For the last month or two, the stereo (premium harmon/kardon with 6-disc changer and without COMAND system) in my 04 E320 has been acting strangely. Occasionaly, it would seem to 'crash' like a computer (screen freezes in place, buttons don't respond, etc.). If I restarted the car, sometimes it would fix itself, or sometimes the digital display on the speedo would read 'error communicating with audio system'. Either way, the problem would work itself out after 5 minutes or so.
I of course told my dealer about this last week when the car was in for service, and of course the dealer told me that they checked it out and found no problems (the 'checkout' probably being the service guy switching it on and off twice).
Anyway, yesterday I was driving for about an hour (stereo working fine), then I stopped to run into a deli to get a drink, and when I restarted the car, the stereo system was completely dead. It would not turn on, there was no message on the speedo screen, nothing. Just totally dead. Sometimes, if I pressed the 'power' button, after a couple of seconds the 'Mercedes Benz' screen would appear for a little bit, then just go black again. Sometimes. Beyond, that, absolutely nothing.
Now has anyone heard of this, or experienced similar? What could the problem be? If you have had a similar experience, what was the cause, and how long did it take to fix? I would think that they would just replace the entire unit, especially on a brand new car like this. Do they keep those parts in stock, or is this a special-order-from-Germany situation?
Any help is appreciated.
Thomas Paladino New York City
04 S430 04 E320 99 SLK230 95 S320