What a rip off

[bigasotonuk]

MB explained to me that the refurb set-up process was to eliminate the item from circulation, when I enquired on a price for a gearbox and torque convertor. Whether this could be for the same reasons as the amplifier I'll leave you to decide that.
Regarding BBA reman I have had an item refurbed by them and a friends garage has used them many times without any regret, quick turnaround too.

 

[_Taz_]

There IS a company in Hartlepool that repairs all types of Comand, AGW & other components, a small outfit, but well regarded.

They aren't quick, but they know their stuff & not mega pricey.

I'll dig out the number, as it would have saved me replacing my old AGW which failed ( prob just a duff capacitor ).



damn it, they are mainly Becker agents ( but ould be WORTH calling them ! )

Putnoe Radio Services Ltd
Putnoe House, 12 Clifton Avenu, Hartlepool TS26 9QN

01429 869220

 

[DaveE320CDI]

I was not rubbishing comand on line for there quality of work! but i think £600.00 with only a three month warranty is not good enough! only my thoughts! somebody thats got more money than me, three months would not be a issue, then pay another £600.00, at least paying Mercs £1200.00 you get two years warranty

 

[grober]

How about using one of these? http://www.mobridge.us/compatibility/vehicles/17/13205/13219/13193http://www.mobridge.us/products/most-advanced-digital-analog-pre-amp


and

http://www.mobridge.us/support/guide/14992/14995

the company appear to have a UK agent. http://www.mobridge-ipod.co.uk/

 

[npuk]

Doesnt say it supoorts W221. If it does you still have the hassle of changing the speakers to work with an aftermarket amp as the HK speakers are not a standard resistance.

You could contact HK and ask for the details of authorised repair centres for their car audio products. An aftermarket Harmon Kardon amp doesnt use MOST fibre so they may not be able to test it.

 

[yorkshire1]

Agree in principle, but the design-intent of your home stereo isn't to sit on a running washing machine, or in a damp utility room - hence the usual disclaimers in their paperwork.

For me, especially on a fairly high-end MB of all things, design intent really should expect a life cycle that exceeds 4 yrs at the very least, and that's the way I would push; what supports that argument is the fact they have a refurb set-up in place (even if that is simply returning the unit to HK for diagnostics & repair) - there is clearly an expectation of a significant volume of units needing work.[/QUOTE

quite agree consumer rights and fit for purpose, depends how far you want to push it I suppose should be a winable argument

 

[RUXLEY]

dry joints can be repaired easily with a heat gun , i have fixed countless headunits motherboards etc with a paint stripper gun over the years :lol:

people on youtube have fixed their ps3 by putting the board in the oven for 10 mins :twisted:

 

[cleverdicky]

Yeah I tried that once. Bit of a bodge and didnt work.
For 35 quid you can even get a professional reflow hot air solder gun that is ideal for repair.
But even then the slightest knock or over heating the wrong ic can spell disaster.
re balling a smd and board is not easy or fun.

 

[television]

I hate to think of how many circuit boards that I have re soldered in my life, it takes about 2 hours to do 500 or so joints, a heat gun I would never use.

The snag on this one is we do not know if it is that, there is the audio gateway and other parts, it will be most coupled as an MB option.


I do not see why mercedes cannot release one just to test to see if it is that as so hard without

 

[SteveX]

Harmon Kardon Amplifier does not work anymore!! in a £75,000 car when new, now 4yrs old and 87k miles everything is failing, lost sound on not only radio but satnav,tv stopped working, and dvd nothing!because of the amp failing,whats happening with things with Mercedes nowadays? they used to last seemingly for ever, I could go buy a 1980 ford escort and the radio would still work! but worse still they want £1200 exchange for a replacement, and it seems like a closed shop getting them repaired only mercedes! nobody will touch them even in the electronics trade, totally pi%%ed off with all this but what else do you buy? cheers Dave

Cars in 1980 didn't have fiber optics, satnav, television, dvd players etc etc

Part of the problem with any modern car, especially such a well equiped one is that there are 1000 more things to go wrong to start with

That price seems extortionate though. I would guess google the serial, and if no one else at all does one then your only other option would be the usual auction site to see if one pops up.

 

[television]

Can I ask how it was decided that the amp was at fault. I will print off the ring today and think about it.

 

[lwbnick]

How about the SBC fly-by-wire braking system then? I'd love to meet the bloke who sanctioned that one for inclusion in MB production vehicles. :roll:

Problems have existed for years, E320 104 looms that fall to bits and £2k ECUs that self fry, C180 ECUs that give up, SLK cl pumps that drown and fry, 230 closure pumps that do the same, almost anything with plug on it in a W220 is a problem waiting to happen...

That's why so many MB owners seem to give up and drive Toyotas and superior Vauxhalls.

 

[DaveE320CDI]

Malcolm i am only assuming that the amplifier is at fault here, when i googled the problem it brought up a lot of cases in the US, on there forums and they blamed the amp but only the Harmon Kardon upgrade funnily enough! it seems the standard amp has no problems, and i have been imformed that a w221 owner contacted a Mr Simon Oldfield the director of MB customer care in the UK, and he was aware of the problem with Harmon Kardon amps, Also forgot to mention that i contacted Harmon Kardon direct and they will not get involved because its a Mercedes part, told me to deal with mercedes! seems a bit of a closed shop to me, cheers dave

 

[television]

I have been thinking about other ways to tackle the fault.

If the car had come to me, I would have injected a known signal, then used a scope to trace the sound through the system to see where it stopped, any muting circuit could cause the problem, and muting circuits are pigs to work on, they are used to stop clicks etc when you press another button for a different source. I will print off the ring better tonight and see what is involved.

So much dismantling to get to all the parts. When I was in the business as manufactures service center we had spare boards and modules that customers could try. I see no reason why Mercedes could not have a couple is stock to loan out to see.

 

[V6Matty]

I see no reason why Mercedes could not have a couple is stock to loan out to see.

Simplest answer to your question there Malcolm is cost, most places only carry as much stock as is needed (I know the company i work for does), but i agree with you, it would make it very easy to carry a known good unit to test with and could eliminate anything else.

 

[grober]

The optical link is a continuous loop isn't it- often goes on to cd changer for example and then back to the head unit. If the cd changer is working does that not imply the optical link is OK? Assuming the 12v supply and earthing to the amp is checked as OK it pretty much points to the amp itself surely?
Bearing in mind the costs of repairing a proprietary technology and then still being permanently "in hock" to that flawed technology in the future, maybe my suggestion to opt out and using more industry standard kit makes sense even if you have to replace all the speakers.

 

[Comand]

On a W221 if the amp dies (and they do frequently) then the navigation still works but you get no sound. Its a common fault and we have repaired at least two amps for customers. We cant guarantee to do it but we give it a good try. I do have a spare one on the bench here which we have yet to test.

The fault is characterised by not getting any radio stations to display as the tuner is in the same box!

 

[womble2]

On a W221 if the amp dies (and they do frequently) then the navigation still works but you get no sound. Its a common fault and we have repaired at least two amps for customers. We cant guarantee to do it but we give it a good try. I do have a spare one on the bench here which we have yet to test.

The fault is characterised by not getting any radio stations to display as the tuner is in the same box!

Hello.
I have a 2006 W221 with the same problem. Can you do mine ?
Regards.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Long shot,but it might come off ... this thread stopped in 2013.

 

[womble2]

Long shot,but it might come off ... this thread stopped in 2013.

Opps, just realised, I am sure there are people who can repair these somewhere.
Thaks anyway.