Hi - I just bought a very clean '95 E300D with only 155,000 miles on it. I've had a '94 E320 wagon and put 308,000 miles on it and suffered through the stock speakers for the life of the car.

Now - with the possibility of putting 300,000+ more miles on a W124 chassis I'd like to upgrade to better speakers and stereo or add CD player.

Here are some observations about the car:
1. The lower door speakers - left and right - don't seem to work
2. How would I know if the car was set up to put in a CD player?
3. I was always afraid to try and pry the grill off the speakers - how does one take the grill off and replace the speakers? Especially the front ones?

Thanks for your time!

__________________
dtf
1994 E320 Wagon (Died @ 308,669 miles)
1995 E300 Diesel (228,000)
1999 E300 Turbodiesel ( died @ 255,000)
2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 AC 4X4 (115,000 miles) rusted frame - sold to chop shop
2011 Audi A4 Avant (165,000 miles) Seized engine - donated to Salvation Army
BMW 330 xi 6 speed manual (175,034 miles)
2014 E350 4Matic Wagon 128,000 miles
2018 Dodge Ram 21,000 miles

'95s had two sound systems available, which have minor differences. Since the midranges in the dash appear to work while the door speakers are non-functional, it's likely you have the Active Bass system, which is the more common of the two. In your case, I'd begin looking at the amp in the trunk to see if it's disconnected or non-functional in order to address the door speaker problem. After that, I'd start looking at wiring, particularly where the wires make their way into the doors.

For a CD-player, are you wanting to retain the factory Becker headunit and install a changer in the trunk, or are you wanting to replace the HU entirely? If the latter is the case, replacing the HU on a '95 with aftermarket is much easier than on earlier cars, since we don't have the obnoxious fader switch to mess with. You'll simply need the correct wiring harness adapter, and it's essentially plug-and-play from there. If this is the route you're wanting to go, I can post up my findings on wiring harness adapters; otherwise I'll save the confusion for another day

The door speakers are accessed easily enough by removing the door panel itself. You can get to the dash speakers by carefully prying up the lighter grey trim piece on the inner edge of the grille, then removing two screws.

I am always hesitant to start pulling off door panels - I am sure I can get them off but putting them back so they don't rattle is what scares me.

Can just the bottom part of the door panel come off - the part the houses the speaker or does the whole panel from top to bottom need to come off?

__________________
dtf
1994 E320 Wagon (Died @ 308,669 miles)
1995 E300 Diesel (228,000)
1999 E300 Turbodiesel ( died @ 255,000)
2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 AC 4X4 (115,000 miles) rusted frame - sold to chop shop
2011 Audi A4 Avant (165,000 miles) Seized engine - donated to Salvation Army
BMW 330 xi 6 speed manual (175,034 miles)
2014 E350 4Matic Wagon 128,000 miles
2018 Dodge Ram 21,000 miles

I believe the only access to the door pocket and the speaker grille are from the back.