Just installed a Continental Stereo TR7412UB-OR

[2phast]

Not in a W124 though, but this is a solid contender for W124 owners wanted to keep the aesthetics roughly the same as an original radio.

In my case, the factory Becker W210 radio has limited upgradability. Yes, you can spend several hundred dollars and have Becker jimmy a Bluetooth module inside, but my unit also had volume knob issues, so I opted to just replace the unit.

The Continental is by far not a high end head unit, but you do get Bluetooth audio streaming, hands free calling and a USB input for playing music from a USB stick. There is no DSP functionality, limited EQ settings, no low level outputs and from what I can tell, no left/right or front/rear fader controls (I just installed it, so maybe I am missing some hidden menu for these, but did not see it in the owners manual).

The Continental has some other interesting features like a logic mode, which can be toggled on/off. If on, it will allow you to play the radio for 1 hour with the key off. Sadly, there is no dimmer for the amber illumination, at least not on this model, some of the Continental models do have that feature and some have DaB.

For my W210 (with Bose), it was almost a plug and play install, EXCEPT, the constant 12 volt and switched 12 volt are reversed in the vehicle wiring harness. So that requires partial disassembly of the factory plug, so you can use pin extractors to swap the wiring around. You could cut/splice, but the switched 12 volt is a thicker gauge than the constant, so I wouldn't recommend that option. Hard to say if that is an issue on the W124, but its worth mentioning.
Moderator edit: The same issue applies to all 124 chassis, the battery & switched 12v leads are backwards, and must be reversed as described above.

The unit I purchased came with new wiring harness's ready to splice into the vehicle wiring (I did not use) and two adapters that plug into the rear of the radio, one for steering wheel controls (thats an optional item) and one for an external microphone for hands free calling. The Continental radio does have a microphone on its faceplate, so you don't really need the external microphone (a external microphone is also included).

Also, while the Continental sleeve fits in the W210 original opening, the radio itself will not slide into the sleeve. The locking tabs of the sleeve are blocked by the plastic surrounding the opening. So you either go into the opening with a rotary tool and cut away some of the plastic, or you slide the radio into the sleeve and insert the sleeve into opening. The latter does not give you any security though, as the whole assembly will just slide right out again.

YouTube review here

 

[Jlaa]

Not in a W124 though, but this is a solid contender for W124 owners wanted to keep the aesthetics roughly the same as an original radio.

In my case, the factory Becker W210 radio has limited upgradability. Yes, you can spend several hundred dollars and have Becker jimmy a Bluetooth module inside, but my unit also had volume knob issues, so I opted to just replace the unit.

The Continental is by far not a high end head unit, but you do get Bluetooth audio streaming, hands free calling and a USB input for playing music from a USB stick. There is no DSP functionality, limited EQ settings, no low level outputs and from what I can tell, no left/right or front/rear fader controls (I just installed it, so maybe I am missing some hidden menu for these, but did not see it in the owners manual).

The Continental has some other interesting features like a logic mode, which can be toggled on/off. If on, it will allow you to play the radio for 1 hour with the key off. Sadly, there is no dimmer for the amber illumination, at least not on this model, some of the Continental models do have that feature and some have DaB.

For my W210 (with Bose), it was almost a plug and play install, EXCEPT, the constant 12 volt and switched 12 volt are reversed in the vehicle wiring harness. So that requires partial disassembly of the factory plug, so you can use pin extractors to swap the wiring around. You could cut/splice, but the switched 12 volt is a thicker gauge than the constant, so I wouldn't recommend that option. Hard to say if that is an issue on the W124, but its worth mentioning.

The unit I purchased came with new wiring harness's ready to splice into the vehicle wiring (I did not use) and two adapters that plug into the rear of the radio, one for steering wheel controls (thats an optional item) and one for an external microphone for hands free calling. The Continental radio does have a microphone on its faceplate, so you don't really need the external microphone (a external microphone is also included).

Also, while the Continental sleeve fits in the W210 original opening, the radio itself will not slide into the sleeve. The locking tabs of the sleeve are blocked by the plastic surrounding the opening. So you either go into the opening with a rotary tool and cut away some of the plastic, or you slide the radio into the sleeve and insert the sleeve into opening. The latter does not give you any security though, as the whole assembly will just slide right out again.

YouTube review here

Nice! BTW I installed one in my 210 last winter and ran into the same cage issues that you ran into. As well, press the SEL button followed by FWD / BACK to get to the fader and balance controls.

