Any Columbus Gurus out there? DVD drive problems plus more

[NZVRS]

Hi All,

 

I recently retrofitted a Columbus to our 2006 Octavla RS Combi.  The unit works well in terms of a radio, touch screen works, phone part works well in conjuction with the bluetooth I fitted a while back (full address book, etc).  Its an LED version which is nice and has the later style buttons etc.

 

I bought the unit from eBay and it has a CD / DVD error.  I'm wondering if this is actually the issue or if I have a board / HDD problem.

 

Here is what happens:

 

Each time we drive the car a notification appears shortly after setting off that says "CD/DVD error.  Please check CD/DVD."  This error has appeared from day 1.  There is no CD/DVD in the unit.  I have tried to put a standard audio CD in but it won't play nor eject and have since dismantled the unit to manually remove it (the warranty seal was already broken when it arrived so nothing to lose).  A voice also says something along the lines of "Please insert the Navigation DVD" after setting off.

 

When I switch to the Media part of the Columbus it says "System starting..." and stays this way unless I adjust the volume in which case I can see see the source options (such as the bluetooth symbol where I can stream bluetooth audio).  A few seconds after adjusting the volume the display reverts to "System starting..."

 

I have reset the system many times and these issues don't change.  I can hear what sounds like the CD/DVD drive trying to spin every few seconds but the disc doesn't move.  I have cleaned the laser, reassembled the unit and the symptons remain the same.

 

My thoughts are that I need a new DVD reader for the Columbus.  Before I go ahead and order this I thought I would ask the experts to see if that is actually a board / HDD problem masking itself as a DVD problem.

 

VCDS doesn't report any fault codes with respect to the DVD or HDD.  It is currently reporting the issues below regarding the antenna however I believe this is due to the Octavia only having one aerial and the Columbus having two.  I have an adapter from Carsystems.pl which I thought would stop the fault code however it remains which I can live with however it would be nice to have the DVD drive and therefore navigation part working.

 

Control Module Part Number: 3T0 035 680 A    HW: 3T0 035 680 A
  Component and/or Version: RNS-MID       H42 2724
           Software Coding: 000200000101001000
            Work Shop Code: WSC 33361 790 00999
                      VCID: 2E533DC3791A7651CD7-807B
2 Faults Found:

00856 - Radio Antenna
            011 - Open Circuit
             Freeze Frame:
                    Fault Status: 01101011
                    Fault Priority: 5
                    Fault Frequency: 2
                    Reset counter: 97
                    Mileage: 124536 km
                    Time Indication: 0
                    Date: 2000.00.00
                    Time: 14:23:21

00821 - Antenna 2 for Radio (R93)
            011 - Open Circuit
             Freeze Frame:
                    Fault Status: 01101011
                    Fault Priority: 5
                    Fault Frequency: 2
                    Reset counter: 97
                    Mileage: 124536 km
                    Time Indication: 0
                    Date: 2000.00.00
                    Time: 14:23:21

 

Firmware reported above and via the service menu matches the original sticker on the unit.  The service menu also reports tempStatus and powerStatus to be Degraded so I may have more than one issue.

 

Any comments or info apreciated!

[Rustynuts]

Sounds like the radio board or more likely the main board judging by the number of errors you have. A faulty dvd drive wouldn't account for the system starting errors, nor the dvd trying to spin all the time. Something is telling the dvd to operate and that's not a good sign.

I reckon trying a firmware would probably not work and you might end up with a brick as it would fail due to the drive errors, so resist that temptation.

 

Other than major repair I would say it's not going to be much use. Can you still return it or are you out of your time for this?

[NZVRS]

Thanks for the reply.  I bought it on the basis that the CD didn't eject or play so I can't really return it.  I had a RCD510 in a R32 with a similar issue that I managed to repair so was hoping that this would be the same.

 

Looking a bit further into VCDS it says that the DVD drive access time is 2540.0 ms and there there have been 255.0 read errors.  Current status is DVD ReadErr Limit exceeded.  I can't see how to reset those.

