Infuriating Electrical/Radion problem

[Newbie]

My sister has a 1998 A160 and it has developed a REALLY infuriating fault that nobody seems able to fix.

Perisodically the radio starts to behave oddly, e.g. won't switch off or won't switch on, display does odd things etc, then after a day or two of this the battery goes flat. If you disconnect the battery the radio seems to reset itself and behaves normally for a few days then the whole cycle starts again.

It's been into garages several times, both MB and independents and they can't work out what it is, any ideas?

 

[jberks]

Is it an Audio10?
If so, all I can say is that mine did this too.
I never left it for long as I figured (correctly apparently) that it would drag the battery down, so I pulled the fuse for a couple of seconds to reset it. Not sure what caused it, but I assumed that unit is prone to power fluctuations or possibly even thunder storms.

The E class I had this on was a pain as the fuse was under the back seat, which meant removing it to reset the radio. I assume it's easier to access on an A class. All I can suggest is checking the battery and alternator to ensure there are no power spikes running through the car and voltages are correct. Other than that, mine only did it 2-3 times over the 5 years, if its more regular then either replace the unit (ebay?) or perhaps have a switch installed (easy £5 job) to cut the main power feed. Then when it does it, flick the switch and all's fine again. All depends on how regular it is.

 

[television]

Welcome Newbie, Sadly I do not think that we will much help, the fault is Can Bus related, this will be on the Can Bus interior. I would ask MB to do a fault code check out of the interior CAN BUS, it is often the case that the fault is instigated by locking the car. Sorry I cant help more.

Malcolm