Hello everyone. I was hoping I could ask all of you for some help with my radio. I'm definitely not a "do it yourselfer," and sure do wish that I was. I'm looking into the possibility of getting a different radio for my car, one with a CD player. Specifically, here are the questions that I have:

1. I have a front speaker on the driver's side that I think is dead. It works sometimes, but mostly, it doesn't. All of the other speakers seem to be OK. Can I just replace the one speaker, or do I have to replace all of them?

2. I have the standard Mercedes-Benz radio with the tape player. It's the factory one. Can I just get a different radio and have it installed in there to replace the old one?

3. I've read some posts and it talks about an amplifier. I dunno -- do I have to worry about this? Do I even have one of these??

I'm just looking for a decent CD player and a replacement for that front speaker -- nothing fancy, but which will do the job. About how much would you think I would have to pay to have a CD player put in? What recommendations would you have for an affordable, but yet decent, model?

Thanks very much for your help!

Does your radio have a round knob for volume? Do you have speaker grills in the back of your front doors? Your dash speakers can be replaced 1 at a time if you want (they are pretty cheap at the dealer@$30.00 ea) I would suggest if you are going to put a cd player in that you get a pair of 4 " coaxials alpine, eclipse, pioneer anything is better than the one ways that are in there. This will dramatically improve your high frequency response that will be very noticable. Let me know the answers and I will help!

Scott@lajollaaudio

__________________
The Mercedes Specialists Since 1986

Hello Scott.

Thanks very much for your reply. I looked at my car this morning, and can provide these specific answers for you:

Does your radio have a round knob for volume?
YES, IT DOES.

Do you have speaker grills in the back of your front doors?
FROM WHAT I COULD TELL -- NO. I THINK I JUST HAVE THE 4 SPEAKERS. TWO IN THE FRONT AND TWO IN THE BACK.

Your dash speakers can be replaced 1 at a time if you want (they are pretty cheap at the dealer@$30.00 ea) I would suggest if you are going to put a cd player in that you get a pair of 4 " coaxials alpine, eclipse, pioneer anything is better than the one ways that are in there. This will dramatically improve your high frequency response that will be very noticable. Let me know the answers and I will help!
SO CAN I TAKE MY CAR TO A BEST BUY OR A CIRCUIT CITY, PURCHASE SOME DIFFERENT SPEAKERS AND A CD PLAYER, HAVE IT INSTALLED AND BE CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SCREW ANYTHING UP?? I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY STORIES YET, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A FIRST ...

-----
Thanks for your advice Scott -- much appreciated.

I would never say yes to that one. The only thing that I can say about either of those places is that they will give you your money back if you are unhappy with the job. I would suggest that you call the local mercedes dealer and ask them who they use for radio replacement. You will pay a little more but their more adapt to working on your car. There is not a whole lot to your install but wiring past your fader is a good thing to do so you can get maximum power out of your new radio. Good Luck! I haave to go now!

Scott@lajollaaudio

__________________
The Mercedes Specialists Since 1986