosent count with the fuse inbetween the system , my opinion all Car stereos must be the same after all they all r build for cars .I dident know it would have ever beeing fitted into the car thats why i ended up buying this one ,now i will look for a better brand maybe a nice Sony-Clarion or Pioneer maybe but 1st i enjoy this 1 .
The most important thing i know of is that it works really really good ,loud and clear musik sound , pop in a Movie DVD ,instant Cinema on wheels .

PS: Get a Radio installer to see these Pictuers he will understand instantly , i am just ( or was ) the Guiny Pig .... & sorry for my English Spelling , i will get it 1 day ..
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These Radios are available on E'bay just search for
"" 7 INCH BLUETOOTH CAR "" in the Ebay Search bar 4/500 $ you could buy 5 of the top brands with the money they charge for the same result
Operating the Aircon and buttons in the car with the screen up is instantly done by a press of a button wich alows the screen to tilt forward as much as you like it to go to , no problem there what so ever

Fully motorised high definition Touchscreen panel
Built in Gps navigation system (no messy seperate box) by award winning TOMTOM - with FREE full Australian maps on a massive 2GB sd card Speed camera, Red light camera, School zone, Accident blackspot, Low bridge and Traffic Camera alerts + bonus Australian p.o.i 's and 30 CELEBRITY voices exclusive to this unit !!! - see below
DUAL ZONE - LISTEN TO CD'S OR RADIO ETC WHILE THE GPS IS RUNNING. THE MUSIC WILL AUTOMATICALLY MUTE WHEN A DIRECTION OR INSTRUCTION IS BEING GIVEN AND THEN RESUME PLAY AFTERWARDS.
GPS fully operational via the touchscreen (RGB), no need for a seperate remote
Samsung High performance GPS processor S3C2440 400MHZ chip. sirf star III
Ability to play all media types. Multi region DVD / DVD+-R / CD / CD+-R / DIVX / MP3 CD / MP4 Etc
Bluetooth by sony - connects wirelessly to your phone and takes care of calls - hear through the speakers - talk through the built in mic !!! or play music from a a2dp capable bluetooth device
Very user friendly and nice to look at Touchscreen G.U.I (graphical user interface)
Built in TV tuner - Watch free to air TV
Automatic muting on an incoming call
Built in high power high quality MOSFET 4 x 45 Watt amplifier
Automatic view switch to rearview camera on reverse
Universal steering wheel control connection
An easily accessible AUX input port on the front panel - very convenient. saves having messy wires hanging out from under the dash
DVTB input
USB Input - Ability to connect an external USB Hard Disk Drive or usb device
MMC / SD Input - for media files - mp3 / avi / mp4 / photos etc
Fully colour customizeable led screen and buttons to get that perfect match for your car interior
Abilty to connect additional screens
Rear view camera compatible - with auto switch when reversing
Abilty to connect a DVD or CD changer and control it via the touchscreen GUI
2 x AV input/outputs for linking devices such as a Playstation or Xbox
Single din international standard size - easily fits into one available dash slot
ISO connector for easy installation
Full function IR Remote
Real time clock function
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Excellent info

Hello Merc S500,
Thank you so much for your very detailed explanation and pictures. I am in the process of repairing the amp, -I just did the rear tuner repair-, but wanted to upgrade to a new media player just like yours. I am also interested in navigation so you are several miles ahead from me, but in the same lane. I had not found the schematic for the amp and could not figured out how the amp was turned on, now thank to you, I know. At some point I tried to connect a mp3 player directly to the left-right channel connectors coming out from the tuner but could not trigger on the amp. I will try it on next week. What is not clearly stated in your post is where the amp input cables are connected in the back of the new radio, I assume to an amp output connectors and you are not using the built in amp(s) of the new radio. Also assume that new radios, or at least yours, have an output signal for firing up the amp. I deduct that you have right and left control from the radio and the rear-front balance is done through the control wheel in the central console, is that true? Another question is: did you use the speed volume compensating control? How the antenna is controlled, up-down? You should need another wire from the front dash panel to the antenna motor controller, additional to the coax cable carrying the radio signal, do you?

On the other hand, where did you install the (excellent SiRf III) gps antenna?
What are those two additional devices 1. On the ashtray cover and 2.on the left top side of central panel?

