Radio problems

[pprass]

We have a new problem - this time with our radio in the Discovery TDV6 MY15 standard pack.

We have been playing our iPod through the auxiliary USB plug, which is situated in the top glove box, for 6 months (we play audio books while travelling) and 2 days ago it suddenly froze and the radio now doesn't recognise the iPod at all.
Things I've tried so far:
1. Pulled the plug and rentered it.
2. Rebooted the iPod,
3. Switched radio on and off.,
4. Tried another iPod,
5. Tried another USB lead for the iPod,
6. Plugged the iPod into another player using the same lead - it works fine.
7. Called LR dealer for assistance (it's now booked in, but it is going to be very inconvenient for us to have the car there for a whole day, so I would like to fix it before the 16th)
8. Haven't tried the other pin type plug in the top glove box for the auxiliary connection as I haven't got one.

Has anyone had any similar experience and know what could be the fault?

At the same time my mobile phone stopped being recognised by the radio. I deleted the phone from the car radio, and removed the car radio from the mobile phone and then tried to "Discover" the radio through the bluetooth function. Nothing happens. The car radio just says - no phone. I tried pairing my phone to my wife's phone and it worked straight away.

Could the phone problem be connected to the auxiliary fault?

[BMKal]

I had similar experience with iPod and iPhone a while back. My D4 has the iPod plus an auxiliary plug in the top of the console (under the lid) - and my iPhone sits in an after-market cradle on the dash with power connection plus external aerial on the bull bar. Phone connection to the car stereo is by Wifi. Stereo system is the one with the "touch" screen - but no reversing camera installed.

iPod still worked, but I had a lot of problems in controlling it / selecting the music that I wanted to hear.

iPhone would not show phone contacts / numbers, nor past calls history etc - but phone would still work if I dialled the number that I wanted and then pushed the green button. Also, steering wheel control buttons for the phone would not work.

At about the time I was experiencing these problems, the car battery died. When a new battery was fitted to the vehicle, everything returned to normal and I've had no problems since.

[LandyAndy]

MY15 shouldnt need a new battery yet.
When it goes back to the dealer,ask if it is in the range of the Battery controller unit software upgrade.My MY14 was,according to my Jacar ciggy lighter voltmeter it now charges much more often than before the upgrade.I havent had a low battery warning since the upgrade either.Mine sits unused for up to a month at a time.
Andrew

[pprass]

....At about the time I was experiencing these problems, the car battery died. When a new battery was fitted to the vehicle, everything returned to normal and I've had no problems since.
I haven't seen any warning messages about the battery being low (I presume there should be such a warning - there's one for everything else!), although we have recently driven thousands of kms towing a caravan with the Anderson plug charging the van batteries and the iPod running all day.
I'll check the battery with a volt meter and see what it says. The battery is just 11 months old!
Peter

[pprass]

When it goes back to the dealer,ask if it is in the range of the Battery controller unit software upgrade.
Andrew - can you explain what that is, or is there somewhere where I can look up what the Battery Controller Unit software upgrade did and when it was released?
Peter

[LRD414]

Andrew - can you explain what that is, or is there somewhere where I can look up what the Battery Controller Unit software upgrade did and when it was released?
Peter
Peter, I don't think this is your radio problem if you have no other issues but here's the BMS software TSB details and a link to a thread in which it was discussed:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/221353-low-battery-warning.html

TSB: LTB00667v2 (or LTB-00667-NAS-1)
Discovery 4 / LR4 (LA)
Model Year: 2014
VIN: 698741-726591
"Due to gateway module (gwm) software issue, the instrument cluster and/or eco stop/start, fails to function and displays, intermittently, Battery warning message and warning lamp."

I had an issue with the iPod connection in my MY14 at one point. It just put out static with the music very faintly heard but the Bluetooth music remained operational and the phone connection also remained operational.

I tried a few combinations of disconnection and it eventually came good again. It sounds like you've already done all the disconnect/reconnect permutations so probably no help there sorry. Also I never had a problem with the Bluetooth through all that.

Does your wife's phone connect ok for phone and/or music? My only suggestion would be to re-try some of the steps and then probably off to the dealer.

Regards,
Scott

[BMKal]

Battery can fail at any time and with little or no warning. Age of the vehicle, or the battery, is no guarantee that you will not experience a failure. ;)

My first battery failed three days after I took delivery of the vehicle. It was a "demo" model, and had 1,000km on the clock when I picked it up. I did think that the battery was suspect when I took delivery, as engine cranking seemed slow to me - was told by the dealer that this was only because the vehicle had only done short runs close to the dealership while being used as a demo, and would "come good" after a bit of driving it around. Three days later - dead flat and vehicle would not turn over at all in the morning. No other warnings at the time. Battery was replaced without question under warranty.

Second battery failed less than 12 months later - again with no warnings at all. Engine simply would not turn over in the morning. Vehicle by then was getting regular long runs (Perth to Kalgoorlie & return and had recently been across to Tassie and back) - but also a lot of short stop / start runs in Perth when I was down there at work. I was told that one or two cells had collapsed. Again, battery was replaced without question under warranty. The only thing that I recall as being "unusual" at around the time of this second battery failure was the previously described problems with iPod / iPhone connectivity and phone control. I don't know whether these issues were related to the battery condition or not, but everything returned to normal once a new battery was installed, and I have not seen these issues since.

