currently have a becker grand prix electronic.


the tape deck doesn't work properly


the radio search function is useless. just laps over and over. I have to manually punch in the stations which doesn't help if I'm in unfamiliar areas.


so, what is a good low maintenance radio/cassette? true to the era.


or should I just send in my becker for restoration?


this is a 1983 300cd turbo. according to one german site, the becker grand prix wasn't even an option until '84.


but the becker site shows the becker grand prix was original equipment from '81-'85


so, help me find a stock radio?


any info appreciated

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

I am assuming you have a Becker 612. That was the upgraded radio for the second generation W123.

Becker will definitely repair it for you, expect to pay a couple hundred dollars.

If you want to go aftermarket, a couple things to know.
The W123 uses a standard single DIN radio so there are tons of options.
Your aftermarket radio will probably have a modern 4 channel amplifier that expects individual + and - wires to each speaker. The factory setup uses two amplifier channels in the radio and the fader knob in the console. The easiest thing to do is run new wires to the four corners, it isn't very hard in a 123, and totally bypass the existing speaker wiring, which has the speaker - terminals all connected to a common point.

The head unit wiring will be as follows:
A fuse holder that is your switched battery
A brown wire, that is your ground
A two pin connector with a gray-violet (dash light) and red (unswitched power) leads.
A loose blue wire, with a black sheath, that is the power antenna trigger.

The unswitched power lead in the two pin connector is fed from an 8 amp fuse that carries all the other unswitched loads in the car, as it is the only unswitched fuse in the box. Most aftermarket stereos draw most of their operating power from the unswitched (red) lead and only use the switched (yellow) lead as a trigger. So if you get a higher powered unit you may have to run a new feed wire with an appropriate fuse directly from the battery or the red wires on the back of the key switch.

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

The tape decks are generally in awful shape, as there are lots of little parts that are prone to corrosion or rubber degradation. If you're lucky, it's just the drive band, which is easy enough to replace. But it's usually more than that. Your first step is to make sure the antenna is good and giving a strong signal.

Pretty much any single DIN aftermarket radio will fit and can be made to work. Can't promise you'll find a modern one with a cassette player, though. When I put a new radio into an old benz, I usually set the electronic fader to full forward, and patch the front channels to the in-dash fader wheel. It's a bit more complicated to do this, but it works as well as anything. FM broadcasts in two channel, and cassettes only have two tracks per side, so you're losing nothing.

great info thanks,

thinking of buying a vintage unit.

what beckers would be correct here? aside from the 612 grand prix electronic.

you said it is the upgrade unit. what was the standard radio for that era?

Europa?

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

The 599 analog radio was the base unit in those years.

__________________
The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

The 599 looks awesome
But
The rear plugs are different than what I've got on the 612

So what had the same interface as the 612?

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

The 612 has an adapter harness that combined the two pin memory and illumination circuits with the ground and switched power at the fuse holder and provided that to a 4 pin connector on the back of the radio.

A 599 does not need any memory power, and the illumination is derived from the switched power (the light is on all the time the radio is on). The 599 only has 3 wires, switched power (the fuse holder), ground (a big bolt on the back) and the antenna trigger (a blade connector).

The speakers for both types of radio are the same. The little two pin Euro style connector.

If you want to go a little newer, the 780 from the late 80s 124s/126s will also fit and work with the adapter harness. 780s have another 5 pin connector, be sure to leave this disconnected, or it will trigger the security lock down on the radio. These are quite prevalent in junk yards as there are lots of early 124s showing up now.

Beware that starting in 1990 they went to a multi piece radio (the 1432) that looks similar to the 780. The 1432 has a chrome strip running down the middle of the face plate. The 1432 uses a pair of boxes in the trunk to perform the tuner and amplifier functions. The head unit is practically empty, it has a tape drive and a circuit board with only control electronics on it that talks to the main brain in the tuner box.

The proper way you pull a radio in the 124 is by removing the face plate. It pulls off the front of the radio (no, really, just grasp and pull straight off) and the brackets withdraw out the front.

The other option is to find a single DIN Blaupunkt or Nakamichi from the late 80s/early 90s, they are quite plentiful on eBay. They were into the minimalist design and do not look like Vegas at night like the modern units do.

__________________
The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

The 708 and 803 have the same plug terminal.

But both are missing terminal 3 "illumination"

Will it still work?

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

1983 Mercedes 300D: Grand Prix electronic radio..stereo..ground wire

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

Here's a nice selection of new radios from Germany that will look correct if you pick a Continental (with orange display / lighting).

12 Volt Radios - eGauges.com

I had the TR7412UB-OR and loved it until the radio reception went in the toilet. I've sent it back to Germany for warranty repair / replace. While waiting for it I purchased the CDD7416UB-OR (?? think I've got that right) which is not offered on this website, costs a little less than the CDD7418UB-OR because it doesn't have the Euro version of HD radio. Once I get the warranty radio back, the CD radio will go into my other MB sedan.

These are simple radios with intuitive controls and no flashing lights / no swimming fish / and most importantly they do not have thousands of little indecipherable buttons. My current Pioneer radio in the other car was the most simple radio I could find that met my needs a few years ago (it only has ONE button to power up and power off the unit, a rarity!) but it is not easy to figure out and doesn't have blue tooth.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

ill check those out

I am also looking at the becker avus but the rear plug is 3 pin, instead of the 4 pin for the grand prix

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

quick browse on epc shows that the plug for the power harness is the same for the grand prix, Europa, and avus

not sure how that works since the grand prix has 4 pins and the Europa has 3???

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

nevermind. that was the euro 280ce.

the usa 300cd has a different plug harness

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel