Mercedes ML radio silence points to antenna issues

Sounds familiar! I had a similar problem with my ML! Was getting all sorts of crackling and then nothing. Antenna issues are a pain, aren't they? Did your mechanic check the connection to the antenna booster itself? Sometimes it's just a loose wire. Is your car radio completely dead, or just weak signal?

He mentioned something about checking the connection, but I'm not sure if he dug deep. He seemed pretty confident it was a defective antenna. So is it possible just a loose wire is enough to cause such an issue? The radio is completely dead. Like I said, the infotainment system throws an error message.

A loose connection can definitely cause that. But if your mechanic thinks the antenna is defective, he's probably right, especially if the radio is completely dead. The antenna booster is a known culprit for these things. Cost me around 255€ to get it sorted. I'd suggest letting your mechanic have another look. It sounds like you'll need to replace the part anyway.

Okay, thanks for the advice! I appreciate it. I'll let him know to double check the connections just in case, but I think I'm resigned to replacing the antenna. It's booked in for next week. I'll post a resolution after it's fixed, just in case anyone else runs into the same radio interference issue.