Tape deck in 2000 E320
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Joined: Apr 2019
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E320 (2001)
Tape deck in 2000 E320
Hey y'all!! I'm driving a 2000 E320—great car, very used, not taken care of by the previous owners at all—and whenever I put a cassette in the tape deck it switches between sides a couple times and then ejects it. I bought a cleaning cassette and put it in a couple times but it didn't work. I know absolutely nothing about cassettes and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice they could offer me! And if it's a problem that requires something more serious like removing the tape deck or replacing it, how hard would that be to do? Thanks so much 
Also, quick edit: the player worked fine for the first couple months. I looked inside of it today and it's perfectly clean (literally, the rest of the car is disgusting and the tape deck is pristine).
Also, quick edit: the player worked fine for the first couple months. I looked inside of it today and it's perfectly clean (literally, the rest of the car is disgusting and the tape deck is pristine).
Last edited by emmarstark; Apr 23, 2020 at 04:28 PM. Reason: needed more info
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
E320 (2001)
Yes! I've tried multiple different cassettes as well as a cassette adapter. And it was working fine for a couple months until one day it just spit out my tape and keeps auto-reversing when you try to put one in.
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Westcoast/Interior
02w163ML500 / 97w210E50AMG / 99w202C230k / 95w124500e-wip
Hey y'all!! I'm driving a 2000 E320—great car, very used, not taken care of by the previous owners at all—and whenever I put a cassette in the tape deck it switches between sides a couple times and then ejects it. I bought a cleaning cassette and put it in a couple times but it didn't work. I know absolutely nothing about cassettes and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice they could offer me! And if it's a problem that requires something more serious like removing the tape deck or replacing it, how hard would that be to do? Thanks so much
Also, quick edit: the player worked fine for the first couple months. I looked inside of it today and it's perfectly clean (literally, the rest of the car is disgusting and the tape deck is pristine).
Also, quick edit: the player worked fine for the first couple months. I looked inside of it today and it's perfectly clean (literally, the rest of the car is disgusting and the tape deck is pristine).
Not $$$ to do or replace.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,939
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From: Seattle WA
99 E320
from my experience years ago, the auto reverse is normally triggered by tension in the cassette
tape. if the tension exceeds a predermined amount, the cassette drive reverses. if you use
your finger or a pencil and attempt to turn the tape, is it super easy to wind and you can see the
tape (and sprocket) moving freely?
tape. if the tension exceeds a predermined amount, the cassette drive reverses. if you use
your finger or a pencil and attempt to turn the tape, is it super easy to wind and you can see the
tape (and sprocket) moving freely?
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Joined: Jan 2014
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Back in the day when I was a technician, in some cases there was circuitry that triggered when one of the sprockets stopped turning. I'm thinking along the line of optical interrupters in Pioneer or Nakamichi tape decks. I'm talking like >30 years ago...
If your car has the original Becker radio, send it off to the factory authorized repair shop, https://www.beckerautosound.com/
I wanted to keep the original Becker radio in my '99 E55 but the radio was intermittently failing. They repaired a wonky volume control sensor and added Bluetooth streaming to the radio. Not phone calls Bluetooth but it allows you to stream music from your phone to the radio. Insert an empty cassette tape shell (gutted), select cassette, and the radio's Bluetooth is now visible to your phone. Be advised the owner's phone manners are rather brusque but I only cared that they repaired the radio.
If your car has the original Becker radio, send it off to the factory authorized repair shop, https://www.beckerautosound.com/
I wanted to keep the original Becker radio in my '99 E55 but the radio was intermittently failing. They repaired a wonky volume control sensor and added Bluetooth streaming to the radio. Not phone calls Bluetooth but it allows you to stream music from your phone to the radio. Insert an empty cassette tape shell (gutted), select cassette, and the radio's Bluetooth is now visible to your phone. Be advised the owner's phone manners are rather brusque but I only cared that they repaired the radio.