The lighting does not exactly match the 210 HVAC panel, but if you swap out the bulb in the HVAC panel to an orange LED you can get a perfect match. Since the center console reads visually as a separate massing from the instrument cluster, the resultant slight mismatch in lighting color between the IC and center console goes unnoticed in day to day usage.

The SWRC steering wheel resistive controls use resistive values that I could not get working. I tried both a Metra Axxess and a PAC SWI-CP5 — both of these could register CAN Hi / Lo button presses from my steering wheel and could control an aftermarket Alpine HU, but could not control the Continental.

 

[2phast]

Thanks for the tips. Figured I was missing something for the balance/fader controls. Menu system is not user friendly.

If Continental can implement Logic in the unit, then they should of added an additional Logic option to swap the constant 12 v and switched 12 volt. Fighting with that OEM connector was crazy, you just can't release/remove those pins without taking the connector apart.

I may upgrade the bulb in the climate control, it definitely looks better.

 

[LWB250]

I've been a fan of the Continental units since they came out. I haven't put one in a W210, but I have done W124s and W126s, encountering the "sleeve" issue (grr) but really enjoyed the correct "period" look they have. Not the finest in car stereo, but more than passing and with the added modern functionality they add they're a great vlue, I think.

Now if I can figure out how to do an aftermarket head unit in my 2003 W211 so Mrs. Dan get a backup camera... @2phast did make some suggestions when I asked if they made one of their cool rearview mirrors for a W211. Still haven't convinced myself to carve up the existing telematics...

Dan

 

[T0Pnotch55]

hi everyone, i just got the Continental head unit, how did you connect the radio to the stock wires? did you use any kind of adapter?

 

[T0Pnotch55]

also im installing the radio in my 1993 500E and i have a problem, there are 2 pins on the bottom/top of ashtray, to remove the old radio you have to remove the ash tray to relis the pins, so i did that but mow this radio wont fit because of those pins, what did you guys do about that?

 

[gsxr]

also im installing the radio in my 1993 500E and i have a problem, there are 2 pins on the bottom/top of ashtray, to remove the old radio you have to remove the ash tray to relis the pins, so i did that but mow this radio wont fit because of those pins, what did you guys do about that?

This Conti radio IS NOT plug+play in a USA-spec 1993 500E. Nothing is plug+play to replace your existing Becker 1432 head unit.

 

[T0Pnotch55]

this is the adapter harnes i found, a guy on youtube used this one but its only half plug and play, one connector works tge ither one doesn’t match, and also on the connector for speakers there are only 2 wires wich doesn’t make, sens

 

[gsxr]

There's no adapter that I'm aware of which will make a "normal" head unit work in place of a 1432.

The 1432 sends line-level signals only to the remote tuner/amp in the trunk.

The 1492 (and Conti) only have speaker-level outputs.

Apples & oranges. If the adapter shown above actually works, I'll be shocked.

 

[T0Pnotch55]

no it doesn’t work, only power works, is there anything i can do to make it work?

 

[gsxr]

no it doesn’t work, only power works, is there anything i can do to make it work?

I don't think so. Replacing the 1432 head unit requires either replacing a LOT of the rest of the audio system, or getting creative to send line-level outputs to the factory amps in the trunk. Search the forum for details about upgrading the 1432. It's not for the faint of heart (sorry).

 

[alabbasi]

I installed this unit in my 98 SL500. If you have the later style Becker (Alpine??) radio that looks like the one below [with rotary volume knob, not rocker/toggle bar], installation is pretty much plug and play. The only thing you have to do is de-pin the ignition live and permanent live and reverse them so that the radio can maintain the memory presets.

If it's the older version [without rotary volume knob], differ to @gsxr

 

[gsxr]

Yup! The head units with rotary volume knob are 1492/1692, and those are plug+play to upgrade to the Conti or TrafficPro with no adapter harness needed (or, most other head units with an adapter harness). These units are found on most/all Mercedes from USA 1994 model year through the late 90's / early 00's.

The Becker 1432 with rocker/toggle bar volume control was ONLY used from 1991-1993 USA model years, and is a nightmare to upgrade, because of the aforementioned tunk-mounted tuner+amplifiers.

