Audio Systems: car radio stopped working, removable face plate, nissan sentra

Question
Hi! all of a sudden my car radio just went out. It seems like it isn't getting any juice because it doesn't even light up .It is a sony cd-radio,3 beam laser pick-up CDX-L350 50w X 4. It has a removable face plate. We checked all the wires and stuff but we really aren't too knowledgable in this area. Is there anything else that I should check? Thanks, debb                                                P.S. It is in a 1996 Nissan sentra but it is not the factory radio.  

Answer
1- you're going to need a volt meter to do anything.
2- you need to check wiring for presence of 12 volts at plug going to stereo.
3- if voltage not found, you probably have a 'fusible link' section of wire designed to burn out if there's a problem. you can get replacement links from auto parts store, but it has to be same ratings so be sure to take a section of bad link with you.
4- if you did find 12 volts present, your stereo is probably blown, and it's always cheaper to replace than repair...