Nola

It started the week after I took delivery. Sometimes when I started the car, no sound would come from the speakers even though the display clearly showed the radio to be working. You could even change stations and use most functions, except the CD changer. If you tried to use the CD changer, it would read "NO CD CHANGER" on the display. This happened about 3 times the first month. To fix it, I simply switched it off and back on again.

The second month, it happened about two times, but you I couldn't correct it as easily. Had to turn off the engine and re-start.

Last Thursday, didn't work at all. I was running errands all afternoon and it was stop and go, in and out in places, so I restarted about 5 or 6 times. No fix.

Friday morning it worked, but I took it to the dealer anyway. They started working on it right away, and they said it was a problem with the amplifier and would change it while I waited. After about 45 min, they said the amp was more difficult to change than expected, so they put me in another car (Jeep liberty with cigar stink) and sent me on my way.

Saturday they call me with the bad news. Turned out the amp they had didn't work either (which leads me to believe that is not the problem) and ordered another one to be delivered on Tuesday.

I'll let you all know what happens in the end, although I have not read about this problem in earlier posts. If someone has had experience with this, please share.

Buellwinkle

MB dealers are like that, incompetent. I had a problem with a channel out on the radio and they said it was the speaker and waited 6 wks for a replacement. In the meantime I switched the left and right speaker to prove to them that it wasn't the speaker but they knew better and they replaced the speaker and then the radio.

They can't even get an oil change right and made a mess and had to come back in to have the oil filter gasket they damaged replaced and the mess of oil cleaned up. It's just the way they are, not much you can do about it, just enjoy your loaner. Have you done any hill climbs with the Liberty yet?

Richard

Have you got BOSE system in there ??

Cheers
R

Nola

Yes, I have the Bose system. Do you think that makes a difference?

raymond

I had a similar problem with my C230K and the stock Alpine head unit. THe dash MFD would display "Audio Off", while the radio was clearly on. It appeared to be linked to a sequence of events, like switching the radio off with the button after the ingition had been turned off. MB always clained they could not duplicate the fault. Seemed to be a software bug.

As for your problem, being a EE, I would think it is most likely to be the FO cable. Typically, software doesn't change, and hardware typically doesn't fail as you've described.

Cheers
Raymond

Richard

Yes, Im not a MB tech, but I know about the fibre optic system.

Theres a fibre optic loop that goes (in any order)
HeadUnit->Amp->CD-Changer->Phone->Teleaid->VoiceRecognition->HeadUnit
Its called the D2B bus (as thats a standard)

On the digital Bose system (which is on MY2002 ML, all C class, S, SL, CL), all the audio signals go round the bus to the amp.

If the fibre loop breaks, or any of the things on the bus go faulty (which is rare), then all hell breaks lose with the audio system.

The fact that the head-unit loses contact with the CD changer (and so you get No CD changer message) and the amp is probably losing contact with the head-unit (and thus no sound) suggests to me that there is a D2B problem.

Working out where the problem is is much more difficult. HOWEVER, the star diagnosis system has some tests to help determine which unit is faulty, and reading the fault logs from each of the items on the D2B bus help to home in on it.

They obviously thought it was the amp - and it wasnt. I guess they will probably change something else next ... when the discover the new amp doesnt work ...

Tell them to get someone who is familiar with D2B bus faults to find the fault :-)

Nola

Thanks for the input. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and let them prove what we all fear: they don't know what they're doing!

BTW, Buellwinkle, the are no hills in New Orleans so the Jeep has escaped abuse. Maybe I'll do some mudbugging if I still have it this weekend.

session

i've done that in a liberty at camp jeep 2001... you couldn't pay me to drive those things off-road anymore. it bottomed out a few times, even on the course that jeep designed! bring back the cherokee!

actually, give me a G500 and i'll be set.

viper

I did not know that MB makes a bus. Cars and trucks I thought.

Richard

I think they actually do make Buses aswell !

Cheers
R

Nola

OK, I got the car back. They had to replace the Amp, and the PLC [?] (I can't recall if this is correct, but they said it's the one that distributes signals between components, sounds like the D2B bus). They did not mention changing the Fiber Optic Cable.

Here's all the work detailed in the work order:

Radio, R&R
Radio Electrical Test Program, Perform
Interior Trim Panel on C-Pillar, Specify Location, Repl
Interior Trim panel at Center pillar-One Side, Repl
Interior Trim Panel at Center - Top, Repl
Glove Box, R&R
Center Console, R&R
Front Passenger Seat, R&R
Floor Carpeting - Right Front, R&R
Electrical Connector for ...(Specify), Repl
CD changer, R&R / Repl if req.

I'm calling this problem solved. Hopefully it won't surface again and this information will be useful to someone else.

On sidenote, they were late getting the back from the Carwash and got a nice perk from it, but I'll post a separate thread for that.

Thanks all for the input.

Richard

The D2b bus is the fibre optic cable

They certainly took enough of the car apart to have replaced sections of the fibre optic loop - you only need seats/carpets out to get at the wiring ducts in the car

- and , if its like the clk, centre console only comes out when putting new fibre optics in [or things that go to switches on the console, or on the radio]

Interestingly the amp is in the trunk behind the right hand side
- which they dont claim to have removed the trim from ;-)

At least the fixed it this time and they didnt make you go visit them again !