Sony Stereo Install W208 CLK

[reggie3cl]

Decided to remove the oem Audio 10 stereo cassette (!) player and fit something I can plug into my wee tablet or my phone in to play music.

I'd had a good experience with a Sony head unit on my last CLK (it destroyed 2 Audio 10 CD players, fortunately while the car was under warranty, gave up in the end and replaced it with aftermarket) so I've gone with that brand again - a DSX - A410BT bluetooth thing. It comes with an adaptor to plug into the original wiring (not the steering controls) which is fine, except that the unit can't be connected in such a way as the ACC position and switched power on the ignition works. OK, not a massive problem as the unit has an auto off, but it isn't ideal. The Sony I had on the old car worked fine, except for the steering controls.

Can anyone point me in the direction of an adaptor cable that will actually work properly?

 

[LostKiwi]

It's a common problem with aftermarket head units. Try swapping the red and yellow (+12v and switched 12v) wires in the adaptor. Check your colour codes are the same!

 

[reggie3cl]

Pretty sure I've done that, but I'll double check tomorrow. Have to find a Din adaptor for the aerial anyway, so it's got to come out again.

Seems to me that the connections in the blocks don't match up - certainly the colours don't. All works though and sounds pretty good.

 

[reggie3cl]

OK, checked the wiring, the unit will only work with the red and yellow connected to the permanent live from the main loom. This seems to be a problem for a great many cars, not just Mercedes, and the only solution seems to be to cut into the cigarette lighter circuit and use that as the switched feed. Reasonably easy I suppose, but a bit gash.

There is a patch lead available which seems to allow the steering wheel controls to work, and perhaps the stereo to function correctly, but it costs more than the head unit did! At least with the Sony it will switch itself off after 30 minutes. Bit rubbish really, and I don't understand why on my same year CLK200K a similar head unit worked fine.

 

[alexanderfoti]

There is no switched 12v available at the existing connectors, as the old Audio 10 was switched on and off with the canbus.

You will need to pull switched 12v from the cig lighter socket and wire that into the switched input on the Sony head unit.

 

[reggie3cl]

Righto, thanks very much for that. Straightforward enough, although still doesn't answer why the Sony on my old CLK worked fine.

 

[alexanderfoti]

Righto, thanks very much for that. Straightforward enough, although still doesn't answer why the Sony on my old CLK worked fine.

If the loom that makes the steering wheel controls works, that must have had a can receiver in fed switched 12v to it.

Without physically seeing the wiring, it's all guesses.

 

[reggie3cl]

Didn't buy the loom for the steering wheel. I may at some stage, but it costs more than the head unit! Am just using the standard adaptor that came with the stereo.