Becker "Pinstripe" radio

[CraigS]

The following are prices for replacement parts for the Becker pinstripe radio aka 108/9 and US 116's.

Pinstripe "dial" EUR 20.00
Station search button  EUR 10.00
Frame (used only) EUR 30 - 50
Knobs Used EUR 6  New EUR 13

[s class]

Craig, you say the pinstripe model is for US cars.  What should the euro 6.9's have?

[CraigS]

Both of my Euro 6.9's have the modern Becker that was delivered on Australian cars - same as Europe. There is a photo of mine here

http://forum.w116.org/interiors-and-exteriors/becker-for-w116/0/

My earliest car is 11.11.76, so the pinstripe one may have been installed prior to that in Europe, but I have only seen them in US cars, or if in Germany, they tend to be US imports.

[s class]

Thanks for that picture Craig.  That's the Becker that I had always thought looks like it belongs in a 116.  I know some people here have maintained that the pinstripe one is more correct.   

Now, in amongst the paperwork I got with the red 6.9, is a manual titled 'Mexico Cassette Vollstereo Reverse 374' , and inside is a picture of a unit like the one in your car.  I don't see this specific model listed though at Konigs classic radio. 

[CraigS]

They don't advertise them for sale but you can be sure they have them. Most of these guys have 4,000 + radios in their stores. They will become collectible at about the same time as the cars do. These were also the last of the non-electronic tuning, so are somewhat collectible in that respect. Here is the US version - the Europa. This was also the most common version in Germany.

http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/Beckerold.html

[Andrew280SEL]

I don't think I have ever seen a Becker in any Benz round here.

Is it that they are so expensive people would take them out in hope of selling them later on?

[Des]

I don't think I have ever seen a Becker in any Benz round here.

Is it that they are so expensive people would take them out in hope of selling them later on?

I have owned 4 benzes and 3 of them came without the correct Becker sound system, my guess is they break or the tape mechanism dies and they are too cheap to have them fixed and they install some ghastly piece of Japanese's rubbish instead.

[Andrew280SEL]

I have owned 4 benzes and 3 of them came without the correct Becker sound system, my guess is they break or the tape mechanism dies and they are too cheap to have them fixed and they install some ghastly piece of Japanese's rubbish instead.

That makes sense.

ALL of the Benzes we have bought have come with some Japanese try-hard looking tape player, which I usually replace with a decent brand CD player of my choice.

[koan]

Looking at the soundlabs web site I suspect upgrading from pinstripe to the later style is only a matter of knobs and faceplate.

Soudlabs have parts for Mexicos, clutches, belts, idlers etc. as well as the faceplates on the shelf in Sydney, as well as the new retro Becker.

The question of which radio is correct depends on what you are used to, neither model is quite right, the old style belongs to a generation earlier but is more in keeping with the rest of the interior than the later 126 style which looks a bit too solid and chunky.

koan

[WGB]

Great site Koan.

I take it the "Pinstripe" was a series of different models eg Mexico or Grand Prix.

What was the difference between the models.

My 6.9 has a restored Pinstripe Mexico with a large amp under the passenger seat, added tweeters and switching and wiring to allow an ipod connection.

The sound quality is reasonable if a bit sudden on the volume control but the Harmon Kardon Logic 7 in my ML 500 is on a totally different planet.

The major reason why most old Mercs never had them was that they were not usually fitted at the factory. The radio was usually dealer fitted and into the early 80's was often very cheap and shoddy. The best you could hope for would be a pre-wire with aerial and speakers although up to the mid 90's the becker and aerial was fitted by the dealer and the hole they made in the rear wing was not even primed in my 126-300SE(Purchased 2 years old in 1989) and 124-E280(Purchased new).

The "correct" Becker for the late '70's as shown in the brochures is the plain black version with the black plate and analogue knobs.

Bill