changing M-B radio - Lucy T

Hi, A friend of mine has a 1995 C Merecedes but his radio cassette has broken.He has been told its not worth mending.
The dealer wants too much to provide & fit another.

What are good reliable radio makes Please?

What points should he note when replacing it.?

He has the fitting removal keys.

Lucy T.
changing M-B radio - Dynamic Dave
First criteria is to avoid the main dealer.

Many good makes out there, Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, for example. All having their own unique features.

Points to note,
1. how desirable is it to a thief?
2. what security features does it have? - removable face plate, security coded for example.
3. ease of use. Does it have chunky buttons that are easy to find and not distract you from driving, or are the buttons so small that you can only press them with a ball point pen?
4. Do you want to play CD\'s as well as cassettes?

Lots of options, but personally I would thumb through the Yellow pages for your nearest ICE (In Car Entertainment) specialist who should help you find a unit suitable for your needs. Or failing that, they offer to repair the existing unit for a lot cheaper than the main dealer, who at the end of the day would only send it to one of these shops anyway and charge you the priveledge for doing so.

changing M-B radio - Civic8
I notice you did not mention what is actually wrong with it.ie won`t it work at all.is the tape slowing down speeding up.is it chewing up tapes.if not working at all.it isn`t that difficult to replace but as has been said before need to check on a few things.I am not sure about merc`s but some cars have 3 connection blocks on rear 1 is power supply 2 is speaker connections 3 is a thin connector which connects to a display on the dashboard which is for radio station identification/tells you what station you are listening to/time ect
changing M-B radio - Lucy T

Thank you both, we know the good makes now & rear connections.

Is it necessary to disconnect battery leads & do all radios have standard fittings please?

We have located discounted online retailers fcor new radio/cassette.Theyre much cheaper!

Lucy T.
changing M-B radio - Dynamic Dave
Lucy, I don't generally promote other forums, but www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/index.php may be able to help you with some, if not all of your questions.
changing M-B radio - Lucy T

Thank you Dave, I popped across & had a look...its somewhat "Heavy Metal" but I will try.

Lucy T.
changing M-B radio - Civic8
It isnt necessary to disconnect battery leads.and no not all radio`s have a standard fitting.but to be sure about it ask the company you are buying from.Give them the make and model of car.They should be able to give any advice on adapter plugs that will be needed to install new radio/cassette
changing M-B radio - Pat L
In my experience it's not worth trying to fit stereos yourself, they're so complex these days. Find a good retailer and get them to fit it. Halfords may be okay, but I prefer smaller independents.

And get a CD/tuner - they are now reasonably priced. Pioneer are good and reliable.

Good luck anyway.

Pat
changing M-B radio - Marc
In the 90s Mercedes used to fit Blaupunkts or (much more expensive) Becker stereo units.

You can probably get a Blaupunkt single slot CD player for around £100
changing M-B radio - Lucy T
thank you very much for the helpful suggestions & advice.
Have got all information required now, so old Blaupunkt will be changed.

Lucy T.