Third battery has shown no problems so far - but since having this battery installed, I have also installed a Traxide system and currently running three batteries in total, and I follow Tim's recommendation of plugging a CTek charger into the rear Anderson plug overnight once every couple of months or so.

[Stuart02]

Yeah I think battery too. It's incredible the random glitches that start happening. We initially dismissed the 18 month old battery too...

[Nicky]

Try a CTEK charger/diagnostic tool. Will tell you all you need about your battery.

[pprass]

...Does your wife's phone connect ok for phone and/or music?
I tried connecting the wife's phone, but same result "No phone".

[pprass]

Try a CTEK charger/diagnostic tool. Will tell you all you need about your battery.
I guess that is what the dealer will be doing next week for me.

[jonesy63]

Peter,
Have you tried a "hard reset" ** to bypass the issue? Without updating the ICE software, battery charging software or replacing the battery - which are 3 possible fixes available - the only other option would be to bypass the problem. That is what the hard reset does. In other words, the issue could reoccur at some time in the future, but it would allow you to use the iPod now, at the inconvenience of updating time, date, radio stations, etc.

** See FAQs for details on how to perform a hard reset:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/93220-aulro-discovery-3-4-rrs-faq.html

Cheers,
Rob

[pprass]

Peter,
Have you tried a "hard reset" ** to bypass the issue?...
No I haven't, but that was something that I was looking for to save me having to go to the dealer and leaving the car for a day. We are currently on a trip in Melbourne and can't afford the time to leave the car for a whole day to be checked out. So if this works it would be very convenient.
However the hard reset process looks a bit rough - won't any fuses be blown? Or do you just kiss the terminals together for a fraction of a second?
Edit: I see that there is no power going through the cables, so no spark
Peter

[rufusking]

What is required is to touch / hold together is the battery leads after they have been removed from the battery. Basically what you are trying to achieve is to discharge any voltage / current that is held with the numerous electrical systems of the vehicle.

[pprass]

OK - I got out the multimeter and checked the battery and it was showing 12.4V. Maybe a Ctek diagnostic tool will disclose more information about the condition of the battery, but at the moment it seems ok to me.

I then disconnected the leads going to the battery and joined them together with a long thin round file for about 10 seconds. Put it all back together again and - no difference, apart from having to re-set the radio stations.

I am now suspecting it is the actual radio that has a fault, which is a pain as we are 1,300 kms from home and the Melbourne dealer that I am booked in to will have to order a radio (or possibly a module for it) which will mean another visit to them to have it fitted. If it is the radio, then I may just wait until we get home in Port Macquarie and get the dealer there to fix it.

[LRD414]

OK - I got out the multimeter and checked the battery and it was showing 12.4V.
If you took that reading with the battery still connected then it sounds in line with figures that Tim (drivesafe) has posted previously as follows:

- If your cranking battery is good, you should see 12.7v in the OPEN CIRCUIT state, and about 12.4v and no lower with the ignition on but vehicle not running.
- If your cranking battery is on its last legs, you will get the OPEN CIRCUIT voltage less than 12.4v before you put a load on the battery and when you put a load on it, it will drop much lower.
- By disconnecting each battery's negative lead and leaving the batteries overnight before testing, you are now testing batteries in an OPEN CIRCUIT situation.

Scott

[Stuart02]

OK - I got out the multimeter and checked the battery and it was showing 12.4V. Maybe a Ctek diagnostic tool will disclose more information about the condition of the battery, but at the moment it seems ok to me.

I then disconnected the leads going to the battery and joined them together with a long thin round file for about 10 seconds. Put it all back together again and - no difference, apart from having to re-set the radio stations.

I am now suspecting it is the actual radio that has a fault, which is a pain as we are 1,300 kms from home and the Melbourne dealer that I am booked in to will have to order a radio (or possibly a module for it) which will mean another visit to them to have it fitted. If it is the radio, then I may just wait until we get home in Port Macquarie and get the dealer there to fix it.

If you're taking it to a dealer I'd still take the opportunity to apply the KISS principle, and get them to hook up a new or known-good-condition battery before chucking out the radio.
I know you've said the battery's resting at 12.4 V but I've had auto electricians and dealer workshops tell me batteries are fine and then the car (not just Land Rovers) won't start two days later. Can't overstate how fickle they can be!!

[pprass]

Had the vehicle at the dealer's for half a day and after checking quite a few possibilities - including the battery and ND update, the fault was traced to a faulty head unit of the radio - LRO 40498.

Of course they didn't have one, so I will have to wait until we return to Port Macquarie in mid January to have it replaced.

That's 2 electronic items that have failed on a vehicle that we have had for 7 months - the auto wiper sensor and now the radio.

Peter

[LandyAndy]

Had the vehicle at the dealer's for half a day and after checking quite a few possibilities - including the battery and ND update, the fault was traced to a faulty head unit of the radio - LRO 40498.

Of course they didn't have one, so I will have to wait until we return to Port Macquarie in mid January to have it replaced.

That's 2 electronic items that have failed on a vehicle that we have had for 7 months - the auto wiper sensor and now the radio.

Peter

Sad to here,Im up with you with the wipers,I hope my wireless hangs in for the xmas break:(:(:(:(:(
Andrew