Hi All,

newbie here, apologies if this has already been answered, but my (severely lacking) searching skills did not get me an answer 

 

I've jumped onto the skoda bandwagon and am loving it so far, my facelifted L&K superb, truly is superb BUT the media unit is starting to let me down. Whenever i change a TV channel, the unit registers the change and i can hear the new channel playing but i see no image and i can't control anything: the touchscreen is blank and the side buttons also stop responding BUT i can still hear the channel playing . I try turning off the unit and it turns off, but when i turn it back on the channel is still playing audio only and the unit still doesn't respond to anything.

 

the only way i can get it back to life is to either leave it alone and at some random point it gets its act together and starts working like nothing happened! or i give it a soft-reboot.

 

what type of gremlin has entered it?

 

any advise?

 

Thanks

Does it only exhibit problems when watching the tv? Does your unit discontinue the tv function when driving?

Welcome.

 

This is only a tv problem.

 

I have had this problem since I bought the car new in April 2012, well after about six months of use. I said it must be a software problem.

They have done LOTS and LOTS of test and have reset everything, re done with some "new" software and replaced absolutely everything including the tuner and Columbus unit and it still does it. I have learnt to live with. It takes just over 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 minutes to reset and it is back to normal.

This can happen with every channel change or just one in 10 or 20 or not at all for several days, bearing in mind that I use the tv every day.

In essence Skoda have no answer as far as I am aware.

Thanks both,

 

I knew i'd get a proper answer on here...

 

i've just remembered another little niggle, time to hunt or post another query 

 

 

9 hours ago, Danny 57 said:

I have had this problem since I bought the car new in April 2012

MY 2012 l&k doesn't do this.

Of course I get the picture and sound blanking due to low signal level but not what you both describe.

Odd they changed the Columbus and not the tv module in the boot, the Columbus is just a monitor with control communication protocols back to the tv unit in the boot.

The Columbus part clearly works from your description(s) as does the communication but the tv module locks up.

 

Out of interest, do you both hear the tv module fan start up when you open the boot? 

Now that is strange, do you reckon skoda used the same unit in my 2014 as your 2012?

i'll get my H/W S/W versions from the menu and post to compare

 

as for fan noise, it's not something that came to mind to check; i'll do a little test and let you know. Is there any significance to this

4 minutes ago, emque said:

as for fan noise, it's not something that came to mind to check; i'll do a little test and let you know. Is there any significance to this

 

If the fan is stuck/not running, the unit will overheat and stop working (freeze up) ... it is a computer, basically ...

Ah i see; that makes sense, BUT, the freeze up happens even if i change channel after 2mins of the TV turned on. Does this mean the TV unit powers on on car startup and not when i select TV mode?

from observation and with no facts to impart..yes

The tv module -FAN- in mine (and another member on here) does appear to start up with the simple act of unlocking and opening a door or boot.

I have been told that all cars do this as the entertainment units take a long time to load up and the assumption is that if you unlock the car you will want to use navigation etc.

 

It is possible that the processor is running too hot and can cope until you ask it to do something new (change channel)

I don't think you need to prove this though, logic or what passes for it for me dictates the tv module is at fault not the head unit and they should change it for you.

@superbdreams 

 

But @Danny 57 said they've replaced tuner and Columbus.

 

Or tuner is not "the tv module in the boot"? 

he did.. is that because they told him they had?

 

Blade group told me they had drained the oil, replaced it and fitted a new sump plug..

I ended up with oil contaminated with so much barium that it was only two parts per million away from being classed as exhausted and high levels of other metals and silicates.

Oh and a dangerously overfilled oil level...

so don't believe what A skoda garage tell you.

 

it does however occur to me that the video part of a tv signal takes more uncompressing than the audio part, I think the standard calls for the image and sound to be blanked if the signal is too poor but could this be a symptom of poor signal? borderline poor.

Did they look at the aerial connections and signs of water ingress?

The fact that the initial channel displays fine fits as the system has booted before you were looking at it and may have had time to "lock on" and decode properly.

 

If you can find the connection to the tuner from the aerial you could ask a local tv aerial fitter to connect his meter to it and measure the signals.

 

2 minutes ago, superbdreams said:

 

it does however occur to me that the video part of a tv signal takes more uncompressing than the audio part, I think the standard calls for the image and sound to be blanked if the signal is too poor but could this be a symptom of poor signal? borderline poor.

 

If you can find the connection to the tuner from the aerial you could ask a local tv aerial fitter to connect his meter to it and measure the signals.

 

 

you're right, it's all or nothing with digital; which raises the question on why is the audio still playing without jittering for the channel i changed to but i see no video. at home if my freeview signal becomes poor i'll either get jittering audio or nothing at all

 

good call on measuring signals, will have to see if i can find a local guy who'd be willing to help in investigating

1 hour ago, superbdreams said:

The tv module -FAN- in mine (and another member on here) does appear to start up with the simple act of unlocking and opening a door or boot.

 

If you leave the nav disc in the Columbus unit, it will start spinning (booting up) when you unlock the car and open the door (prepping itself for work ... the unit itself won't boot of course, but it is obviously programmed to do so to shorten the time for the DVD maps to preload in this case)

My car has been in lots of times over the years for the tv and yes they did replace all the parts including the antenna links as well. I have seen all the old parts as part of my curiosity ( my dealer knows that I like to be involved).

I can have been watching the tv for one minute or one hour (re-started engine) and it always freezes at the point of channel change just as I and the OP describe. There is no rhyme or reason as that can logically explain it. 

I would be extremely surprised if anyone had had something tested or system tried that I had not over the years and despite some peoples inability to have a relationship with their dealer I do have that relationship.

@Danny 57

 

Any chance you could find someone to remove tuner and Columbus and do "bench test"? 

1 hour ago, Danny 57 said:

some peoples inability to have a relationship with their dealer

I will admit I can be a bit testy when someone lies and tries to cheat me. lol

That I understand as my dealer will happily say "I can be awkward if it is not right  but I believe I am fair as I have not always got it right either.

2 hours ago, jafo said:

@Danny 57

 

Any chance you could find someone to remove tuner and Columbus and do "bench test"? 

 

The only person I know of who works on Columbus units is Rusty Nuts but I do not know if he is familiar with the TVs side or software.

@Danny 57

 

I'm pretty sure @Rustynuts is your best bet

I've had no dealings with the TV unit side of things. I'm happy to help with the Columbus if needs be though. Ideal scenario is swap out the Columbus unit first for a known working unit and verify that's working okay.

20 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:

Ideal scenario is swap out the Columbus unit first for a known working unit and verify that's working okay

 

You mean, that it isn't working okay - that way you'll know it is the tuner issue, not the Columbus ...

I meant the unit I swap in will be working okay. If there's still a problem then it'll be something else.

1 minute ago, Rustynuts said:

I meant the unit I swap in will be working okay. If there's still a problem then it'll be something else.

 

Well, that's exactly what I said, but I wrote it in Croatian ...

3 hours ago, vborovic said:

 

You mean, that it isn't working okay - that way you'll know it is the tuner issue, not the Columbus ...

 

After checking all the lower priced items they tried they replaced the tuner. It did not work. They then changed the Columbus unit and hey, that has not worked either.

One of the problems was getting the fault to occur when the Techs looked at it. Even though there was lots of recorded VCDS events.

Did a resolution ever get found for this? I'm seeing a similar issue after replacing the Columbus with an old 2nd hand one. Wondering if I should try another, newer unit.