A Case of the Headend Switching Itself on...

Tell · Dec 24, 2007

Given that this has been a reported issue, mine had decided after three years that in really cold weather, like -6'C that it should play music to itself all night for company. Bit annoying getting back to the car and you find that it's been having a party and the MD that you left it on is played and it's onto the Rai disc through some electro tango and you have missed it all.

One theory is it's the battery since the clock also changed but then it's done it when that hasn't occurred. Those nice Seat engineers in the garage re-programmed the car as well at the last service so may be perhaps something to do with that... but then it also went into party mode, it signals that it's going to change CD [read as MD], that there is an error, or it can't change it. The partner witnessed it turning itself on in the car by itself when I nipped out. So perhaps the headend, or the switching box or the MD changer doesn't like the cold - another theory. Dampness in the works somewhere caused by condensation may be.

Where is Klawit with his learned information from the German Altea site I wonder ?.

So when it was garaged at 15'C for a couple of nights it was fine, back out in the cold at Luxembourg problem back, ditto in Dunkirk, back home not so cold at it was fine.

Ideas.... :shrug:

I'm not terribly worried if it fixes itself. I suspect that it's all the same problem that has been reported in the past.

klawit · Dec 25, 2007

Sorry, that I couldn't answer your post yesterday ...

... hope you're having a wonderful Christmas time as well ...

The "automatic radio" problem is bothering us in our german board in fact since 2005 already.

But, after a long time of speculations (CD in/out, temperature, even insects etc.) there were two serious hints, that lead to results:

1) The headunit itself was replaced (as long as under warranty, even SEAT/Blaupunkt accepted the faulty behaviour as a reason, thus I think the bug really was kinda "built-in").

2) Several users reported, a faulty ignition lock was located to be responsible for the malfunction. After changing the lock, the nights became quiet again.

Have a Merry Christmas ... and a Happy New Year

cheers ... Klaus

Tell · Dec 26, 2007

Thanks for the Xmas tideing Klawit.... the switching on one, is one to ponder and thanks for your two suggestions from the German board. I'm still stumped, it did it twice tonight, it isn't freezing but there is high condensation.

I've taken out the md's now frothe changer, put it on radio and turned the volume down. I'll check for any loose connections on the back od the MD head unit tomorrow but failing that it looks either to the changer, the convertor changer box, the head unit or the ignition switch... or even that software upgrade perhaps. So nights are still not silent !. I'll keep you informed.

Tell · Dec 27, 2007

I un- plugged the MD changer and plugged back in.... all has been fine for 30 hours, so may be a connection issue with these headends being 'live' even when powered down so they burst into life if other components 'wobble' the line [the cd bus].... theory

aceman · Dec 30, 2007

Philofcas mentioned he experienced this problem a while ago and he attributed the problem to a stiff volume control that was half depressed and causing the head unit to intermittantly turn on. All he did was pull off the knob give it a clean and refitted it and checked that it free to rotate and the push on/off function was free to move also, he didn't have a problem again after that. He also noted how free my knob (ooh err) was to rotate compared to his and thought maybe many people don't realise how free it should be.

Maybe a long shot but with the cold weather and all maybe the button part of the control has seized slightly causing the switch to be almost depressed, worth checking before going down the replacement head unit route !!

Tell · Dec 30, 2007

Thanks Aceman... I'm holding on the headend replacement one. So far so good after I disconnected the MD Changer and plugged it back in, but saying that it has warmed up a bit. I now leave it set to the radio with the volume down so at least it won't drain the battery as much or make a noise if it goes wrong and then I check it, but as said it seems fixed at the minute.

Oh I should mention as a counter thing to what you suggested the MD changer via the headend or the headend, one of the two or the box in between does flash up loading CD, loading CD when it's having these issues when turned on, so I don't think it's the main switch. I put it down to control signals being pushed down the 'bus' which runs from the MD Changer to the switching box which changes the Sony messages into the Blaukpoint ones, but I could be wrong. I did have mother's fat labby dancing in the back of the boot going to the vet which may have a bearing on it since the cables could have got crushed, the MOT inspection may have disturbed stuff by pulling panels out round the cable run, or dampness or the reprogramming of the car by the dealer.

