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in the above case, your agw may not be the problem. it maybe another unit and/or something maybe disconnected?? an open loop (sirius or cd player or voice control module is not connected) will cause your radio not to play also. and if everything IS connected, then if a unit does not work for whatever reason, then the same thing will happen like an "open loop" also. so question: when you turn on your radio, what actually happens?? thanks!
Thank you so much for the quick response. Actually the problem started about a year ago when the battery started drains, when i turn on the radio, it shut-off after 3-5 seconds, i see the MB logo and some times the main screen, the cd door stopped working as well, however I have no cd changer. I pulled out F28 from interior and F6 in the truck, the drain stopped. Took it to the star, the diagnostic was AGW not connected, or open circle. I have nothing in the most, had no nav, no CD player, no voice control module; even the tel aid module has no fiber optic cable connected to it. I think only the AGW and the radio are in the most. According to the star, the head unit (Radio) is fine. I tried everything not sure what else i can do. Your help is highly appreciated.
Last edited by mustafa226; 09-04-2016 at 10:20 PM.
its hard to think/believe that this car only came with the radio and agw?? they at least would have had the cd player/changer in the MOST ring?? tell you what, call mercedes and give them your VIN and ask them what the car actually came with as far as entertainment concerns?? i would expect the nav,radio,cd changer and tele aid/voice command??? maybe not voice command but at the very least the cd changer. the reason this is important, is that if you wanted to "remove" them, you would have to get a fiber optic ring that would feed the fiber signal back onto itself so the system makes a complete loop. i will back up a little here and explain something and then use my own car as an example how i overcame your same issue (over the top but its working!!) imagine a complete circle, as long as the fiber is running in a complete circle, whats connected in the circle will work or will turn on. if any one piece is not "connected" then the loop is "not complete" or there is an "open circuit" and since the fiber optic signal cannot "complete" the loop, it shuts off. so if there are any components that do not have the fiber optic ring or any fiber optic connector not plugged in, then you have a break in the optic loop and it will do just what you described! mb logo on for 3-5 seconds and since loop is not complete, system shuts off. next post for my personal fix (reminder: its over the top and a PITA!!!!!)
i had this very same problem: i bought an agw, confirmed working and didnt solve the problem. bought a cd changer and nothing, same thing- shutting off. got a fiber optic loop for the siruis sat connector and still the same thing. got another nav unit and to no end---- radio shut off. my car when i bought it had a whole aftermarket radio/stereo system inside. looks like some highschools kids put it together and it was their very 1st time installing it into a mercedes. you could not even get to the battery the trunk box was so damn big..... reason why no one buy my stupid butt bought the car!!!! it was very low mileage (less than 20k) and other than the radio install, chopped up dash and srs lights and battery light....... well, i could see the potential in the car.... any ways.. back to our problem: after removing everything, and replacing everything, radio didnt work. such a terrible job that was done, i believed somehow there maybe a fiber optic cable that was either cut or bent or damaged somehow and that was the reason why the radio didnt work after replacing and installing all OEM radio,cd changer, and nav unit.....
so i got on ebay and found the whole audio/fiber optic/stereo wiring that originally costed $600 but they seller was asking like $200 and i offered $100 and the seller took the deal. he had it for sale for a LONG time and just wanted it gone i am sure. i took the wiring and i removed all the fiber optic wiring part off the wiring of the total wiring package i bought. studied it and got very familiar how the wiring was done and why there are arrows on each connector showing a fiber signal going into and the other side of same connector, arrow coming out to go to next component. will all the fiber optic part of this whole wiring set, i re-wired my head unit, cd changer, nav unit and agw... only the components i wanted to use and needed to work. it wasnt easy, removed seats, the drivers side paneling to lay the fiber optics along the inside door track, etc etc etc.... and bang: the radio and nav, cd changer -- everything worked!!!! now i have said it and will say it again: this is overkill!!!!! i would not and do not expect you to do this: but i tell you this true story so you get the idea here: i made the loop!!! you maybe thinking and asking: "where did the power come from"?? well, remember, i just removed the fiber optic cabling from the wire package, i took off the fiber optic line going into the head unit and place my line in there: the power wiring is still in that connector, i just placed "my" fiber optic line inside the connector, all the "power" lines are still right there with the main connectors for each component and once looped to the components i wanted to work, to use, then i made my loop and as long as my components are working, the loop is there: radio works!!! let me see if i can find a fiber optic loop you can use to "eliminate" a component out of your loop to help you see which component is not working!!!