 

[T0Pnotch55]

I don't think so. Replacing the 1432 head unit requires either replacing a LOT of the rest of the audio system, or getting creative to send line-level outputs to the factory amps in the trunk. Search the forum for details about upgrading the 1432. It's not for the faint of heart (sorry).

got it, thank you very much

 

[T0Pnotch55]

The Becker 1432 with rocker/toggle bar volume control was ONLY used from 1991-1993 USA model years, and is a nightmare to upgrade, because of the aforementioned tunk-mounted tuner+amplifiers.

so basically in my situation i will have to re wire all the sound system to upgrade the backer 1432

 

[gsxr]

so basically in my situation i will have to re wire all the sound system to upgrade the backer 1432

Sort of. I think you can use a new head unit with line-out capability, and route this into the factory amp/tuner package in the trunk, retaining the rest of the factory system. However, I can't recall what exactly needs to be done to make this work. Search the forum for old threads, I believe this was discussed in the past? Sample post here where @Jlaa connected the 1432 to aftermarket amps & speakers (opposite of what you want) but I think the reverse can be done also.

The other option is tossing the entire factory audio system and installing aftermarket amplifiers & speakers ($$$$). This requires a head unit with line-out capability (RCA jack outputs). An amplifier with built-in DSP is highly recommended to allow tuning for the car's interior (details here). And if you're going this far, shell out for the Jehnert doorboards as well to get decent midbass up front. Ballpark could be $2k-$4k in equipment, plus labor to install at a shop that really knows what they're doing, if you aren't DIY'ing it. Note that Jlaa noted the stock amps/speakers don't sound that great (link, post 1) compared to a full aftermarket setup with DSP.

@Jlaa - I can't seem to find the thread where you shared details on your DSP amps, Jehnert doorboards, and Focal speakers. Got a link?

 

[Jlaa]

Sort of. I think you can use a new head unit with line-out capability, and route this into the factory amp/tuner package in the trunk, retaining the rest of the factory system. However, I can't recall what exactly needs to be done to make this work. Search the forum for old threads, I believe this was discussed in the past? Sample post here where @Jlaa connected the 1432 to aftermarket amps & speakers (opposite of what you want) but I think the reverse can be done also.

The other option is tossing the entire factory audio system and installing aftermarket amplifiers & speakers ($$$$). This requires a head unit with line-out capability (RCA jack outputs). An amplifier with built-in DSP is highly recommended to allow tuning for the car's interior (details here). And if you're going this far, shell out for the Jehnert doorboards as well to get decent midbass up front. Ballpark could be $2k-$4k in equipment, plus labor to install at a shop that really knows what they're doing, if you aren't DIY'ing it. Note that Jlaa noted the stock amps/speakers don't sound that great (link, post 1) compared to a full aftermarket setup with DSP.

@Jlaa - I can't seem to find the thread where you shared details on your DSP amps, Jehnert doorboards, and Focal speakers. Got a link?

Yessir @T0Pnotch55 @gsxr -

Fast Tracking this topic ---- to get CD source / Bluetooth source working on the BE1432 - see here: How to add a good Alpine 6 CD changer to your Becker 1432 without rewiring ANYTHING | In-Car Entertainment (ICE). This is the "old way".

The "new way" - contact @niz93. Vladislav from Sochi had reverse engineered the whole comms protocol and made his own CD changer emulator w Bluetooth for the BE1432. He posted a while ago about this project here on this board : How to add a good Alpine 6 CD changer to your Becker 1432 without rewiring ANYTHING | In-Car Entertainment (ICE)

I haven't heard from Vladislav recently though so if you make contact please report back! I would love to learn more about his product.

To get line out from a 1432 equipped w124 with the "sound system" package (2 amps in the trunk) -- see the blue here to intercept line-out and feed into aftermarket amplifiers of your choice:

 

[T0Pnotch55]

Sort of. I think you can use a new head unit with line-out capability, and route this into the factory amp/tuner package in the trunk, retaining the rest of the factory system. However, I can't recall what exactly needs to be done to make this work. Search the forum for old threads, I believe this was discussed in the past? Sample post here where @Jlaa connected the 1432 to aftermarket amps & speakers (opposite of what you want) but I think the reverse can be done also.

The other option is tossing the entire factory audio system and installing aftermarket amplifiers & speakers ($$$$). This requires a head unit with line-out capability (RCA jack outputs). An amplifier with built-in DSP is highly recommended to allow tuning for the car's interior (details here). And if you're going this far, shell out for the Jehnert doorboards as well to get decent midbass up front. Ballpark could be $2k-$4k in equipment, plus labor to install at a shop that really knows what they're doing, if you aren't DIY'ing it. Note that Jlaa noted the stock amps/speakers don't sound that great (link, post 1) compared to a full aftermarket setup with DSP.

