Large Navigation Multifunction Display

Hello fellow mechanics,

As probably everyone who has ever used a VW/Audi navigation system will experience at some point, my navigation system is no longer working. The CD is barely read anymore; it stops during navigation, and the CD gets stuck and won't come out. Apparently (according to what I've read), the problem is that dust and smoke are being sucked into the navigation unit by the fan.

Vehicle: see below.
Navigation: MFD with TMC from Blaupunkt (Bosch).
CD: Tele Atlas DX. Various years and countries, both original and a backup copy. The backup copy is currently inserted and cannot be removed.
Error memory: empty.

I suspect that I need to verschandeln the drive and the "ejection system." This leads me to my questions for you:

1) Gibt es eine Möglichkeit, dass ich die 4 Entriegelungshaken kaufen kann? Ein niederländische VW-Händler wollte/dürfte mir die Dinger nicht verkaufen. Ist Is that different in Germany?
"Can I order the CD drive separately from somewhere? And what would that cost? As far as I remember, replacing the entire MFD unit costs around €400.00 to €500.00."

I couldn't find anything related to either of these questions in the search results.

Thank you for your answers!
Tom.

Herr Antje wrote:

1) Gibt es eine Möglichkeit, dass ich die 4 Entriegelungshaken kaufen kann? Ein niederländische VW-Händler wollte/dürfte mir die Dinger nicht verkaufen. Ist Is that different in Germany? "Can I order the CD drive separately from somewhere? And what would that cost? As far as I remember, replacing the entire MFD unit costs around €400.00 to €500.00."

Yes, you can find those hooks everywhere in sets of two, so buy two sets and you're good, or just buy them directly from Volkswagen. It's not a problem to get them in Germany.

"As far as I know, you can't buy the CD drive separately. However, there are companies that repair these drives; you can find them on eBay, for example. For around 400-500 euros, you should be able to find a used MFD (Multi-Function Display) on eBay or in the used market. The new price from VW is probably closer to 2000 euros."

Thank you, @x world one!

x world one wrote:

Yes, you can find those hooks everywhere in a set of 2, so buy 2 sets and you're good, or just buy them from Volkswagen. It's not a problem in Germany. However, there are companies that repair hard drives; you can find some of them on websites like [website name]. The new price is likely to be around €2000 at Volkswagen.

Is it available everywhere, even at the accessory store? I imagine they might be a bit cheaper than the official dealer. I'll try to go there today anyway, since I have to go there soon.

"**** probably means 3, 2, 1, or something like that?"

"The original price is unaffordable, and I thought it was around €1,200, which is still too expensive (I'd rather not have it). I suspect there were so many complaints that these things are sometimes available for trade. The price in those cases is roughly €400-€500, as a friend once told me. I think it can probably be found for even less. It's likely just the drive that's broken/dirty."

You can get the hooks anywhere; two are more than enough. I only have two myself, and they work great for levering the thing out, first on the left side, then on the right. The hooks cost about €4.95 each.

Regular cleaning allows the device to run perfectly smoothly. Disassemble it, take it apart into its components – the front, the drive, the bottom part – and verschandeln it thoroughly, and then it will work again.
When you buy a used multi-function display (MFD) from eBay, you're essentially buying something sight unseen... it's like buying a pig in a poke.

At the same time, you can also verschandeln the fan in the control unit of the climate control system, and everything will be fine.

Thank you both. I'll get started and let you know how it goes!

Best regards,
Tom.

Okay, a quick update. The retaining hooks weren't available as individual accessories. At VW, you had to order them in a set of two for €6.50. But at MM (I'm not stupid), they're on the shelf for €6.99. I bought some, but the quality is bad; they bend very easily. Still, I managed to remove my navigation system with them.

If you remove the front panel from the top, then unscrew the plate at the back with 3 screws, and finally disconnect this connector, you will have the drive in your hands (the navigation system is roughly made up of 3 parts: the front panel, the drive, and the radio/navigation unit).

Das obere Gehäuse kann auseinander genommen werden, das reine Laufwerk lässt sich herausnehmen. Jetzt komme ich aber trotzdem nicht an die CD ran. Ich werde heute im Fahrzeug versuchen, der CD raus zu bekommen. Dazu werde ich das Navi offen wieder anklemmen im Fahrzeug (habe keine andere Stromquelle) und schauen was sich tut. Notfalls kann ich etwas nachhelfen. Die dann bewegenden Teile werde ich, so gut wie es geht, reinigen. I also hope to be able to access the lens so that I can verschandeln it.

I'm reporting again.

Hello,

As promised, here's another update. The navigation system is working again. I cleaned the lens as much as possible (it's very difficult to reach), and also cleaned the guides. The navigation system has been reinstalled.

Success:
It's working again; the CD is being read properly (as far as I can tell from 20 km away). The CD also ejects again, but I have to help it out with my fingernail; you can see the edge of the CD just peeking through the opening. I can live with this, but I'll try to find a better solution.

Next problem:
"I've experienced this issue several times after inserting a cleaning CD: the navigation system would work for the first few hours (approximately 200-300 km of continuous driving), but then error messages would appear. Now I checked the fan, and it turns out it's not working. This could also be a cause, in addition to a dirty drive."

Questions:
1) Is the fan controlled by temperature, or should it run when the device is turned on? Then I can check whether the problem is with the power supply or the fan itself.
"The fan should be replaceable with a fan from a computer, right? They both should have 12V..."

Best regards,
Tom.

Hi,

The fan is controlled by temperature, and I can't tell you exactly where the sensor is located. In my car, it turns on after about an hour, regardless of whether or not you are listening to music. You can usually hear it when you stop on the highway and turn off the engine; the fan makes quite a noise.

Thank you! I'm assuming my fan will still be working. I'll check to see if I can hear it. Once it starts running, does it run for a while, or? Otherwise, it's quite difficult to test (having to stop and turn off the motor every 10 minutes ).

Okay, I don't know how long it runs after that, but if you remove the key, it turns off immediately and won't start again. If you leave the key in, and the MFD (multi-function display) remains on, the thing runs for quite a while...but I've never stopped it, and I can't remember whether it actually turns off at some point... Maybe the Passat is better insulated, then you hear less !!!!!