1995 500 sl problems

[Winsteadi]

Hello - I am a proud new MB owner - just bought a 1995 500 SL and have three problems -
1. The stock radio LCD backlight is broken. The radio seems to work, but it would be nice to have the LCD display working. i would prefer not replacing the entire radio, but ifthereis not a simple fix, any suggestions on a good radio that will mate withthe Bose 6 CD changer in the trunk?
2. There is no backlight on the transmission gear selector tunnel. At night, I need to put on the interior lights to detemine which gear I am in. Is this just a Mercedes idiosyncrisy, or is there a simple bulb replacement?
3. The ventillation system is odd in that I can only get air through the floor vents - nothing through the dash. What is going on?
4. Also - there is a delay when shifting into reverse before transmission identifies gear and allows reverse to occur. i am told this is the first sign that your transmission is going bad. Anyone with advice on this?

Any Ideas?

Also - does anyone have a design out there they would be willing to share regarding a homemade hoist system for the hardtop?

Winsteadi

[tecqboy]

The lamp in the radio is replaceable. If you can remove the radio yourself and take / send it to a local shop you'll save a lot of $. You'll need a set of radio removal tools. Cheap. Or is there no display at all? Then you'll need repair from www.beckerautosound.com

There is a lamp in the transmission PRNDL. Again, an easy fix if you are handy taking out the console. There are posts on how to remove the console. Use forum search. Get lamps from dealer. Cheap.

Check all the dials ( 3 ) in the center console to be sure they are in the max open position. The climate control on these cars is complex and not particularly intuitive. Look in the owners manual. The system functions best in the automatic mode. Economy mode is poor for cool fresh air.

Transmission should be checked by a specialist if you feel it's not shifting properly. A short delay going into reverse wouldn't worry me too much. But I'd want to know when the last time the transmission was serviced. What's the fluid level?

[Winsteadi]

Thanks for response. It looks like the bulb replacement will be the simplest. The lag in snicking into reverse gear is about a second or two, and is more pronounced on an uphill slope. Fluid level is fine.

As for radio, i will check with the local shade tree Becker people and see what they can do.

W