 

When I received it there was a strong smell or cigarettes from the unit - not sure if that is relevant.

 

The radio reception is actually fine despite the faults logged in vcds.

 

Is there a way to confirm that its a board problem?

 

Thanks again.

[Rustynuts]

Other than a repair shop running diagnostics on the boards I don't think there's anything you can do as an end user really.  If you have a second working unit and want to try swapping components then you could work it out that way, but then there's a chance of you damaging the new components.

 

You could try a dvd drive I guess, as that would be the simplest and cheapest option, but I doubt it's the drive causing the issues. If you can find one second hand fairly cheap then it's not going to break the bank, and you'll have eliminated that as a possibility.

 

To reset the drive error counter you'll probably need service tools.

[NZVRS]

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for a second hand DVD drive.

Could it be that the previous owner somehow erased the maps or can that only be done when upgrading / downgrading the firmware?

I thought it was odd when it didn't have any maps on it at all.

If it's not possible then I guess that confirms its more than just the DVD drive.

[Rustynuts]

Ah, I missed the bit about it not having any maps on it. That seems to be popular this week...

 

Last two people I've spoken to about no maps issues had just bought the unit and found it to be faulty. One guy successfully returned his for replacement, the other I've not heard about. Essentially, there should be maps on there (unless someone deliberately formatted the maps partition or full hard drive), and it's most likely that they're still actually on there but the unit is having issues reading them. I wouldn't consider it viable to try and repair it yourself really. I've cured the no mpas issue once after someone fecked his unit somehow, just by reinstalling the firmware. But as your unit doesn't have a functioning drive then that's not possible for you I'm afraid. Firmware upgrade would possibly require you to reinstall maps (depending on which firmware was used) so it's possible that someone did a firmware update and it went wrong, and sold you the brick.

I would say it's scrap all things considered.

[Rustynuts]

Just looking at your profile and I see you're in New Zealand. That's unfortunate as I have a dvd drive sat here which you could have for cheap. It's fully functional, but noisy on initial start up after which it is silent. Postage to New Zealand would be a killer though.

[NZVRS]

Thanks. If I further dismantle it am I likely to see any physical problem on the board or is it only detectable with the RNS diagnostic software?

In theory then my DVD drive and HDD could be OK and the board is the problem.

It's a shame about the System starting message as if that didn't appear at least it would be a useable unit for SD, Phone and Radio. I presume there is no way to disable the HDD and therefore turn off the Nav capabilities of the unit?

I have a forwarding address in the UK - how much is your DVD drive?

Thanks again.

[Rustynuts]

Unlikely to see anything on the board I reckon. It's most likely an eeprom which is corrupted and giving the errors, and the only fix there is desoldering, reflashing and resoldering. Diagnostics might tell you what the problem is, but you'd still need to fix the problem.

 

There's no way to disable the hard drive, as the system will check for all components and function before booting up. If something is faulty then you can't just remove it as the system will still look for it. It's not just nav that's failing on the unit though, the hard drive also stores music and it sounds like you can't access that at all either. All things point to a scrap unit or major repair needed. How much did you pay for it?

[NZVRS]

I paid £200 for it.

[Rustynuts]

If it's fixable then Carsystems in Poland will generally charge €100 plus parts and return shipping, so somewhere in the region of €120 - 160 if you're lucky. Unlucky and it's scrap and has cost you postage both ways. Given that a fully functional unit can be had for about the same money, I'm not sure I'd be going that way personally unless it's a mint system and only a year or so old.

 

Up to you, but I can send you the dvd drive for... say £20 via Hermes economy delivery to the UK. I don't think it'll be much help though, and I'd need to speak to you in PM to check a few unit details first.

[NZVRS]

Ok, couple of ideas here.

My Mother in Law is heading to Manchester for a funeral either this week or next. This gives a couple of options.

1, she brings the unit back and it is repaired / diagnosed in the UK - do you do repairs Rustynuts?

