Audio Systems: Car Radio, battery jumper cables, reverse polarity

Question
1999 Toyota Corolla. This is embarrassing. When I went to jumpstart my car, I accidentally hooked up the cable wrong. This resulted in , which melted the negative battery terminal right off the "bad" battery. I've had a new battery and battery terminal installed and the car seems to be running fine. However, the radio no longer works. Can the radio be fixed? or do I have to go and buy a new one?
Thank you


Answer
Mimi,
Most car stereos are protected internally by a reverse polarity diode. When the stereo has reverse polarity as you did when connecting the battery jumper cables the wrong way it may have caused one or both radio fuses to blow out. Check the owners manual to see where the fuses are located and check them out. On some stereos the main power fuse is plugged into the rear of the stereo and you will have to pull the stereo out of the dash to check the fuse. If the fuses are OK you may need to have the stereo serviced. Please contact by direct Email for repair info.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net