hagar

I have a 2006 CDI. Couple of years ago the radio/central console stopped working. The MB dealership told me it was the central control module, and that it will cost 6K to fix. I tried going to my mom & pop repair shop (who is actually quite good working on my Jetta TDI). They told me there is an aftermarket radio available, but they would have to order it from Hong Kong and they did not seem very keen to do it. Any recommendations?

purplegrog

In what way did it stop working? On my old w211 I had my head unit become progressively unresponsive, and it turned out to be the audio gateway module. New they are hideously expensive, but I was able to buy a used one on eBay for around $100 or so, and replacement is pretty easy.

SouthSideBenz

I would look around your local junkyards and see if they'd let you take one out, since something like the control module wouldn't be likely damaged in a collision, may take a while to find one, but its a money saver.

hagar

I asked the dealer about that, they told me it needs to be programmed to the vehicle, and can only be done once.

Robert Clayton

If you read around there are lots of threads about aftermarket look-alike stereos.

The catch is if you have the fiber optic sound system (Bose or Harman/Kardon) an aftermarket head can't just be plugged in. There are converters that allow you to connect an aftermarket head to the fiber optic system (google opti-1 or dynavin), of which opti-1 seems to be the better choice for retaining functionality.

In either case you will lose integral Sirius/XM if you have that.

So that's the catch with aftermarket stereos if you go that route.

arto_wa

It should be fine to get suitable one from a reputable dealer in Hong Kong, but you should make sure it can be adjusted to North American AM/FM "tuning steps".

The Europeans and Asians use different tuning steps and those AM/FM radios are not much good here, unless it is adjustable like few are. My friend up in Canada bought a used Mercedes which came from Japan and he ended up replacing the radio for this reason (which was not a big deal on that particular M-B model).

Buyer be aware

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