1995 E320 Sound Issues
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Joined: Apr 2021
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1995 E320
1995 E320 Sound Issues
So I have a W124 E320 with the original Becker head unit installed. It worked flawlessly until about a month ago when I got in to play music and there was no sound in the speakers. What I've noticed so far is:
1) The head unit functions perfectly. It finds radio frequencies, takes a tape, and operates as it normally would.
2) I left the stereo on half volume when I got out of my car before it went south, which leads me to believe it's not the volume knob (a common issue)
3) The antenna no longer rises when I turn the car on, but as I said in the first bullet, it's still finding a signal just fine
4) The speakers work. I know this because I took the phone, entered a phone number, and the dial tone/button sounds are audible.
5) This is probably not connected to the sound issue, but thought I'd add it anyway. The central locking system in my car went bad around the same time as the sound issue, so now I have to manually lock every door.
What I'm thinking is it might just be an old, worn-out head unit that I'll be able to replace easily, but I wanted to check here anyway to see if someone might have some insight.
If it is just a faulty head unit, does anyone have some good recommendations for an aftermarket stereo that would work with this model?
Thanks guys!
1) The head unit functions perfectly. It finds radio frequencies, takes a tape, and operates as it normally would.
2) I left the stereo on half volume when I got out of my car before it went south, which leads me to believe it's not the volume knob (a common issue)
3) The antenna no longer rises when I turn the car on, but as I said in the first bullet, it's still finding a signal just fine
4) The speakers work. I know this because I took the phone, entered a phone number, and the dial tone/button sounds are audible.
5) This is probably not connected to the sound issue, but thought I'd add it anyway. The central locking system in my car went bad around the same time as the sound issue, so now I have to manually lock every door.
What I'm thinking is it might just be an old, worn-out head unit that I'll be able to replace easily, but I wanted to check here anyway to see if someone might have some insight.
If it is just a faulty head unit, does anyone have some good recommendations for an aftermarket stereo that would work with this model?
Thanks guys!
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 71
Likes: 34
From: Vail, Colorado 8,235ft Elevation
1994 E-Class 320 Coupe, 1998 911 Carrera S (993)
Becker radio service in New Jersey . . .
The original Becker AM/FM cassette radio in our '94 E-320 Coupe seemed to have on-again, off-again issues.. After a brief phone discussion with Becker radio in New Jersey - the radio was sent to their shop. ..Servicing did the trick and a Bluetooth gismo (dongle) was added. .. All is well for under $200, maintaining the factory appearance in the process. .. Here's a link; www.beckerautosound.com .. The guys in the Porsche Rennlist.com forums have used Becker NJ for decades with great success.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,363
Likes: 1,012
'11 E350, '11 E550, '98 M3, '95 E320
I’ve had the amp go bad... if it were me, I’d ditch the factory HU for something more modern. Better sound, control, BT... just find one that doesn’t look like a futuristic rocket ship.
