I want to add a CD player to my 87 560SEL and would like to maintain an oem status. Can anyone tell me when MB first offered a cd player in a 560, or any other model where the radio would be a fit? Any ideas on where to locate a radio/cd? Thanks for any help.

Here's a place to check on ebay:
http://search.ebay.com/mercedes-becker-radio_W0QQfnuZ1

Here's a place that sells new Becker head units:
http://www.continentalimports.com/be_sales.html

The Becker Mexico might be what you're looking for. You'll pay a premium
for keeping it OEM though. There are some aftermarket units from Kenwood and Sony that blend in with the 126 interior without the 'midnight in Tokyo' look that will be significantly less expensive than the Becker while probably outperforming it as well.

Bill

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1988 MB 560 SEL 138k - Desert Taupe w/ Cream Beige Interior.

Mods:
Euro Headlights w/Smoked Corners
New seats from a `91
ASA 15-Hole Replicas
Sony HU, JL Audio 400/4 Amp, JL Audio 2-way Components on rear deck, JL Audio 3-way Components in door & dash.


2000 BMW Z3 2.3 Roadster 33k
2002 Toyota Rav4L 50k

Beware of early mobile CD units. Not only are they difficult to get repaired, they have no memory buffers so they skip with every bump in the road.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I put the Becker Mexico in mine and have been quite satisfied with it. It also retains the short wave option as do the older beckers. Bought mine from Continental imports.

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Earl



1993 190E 2.3
2000 Toyota 4x4 Tundra

http://www.beckerautosound.com/4602specs.html


This is what alot of people upgrade to. AM/FM CD and Aux in. Plugs right in w/ the apropriate harness.

Yeah, that would be interesting to know. Does anyone know what the very first year was that a CD player was offered in a Mercedes?

The world may never know......

Maintaining the OEM status might be good for resale purposes. But in that case the replacement CD will violate that anyway. For this very reason I may purchase an OEM AM/FM casset player if I see one cheep enough on E-Bay. My recomendation is to replace the unit with the best performing unit you like, preferably one that matches your interior, and save the original for resale. I would not get a CD unit. Get and MP3 player. This way you could load about 9 to 12 CD's worth of music on one disk and not clutter you interior or have to load CD changers. One of the biggest problems I had finding an MP3 player for my 560SL, was finding one that did not have a hiddious silver faceplate or an obnoxous graphical display that looked liked it belonged in a kids Asian Hot Rod.

I settled on an Alpine CDA-9847. It looks smart in the interior and works very well.

John Roncallo

Or if you're on a budget, stick with a cassette player and get an adapter that lets you play CD, MP3, etc. The drawback is exposed wires and figuring out a power supply for the input device. But you can velcro a MP3 player on or next to the console and when you leave the car, just pop it into the ashtray (if you're a non-smoker!). It works for me, but then again I'm not a true audiophile.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

There was never a single din size oem cd player in a mercedes.

If it has a cd player it is an abnormal size and differenct classes started using them around different times. I think around 2003 cd players became the norm.

I am sorry, but never is always such an extreme term: Mercedes-Benz began offering dash-mounted DIN-sized single CD OEM units on ALL it vehicles line from 1985 on (including all W201s, W124s, W126s and W107).

The unit was known as the BECKER MEXICO RADIO & SINGLE COMPACT DISC PLAYER WITH KURIER and had to be ordered under code No. 258. It costed a cool D.M. 3,855.00 at the time, and personally I saw several of them mounted on different models (from 190Es up to 560 SECs passing through 300Es and 300 SELs).

In the early 1990s, when M.B. switched to the new line of radios (Classic, Exquisite, etc) it did offer too an OEM dash-mounted single CD player, cannot remember the exact name for now.

To post graphic proof, here is a picture taken from the official W126 catalog from the 1985 model year, you can clearly see the OEM Becker Mexico single-CD unit with the CD sticking out of its mounting slot:

Attached Thumbnails

 

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Thanks!

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

Get a Sirius or XM portable unit. You'll never care about CD's again!!!

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'01 SLK320, '79 450SL & '01 C320 -- What? 3 Mercedes? I am DEFINITELY crazy!!!

Sorry I should have said never in the U.S. but im sure you could prove me wrong there as well.