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Audio 20- intermittent no sound

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Old Oct 16, 2018 | 10:35 PM
  #1  
whitetw533's Avatar
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From: Laguna Beach, CA
'07 C230 6-speed, '09 E63 (sort of)
Audio 20- intermittent no sound

This started a very intermittent issue (like maybe three instances over 2 months) and then suddenly progressed into an every time I turn on the car thing as of last weekend.

It's doing the classic radio/cd/etc on but no sound that the HK people get when the amp goes out but I have no HK, Command, phone, or CDC. I have the most basic Audio setup that you could get for 2007. The weird thing is that if I pop open the passenger door, the sound kicks back on like nothing is the matter and carries on after I shut the door and until the car is turned off. Naturally, my thoughts are that that theres something amok with the wiring harness between the chassis and the door. I've done a few thread searches but haven't come up with anything on here similar to this or perhaps I just need to be better with keywords.

Has anyone dealt with an Issue like this? If not, can someone check my assumptions before I go tearing into it:
  • There aren't any external amps involved with the base audio system so there shouldn't be any fiber optic cables going into the door?
  • The speakers are run by basic +/- wires leading directly to the head unit?
  • If one wire gets pinched/grounded, can it kill the audio for the whole system?
  • Theoretically, can I just solder in fresh wires between the speaker connection in the door and the speaker wiring in the chassis?
  • Should I try the fuse reset thing before I start running new wires?
  • Or am I egregiously missing something else here?
Like I mentioned, my main assumption is that there's a pinched or shorted speaker wire someplace, I'd just like to verify that my head is in the right spot. I did have the door card off about a year and a half ago when door pull broke so it's possible something got pinched then but the audio problem didn't crop until recently. The other oddity from that door is that (since I've owned the car) the LED turn signal occasionally goes out but that either quickly rights itself or comes back on if I give the mirror housing a bit of a tap. Doubt they're related but thought I should mention. I have a new LED assembly in the trunk waiting for the one installed to fail outright.

Thanks in advance for any insight here. Other than this, the car has been pretty spot-on other than a couple suspension bushings and a wheel bearing.
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Old Oct 17, 2018 | 05:58 PM
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whitetw533's Avatar
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From: Laguna Beach, CA
'07 C230 6-speed, '09 E63 (sort of)
Another detail: If i have the audio working with the engine off, it will cut back out when I start the engine and not kick back on. I'm starting to lean towards a software issue and not a pinched wire. I'm just confused as to how a door opening signal is related to audio output. Is there a communication module someplace that both door signals and the radio feed from?
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Old Oct 21, 2018 | 10:39 PM
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Cha0s121's Avatar
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From: Yuma, AZ
2005 C230K Sedan
I had the same issue, it was the amplifier giving out, it finally crapped on me, after a couple of months. Since brand new it was 800$ I decided on ripping the whole thing and installing a 5ch amp, replaced door speakers with 6.5 and made a custom fiberglass box for a single 10" on the driver side well in the trunk, with a kenwood double din navi. 10x better in my opinion.
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Old Oct 22, 2018 | 07:04 AM
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From: Richmond, VA Metro Area
2005 C230 Sport Sedan-6 Speed Manual
Whitetw533 - check on the right side of the trunk to determine whether you have an amplifier. If you don’t that would narrow the source of the problem to the head unit or speaker wiring. If you don’t have an amp, I think the head unit is most likely the problem. If it was a pinched wire I think it would only affect one speaker.
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Old Sep 1, 2021 | 03:18 AM
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whitetw533's Avatar
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From: Laguna Beach, CA
'07 C230 6-speed, '09 E63 (sort of)
Forgot to follow up on this one...

Ultimately if cut out permanently about 15 mins into an hour drive and the door trick didn't fix it. Out of frustration, I grabbed the rubber loom between the door and the chassis and moved the internal wires around a bit and viola, sound came back on. Evidently there is a sketchy wire in there someplace but it hasn't acted up in almost three years so I never bothered to track it down lol.
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