W203 Audio 10 replacement with Aftermarket Headunit

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L

LouFer

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
25
Location
Northampton
Car
C Class 270 CDi Elegance Est
Hi,
I need some advice... I have an C Class 2002 W203 (Pre-face lift, I think) that has the factory fitted BOSE audio 10 system.

What I'm trying to find out is if I can remove that unit and fit a double DIN sat-nat/DVD unit off Ebay. From what I can see, the unit will fit the dash, but I'm not sure about the connections to the car... speaker wires/ISO plugs/ etc. There also appears to be some sort of optic cable running to the back of the car into some sort of amp/booster.

Also, it would be nice if the steering wheel controls and dash display would work with the new unit.

So my questions are:
1. The following ebay link is the unit I'm interested in. Will it work in my car?
Newest 2 /Double Din Indash Car DVD GPS Nav TV iPOD PIP on eBay (end time 01-Mar-10 06:50:15 GMT)


2. Will I need some sort of CAN BUS interface for this unit?

3. If this unit won't work, is there a similar unit out there that will?

I don't have a big budget for this... maybe upto £500 for the whole project, so if there is anyone out there who has done something similar then I'd appreciate any help.

Thanks guys
 
There was a thread about a similar unit not so long ago on Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums. There is also good info about pulling the Audio 10 from a W203 - it's not straightforward as the whole centre console has to come out. I think I posted the link on here as well as on "the other side" (as mercedesclub is known on this forum!) - it's 13 pages with lots of photos, absolutely superb.
 
There is alot here, just search 'w203 aftermarket head unit' or 'w203 10 way iso' or 'w203 srs light whilst installing aftermarket head unit', I used info from threads started by 'omega1' + 'cplnoonoo', so possibly do a username search aswell.
The reason I found this place was because I was in a similar situation to you, I wanted to remove the audio 10 tape and 6 cd changer and go for a single din unit with built in bluetooth and usb, I installed a Kenwood KDC-BT8044U, using the connects 2 fascia, I checked 2 other fascias and the fit of the connects 2 fascia I found to be superior, also in a single din application it was one of the few adaptors that came with the cubby hole, thus keeping an 'as original' look as possible when going aftermarket.
You can put that double din unit in, using a double din prefacelift W203 fascia kit, connects 2 do one, go to their website for details, also there are others aswell, however as I am a person who loves precision, I went for the connects 2 fascia for the snug fit.
The problem you will face is your bose amp is on the D2B fibre optic ring, thus communicates with the head unit via fibre optics, also I think the speakers used in the Bose system are 2 ohm, so will not work properly, this is what i have read, but the info could be wrong.
If the above is true, you could get round it by locating bose amp, removing it, sending RCA's from new unit to that position,installing new amp, connect RCA's to new amp,connect existing speaker wires that originally went from old bose to speakers to new amp, replacing all speakers with 8 ohm ones or find an aftermarket amp that runs 2 ohm stable.
But who knows there maybe an adaptor, I will research when I have time. The only thing is, I am sure the bose is on the fibre optic ring, but lets see if there is a solution.
When I pulled my audio 10 out I had one 8 pin iso for speakers, one 8 pin iso for power and one 10 pin iso for cd changer power/control and canbus.
Your steering wheel buttons communicate with the head unit via the can hi and can lo pins on the 10 way iso, the chances of finding an adaptor for the unit you link to are extremely low. If you want steering wheel controls you will have to go Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer although I am still looking for the Kenwood CAW MB 1110 adaptor for my unit as they have discontinued it and have not sorted a definate substitute in the new range, only a matter of time though, also the pioneer CAR PI 131 seems to be difficult to get hold of but less so. Connects 2 and others, have universal can bus adaptors that will will give steering controls aswell as signals missing from the 8 way power iso that are sent over canbus, such as +12v ignition, illumination, speed pulse, reverse e.t.c. so the options are open if you go for a well known head unit brand. If you do not use an adaptor you can tap into cigarette lighter harness for ignition +12v and illumination, like I did.
I will post back later, but search here to get a heads up.
Cheers.;)
 
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Cheers for the quick replies.
I'll have a quick read and see if it's what I'm looking for.. Regards
 
If your looking for a quick and cheap replacement of the standard audio 10 unit with your own aftermarket unit double din unit then the easy answer is no. Unfortunately as mentioned before the bose system is the major factor in this as it is all controlled mainly by fibre optics which your aftermarket unit wont support.

