I just ordered the car last weekend... without the CD changer,
which doesn't really matter since it's a dealer installed option...

I originally negotiated the cd changer for $500, but dealer told
me that they can't offer that to me at such low price so we
removed it from the deal.

Dealer also told me that the cd changer will cost them ~$750
as invoice and ~$900 as retail (both includes install labor).
Any truth to this?? Anyone here bought the changer separately
after the car?
Also, any aftermarket changer that will work on this car??
How about buying the changer and bring it to the dealer to
install?

Thank you,

 

You can review some of the other forum posts that have discussed this same issue. But here is some info in a nutshell.
But I bought my MB 6 disc changer for $450(includes bracket).
The MB dealer charged me $150 to install the changer...included fiber optic cable. The CD changer works via sterring wheel controls, etc.
You can also get aftermarket units..RF connections...and have no problems.
Good luck.

 

My dealer's regular price on cd changers is $700 installed, and I would guess that they don't take a $50 hit on every cd changer they sell.

 

I have been told that MBUSA charges the dealers $495 for the changers. My stealer wanted $1200 installed for the damn thing. Not too bad for an obsolete Alpine changer that can be had at the local big box electronics store for $229 installed. The only difference is the communications protocol.

 

I paid $800 for mine, installed. I considered trying to save a couple hundred messing around with buying it elsewhere and then installing it myself/paying someone to do it.

In the end I decided life is too short. Pay the bucks, have it installed before delivery, and get on with it... The idea is it should be less aggravation. Or at least that's how I'm rationalizing it...

By the way, the dealer did not look happy when I asked why the heck M-B doesn't offer an in-dash cd standard. My guess is I'm not the first one to ask!

 

Look on E-Bay, I see them there all the time for under $400. Make sure you get the right model number and not one for the ML or the 2000 C. Also Autoclass.net sells them for about $400 and Hoehn MB in Oceanside, CA sells them as an MB dealer for about $550. Installation is an under an hour thing but many dealers include the car wash time so it comes out to 1.5 hours. I my case it was $123 and it was done car wash and all in about 45 minutes while I waited.

Finding a bargain is what makes life interesting. If money was no object I'ld be driving a C32.

 

Thanks guys!
I will start calling around as soon as the car is on the boat.

 

I'm not disagreeing with that. When it comes to motorcycles or my project car (1960 Karmann Ghia convertible, currently building a Porsche 356 engine to stick in it) I'll look for deals and take more risks, but when it comes to my everyday car, I just want to put the key in and drive, no hassles...

I totally understand your view and was THIS close to playing the CD changer game myself, but it just wasn't worth it to me in this case. (And did I mention my bonus check arrived about the same time? tee hee heee...)

 

I got mine dealer installed pre delivery for $725. I had negotiated what I felt was a very good deal for the car, and called a few days before delivery to see what they would do on the CD. My numbers were agout $460 delivered from autoclass.com. Estimates from 3 dealers for the coupe install (more complex than sedan) were about 2 hours (and $200 around here). I told the dealer I wanted it for $700 or I would just buy it myself. At $725, I felt is was worth the time/hassle savings.

 

where are you located at? my salesman have a contact outside the dealership tehy will do mine for $550 installed.

 

you can look at autoclass.net
there are original cd changers for almost all MB models.
Their prices are not bad as well.
I think i got mine installed for less than 600.
I installed it at MB laguna Niguel for 123.
The changer with the fibre optic cable and glove compartment bracket cost about 430.

hope this help you


calvin

 

Calvin,

Thank you for the advice... now I can first use this
to bargain with them..

But I think I'll wait until my car is near arrival...
Anyone know how long it takes to build?
(Let me start a new thread for this question...)

 

I purchased my car and had the CD installed about a month later, at my own expense. Had the dealer that sold me the car take care of it for me, it ran about $950.00 installed.

Initially, I thought this was expensive for a CD changer, but they did such a nice job, it is very convenient in the glove box and works so well that I think I got a pretty reasonable deal. In the end, you get what you pay for. More = better. (99% of the time)

The MB CD player has about a 2 second delay, so that you NEVER hear a skip, at least not from bumpy roads. It takes a little getting used to, I posted a question in this website and found out that everybody had the same situation...

If you go to Crutchfield or Circuit City, Car Toys, someplace like that, they'll tell you that there isn't an adaptor available yet for conversion to aftermarket CD, true as of about a month ago when I bought mine. Now..who knows? The MB CD player is made by Alpine, so I'd start looking there if you try to save a buck.

Good luck.

 

My dealer in Monterey works with a stereoshop next door to them. I was quoted 699 installed. But they said I would have to purchase the bracket from the dealer.