Help...I think I Bought a Broken Radio

[mbsickness]

Hello All, I bought an OEM radio off the web (CM2396) a while back and finally got around to hooking it up. The strange thing is that it will not recognize the CD changer. When I push the CD button...nothing. Just stays in whatever mode it is in (i.e radio, tape, etc.). I know the CD changer works because when I plug in another radio it works (BE1492). When I disconnect the cd changer and press the CD button...it says "none" unlike the one I bought. Can one of you with a 96-98 202 with the OEM radio and no CD Changer see what happens when you press the CD button? Thanks.

[Denlasoul]

What year is your car? What car year did the radio come out of?

It may be possible that the radio could be a fiber optic line and your cd changer uses the old connection.

In this scenario, you would have to have a <98 car with a >98 "new" radio. Basically, non-fiber optic connection vs. fiber optic.

[mbsickness]

Definitely not a fiber optic radio. My car is a 96 and the radio was supposed to have come from a 96 as well.

[Kswiss]

i have a 99 c class and when i had my factory radio and pressed cd player it also said none. If you dont have a FACTORY cd player, then you CANNOT have the option of having the cd play at a push of a button. I had an alpine cd changer and the factory head unit and had to get a fm modulator or something in that nature because the mercedes factory head unit cannot read any other cd players except factory cd player.

[mbsickness]

Kswiss, thanks for the reply...that confirms what I thought....I got a broken radio.

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by Kswiss
I had an alpine cd changer and the factory head unit and had to get a fm modulator or something in that nature because the mercedes factory head unit cannot read any other cd players except factory cd player.

I dont think that is necessarily true. In my old C280 I didnt have the factory changer. I eventually bought an Alpine Changer and it hooked right up to my factory unit. Controls and everything worked just like OEM.

[nokia8860]

Originally posted by Denlasoul
I dont think that is necessarily true. In my old C280 I didnt have the factory changer. I eventually bought an Alpine Changer and it hooked right up to my factory unit. Controls and everything worked just like OEM.

Thats correct. Certain Alpine changers work great with stock headunits. They even have the adaptors for the fiber optic decks.

I wanna figure out if I can put the MP3 changer in and have my stock headunit control it since all conversions are done by the changer.

[mbsickness]

Okay the radio is fine...something is not happening in the adapter.

[Kswiss]

I think with the alpine cd changer i had was so old thats why it wouldn't work. You say it works with your oem headunit. Does that mean when you push the "CD" button...you can actually swtich cd's and swtich songs through the headunit? if you can..you LUCKY SOB!!!!