How do I tell if my radio is really dead? The other day it came up in safe mode when I started the car. No problem, I entered the code and got her back in action.

A couple of days later, while on the road, it turned off. By grabbing it by the cassette player slot and moving it around a bit, it came back on into safe mode. Got her going again, assumed that I have a loose connection somewhere.

Today, the thing will not power on. I removed it and jiggled all the wires in the harness, and removed and reseated the plugs, with the exception of the brown plug, which has a stripped release tab. But the wires leading into that plug seem to be okay, and I jiggled them, too.

I pulled the 5A fuse on the back of the head unit, and that is fine. I know what a blown fuse looks like, and this one is pristine.

At this point I'm at a loss.

Because the brown plug's release tab is damaged, would it be a good idea to replace the whole wiring harness? Is that even possible as a DIY?

How do I know if the head unit itself is dead? What are my options at this point?

Help!

 

I would suggest going to the junk/salvage yard and get a new radio. That what i did when mines went bad and i got it 60$

 

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...reo/Head_Unit/
enjoy your new $20 radio lol

 

Do a double din upgrade.

 

for a double din aftermarket upgrade id recommend

avh-p3200dvd or BT(blue tooth) tthis is my preference cuz of the front usb and audio jack
or
avh-4200dvd or BT

those are my 2 favorites, they're cheap brand new on ebay, good name brand, and they can have the colors changed to match your stock interior lighting. also on ebay for $68 a full install kit.

morpheous has some vids of his 4200dvd(during and after install) on youtube.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZAAVvVki50

 

ECS has the radios on sale for like $20.

 

Thanks for the all the great advice guys. But what about the wiring harness? As I said, I'm worried that the problem *might* be the harness itself, and not the head unit. Since the brown plug is damaged, is there a way to replace it with a new wiring harness?

Does the "double din upgrade" allow for using a later Symphony head unit that has Sirius Satellite Radio? That's what I really want. Right now, I'm using a Blitzsafe adapter into my Concert radio's CD port and then Using a Sirius Sportster 5.

 

if you go aftermarket like i said, those head units offer XM radio addons.
as for the stock double din replacement i feel you're somehow able to add an Xm reciever to most if not all stock head units one way or another. but im not positive on that.

i am looking to upgrade my symphony am/fm casstte/cd. this one; http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...ereo/ES429216/

to the 3200dvd in the near future, ill have the that sitting around that i can probable let go for cheap, i was hoping 40 but i see ecs is already have it on sale for that so maybe 30 or so, perfect working condition. i dont mind making a short road trip. hwoever, that doesnt answer ur wire harness concern.lol tho my stocks looks better IMHO then a single din.

 

I like the stock look, so the only thing I'm entertaining right now is the double din conversion. But I can't seem to find the parts that I'd need. In this thread https://www.audiforums.com/forum/sho...=136710&page=2 the guy has a pic of all the parts, but he didn't say where he got them.

If I can find the other parts, I may take you up on your offer to sell me your double din head unit.

Otherwise, I'll have to settle for a remanufactured Concert head unit.