Can it be fitted - yes. But not without a load of hassle having to rewire your entire audio system within the car. If i was intent on getting it done i would be looking to get it done by a pro unless i was competent enough to do it myself.
 
Hmmm... seems that this will be too much hassle/cost.
I am pretty confident that I could do it, but I am worried about removing all the interior - or more accurately, knowing how to remove the interior without damaging anything. It seems that there needs to be a lot of interior removal to get to all the wiring to replace it all, and when I usually attempt these sort of things, I end up with 'spare change' or 'casualties of war'.
Anyway, thanx for all the help you guys have posted, it has at least quenched my curiosity.
 
Its a bit of a dilema as the bose systems are brilliant but there are improvements in the sound to be made if a better headunit can be fitted. Only thing is finding one that would be compatible so keeping the good bose sound is fine but its a bit rubbish that you cant have a decent aftermarket unit to go with it.
 
Yeah, it seems that this head unit does not do the BOSE system any justice. What a shame. One day I'll have another go at it, maybe by then a new compatible head unit will be available. Or, if not, I'll just have to rip everything out and re-wire an aftermarket unit in... besides, I want to change all the wood effect panels anyway (I hate them with a passion).

p.s. Do you know if there are any multi CD stacks that plug into the audio 10 head unit?
 
You mean a cd changer?

If so, then yes they are available. Ebay may have a couple listed. Again the cd changer is optically controlled so it is an idea to check the back of your audio10 headunit to check if there is the sockets for connecting up the cd changer. Some units dont have them if a cd changer wasnt fitted as part of the standard installation at the factory. If this is the case then im not sure if there is an alternative changer for units that didnt have the optical changers as standard/
 
Hi,
I have the stuff I removed for sale.
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/clas...be6019-glovebox-6-disc-changer-mc-3010-a.html
As you have bose, you will have no problems with the D2B fibre optic side, my cd changer comes with the glovebox bracket,so you will not need that, however, you would also need to buy the fitting kit for D2B cars without comand, bottom of page.
Comand Online Ltd :: Other Mercedes Retrofits :: Mercedes CD Changers
Also if you look on this website, you have the option of buying the CD changer brand new from here aswell, it just depends if you mind fitting used stuff to your car or not. Everybody is different when it comes to this.
Also, you will have to take up interior sill trim to plug in the wake up lead of the cd changer into the interior can distribution block. Aswell as centre console removal for head unit.
Cheers.:thumb:
 
I don't recall any spare sockets on the back of the unit (I'll have to remove the unit again and check.)

Again, it seems that it is not so straight forward... :wallbash:

cplnoonoo: thanks for all your advice, much appreciated!

Cyberflex: I appreciate the offer, but I think if I'm gonna spend any money on this upgrade, it will have to be for a complete aftermarket upgrade set. Thanks any way, but for now... times are hard, money is few :eek:
 
No probs, the stuffs there for anyone, you will not have a spare slot on the back of the unit, you have to create a fibre optic ring including cd changer and bose into audio 10, but my personal view is this, it was this before I posted the above, but did not write it just incase it came across wrong, if you are going to install a D2B cd changer, whether new or 2nd hand, the difference in the amount of work between this and wiring up a new head unit and amplifier is not so vast, I would 100% go aftermarket, I would have used a more expensive unit myself, but our w203 c320 is going to have its 9th birthday on the 1st of September and even though I remember being so happy with it on the 1st September 2001 when it was brand new, after just 33000 miles and full dealer history up until this year,it has undoubtedly aged ungracefully thus the cost of a double din with the works was unjustified, so until a W204 arrives I made the decision to fit a single din Kenwood USB/Bluetooth unit and to be honest it is not bad, but at the same time not something I would have normally gone for, in this age where satnav is a must.
I reckon you should wait and get something nice, if it were me in your situation I would go for a brand name double din unit with nav e.t.c and a decent amp and speakers, with decent cables.
Trust me you will love it, maybe just wait a bit and do it nice a few months down the line.
We will be here to walk you through fascia/trim removal, the key for me was spending time and not forcing anything, I did not break anything and my centre console e.t.c looks like it was never touched, but as I said I spent time and was gentle.
You can achieve exactly the same, just post up when you are ready and we will talk you through centre console removal e.t.c.
I can Pm you my mobile if you really need, when it comes to the install.
Cheers.
Just re-read,with brain in gear, seems you have had the unit out, offer of help still stands though..
 
