any help on this matter would be GREAT!!! my original problem started a couple of months ago with crackling and popping speakers - volume wouldn't go up, etc. anyway i found another used replacemeny w140 bose amp. got it in the mail last week - installed it and whatdoyaknow - same problem. the guy i bought it from swears it worked when he took it out - he put a new system in his w140 500 sel. is there any chance the the head unit could be the root of this problem or perhaps he knew it was defective and went ahead and installed a new system because of it. i am in the process of contacting paypal and my credit card company (mbna) to see what my options are. any ideas? thanks!!

Check the car audio forum. The folks at La Jolla auto sound are familiar with these sound systems and can help you. My spider sense says it's probably the volume control potentiometer.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD ... $950, see cars forum

Sixto
The symptoms you describe, crackling and popping of speakers is characteristic of a bad BOSE amp. After having the problem you descrived, I had to have my Bose AMP replaced. My unit however is the older 7 channel Bose amp. The MB Radio has the Becker unit installed in the front dash and the tuner in the trunk.

If you radio is a Becker unit, you can call their US location and speak with a tech rep for further help.

You will not get any help from Bose.

http://www.beckerautosound.com/



Russell

As an owner of a 92 500SEL who replaced the entire audio system, I strongly urge you to only have a qualified audio technician like LaJolla Audio work on your car. I live in the bay area and I have yet to find a technician that truly knows how the system operates. As a result, I wasted $7000 on an entire new audio system and the improvemnt is definitely there, but certainly not 7K worth. I loved the original system, just wanted a bit more power out of it.

Joel

__________________
Joel P. Davis
1992 500SEL

I got one from my MB dealer (rebuilt)and had them plug it in at the dealership, It was also defective, so I gave it back to them. I took mine to a local authorized rebuilder, who installed a rebuilt. It did not quite sound right so they also fixed the tuner at the same time for a small charge. It seems the tuner has the identical components as the amp. One year warranty, and still ticking!
You can also send it in to Becker, they can verify if it is defective, this can help you with pay pal.

thanks for responding. did they say what it is that goes wrong with the tuner?