After spending $600 of service on a 2003 Mercedes E320, the radio command center start to acting up. It will shut down itself while driving. Turn back on, and shut down itself again. Mercedes of bellevue insist this is out of warranty service. The radio was fine before service D., and now they expect us to pay extra 3 hours for testing radio?

- Bellevue, WA, USA

This is the biggest secret kept by Mercedes Benz on the new body style of the 2003, E-class cars complete fiber optics failure in the car begins in the car at 89 degrees F, this will be demonstrated by the audio system rapidly skipping from cd to cd in the 6 cd changer, and then the volume in the audio system will become uncontrollable for 15 minutes or longer. The volume will turn to maximum volume on its own and stay there until you turn the car off, if you are driving and do not turn the car off, the volume level will stay at maximum volume for 15 minutes or more, then lower itself down during a 20 second interval to a muted state, the audio system will turn itself off. Then, turn itself back on, to full volume and repeat the cycle. During this entire time, the person in the car will hear a very load popping noise in the speakers, in addition to any of the music blasting from the stereo system. If you turn the car off and leave it for several hours and allow it to cool down. This will not occur again, until the stereo heats up again. After replacing my cd system multiple times, Mercedes replace my rear computer twice and my main front computer once, then built a fan to cool the fiber optics system. However, this fan is only installed to Mercedes owners who repeatedly complain about fiber optics failures and uncontrollable volume on their stereos while driving. This is a well documented problem on all Mercedes complaint website, however people are unaware that it is caused by an overheating of the fiber optics systems at 92 degrees. It appears that the majority of dealerships repeatedly replace the cd system for customers because they are unaware of the defective fiber optics system in the 2003 E-class Mercedes.

- Dallas, TX, USA