2, I keep the unit here and buy your DVD drive which she can bring back and then see if that works once it arrives.

The more I look into this the more I think it's probably the main board. Reasons for this are that the GPS and Tuner work perfectly and they are on a different board. The LED display and touchscreen work perfectly and again they are on their own board. That leaves the HDD and the DVD which I suspect probably plug directly into the main board.

I'm interested in what you think a a fully functional unit can be had for. What's the going rate for a fully functional unit do you think?

[NZVRS]

Are the details that you need to check about the drive about whether it's DVD-3.5 or DVD-5? If so mine is DVD-5. Is this what you have?

Thanks.

[Rustynuts]

I have both mate, but the old 3.5 I have is rather flaky. The 5 is sat on my desk here in front of me. I do some repairs, but the symptoms you're describing are (as you suspect) main board issues, and I don't get into repairing main boards. In fact I don't think many people do unless it's software based and the factory software can be rewritten. A main board will cost you more than the unit you paid for, then there's fitting, coding, firmware, etc. and unless you really love the unit on a personal level it's just not worth it.

 

The DVD drive ribbon cable connects to the main board, but the power cable runs from the gps board, so yes you're probably correct. I just sold a unit this morning which was only a year old, with latest maps etc. and I let it go for £435. There have been others on here which have sold for about £350 or so but age and price are relevant somewhat.

[NZVRS]

I thought I'd add some pictures to this.

The bottom warranty tag was intact - only the top one was broken.

Today I have further disassembled the unit (and therefore the bottom warranty tag is no longer intact) and there is a part of the main board with a white X on it that is cracked and damaged - is this likely to be my problem?

Bottom of mainboard:

Closeup of damage:

Edited 12 January, 2015 by NZVRS

[NZVRS]

Further pictures

Error at startup:

Phone working well:

Radio working well:

No maps:

HDD degraded status.

Part numbers, firmware etc.

DVD drive:

Edited 12 January, 2015 by NZVRS

[Rustynuts]

As regards the damage to the mainboard, virtually every one I've seen is like that. The broken bit is just the chip protection pad which stops the casing from hitting the chip if it's dropped or whatever. That's not your problem.

 

As regards the "Degraded" status, again that's normal and not to be concerned about.

[NZVRS]

Thanks for that.

Now I'm not sure if you are going to believe this but 20 minutes ago my Columbus was in quite a few pieces on the floor of my lounge. I've now put it back together and installed it in the car.

Guess what.

It works!!!!!

Not sure for how long or why but it's currently working.

Photos to follow.

[Rustynuts]

You're having a laugh aren't you?

[NZVRS]

I'm not! Just writing up a reply of what happened.

[NZVRS]

As per the above I reassembled the unit and installed it in the car thinking that it would be no better.

I noticed straight away that the DVD drive sounded different. Instead of the sound which I suspect was the laser attempting to move in and out I heard it spin (no DVD inserted however).

Then I saw a message saying "Loading CD/DVD. Please wait..." which I thought was quite a good sign. By this stage I would have normally heard the voice asking for the DVD to be inserted but it never asked.

I then hit the Media button and instead of the usual System Starting message I got a message I hadn't seen before "No medium available".

I grabbed an SD card with a couple of MP3s on it, inserted it and it started playing.

From there I can see that there isn't anything on the HDD, copy files to it, view the Nav screen (no NZ maps for me yet though) and search (European) destinations.

No music stored on HDD:

Nav screen without errors:

[NZVRS]

Searching for a destination:

HDD status now changed:

Edited 12 January, 2015 by NZVRS

[NZVRS]

Fingers crossed it stays this way - time will tell!

I'm going to resist putting a disc in until I've got a NZ map disc sorted just in case I need to disassemble it again.

Can't believe it really!

[NZVRS]

The map info is now populated but for some reason I can't upload a photo of it - I get an error uploading.

Maps say West Europe supplied by Navteq and version 7074.

[Rustynuts]

Ooh that sounds very promising.

 

I wonder if it was something like a stuck bios on a computer?