Discussion
My C32 has got a 10 speaker Bose setup and whenever the weather gets hot (which is pretty much all the time these days) the amp starts playing up after 15 minutes or so and cuts out speakers all over the place.
Once it starts, even turning off the stereo doesn't stop it. It still makes weird noises through the speakers until, presumably, it has cooled down again. The only way to avoid this is to leave the stereo off whenever the weather is hot.
Mercedes answer to this is, as ever, to simply replace the amp. This is an £800 option which I would rather not take. They also said that the amp does more than simply control the speakers so I can't replace it with an aftermarket item. I don't know if that's true or not, I'm simply taking their word for it.
I live in the Portsmouth vicinity and the local Mercedes specialists have never come across it before and can't really advise me. The so called ICE experts in these parts don't fill me with much confidence.
I can't be the first owner to experience this so does anyone out there have any ideas how this can be fixed or know of anyone competent enough to do it?
Once it starts, even turning off the stereo doesn't stop it. It still makes weird noises through the speakers until, presumably, it has cooled down again. The only way to avoid this is to leave the stereo off whenever the weather is hot.
Mercedes answer to this is, as ever, to simply replace the amp. This is an £800 option which I would rather not take. They also said that the amp does more than simply control the speakers so I can't replace it with an aftermarket item. I don't know if that's true or not, I'm simply taking their word for it.
I live in the Portsmouth vicinity and the local Mercedes specialists have never come across it before and can't really advise me. The so called ICE experts in these parts don't fill me with much confidence.
I can't be the first owner to experience this so does anyone out there have any ideas how this can be fixed or know of anyone competent enough to do it?
I'm not that technical but I can at least give my recent experiences of Mercedes and Bose. My recently acquired SLK came with a nasty looking Alpine CD. This had been fitted to replace an original Audio10 cassette.
The car has a Bose upgrade fitted from new - the end result being that not only did the Alpine look nasty - it sounded even worse. The reason is that the Bose operate at different frequencies etc to other mass market systems. I got an Audio10 from Audio10 in Germany and it now sounds brilliant.
So - no, you can't fit any other amplifier based on my experience. I know that some of the Bose do differ through the years. For example there is also the probability of a fibre optic connection or similar.
If the amp is at fault there are a couple of options. Look for someone like audio10 who do the amps (they may be able to tell you where to go - my CD is like new and a third of dealer prices). The other option is to check ebay (or other second hand sources) - right now there is something that may be of interest - £100 for a full system - check the numbers are suitable for your car(item 170509459340).
The car has a Bose upgrade fitted from new - the end result being that not only did the Alpine look nasty - it sounded even worse. The reason is that the Bose operate at different frequencies etc to other mass market systems. I got an Audio10 from Audio10 in Germany and it now sounds brilliant.
So - no, you can't fit any other amplifier based on my experience. I know that some of the Bose do differ through the years. For example there is also the probability of a fibre optic connection or similar.
If the amp is at fault there are a couple of options. Look for someone like audio10 who do the amps (they may be able to tell you where to go - my CD is like new and a third of dealer prices). The other option is to check ebay (or other second hand sources) - right now there is something that may be of interest - £100 for a full system - check the numbers are suitable for your car(item 170509459340).
I am in a similar situation with my Bose samp for the SLK 32. a couple of months ago I lost most of the bass from the rear speakers and it sounds a lot more tinny. Took it to the local ICE specialists who tried to flog me a whole new system. Mercedes quoted me £450 +vat for a new amp ( plus fitting) which I am loathed to pay. Amps when they do come up on ebay tend to be £200-300 and I am a bit wary of paying that for something that may only last 6 months.No-one seems to repair them in UK-I'll check out audio 10 too
I haven't managed to find any amps on Ebay yet but, like you, I'd be wary of spending that kind of money on something with no guarantee of seviceability.
I posted this same question on the MB World forum as well and although I received some helpful responses none have come close to fixing it. One guy did say that he had exactly the same problem and it ended up with his amp bursting into flames!
Needless to say, I'm now looking even harder for a solution.
I'm currently away from home but when I get back on Monday I will contact Audio 10 and see if they can help.
I'll let you know how I get on.
I posted this same question on the MB World forum as well and although I received some helpful responses none have come close to fixing it. One guy did say that he had exactly the same problem and it ended up with his amp bursting into flames!
Needless to say, I'm now looking even harder for a solution.
I'm currently away from home but when I get back on Monday I will contact Audio 10 and see if they can help.
I'll let you know how I get on.
If it's a heat problem, could you relocate the amp to a cooler area? Is it close to the exhaust pipe area? ISTR some parts of my old CLK's audio system were in the base of the rear wings so one item would be fairly close to the backbox. In any case, it's a small, enclosed space and if heat is a problem then it's gonna get hot quickly. Any decent audio pro could rewire things, surely, for a relatively cheap cost. Just a thought.
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