So, just to confirm, simply replacing the audio deck/receiver will improve the sound quality a bit? (At the very least, it would give me the ability to use my iPod with the aux input.)
Just double check if your system is using the M.O.S.T bus, it probably is being a 2003 model.
You cannot just drop in a new head unit in and go as you will not be able to use the M.O.S.T. amp. Basically you have a fibre optic connection between the Becker head unit and the amp which is annoyingly incompatible with non MOST based head units.
If you get a new head unit that isn't MOST based then you either need to wire the speakers directly into the new head unit assuming it has its own amp or get a new amp too.
Anim: Your blog is very helpful. I just wish Becker audio receivers were available in the US. I searched and could not find anything about Becker selling to the US. Appreciate your hard work!
Becker customer service is pretty non existent in my experience. They seem to concentrate on their Traffic Pro kit more than anything these days. Even the Becker Grand Prix stereo is now discontinued but still shown on their website in all its glory but not available to purchase which is annoying.
Apparently their head units are of a very high quality.
Definitely lose the Becker. They're overpriced, unreliable junk. For the cost of a Beckere pretty much anything else would be a better choice. The JVC KD-AHD69 HD Radio I got from Crutchfield for $180 (now $190) is head and shoulders above the factory Becker in every way, and it's possible to set the display color to match the dash lighting. I'm completely satisfied with it.
Regarding the OP who claims the touch screen is a safety hazard, it's as much or more of a hazard to be fiddling with micro-buttons that almost all full-featured head units seem to have. The touch screen is cool, but not something I'd pay a big premium for.