ojrana

Hello all,

I have been a MBWorld member for quite a while now, mostly in the W202 and W203 forums.

I am new to the W204 forum and am desperately seeking help for this issue I am dealing with!

I have a 2008 C350 4Matic with a Harman Kardon system.

I have been without audio for a few months now and since the weather is finally warm enough here in Southern Ontario, I have decided to tackle this problem.

Back in the winter on a very cold day -30C (-22F) my speakers stopped working. I was listening to Sirius in my vehicle as usual, went into a store, came out and all of a sudden there was no sound regardless of the source. I tried to reset the system by going into the command menu and after resetting the system the speakers still did not work and now the Sirius source had completely disappeared!

All other sources still showed up (CD/AM/FM/WB) but no Sirius or sound from speakers!

Everything seems to be working normally (CD's play, I can choose radio stations) except for the no sound from the speakers and the Sirius source. Since this problem has occurred I have tried various techniques to troubleshoot this issue with no avail. I have checked all fuses, have reset the system multiple times, disconnected/reconnected wires to amplifier in trunk, etc.

I have done extensive research all over the web including various forums and have not been able to find any answers on what could be wrong or what to check for in addition to the things outlined above. There has been a few people who have had some similar problems but nothing that is quite the problem I am having.

The closest thing I have found is in the W209 forum where other people have had issues with their fiber optic cables and CDC's causing no sound, but again no real solutions or exact matches to the problem I am experiencing.

I am hoping someone here can help me shed some light on this issue so I do not have to rely on the "stealership" to make me replace parts that I don't require.

I would appreciate any type of direction in how to approach this issue as well as if anyone would like to share any experiences that may be related to similar to what I have explained above.

Thanks in advance to all who chime in!

michail71

Just a wild guess but I would say it's a failure of the Sirius receiver/module.

ojrana

Thanks michail71 for your response.

I just wanted to update in case anyone else is having similar problems.

I have ordered a MOST fiber optic loop from eBay (since they are next to impossible to find locally) to test each component separately.

I will update with my results once all components have been tested.

ojrana

I have finally received my MOST fiber optic loop from eBay.

I connected the loop in place of the SIRIUS module to no avail.

After my extensive research and investigation it seems my only choice is to go to the dealership to have them test all components with STAR.

I hate to give up and surrender to the dealership (no warranty), but at this point I don't feel as if I have any other options, hopefully they can send me in the right direction in regards to what the problem is.

I have an appointment this afternoon at my local dealership, Victoria Star Motors.

Again, I will update once returning from the dealership.

Wish me luck!

Alfadude

I know this is probably useless advise, but could it just be it is in mute mode? I know if I mute the sound system and shut the car off the next time I get in it stays muted until you press the button.

ojrana

Thanks for your response Alfadude, this advice could prove useful for someone else who might be experiencing a similar problem.

Unfortunately this is something I have already tried, with no positive results.

My car is sitting at the dealership now, I should be receiving a call from my service advisor within the next few hours.

Will update.

Alfadude

Just thought I would throw it out there. Sometimes the stupidest little thing gets overlooked and causes tons of frustration. Hope you get is sorted out as cheaply as possible.

ojrana

I couldn't agree with you more, sometimes it's what you least expect!

ojrana

UPDATE!

After 24 hours at the dealership, 2 campaigns (recalls) and a one hour diagnosis fee I finally have my car back.

I have attached a picture of the Xentry logs obtained from the dealership. As you can see there are multiple codes associated with the "A2 - A2/56 - A40/3 - Audio or COMAND (Audio)".

The service advisor recommends replacing the control unit to remedy the problem, which is essentially the head unit assembly.

204 900 89 05 - CONTROL UNIT - $2138.00
LABOUR - 1 HOUR - $139.95
13% TAX - $296.14
TOTAL - $2574.09

I want to be a 100% sure that the problem is the control unit before I replace it, so if anyone can provide me with any other possible things to check in regards to the Xentry results before replacement, please feel free to chime in.

I am confident that a more affordable replacement can be found since it seems that is what it will come down to.

If there is anyone who might be able to help in the sourcing of one at a more reasonable price or have any contacts whom may be able to repair my original unit, please contact me.

Let the hunting begin.

ojrana

This might seem like a silly question, but how do I know if my car has COMAND or not?

ojrana

So I have started to look for a control unit at junkyards/recyclers, but I am unable to figure out exactly which radio I require.

My options are; (Car manufactured 03/08)

- 204 Type, C350, COMAND System, thru 3/31/08
- 204 Type, C350, w/o COMAND System; integral CD changer

My vehicle has a Harman/Kardon audio system with CD changer and SIRIUS radio - no navigation. Again, I know this might seem like a silly question but, is COMAND just another word for navigation?

Also I am wondering if programming may be required to enable all features (mainly SIRIUS) once I install a used control unit from another vehicle or would it be a straight forward plug and play. If anyone has any information on this please let me know!

Thanks to all those who have contributed!

ojrana

UPDATE!!! SOLVED!!! (MOSTLY)

Hey everyone,

So I finally was able to get my hands on a used control unit from a local auto recycler.

Cost me just a little over $300 with taxes and all. Saving of more than $2000 from what the dealership wanted.

I have installed the new control unit and my sound is back! I can listen to my CD's, radio and AUX.

Only problem I am still facing is no SIRIUS source...

The vehicle that the control unit was sourced from did not have SIRIUS, but the control unit itself does have a hookup for the satellite radio. I have hooked up the cables as well as antenna wires, but still nothing.

Is this something that I can get coded from someone who has access to STAR?

Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

Josh.A.Hussey

You should be able to turn it on in the engineering menu on the control unit... No coding required I don't think!

Do a forum search for how to get into it!

Let us know how it goes!