"1 pc MOST fiber optic loop female connector for Audi, BMW, Mercedes" type this in the search field on ebay and you will see the fiber optic loop you can use to eliminate a component out of your "loop". buy 2 or 3 of them so you can plug this into several of your components at 1 time to help you find which component is causing the "open circuit" or open loop. you cannot place this on the agw, the agw has to be looped in, but you can use this on the nav unit, the cd changer unit, and also do not use on the head unit, you need the head unit to let you know that the system is actually working.... so leave the head unit and agw as is but use this to take other components out of the loop. good luck man and i hope i have provided some insight/help with your problem!!!
if you have nothing connected like the nav, cd changer, etc etc... then you need the fiber optic loop to allow the fiber optic signal to travel in a complete circle otherwise, your radio will never turn on!!! thats what these fiber optic loop adapter does, they provide for a continous fiber optic light to travel in a complete loop to allow your radio to turn on and work as it should. take care!!
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experience , you did a great job man . I already bout the bought the fiber optic ring months ago then tried to eliminate the tel aid module, but the surprise was that there is no optical connection "please see the attached pic". There is nothing else in the trunk to eliminate. the only thing i have is the AGW, no nav, no cd changer, nothing …... Its good idea to call the MB and ask what the car actually came with. Forgot to mention that, the problem started when i started using a new duplicate key that I requested from the MB, I went back to MB and they confirmed that the key is ok and cause no problem, I did not believe them, I put it as a spare and started using the old one tell the battery ran out. I returned back to use the new duplicate key , after 2-3 day the instrument cluster stopped working, the dealer asked for $1870 to replace it, I bought a second hand one from ebay with same part number and it worked fine, except the mileage which shows “-------“. I was thinking exactly what you thought, the fiberoptic cable is disconnected somewhere and need to be replaced, unfortunately, I cant do what you done, very difficult for me. you are super. that you again for the advise.
Last edited by mustafa226; 09-05-2016 at 09:04 PM.
Reason: to add a pic
shoot a pic of your interior for me. let me see what is actually below your ac unit in the front dash area. the used cluster you got from ebay with the "----" for mileage, you can take care of that if you have your original cluster. you just have to remove the "brain" part of the cluster and place it inside of your "used one from ebay". i know it sounds scary but its not too bad. i think shardul actually did this same thing and had pics showing what needs to be switched out. will see if i can find the link for you. i did it too b/c i switched over to an e63/cls cluster, the blacked out one for the amg. nice upgrade and my mileage is right on. hold on a minute.
so when you replaced the agw in the rear, and you connected the fiber optic line into the agw, do you remember where did those fiber optic lines come from?? most cars with the nav, voice etc etc.. the fiber optic line come from the center area of the trunk up against the rear seats, right where your tele-matics module sites. in a covered case, there are several other modules in that section of the trunk that would have fiber optic connectors and the line continues to run over to the agw from there. if you have no fiber optic behind the rear seats in the trunk area, i would guess that your fiber optic line runs right up towards the front of your car. ????? please check and see if indeed your fiber optic line runs up front and no where else. if you are sure, then you may only have one other fiber optic hookup and its straight up to the head unit. hell you would have an easy "new fiber optic" hook up in that case.... but its not easy getting these fiber optic lines. the new key from mb, that would not have caused anything, i got one of those too. didnt even need to be sync, the damn thing worked when i got my key and the keys come from Germany. that was no big deal, but expensive!!!
here is shardul diy for the instrument cluster....
type in this for a google search: "mbworld instrument cluster brain e55" and the very 1st link you come to: "Need Help...E55 / E63 Instrument cluster Issue - MBWorld.org Forums" go into that link and down the list of replies and you will see how to transfer your pcb from your old cluster to this one. not too bad.
Thank you so much again for your continuous support and help. Highly appreciated your time and advices. Please see the attached pic for the interior. I did not pay attention from where the fiber optic lines are coming, but I will take a pic for you in the morning as the trunk carpet is still off. there is no fiber optic behind the rear seats in the trunk area in the back covered case, it has only the tele-aid module, and no any fiber optic cables, I believe you are absolutely right, the fiber optic cable is connected directly to the AGW, I think it has a direct connection with the radio since no more devises are in the loop, will try to get some pic’s for the trunk. also I cant find the fiber optic in the front, where exactly should I look. The link for transferring the pcb is great, I will give it a try and hope I success. Thank you again my friend.
the fiber optic in the front will be right behind the head unit connected to the back of the head unit. try and follow-up with the dealership with your vin and see what actually came with the car from factory. this will really be helpful to find out what was there from the beginning. if there is no cd changer behind the front controls below the head unit, then indeed the car did not have this as an option but its really weird that someone would get a car that didnt have a cd player inside??? this came with regular entertainment package, it would have been included???? thats what so confusing about it. but to have the info from the dealership would be very helpful. the pcb transfer for the cluster, just TAKE YOUR TIME. do not rush it and it would be like removing memory from a motherboard so be careful with the tabs and take your time!! after that, we can try something to make sure the head unit is not the problem???