@Jlaa - I can't seem to find the thread where you shared details on your DSP amps, Jehnert doorboards, and Focal speakers. Got a link?

got it, thank you very much, ill see wich rout ill go

 

[gsxr]

To get line out from a 1432 equipped w124 with the "sound system" package (2 amps in the trunk) -- see the blue here to intercept line-out and feed into aftermarket amplifiers of your choice:

@Jlaa, have we documented the reverse somewhere on the forum? Specifically, how to replace the 1432 with a newfangled Blueteeth MP3 playa, and route the line-out signals from the newfangled HU to the stock remote tuner/preamp/amplifiers in the trunk? I'm pretty sure this can be done, but can't recall a thread with clear instructions.

 

[Jlaa]

@Jlaa, have we documented the reverse somewhere on the forum? Specifically, how to replace the 1432 with a newfangled Blueteeth MP3 playa, and route the line-out signals from the newfangled HU to the stock remote tuner/preamp/amplifiers in the trunk? I'm pretty sure this can be done, but can't recall a thread with clear instructions.

I don't think so. I personally have never replaced the 1432. :-(.

 

[duuder]

the Jehnert doorboards are great if you dont need subs, if you do subs you can squeeze a larger midsize speaker in the doorboard to balance out the sound

 

[Jouser]

Nice! BTW I installed one in my 210 last winter and ran into the same cage issues that you ran into. As well, press the SEL button followed by FWD / BACK to get to the fader and balance controls.

The lighting does not exactly match the 210 HVAC panel, but if you swap out the bulb in the HVAC panel to an orange LED you can get a perfect match. Since the center console reads visually as a separate massing from the instrument cluster, the resultant slight mismatch in lighting color between the IC and center console goes unnoticed in day to day usage.

The SWRC steering wheel resistive controls use resistive values that I could not get working. I tried both a Metra Axxess and a PAC SWI-CP5 — both of these could register CAN Hi / Lo button presses from my steering wheel and could control an aftermarket Alpine HU, but could not control the Continental.

Just put this radio on my trusty 95 E300D:

Continental issued a firmware revision (starting around mid-2023, “Rev C”) that:

1. Removed the internal tone-control menu — those settings were part of the older DSP chip used in earlier runs.
2. Replaced them with a simple EQ ON/OFF toggle, which just activates a flat “loudness curve” preset.
3. Delegated all fine audio adjustment to the connected device’s Bluetooth audio profile (your iPhone, Android, etc.).

On mid 2023 models onwards for Continental TR7412UB-OR, there is no way to adjust bass, treble, balance, or fader directly from the radio itself — those features were removed from the firmware. The audio shaping must come from your phone’s EQ or an external processor.

TLDR:

Mid 2023 and onward years of TR7412UB ships with pre-balanced, neutral audio settings.

“EQ ON” just adds a light loudness contour; otherwise, it’s designed to sound clean and even without user adjustment.

 

[gsxr]

Eliminating tone controls seems like a pretty lame way to reduce cost. How many pennies are they saving? Who uses tone controls on their phone?

 

[JC220]

I went with one of these for my 2.5-16



Retro looks and Blaupunkt is what was dealer installed in our market. Full DAB, bluetooth streaming etc

 

[doolar]

I went with one of these for my 2.5-16

View attachment 227363

Retro looks and Blaupunkt is what was dealer installed in our market. Full DAB, bluetooth streaming etc

Let us know how you like it if you don’t mind Joe. I’ve heard several stories about the new Blaupunkts being a bit crap. Bad sound, bad reception etc. They are priced at the upper end, so I expect top quality for €500 for the Frankfurt I’ve been thinking of, but not taken the plunge due to what I’ve read. I really hope it is a good unit!

Pioneer just released their first offering into the top end retro styled HU’s with the beautifully named SXT-C10PS, and it comes stacked with features and hopefully good quality and sound for about the same amount of cash.



I’ve ordered it and will evaluate when it arrives, I’ve been very happy with Pioneer in the past. I’m redoing the sound in my 036 and I hope this HU is a good one.

Now I’m only waiting for Alpine to wake up.

