radio and screen not working 2005 RT

[Northern Monkey]

just a quick question, a lad at work has a 2005 RT and the radio and the electric screen does not work - he's taken it to a garage and they've told him its a new ECU job circa £600 and it would need to be programmed by BMW . the cynic in me finds this hard to believe that the radio has its own ECU.

It may well be the case, ive been spoilt with my r1150GSA with fuses and relays!!

thanks

 

[The smudger]

just a quick question, a lad at work has a 2005 RT and the radio and the electric screen does not work - he's taken it to a garage and they've told him its a new ECU job circa £600 and it would need to be programmed by BMW . the cynic in me finds this hard to believe that the radio has its own ECU.

It may well be the case, ive been spoilt with my r1150GSA with fuses and relays!!

thanks

2 things,

You are correct, the radio doesnt have its own ECU, rather the power supply comes from the ZFE (Zentrum Fahrer Electroniche) Module. It is unlikely the ZFE has failed as it is just a transistor that outputs a voltage signal, also if more than 1 component is not working it is more likely to be a common earth/power supply via connection problem.

First thing to try is to re-set the ZFE by disconnecting the battery negative lead for a couple of minutes, and ONLY WHEN THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED join the earth cable to the positive side of the battery. This acts as a discharge for any capacitors that are still live in the ZFE. ONLY ATTEMPT THIS IF YOUR CONFIDENT IN WHAT YOUR DOING/YOUR ABILITY!!!!!

The garage he uses, is it a dealer? sounds like its not? A BMW dealer has a diagnostic kit (MOSS/ISTA) which will be able to tell if the ZFE is putting out a voltage. Thats why they charge c.£100 an hour....

I would suggest he takes it to a BMW dealer.....

 

[Northern Monkey]

Thanks will pass it on cheers