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Radio in a Fairford

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Post by Bob Forder Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:46 pm

This sound nuts - but it's true.  Mine is a 2018 Fairford based on a Peugeot Boxer.  Of course the radio cuts out every 15 minutes when we are parked up.  At some point I'll wire it into the leisure battery.  In the meantime I keep turning round and turning it back on.  Except occasionally I get an error code and the radio won't perform...until I open the side door when the radio comes back on!  
confused3 Any thoughts?
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Post by Paulmold Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:51 pm

the opening of a door is something that I've read about before and seems quite common. What causes this I have no idea.

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Post by inspiredron Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:53 pm

Paulmold wrote:the opening of a door is something that I've read about before and seems quite common. What causes this I have no idea.
I suspect that this is the infamous 'Code error' problem.  I was told by Robins and Day that this is caused because after a relatively short period of idleness the Chassis Computer" goes into sleep mode to avoid draining the vehicle battery.  The radio code is stored in the chassis computer so when the radio is switched on it tries to receive it's code from the sleeping computer. Tbere are numerous actions that will disturb the chassis computer's slumber of which the two best known are opening a front door (courtesy light comes on) or switching on the hazards.
Inconvenient, stupid but a Peugeot feature.  Aldo happens on Fiats and Citroens from Sevel

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Post by gassygassy Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:20 am

Reason number 906,834 to avoid buying a new or nearly new motorhome. The idiots who design them should be forced at gun point to use them. They never do, of course. Radios are controlled by The Computer That Must Be Obeyed. You didn't think that you have command over it by using the knobs on the front of the radio did you? Whistle1 

I first found this out when I had a 2014 Ducato based camper with a touch screen radio - abominable things. You have to take your eyes off the road and reach over to touch a 5mm square bit of the screen. So I got a steering wheel with radio controls from Ebay for the same base vehicle thinking I could just plug the control connections into the radio. No. I went to a couple of specialist car audio installers who couldn't do it, they advised going to the main Fiat commercial dealer. The chap there was very helpful and explained that the radio is controlled by the main ECU and he  could not download the software from Fiat which would include the steering wheel radio controls. All he can do is scan the bar code of the VIN on the vehicle and download the software for that original build. He showed me four pages of items that are affected by the VIN - how long the sidelights stay on after you work the remote locking, how fast the windscreen wipers go. How many doors does the central locking work, does it have remote tyre pressure sensing, and on and on and on, I could hardly believe all the stuff stored in The Computer That Reigns Above All. As he has to scan the VIN bar code, it wouldn't even work if you parked a van with steering wheel controls next to the one you want to change, scan its bar code and download its software into yours. First you have to scan the bar code, then plug Fiat HQ into the OBD connector. It would immediately know that the VIN is different and would throw a hissy fit.
I suppose you could rip out their computer controlled radio and fit one from Halfords and wire it to the leisure battery. You can usually set them to play for varying times, up to an hour which is quite acceptable. You can also get radios with remote controls like the telly. I had one. I could wake in the morning, poke the remote at the dashboard and turn the radio on. You can of course get them with alarm clocks which turn on at the time you set.

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Post by RML Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:28 am

I've had the same dilemma in the past so I bought a cheap standalone DAB radio that came with a plug transformer but binned that and bought a 12/6v step down lead that plugs into the hab electrics.  Our current German Fiat based van has an override switch on the dashboard though. 
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