thank you again for the reply . i can confirm that the car came without cd changer, when i open the cd changer door nothing is there, its totally empty . i will contact the dealer and provide the VIN and let you know. what if they said it came without cd changer, what should i do to fix this problem. i believe the head unit is working as the star told. thank you
let me ask some questions and go from there: when you first got the car, was the radio working?? who you got the car from, did the conversation ever come to "theres no cd player, no nav, etc etc" in the car? i am assuming that the radio did indeed work at one time due to the fact you had replaced the AGW thinking that was the problem but i wanted to make sure here. back to the question you asked: what if the dealership says there was no cd player/changer. it would lead to the thought that you may have a damaged fiber optic line somewhere??? but before we can go to that thought, wanted to rule out some things here. have the car been worked on as far as audio equipment wise?? you mentioned the instrument cluster was removed, has anything been installed/removed other than the instrument cluster? what i am trying to get at is and question: how could the fiber optic line be "damaged" if no work, no tampering, no changes were made with the car. so the question: could the fiber optic line be damaged?? thats something you will have to think about as far as whats been done to the car. and if the radio had worked once while you have had it, then no need to worry about the cd player/changer. if radio worked as the car is now, then there is something else wrong with the audio?? before jumping into the fiber optic lines thought, i have an extra oem head unit i dont mind shipping out to you so you can try that to make sure its not the head unit even tho the STAR said the head unit is "ok"?? we would only lose out on the shipping back and forth but worth a shot if the radio worked before and this all of sudden happened out of the blue one day. you have addressed the agw, only the head unit has been left alone as if its "good" but........ worth a try. i think!!
my ml320 has just started the typical radio cuts out and no sound. I start my car and within 3 mins of anything playing it will just lose the sound but the screen stays on. any suggestions? i ordered the loop thing but when the system does play, the cd, cdc, am/fm/nav all works...i so frustrated. i pulled out my deck to see if a loose wire is the cause but no. i have to turn off the car and restart to get it going again for a few mins.
worst case: your amp maybe going bad?? in your case, you dont need to do any fiber optic loop b/c your system is "working", you just have no sound. if you had similar problem like above, your system would not be on at all so a major difference here between what you are experiencing vs someone who only sees the mb logo and the whole system shuts off. so back to your case: the sound cutting off/on, usually is indicative of a bad amp. and these amps are very expensive. but give this a try and see if things improve. its free and only will take a few minutes. in your car, the fuse box in the rear cargo, when you open the trunk, the fuse box will be on your right, very rear covered by a panel. pull these fuses and put them back making sure they are pressed back in fully: fuse #20 (5 ampere fuse)- radio antenna filter
fuse #25 (15 ampere fuse) - comand/dvd/radio
fuse #35 (25 ampere fuse) - amplifer/subwoofer
sometimes just a remove and replace of these fuses will correct the sound going out. its a long shot but you have nothing to lose and everything to gain on this try. lets see if this corrects the problem. otherwise, after this, you will have to find someone with STAR and hope the diagnostic will show/reveal something. good luck!!
yeah, before giving further bad news, lets try the fuses and go from there. one thing i want to say about the amps/agw in our cars and i'm not quite sure about the ml in this case but more so to the w211s.... the agw and the amp are all "one unit". older ones did not have a fan on the side and the "newer" ones did incorporate a fan, mercedes realized that the amp/agw due to its crammed location (in the trunk, in the drives side pocket rear panel, HEAT) would get very hot and this heat would eventually damage the component and render it no good. this unit from mercedes was very pricey so they came out with a small fan on the side of the unit to help blow off some of this heat.... but again due to its location, not sure how much that has helped and as we keep our "old" cars, HEAT after while can destroy anything that was once good. reason why our agw/amp can go bad without anything being done to it, just old age and the environment. lets just hope your agw/amp has not come to this stage?????
the fuse option didn't work. still the same error..start the car, 5 mins later POOF no sound/loses cd changer/bluetooth..but HU still on...sometimes after turning off and on the deck 100X's it will start up and do it all over again. sigh.
09-04-2016, 09:44 AM
, you did a great job man 
. I already bout the bought the fiber optic ring months ago then tried to eliminate the tel aid module, but the surprise was that there is no optical connection "please see the attached pic". There is nothing else in the trunk to eliminate. the only thing i have is the AGW, no nav, no cd changer, nothing 
…... Its good idea to call the MB and ask what the car actually came with. Forgot to mention that, the problem started when i started using a new duplicate key that I requested from the MB, I went back to MB and they confirmed that the key is ok and cause no problem, I did not believe them, I put it as a spare and started using the old one tell the battery ran out. I returned back to use the new duplicate key 
, after 2-3 day the instrument cluster stopped working, the dealer asked for $1870 to replace it, I bought a second hand one from ebay with same part number and it worked fine, except the mileage which shows “-------“. I was thinking exactly what you thought, the fiberoptic cable is disconnected somewhere and need to be replaced, unfortunately, I cant do what you done, very difficult for me. you are super. that you again for the advise.
