ATL_E55

I have had this annoying problem since I bought the car. Volume down works fine but volume up works randomly. Most of the times the volume UP (clockwise) turns the volume DOWN.

I have tested the entire knob with the soft little clicks you can feel. Roughly about 75% or more of the clicks or adjustments turn the volume down instead of up.

I have tried electrical contact cleaner numerous times and some compressed air but not much luck with it. It appears to help briefly but if i let the car sit for a few hours, the cleaner dries up and it starts misbehaving again.

Is my bose radio unit completely trashed?

davmil2002

Mine's sorta random too. Mostly it goes quiet on its own. It's old so I just live with it.

bbirdwell

I had the same issue repaired by Becker Auto Sound LLC in New Jersey. Factory authorized repair center. I had them add the optional Bluetooth music streaming (bypasses cassette player but I no longer use cassettes). I prefer that my car look stock rather than have a flashy add-on stereo.

190Efan

The Becker option isn't cheap having gone this route on a new antenna for my W201 but it's probably the best option as installing aftermarket can cause a long additional list of issues.

ATL_E55

Is there an aftermarket head unit that will work with Bose amp and steering wheel controls?

ATL_E55

Checked Becker out.. They charge a flat $195 fee from what others have said.

Other options:
-Buy unit off of eBay and pray it works but radio code will change
-Buy a compatible encoder for like $15 and see if I can replace damaged encoder on the board.
-Buy a aftermarket unit that's compatible with Bose amp and steering wheel controls