I purchased a 2001 E320 recently, and it came with an Alpine disc changer mounted in the trunk, with a control unit mounted in the glasses compartment directly below the OEM radio. The Alpine changer broadcasts a signal to the radio on the FM band at 88.1 MHZ. I would like to replace the Alpine unit with an OEM changer. When I press the CD button on the radio, I get the message, "No CD CHANGER", so I assume that the radio is capable of talking with a remote changer. Will I find the car pre-wired with power, control and fiber optic cable, ready to plug into an OEM changer? I'm assuming the replacement changer would be mounted in the trunk as well, right? Is there any way of knowing whether the up front control system works before I purchase and install a new OEM changer. (I'm assuming the previous owner installed an after-market changer to save money when the original unit failed, because everything else about the radio and steering wheel interface works... including the cassette player)

Thanks, s.

 

unable to answer all your questions with precision as you've left out important details
such as where you live, which model head unit you have.

for north amercan cars....

it's is almost certain that they all were preconfigured with fiber and power cables into
the left rear of the trunk, behind the trunk liner.

more often than not, it will be easy plug in to the factory installed Audio30

 

The short answer to your question is "yes". In the trunk, left wheel well area, should be an electrical lead. This lead, which was installed at the factory, plugs into an OEM unit. I think there are 2 types of units. I would suggest knowing the plug style of the lead prior to purchasing your OEM unit. I successfully purchased an OEM unit from EBAY and installed myself in about 30 minutes. It is as simple as installing the bracket (this MAY need to be a separate purchase if your OEM unit does NOT come with one) into the pre-configured holes in the wheel well, plug in the lead to the OEM unit, and slide OEM unit into bracket. I would highly suggest that you get the optional OEM cover to keep the CD slide clear of debris. Other than that, get the correct unit for the lead in your car, install the bracket and enjoy.
I'm assuming that the Aftermarket unit that already exists did not cut into the OEM wire that shows itself in the wheel well. If this occurred, all bets are off!