W123 Audio

[Ben_R]

I have a 1985 280ce with a cassette player and am reluctant to replace the blaupunkt head unit with a JVC unit full of flashing lights.

Does anybody have advice on an alternative that I can use to play CD's.

Also, the left speaker has stopped working. Is it possible to fix in 5 mins? or is is going to be expensive and involve taking the car to pieces?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Levismerc]

How about something like this?

Tokai LAR-216 CD/MP3 USB/SD/MMC CAR RADIO review cheap prices LAR-216 CD/MP3 USB/SD/MMC CAR RADIO Tokai best buy discount online uk shop

Looks quite retro, not too pricey but plays all the modern stuff.

If it's the front speaker then just undo the screw holding the grille into the dash and trace the wire back to the head unit - you can undo the kick panel under the dash - three screws behind the little covers - it'll make tracing the wires easier.

 

[npuk]

If the headunit supports a cd changer then you may even be able to find a compatible changer. If not there are aftermarket headunits without flashy lights. Becker units look oem, or how about something newer but genuine mercedes like an Audio 10.

 

[Ted]

Ipod/Iphone with an FM transmitter?

Not sure about the later 123 but the earlier ones had the grilles under a cover on the crash roll. Easy to remove with a VERY short stubby screwdriver.
If it's not the speaker then it's most likely to be a connection at the rear of the head unit or head unit itself. Test with an old spare speaker.

 

[GP801]

Find a Becker headunit off ebay. The sound quality is superb and they look OEM and go well with the dash. If you want bluetooth or satnav aswell then they are pricey but the basic CD tuners are very resonable.

 

[BoyracerAU]

It's funny how wrong anything but OEM Becker or Blaupunkt looks in an MB dash.

I recently had the Becker in my 1985 230E refurbished.

It too had lost one channel (left side) and a couple of bars on the LCD display had gone off. The service centre also repaired the cassette player mechanism. Apparently, there were fractured plastic bits within which they replaced. They also changed some belts. I can't tell you when I will play an audio cassette again, but it's nice to know that it works!

The cost was a smidge under GBP500.