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Thanx cyberflex. I agree with you 100%, I also like doing things properly so your advice on doing an aftermarket upgrade later confirms my intention is the right thing to do. When I get to that stage I'll definitely call on you guys for info, and turn this into a documented project so that others can benefit from it too.
In the meantime, is there any documentation lying around that details how to remove facia's and panels that I can start to study? It's the whole 'failing to prepare...' thing
 
Chrishazle said:
There was a thread about a similar unit not so long ago on Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums. There is also good info about pulling the Audio 10 from a W203 - it's not straightforward as the whole centre console has to come out. I think I posted the link on here as well as on "the other side" (as mercedesclub is known on this forum!) - it's 13 pages with lots of photos, absolutely superb.
Click to expand...

Had a quick search here and on 'the other side', and couldn't find it... can you send link please?
 
I wish i used pioneer, this adaptor seems to still be around, it also displays on the screen and even gives you ign+12v, ill+12v, reverse and speed pulse.
If you decide to go pioneer and after seeing this I wish i could turn back the clock, I would try and get one of these now, as it will save you so much hassle, even if you have not decided which pioneer unit, don't worry, just get one of these quick, the support of prefacelift w203 is wiltering as I found out when trying to get the equivalent to this, in kenwood.
If I were you i would get one now mate and just keep it safe:thumb:

http://csua.berkeley.edu/~vaheder/storage/CA-R-PI.131.pdf
 
LouFer said:
Had a quick search here and on 'the other side', and couldn't find it... can you send link please?
Click to expand...

DIY: Audio 10 Install Pics / W203 ('01-'04) Center Console Removal Instructions - MBWorld.org Forums

FYI I bought an MC3010 6CD changer second hand off eBay, complete with bracket for the glovebox. Had to source 2 cables - power lead P MA2035400809/98 from MB Ashford £18.53 and P MA2035403408 cable harness (fibre optic connector cable) found on partsreunited.co.uk at MB Oxford for £14.13 delivered, approx half price! Had the changer fitted by a local ICE outfit for £50.

They dropped the glove box to run the cables, and in so doing probably disturbed the thin blue pipe for the rear screenwash where it push fits (plus tiewrap) into a grommet coming through the front bulkhead. It's an absolute swine to get at without dropping the glove box - the ICE outfit managed to get it back in and put a tiewrap on but it only lasted 2 weeks! Knowledgable folk on here (or maybe t'other side) including Willow aho is ex MB mechanic (I think) said it was NOT necessary to drop the glovebox to install the wiring and changer. Be warned about this!!
 
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In answer to your Deutsch linky,The Dietz canbus stuff is top quality, looked at this myself, did not find the connecting harness that has a 10 pin iso for our cars,but it may exist if you email them, this make is the only aftermarket canbus interface I would personally trust, but other makes are available, :) but looking back on this I should have bought the dietz and just cut off the w203's 10 way iso (contains can high and can low wires) and made a direct connection with the Dietz can high and can low wires.:doh:
With dietz I would go for the interface that give all signals, not just speed pulse.
 
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wood panels ??

LouFer said:
Yeah, it seems that this head unit does not do the BOSE system any justice. What a shame. One day I'll have another go at it, maybe by then a new compatible head unit will be available. Or, if not, I'll just have to rip everything out and re-wire an aftermarket unit in... besides, I want to change all the wood effect panels anyway (I hate them with a passion).

p.s. Do you know if there are any multi CD stacks that plug into the audio 10 head unit?
Click to expand...

Hi Loufer,
What wood panels have you?
I may be looking for some walnut coloured panels for my car.. I have dark mahogany coloured which I dont like..
If and when you change, can you give me a shout with how much you will want for them (assuming they are the Walnut coloured ones)..
Thank you..
 
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