Thank you in advance, you did an excellent job there. Taking in account a retrofit is something I consider a must as you did.
Regards,
Fray

I know it sounds to good to be true the way the installation for this connection is done, works 100% on all channels with Amp and no distortion what so ever not even when i turn the volume knob or change channels etc.. nothing .
For the Automatic Antenna to work it is exactly the way i describ'd it, you need a Long extension Antenna Cable ,one wich will fit your rear ( boot trunk) Antenna end , ( female ) of wich you need to feed to the front Radio , the Antenna is disconnected from the Tuner but it will go up just like b4 when you turn your new Radio on , the Amptrigger comes with your new Radio , mine had a blue wire just for that behind it .


My GPS Antenna is installed under the front window , it is so small you cant see it .
The Gadjet on my Ashtray is my Navigator from before , it just klipps on , the other one is the Parrot handsfree phone ,i choose that one as it looks like a part from the mercedes itself,i can take them out now ,dont need them anymore .
next week my Headrest monitors will be installed so i finally can hook up the Ps3 for the little kids and also for the big kids for when we go on the long Drive

Good Luck
PS: when i go back to the installer for the Headrest installaton i will take some pictures of the back of the radio

By The Way , this new Radio I have installed has the Speed sensitive build in so i havent lost that feature ,with the centre Volume wheel you can only shift the sound like b4 Front / Back or on all , from within the radio i now can also additionally change that to all rear left or right or front left / right its just like the electric seats to many combinations ,i can also turn on & off the rearshelf subs or call it "Bass" ,you make the sound the way you like it not like b4 you have a limit to what the Becker Mexico GP allows you ,That Radio , it is a good LOOKING Radio at Night ,Yes ,with all the lights on etc... it fits the Cars interior ,Yes, but it is to limited in features ,technologie has moved forwards to fast , so have I ,if i only would like the W220 or w221 a bit i still dont know if i would change over , 1 is an electrical nightmare car the other 1 hasent got a gearstick and looks ..............ssh from the back , No offence intended to the Owners of those Cars they still are great Cars .

some diagrams .

Hey guys,

This is a very interesting post. I read all your instructions/pictures/diagrams but I'm still a bit confused. I also have an S600 with 12 speakers (13 with the center tweeter) and not too long ago replaced my stock radio with an Eclipse AVN-7000. I didn't touch the tuner or the amp in the trunk and identified the speaker wires on the back the old radio and hooked them up to the new head unit. The installation was easy (once I spent a few days figuring out the schematic and component locations) but the sound was really crappy, everything else including speed sesor, power antenna, GPS, rearview camera work fine. I ended up buying a little adapter to put between the new unit and speaker wires going to the tuner/amp in the trunk to get rid of interference. I has been working satisfactory but honestly it's not the way it should be. I know my unit is high end and capable and I know the speakers are good but I still think the Bose is somehow incompatible and not yeilding 100% output.
So my next thought was to bypass the Bose and use a couple of after-market amps but reading your post got me to think. Since you know this system pretty well I was wondering if you had any thoughts/suggestion as to what I should do.

Regards,

Hi GHA000 ,
If i where u i would reconnect everythink back the way it was original at the back of your TUNER , then copy what i did i try'd to upload more detailed pictures but they r to large for now and will not load , the sound is taken from the Tuner , so is the amptrigger and the antenna , LOOP them up and connect them to your stereo, in your case you probably only need the Blue Amptrigger and the 2 Speakerwires /cables connected to your current system , you can just test this by not feeding the wires trough the Boot hole behind the Amp but passing trough the outside of your doors once you pull'd out your Stereo , Just connect the Blue wire to your Stereos Amp and the Speakers with a CD inserted Playing no need for the Antenna doing it like this .
By the Way GHA000 , the w140 only has 11 Speakers , 13 if you count the 2 on the outer edges on the Dashboard but they r probably not even in there unless you have a Phone installe'd.


I have Uploaded a Video to "YOU TUBE" to let you's all hear the Sound , Dont Laugh it wasn't easy , i dident turn the Volume very high due to the Cameras bad recording but it will give you an Idee of what to expect, yes the Car is coverd in the garage and thats why its so dark the lights alone dident do much .
Call me an Idiot if anyone wants 2 but keep in mind im doing this for all of the early W140 owners who r in the need for this , maybe it works for the later models to , i dont know ( ? ) .
Enjoy ...