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I have an '03 c230 hatchback with non-functional fob and poor radio reception. And coincidentally, tinted windows. I bought the car this way, with a blown radio fuse and non functional locking/key fob.
The part number for the amp on the car is 203 820 28 89, but appears to have been superceded by 203 870 23 89.
That part number retails for between $520 and $620. Um...no.
That kind of coin makes it worthwhile to have the electronics repaired, if someone offers the service.
Or, is it possible to adapt an antenna/parts from another model of MB?
Same problem here. I dont know if its repairable. I went to a electronic shop and couldnt find out what was a smd part that looks to have the problem. Have you take it out?Its a little tricky and the reinstalation more. The best solution is to buy a used rear door in the same colour. Here the sell it for about 100 euro. First make sure the problem is the amplifier. Here is how i test it. I connect the cables from a friends car. You can check the same way for the used rear door, before you buy it
After doing a lot of reading of similar threads, and the unsatisfactory answers, I think I'll buy a modern "shark fin" antenna/amp and bypass the factory setup entirely. I'll report back when it's installed. Spending big money for a factory part that is difficult or expensive to install feels like a really bad idea.
I'm going this route due to frustration and lack of options. So far my only options appear to be to pay $100 for a used part from Ebay (assuming you can find one), or $500-600 from the dealer.
Then try to assemble the part onto the glass without screwing something up. I've seen mention of doing that, but the people who say they'll do it, never report back to say it was successful.
Or the dealer will happily remove the glass and do the install for more than the car is worth.
Am I missing anything here? Cause I'd love to be wrong, and there's a source for a $35 part, and an install procedure that will actually work. But I'm not seeing that.
If I install an aftermarket antenna and wire into the existing wiring, and it doesn't work, I've lost $35 in parts. The door locks are electrical. You might have to bypass the existing wiring, but for $40 you can buy an aftermarket system. Yes, you'll have an additional key fob, but it'll work (after a fair amount of work to install, I know).
The Mercedes engineers weren't likely to foresee tinting being a problem for the amps. But putting the amps in a position that is inaccessible in case of failure, is lazy engineering. I know it happens all the time (look up evaporator core replacement), but it doesn't make it not lazy. Obviously no FMEA done there.
Yes, i think its difficult to replace the oem amp with a new (used) part without remove the hole rear glass. If you see in my 2nd photo i have remove the amp and the grey double side tape is still on the glass. You should remove the tape without cut the copper lines. The height you have is not bigger than 8mm(from memory).My "problem" is that if you install a new 40$ remote system, first i dont know if its easy to work (not wiring, but how the car will "see" it. If you open the door with the key, the alarm turns on) and 2nd how strong is the encryption.A friend has put an aftermarket alarm system (good one, dont remember the firm). He here the alarm, went outside from the balcony, close the alarm, but thiefs had energize the alarm, "steel" the signal from remote fob, copy them and open the car. In my opinion there are 2 solutions. First replace the hole rear door (had to find in your cars colour, You can sell the old one and get at least 50$) and second i dont know how insurances work there but if you have insurance for breaking glass, you can break your glass and have the isnurance to put a new one.
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort (What the heck, it gets 38 mpg!)
Ive grabbed a few of these from picknpull as well,
as.well long story, I broke my rear window twice and had 2 good
antenna amps. Sold them to people on the forum and ebay.
It is possible to slip a used amp into the the space of the old one.
Trick is don't remove the black plastic, just
unclip the clips on the black plastic holder, slide the old one out,
slide in the replacement, Easier said than done, but doable.
Removing the plastic attached to the glass creates all kinds of fun problems,
as the bottom plastic has these conductive rubber do-hickeys that are made out of
unobtanium, though i happen to have a few....
Forget using a heat gun etc.
Originally I tried to remove the broken glass from the amps bottom plastic
but the conductive rubber bits came off too.
Then I discovered that yes in fact the mechanics replace them as Ive described and sold the boards
without the black plastic bits.
Make sure it's fully attached to the glass, because if the conductive rubber bits aren't making contact
than no reception, also tint with too much ,metal in it messes things up.
Put tint on from inside with hatch down!!!
So if no one ever replied they got this done successfully, well I can tell you the 3 or 4 I sold, all got successfully installed.
I don't have any on hand right now though...but I could be enticed to pull one.
Where I live there's W203's going in and out of the picknpulls all the time.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 12-31-2019 at 03:33 AM.
Just wondering if anyone has a circuit diagram showing the antenna and amps. I do have epc/wis, but having a lot of trouble navigating the diagrams to the right one (if you're good at navigating that system and can get me close, that would definitely help.
I did get a new key fob, as the old one was cracked pretty bad. the doors worked with the IR sensor; the rear antenna did not work at all, even with the fob right on it. today the IR doesn't work at all. Once. I checked the radio (works) and fuses in rear SAM (all ok). Getting really frustrated here.
I had the same issue and found a few at the local pick a part. The best way to do it is to NOT remove the antenna from yours. From the donor car, snap off the top section of the antenna leaving the bottom part connected to the glass. When you remove it, you will see the circuit board inside the antenna, which will be coming with you. Unplug the 2-3 connectors on the left hatch pillar. On yours, do the same thing. Then, snap the new top into the existing bottom of yours, again making sure that the one in your car connected to the glass is not messed with.
Pick a lot by me charged $11.50 for the part. When I walked out the parts guy looked at me and said "WTF is that?" I said, Mercedes radio antenna. He shook his head and said "Damn European cars"
Holy crap I been looking for a way to diagnose this for a long time. I have same issue, I ruled out everything except the actual antenna /amp. Told I have to replace the entire windshield. I had the same thought would an aftermarket antenna work? Let us know how it goes. I’m pull my roof liner now.
Last edited by jaGTAR KAHLON; 01-15-2020 at 03:14 PM.
OP here. While I'd like to put in an aftermarket antenna, I do agree that repairing the existing equipment is an easier option.
So, some idiot (ahem) removed the two units from the glass. So I'm going to have to note exactly where the tape was, get some new tape (hopefully Autozone stocks the 3M stuff in the right thickness, heat gun the tape off the plastic housings, clean the glass, reapply tape, put the housings back in empty, and use some wedges to hold them in place with a little force until the tape cures. Yay.
I will get the amp off this weekend.
Sergey, what exactly is a "PCB copper track"? I'm not an electronics guy, and might have to pay someone with better skills and steadier hands to do the repair.
The last picture in the series shows the circuit board (PCB). It shows the copper conductors for the connection between the elements. In the center of the picture there is an element with four leads, a voltage regulator near which the conductor (track) was damaged by water during tinting. After repairing a damaged track, my amplifier has been working fine for several years.
My conductive rubbers are blue. Two of them are visible on right side of 3-d picture. This damned rubbers easy drop out and then it very hardly locate.
I was wondering whether anyone had a couple of those contacts I could have/buy. I've a working amp now, found the 3M double sided tape, but I need 10 of those stupid contacts to reinstall. My amp was remove and restuck by a previous owner with super thick tape, and they destroyed all the contacts when the black casing was removed from the glass. I've looked at a number of Ebay sales, and virtually all of them have the same condition where the contact faces were chiseled off. My best option I think is to buy a spool of conductive plastic, model the contacts, and have someone 3d print a bunch of them. But I need a couple to take measurements from. I've been without wireless locks or a functional radio for awhile now, and finally decided I should do something about it.
12-27-2019, 04:13 PM
