Dear friends:

If I want to replace the crappy Becker Grand Prix radio in my 300SD with a third-party (not MB ones!) ISO/DIN CD/radio, is there any company that offers ready-made connectors that allows me to easily plug the new radio to the original radio wiring harness?

Since I had never attempted to remove and replace a car radio before, I wonder whether it's easy to splice/cut/attach a modern CD/radio to my 300SD's original wiring harness without the need for ready-made connectors?

Please recommend a good and cheap CD/MP3/Radio to replace a crappy Becker Grand Prix (whose signal sensitivity is so terribly wimpy.).

Also, any link to a site showing how to remove the original radio on a W126?

Thanks a lot.

Eric

A good CD/MP3 radio would be either Alpine or Eclipse. Wiring is very straightforward! The four pin wire harness on the back of the stereo is coded as such:

Ground - Brown
Ignition (12v switched) - Black with yellow
Illumination - Grey with violet
Battery (12v constant) - Red

There is a black wire (with a black sleeve) which connects to the back of the stereo - this will be connected to the antenna control wire (usually blue) of the new stereo. Make sure that you ground the other brown wire, or you may have alarm problems.

What you choose to do with the speakers is up to you. Some people run the wires to the fader wheel, others spliced both fronts together and connected them to the existing wiring. I'd get separate amplifiers and new speakers though.

If you buy the new head unit from Crutchfield, they will include adapters to let you plug right into the existing connectors. Crutchfield.com

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Before you go calling a Becker Grand Prix "crappy" please note that a lot of people collect them and they are a lot of money to replace. Don't throw yours away, it can be restored. In reality, the Becker is a great unit, probably better than 99% of the aftermarkets out there, if just for its appreance in the dash.

Just started having trouble with my radio. 1983 300SD. The AM went out. Any suggestions on repairing it?

Your radio shop should have all the necessary connectors to cross over without cutting any of the old wiring. If you want to put in new speakers and bypass the fader wheel, go for but leave the old stuff in there and run newer wire.

Please do not throw the Becker in the garbage, at the very least sell it to someone here who could use it. I know one SL driver who bought and older Becker that wasn't even working just so the car would be able to get a collector plate. Original radios can become very valuble and I suspect this will become a bigger issue since replacement stereos are so easy to buy.

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Greg
'73 416 UNIMOG DoKa
'85 300GD G Wagen

I often wondered if the terrible FM reception in my '87 SDL was the fault of my antenna and/or the radio (original Becker). It's interesting to see others complain about the radios anemic ability to pull in and hold FM frequencies. Is this a typical problem with the Beckers.......do they get worse with age? Is there anyway to improve the signal. I really don't want to get a new aftermarket unit. They all look like video pinball machines.......

I had mine replaced just recently with a CD player. I had Best Buy do it. They don't like working on Benzes for some reason. Look out for the right front speaker-they couldn't get it to work. Plus, you may lose the very cool fade dial feature. I definitely kept the Becker, though.

The new Becker Mexico Pro series are some of the best looking head units out there, in my opinion.

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Where can that Becker Mexico pro CD be purchased?

I dont think they are avaliable in the USA...

I replaced the Becker in my 84 300SD with a Pioneer CD player from Best Buy with available XM radio this weekend.

$159 INSTALLED and a $20 rebate from Pioneer to boot.

Was going to have a 5 year old Kenwood 10 disc changer/player taken out of an old Volvo, but couldn't do it as cheaply as getting a new cd player installed.

Best Buy did a super job I have to say. There was one guy there who "did all the Benz installations" and by being courteous to him, he had me out the shop in 30 minutes. And he hooked it up to the fader as well.

Overall, very satisfied. I will replace the speakers at one point, but there are more pressing issues first!

So how does the new Best Buy sound? Do you have it hooked up with XM yet? What does it take to get XM with the head you have? Have an 82 SD I want to change out.
Did Best Buy suggest speakers? How musch did they want for them and what brand?
Thanks
Fred

It's very hard to find anything with conservative cosmetics anymore. How about this Blaupunkt San Diego?

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__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

I bought a Blaupunkt in 1999, very conservative... They have since gotten cheap looking. About the Beckers, they can be re-done and tuned at Becker of North America in Upper Saddle River NJ. They are VERY collectable.

I would have to say don't throw it away, rebuilt units can go for several hundered dollars. Some of the problems can be fixed by simply checking the connections, and making sure that they are clean.
I improved the reception with the Becker Mexico in my 300CD, by simply checking the antenna conection going into the back of the unit. I have also checked the other connections, and the connections to the speakers, and this has also helped some with the sound quality. However the paper cones used in the older model will fall apart if they have been exposed to alot of sun or moisture, and will loose their sound quality. Replacement speakers that are in good condition can be found at many wrecking yards for a few bucks each.