94 530i radio died

[dbag]

My 94 530i radio quit working. I can still enter the sec code and get the tone burst, but NO lights, bells, whistles or most of all... music! Took it to a dealership and the customer service rep briefly looked at it and said my radio simply died. He said he could sell me a $600 replacement radio or I can go to the local audio stores and just by an aftermarket radio. I did some research and am being told that no after market radio will control the perfectly good 6 disk changer(oem) in the trunk and that the amp/wiring/spkrs may not work with an aftermarket either. I found some rebuilt radios from bavarian used parts, but they are from $200-$300. Are there any aftermarket radios that will control my existing factory setup? If not does all the wiring need replacing and amp and cd changer and so on...? Either way its not looking cheap, any suggestions? I am not looking to shake the neighborhood with noise. Just want the quality I had a few weeks ago.

Dan
94 530i

[Kaz]

You hear about people wanting to put aftermarket changers on factory radios, but this is a rarity.

I'd say your best first bet would be to check eBay for a radio that looks the same as yours. I know BMW used a number of different radios during the E34 period, and some have different changer compatibility, so you'd want the exact same one to ensure that the changer will work.

[dbag]

I have been doing some research/poking around and found out both the radio and cd changer in my car are Alpine's. I am going to the local Circuit City tomorrow to find out if the Alpine deck they have will control the changer in the trunk and make sure all works fine. Looks like I can walk out of there spending about $150 and getting a new stereo, vice spending 50 to 200 and getting someones old/stolen/refurbished one off ebay. If it works I will be sure to let you know. If anyone else has tried this, please let me know how it went. The model numbers are: stereo CM5903 / cd changer TR1003.

Dan
94 530i

[KHANE530]

Crutchfield sells radio that will fit perfect in your 530 which is usually better than the oem. Plus on most radio they'll send you a harness that plug right into your factory wiring.

[bimmer dot info]

I put a sony MP3 capible player in my car. Harness adapters from circuit city. Works great.. Only problem is you cant turn the vol up too far because the factory amp is still in place and it dosent usually see nearly the amount of power the sony can put out.
You can fit 5-7 Cds on an MP3 disc with title info and a navigatable directory structure. Plus you can change them on the fly.