I can't for the life of me figure out what happened to my radio.

The display on the speedo is off completely, but the backlighting around the volume ****, CD player, and audio controls (on the speedo) are all lit.

Any suggestions on what to try or check next?

 

Lighting is on a separate circuit from the actual audio electronics, so the condition you see is possible. If you haven't checked it, there is a fuse at the back of the radio.

 

Checked that one too, looks good. This is very strange...

 

Re-checked all the fuses again, still no luck. Could I have fried the radio?

 

Did it stop working after some action or event?

Check if power is actually going to the radio. Power should be at pin 15 of the 16 pin connector on the radio (the one with blade contacts). Study the wiring diagrams: http://www.bmw-planet.com/diagrams/release/en/index.htm

 

So basically I removed the original speedo to test the nav speedo I bougth on ebay (not ready to install, but wanted to verify it would power on). Once I swapped back and got all the original parts put back together, the radio wouldn't turn on.

What confuses me is how I could have fried the radio without having blown any fuses...

 

Eh, just ordered a replacement on eBay for less than $100. Even if it turns out I didn't fry it, it will be nice to have an extra for spare parts (or if I in fact do fry it later).

Thanks for nothing you stupid fuses!