I reckon the headend is 'live' to take the reversing parking sensor signals even when switched 'off' so my theory which could be wrong, is crap on the bus causes the headend to dance into life. That's what it was doing when it switched itself on saying CD changer error, CD changer error etc and it was doing this whilst running down the road on the fain full days.

PhilOfCas · Dec 31, 2007

aceman said:
Philofcas mentioned he experienced this problem a while ago and he attributed the problem to a stiff volume control that was half depressed and causing the head unit to intermittantly turn on. All he did was pull off the knob give it a clean and refitted it and checked that it free to rotate and the push on/off function was free to move also, he didn't have a problem again after that. He also noted how free my knob (ooh err) was to rotate compared to his and thought maybe many people don't realise how free it should be.

Maybe a long shot but with the cold weather and all maybe the button part of the control has seized slightly causing the switch to be almost depressed, worth checking before going down the replacement head unit route !!

I'll stand by that even now, if you pull the knob off (sorry), there's a metal spring/ring on the shaft (sorry again) underneath, position this so your knob moves freely once fixed back in place, no doubt there is a problem with peoples headunit's but i'd be very suprised if some couldn't simply be fixed by adjusting their knob.

What's the Smart like Aceman ?

Tell · Dec 31, 2007

I think my knobs alright but I'll bear it in mind

.

For me it wouldn't cause the unit to flicker messages about the cd changer I don't reckon, it would be either on or off, power or no power, it wouldn't send the headend into tripping out with cd changer messages when driving alone or turned off.

My theory is that the unit is live even when turned off and can be woken up by stuff on the line. I think my MD changer was probably sending crap up to it and needed resetting ie. unplugging and plugging back in. I could be wrong mind you and the problem may return.

Probably a set of issues with the headend, I had one and yours was the washer, another one.

aceman · Dec 31, 2007

PhilOfCas said:
What's the Smart like Aceman ?

Absolutly loving it, I was worried at first whether I had done the right thing with it being such a big (or little!) change but you know I just can't wait to drive it every time. It's really strange the effect they have on you.

Tell · Dec 31, 2007

I don't think they look too stable to me, but they have caught on in the outer suburbs of London, better than a Cayenne, you can see round them.

PhilOfCas · Dec 31, 2007

Tell said:
I think my knobs alright but I'll bear it in mind .

For me it wouldn't cause the unit to flicker messages about the cd changer I don't reckon, it would be either on or off, power or no power, it wouldn't send the headend into tripping out with cd changer messages when driving alone or turned off.

My theory is that the unit is live even when turned off and can be woken up by stuff on the line. I think my MD changer was probably sending crap up to it and needed resetting ie. unplugging and plugging back in. I could be wrong mind you and the problem may return.

Probably a set of issues with the headend, I had one and yours was the washer, another one.

fair do's Tell

aceman · Dec 31, 2007

Tell said:
I don't think they look too stable to me, but they have caught on in the outer suburbs of London, better than a Cayenne, you can see round them.

You'd be suprised, they are suprisingly stable especially with 205/45 rubber !!

Tell · Jan 15, 2008

Where we are with this is that it was fine for 10 days after I pulled the MD Changer out and plugged it back in. Last weekend it went wrong again, loud music playing in the morning and I mused over mothers noisy neighbours till the penny dropped it was my car having another one of it's all night parties. Pulled the MD Changer out again but this time the problem manifested itself without the changer in and it was switching on moaning about the inbuilt CD being defective etc etc. This time I decided that may be the switch in the CD Changer was playing up, so I fed a CD in and out of it several times, so far, so good.

It's not the ignition switch since that would not cause it to moan about the CD failing to load even thou I'm not loading one and it is suppose to be turned off. Ditto the on / off switch.

We live in hope.

Tell · Feb 15, 2008

Update on this one.....

Think I've now isolated the problem to a dodgy micro switch on the built in CD player in the head unit. I think vibration and the like triggers it off. Thinking about events, I had had a CD left in the player and it was only when I took that out after the car was serviced did I get the problem. The screen throws up that it's trying to play a CD from time to time, flicking in and out and this is when it sticks on / come on by itself and stays on.

I tried the washer trick and it's not that. Putting a CD in last weekend and it's been as good as gold, expect I'll find it on tomorrow when I go out to the car having said this.

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