 

[Jlaa]

Just put this radio on my trusty 95 E300D:

Continental issued a firmware revision (starting around mid-2023, “Rev C”) that:

1. Removed the internal tone-control menu — those settings were part of the older DSP chip used in earlier runs.
2. Replaced them with a simple EQ ON/OFF toggle, which just activates a flat “loudness curve” preset.
3. Delegated all fine audio adjustment to the connected device’s Bluetooth audio profile (your iPhone, Android, etc.).

On mid 2023 models onwards for Continental TR7412UB-OR, there is no way to adjust bass, treble, balance, or fader directly from the radio itself — those features were removed from the firmware. The audio shaping must come from your phone’s EQ or an external processor.

TLDR:

Mid 2023 and onward years of TR7412UB ships with pre-balanced, neutral audio settings.

“EQ ON” just adds a light loudness contour; otherwise, it’s designed to sound clean and even without user adjustment.

Thanks for reporting this. That's kinda lame. The headunit wasn't exactly feature rich to begin with.

 

[JC220]

Let us know how you like it if you don’t mind Joe. I’ve heard several stories about the new Blaupunkts being a bit crap. Bad sound, bad reception etc. They are priced at the upper end, so I expect top quality for €500 for the Frankfurt I’ve been thinking of, but not taken the plunge due to what I’ve read. I really hope it is a good unit!

I'm not sure where you are seeing these bad reviews, when I check amazon etc its mostly all 5 star reviews of the modern retro Blaupunkt head units. Poor dab reception may also point to a poor antenna.

This one was also on amazon UK for £169 but the rrp is £350+ and most selling platforms are asking that as you say. I will be getting a Bremen for my 500E and possibly more.

I have rewired my 2.5-16 with all new quality speaker cable. The rear parcel shelf was already cut for speakers before so I didnt feel too bad installing Pioneer 3 way 6x9 at the rear. New kicker 4 inch 2 way speakers to replace the front dash items and a pinoneer compact below seat active sub woofer (good used on the sub)

I tested the system and it sounded great to me



Bluetooth streaming and calls worked as expected. Now I can button up the dashboard etc.

Note I am no car audio expert but having owned and driven alot of cars I believe I have a relatively decent ear for sound quality in a car. These upgrades have transformed my 190e audio quality

 

[doolar]

I'm not sure where you are seeing these bad reviews, when I check amazon etc its mostly all 5 star reviews of the modern retro Blaupunkt head units. Poor dab reception may also point to a poor antenna.

I have rewired my 2.5-16 with all new quality speaker cable. The rear parcel shelf was already cut for speakers before so I didnt feel too bad installing Pioneer 3 way 6x9 at the rear. New kicker 4 inch 2 way speakers to replace the front dash items and a pinoneer compact below seat active sub woofer (good used on the sub)

I tested the system and it sounded great to me

View attachment 227472View attachment 227473

Bkuetooth streaming and calls worked as expected. No I can button up the dashboard etc.

Note I am no car audio expert but having owned and driven alot of cars I believe I have a relatively decent ear for sound quality in a car. These upgrades have transformed my 190e audio quality

That’s why I hoped for your view on it. People are strange on the internet and the rumour mill is ruthless. The Frankfurt is a perfect period correct HU for my 1993 car and I really like how it looks.

So if I’m not very happy with the Pioneer I’ll send it back for a Frankfurt instead.

Thank you

 

[Jouser]

Not in a W124 though, but this is a solid contender for W124 owners wanted to keep the aesthetics roughly the same as an original radio.

In my case, the factory Becker W210 radio has limited upgradability. Yes, you can spend several hundred dollars and have Becker jimmy a Bluetooth module inside, but my unit also had volume knob issues, so I opted to just replace the unit.

The Continental is by far not a high end head unit, but you do get Bluetooth audio streaming, hands free calling and a USB input for playing music from a USB stick. There is no DSP functionality, limited EQ settings, no low level outputs and from what I can tell, no left/right or front/rear fader controls (I just installed it, so maybe I am missing some hidden menu for these, but did not see it in the owners manual).

The Continental has some other interesting features like a logic mode, which can be toggled on/off. If on, it will allow you to play the radio for 1 hour with the key off. Sadly, there is no dimmer for the amber illumination, at least not on this model, some of the Continental models do have that feature and some have DaB.

For my W210 (with Bose), it was almost a plug and play install, EXCEPT, the constant 12 volt and switched 12 volt are reversed in the vehicle wiring harness. So that requires partial disassembly of the factory plug, so you can use pin extractors to swap the wiring around. You could cut/splice, but the switched 12 volt is a thicker gauge than the constant, so I wouldn't recommend that option. Hard to say if that is an issue on the W124, but its worth mentioning.
Moderator edit: The same issue applies to all 124 chassis, the battery & switched 12v leads are backwards, and must be reversed as described above.

