Please Help Newbie (No CD on 03 C320)
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From: NYC
Please Help Newbie (No CD on 03 C320)
I am new to MB and I believe I had been had... 
I picked up my mom's 03 C320 4matic on Saturday. Everything is perfect except no CD player!
When the salesman told us there is no 6-cd changer, I did not know it means it has no CD player (Cassette only). I cant believe I overlooked this when I was researching on the car. I am usually very careful. When I made the deal last monday I checked all the feature on the sticker, but I must have missed the cassette part. I just took it granted that CD player should be standard on a 40k+ car. I feel very bad right now because my mom wants CD on her car and I messed up! (My salesman was perfect except when he made the comment "I thought you know EVERYTHING about the car so I did not tell you about the cassett only without 6-cd")
Anyway...I have a few options now
1) Get the factory 6-CD changer. I know the car has Bose sound system and the 6-cd is mounted in the glove compartment. Is the CD changer Bose as well? What is the total cost (part + labor)? I have heard the 6-cd is simply 4 screws and 2 wires. Is that correct? The factory installed cost is $400, I believe dealer-install will cost much more
2) Get an after marker 6-cd or a single CD player to put in the slot above/below the cassette/radio. My mom wants MB equipment for her peace of mind. But this is for sure the cheaper way.
Help...thanks
I picked up my mom's 03 C320 4matic on Saturday. Everything is perfect except no CD player!
When the salesman told us there is no 6-cd changer, I did not know it means it has no CD player (Cassette only). I cant believe I overlooked this when I was researching on the car. I am usually very careful. When I made the deal last monday I checked all the feature on the sticker, but I must have missed the cassette part. I just took it granted that CD player should be standard on a 40k+ car. I feel very bad right now because my mom wants CD on her car and I messed up! (My salesman was perfect except when he made the comment "I thought you know EVERYTHING about the car so I did not tell you about the cassett only without 6-cd")
Anyway...I have a few options now
1) Get the factory 6-CD changer. I know the car has Bose sound system and the 6-cd is mounted in the glove compartment. Is the CD changer Bose as well? What is the total cost (part + labor)? I have heard the 6-cd is simply 4 screws and 2 wires. Is that correct? The factory installed cost is $400, I believe dealer-install will cost much more
2) Get an after marker 6-cd or a single CD player to put in the slot above/below the cassette/radio. My mom wants MB equipment for her peace of mind. But this is for sure the cheaper way.
Help...thanks
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,677
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From: California
i535
I also overlooked one thing in W210, no automatic head lights. I thought that is standard for all cars since beginning of 90s, but Mercedes introduced it only in 2003 for E-class. Anyway, I had a similar problem - no CD changer. I bought it from ebay ~$300 and installed myself. It's real easy. However, I do recommend to buy it from more reliable source, for example performanceproducts.com. It will cost a bit more, but less hassles.
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4
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From: Chelsea, Mi
2003 C230K
As you have probably learned by now, the MB radio is connected to the CD changer by a fiber optic cable that makes the MB changer (or maybe a Becker changer) the only option if you want to keep the MB radio. It also looks like the radio must be reprogrammed by the MB dealer because it won't know that the cd changer is there without telling it (I'm still confirming this but I got a copy of the installation instructions from the dealer and that is what is implied).
You could get an MB changer outside of the dealer, buy the bracket and fiber optic cable, then go to the dealer to reprogram.
The other option is to have the dealer to the install. All C Class cd changers were dealer installed only until 2003 anyway so they have the parts and experience. The downside of this is that the parts will run you about $800 and the dealer install is rumored to be around $125.
I got the ebay changer and am trying to get the reprogram. Good luck.
Jac
You could get an MB changer outside of the dealer, buy the bracket and fiber optic cable, then go to the dealer to reprogram.
The other option is to have the dealer to the install. All C Class cd changers were dealer installed only until 2003 anyway so they have the parts and experience. The downside of this is that the parts will run you about $800 and the dealer install is rumored to be around $125.
I got the ebay changer and am trying to get the reprogram. Good luck.
Jac
