Audio Systems: Radio fades out after 30 seconds, mercedes c280, sound fades

Question
Hi Jerry,

I have a 1998 Mercedes C280 with its original radio.  I've had some intermittent problems with it over the last year (described later).  Here is my current problem: when I first start the car and turn on the radio, it seems to be working fine.  After about 30 seconds, however, the sound fades, and it doesn't work again until the next time I start the car.  The radio appears to be correctly receiving signals - it still displays "stereo" when tuned to a station.  It also loads CDs correctly from the trunk-mounted player, so it's able to send signals to it correctly, but like the radio, I don't hear any sound.

Like I mentioned above, I've had some other problems with the radio in the past.  You answered some questions last April.  The first problem was that there was a whine that could be heard when the radio was turned on that changed with acceleration and deceleration.  This changed to a "putt-putt" sound, like a go-kart idling.  You suggested that there could be a problem with the antenna grounds.  The problem self-corrected before I had a chance to bring it in to a mobile audio shop.  A few months after that, for one day whenever I turned on the radio, there was an extremely loud, high-pitched squeal that did not change when I turned the volume up or down.  Again, it went away and never came back.

So, there's been a lot or weird things going on here, and I'm not sure where to trace the problem to.  Any thoughts, and where should I go to get this checked out?

Answer
Hello again,
What you are explaining would seem indicative of what many aging systems do.

It could be anything from the headunit to a simple wiring issue, so it may be worthwhile to have it checked out, 1st.
IMHO, the system should probably be replaced since it is having intermittent problems and is over 6 years old.
Where you have this done is up to you. I could not suggest any particular aftermarket specialty shop, but generically, Circuit City could do this effectively and for a decent price.

I hope this info helps you out, Leland. Older systems are rarely worth repairing.

Sincerely,
Jerry mael