The unit I purchased came with new wiring harness's ready to splice into the vehicle wiring (I did not use) and two adapters that plug into the rear of the radio, one for steering wheel controls (thats an optional item) and one for an external microphone for hands free calling. The Continental radio does have a microphone on its faceplate, so you don't really need the external microphone (a external microphone is also included).

Also, while the Continental sleeve fits in the W210 original opening, the radio itself will not slide into the sleeve. The locking tabs of the sleeve are blocked by the plastic surrounding the opening. So you either go into the opening with a rotary tool and cut away some of the plastic, or you slide the radio into the sleeve and insert the sleeve into opening. The latter does not give you any security though, as the whole assembly will just slide right out again.

YouTube review here

I had a local radio shop in Fremont install the radio for me and I thought they did a good job, but the logic feature did not work for me, it turns out that they did not swap the pins 4 and 7.

I took the car back and I asked that they swapped the pins and I found out that they only swapped the wires for pins four and seven… The radio seemed to turn on and off while I would drive, causing the antenna to partially go up and partially go down with the “intermittent” power

I took the car back and asked them to go back to whatever they had originally and so far so good - however, I still do not have the logic feature.

Is anyone able to confirm the findings on this and verify that the only way the logic feature will work -(being able to turn my radio on and off without the car running, have the clock work as intended, and have the radio turn on automatically when I start the car - assuming it was shut off with the radio on) is if I physically remove the Mercedes plug metal pins and swap (4 and 7)?

 

[Jouser]

I had a local radio shop in Fremont install the radio for me and I thought they did a good job, but the logic feature did not work for me, it turns out that they did not swap the pins 4 and 7.

I took the car back and I asked that they swapped the pins and I found out that they only swapped the wires for pins four and seven… The radio seemed to turn on and off while I would drive, causing the antenna to partially go up and partially go down with the “intermittent” power

I took the car back and asked them to go back to whatever they had originally and so far so good - however, I still do not have the logic feature.

Is anyone able to confirm the findings on this and verify that the only way the logic feature will work -(being able to turn my radio on and off without the car running, have the clock work as intended, and have the radio turn on automatically when I start the car - assuming it was shut off with the radio on) is if I physically remove the Mercedes plug metal pins and swap (4 and 7)?

UPDATE: I had some time to visit “Jeremy the Senior” @jeremynichols today and he took a second look at my radio.

It turns out that swapping the pins vs just interchanging wires is the same thing, and should not matter.

The bad news: instead of swapping pins 4 and 7 per my request, the shop swapped pins 4 and 1. Which is what caused my issue (prior to reversal)

The good news: Jeremy and I properly swapped wires 4 and 7 - now I have the logic feature and am 99% happy. The clock still doesn’t hold the time correctly…

Oh well, just wanted to report this to prevent anyone else from scratching their heads too hard, like I did.

 

[gsxr]

Hrmmm. If the clock resets every time the ignition is switched off, that sounds like the two 12v leads are backwards... strange.

A4 should be switched, A7 should be hot at all times.

https://www.continental-aftermarket.com/media/5740/tr7412ub-or-owners-manual.pdf

 

[JC220]

UPDATE: I had some time to visit “Jeremy the Senior” @jeremynichols today and he took a second look at my radio.

It turns out that swapping the pins vs just interchanging wires is the same thing, and should not matter.

The bad news: instead of swapping pins 4 and 7 per my request, the shop swapped pins 4 and 1. Which is what caused my issue (prior to reversal)

The good news: Jeremy and I properly swapped wires 4 and 7 - now I have the logic feature and am 99% happy. The clock still doesn’t hold the time correctly…

Oh well, just wanted to report this to prevent anyone else from scratching their heads too hard, like I did.

Hrmmm. If the clock resets every time the ignition is switched off, that sounds like the two 12v leads are backwards... strange.

A4 should be switched, A7 should be hot at all times.

https://www.continental-aftermarket.com/media/5740/tr7412ub-or-owners-manual.pdf

View attachment 227698

Radio wiring is very simple to test. Just get yourself a 12v test lamp, or better yet a power probe and use a diagram for the headunit to test all the inputs. (Don't assume that all wires are currently correct)