BMW Repair: BMW Speakers, 2002 bmw 330i, bmw 330i

Question
I have a 2002 BMW 330i I don't currently have the VIN. I recently got my car back after being in the bodyshop for almost 2 months. They repaired all of the damages that were done to the car. The people at the collision center said that the battery for the car was unhooked for most of the time that it was there. The car drives fine the only problem that I am having is when the car is parked and I turn off the engine and the speakers for the stereo turn off as well. I look at the radio and it is on only no sound comes out unless the engine is running. What could be the problem and how do I go about fixing it?

Answer
Michele, does the radio function with the key in the first click forward? Second click forward? Cycle the key through the positions. Should operate from first and second clicks forward. This kind of sounds like a bad ground issue. Very often body shops don't realize that when they remove wiring harnesses and components to replace panels that they often paint over the ground holes or studs or leave the grounds off entirely. An electronic or electric components source of ground is just as important as it's source of power (voltage) for proper operation of it's electrical circuit. Loose, dirty, or painted over grounds can cause poor or no operation. If that component can receive a ground through means of another components operating circuit(engine running in your case) then the original component will back feed its ground into the adjacent electrical system which is not good in a big way. Operate all electrical components to see what else doesn't work besides the radio. I'll bet there is a couple other things that don't work when they should. These components will have a common factor (power source or shared ground). Please take the car back to the bodyshop or to a BMW center and call the insurance adjuster.
-Evan