Radio in my 2004 Porsche 911 seems to have a mind of its own. Works when it wants to. Turn on the car radio will not work. On/off switch, station buttons, volume control all non-operational. Faceplate lights up &says “Porsche” but nothing works. Other times same issues bu faceplate flashes on and off with a sound similiar to a CD changing (CD player not in use).
Sometimes when it is not working after a few minutes the radio will simply come on.
Radio and amplifier were replaced under warranty, but my extended warranty has now expired and the problem persists. My local Porsche dealer has been one for 35 years and they give every impression that they know what they are doing.
Any ideas or is this just one of those aberrations in life?
I would suggest that you “cut your losses” and have an after-market radio installed by a competent audio shop.
This will likely cost you FAR less than anything that would be done at the Porsche dealership, and may actually get you a better-quality audio system as a bonus. Since the car is no longer covered by warranty, there is no reason to take the car to a Porsche dealership–especially for an audio problem!
Have thought about that. Service Manager at the dealership is willing to “look the other way” and repair/replace the radio at no cost if he is convinced that this time it will be fixed. Just might head over to the local auto audio genius and see what this all might cost me. Thanks.
Wait…they replaced it under warranty, and the problem wasn’t fixed?
If this is true, and you have the receipts/invoices, you have a case for them to fix it correctly, anyway, and cover it.
Good luck…sometimes this can be a tough nut to crack.
Yup. They pulled the service history on the car. Radio was replaced under warranty by the original owner. I had the amplifier replaced under my extended warranty. According to the Service Manager what is in the car is now the newest stuff for Porsche. No problem with receipts/invoices, etc. Been dealing with this Service Manager since 2000. Best Porsche SM I’ve ever worked with and my history with this brand of cars goes back to 1973.
Guess what I am trying to avoid is heading to an independent audio shop, getting a new radio and finding out that the problem is somewhere else. Last time into the shop the computer was spitting out CD changer codes, but that works perfectly.
Again, thanks.
Have you asked this on a 911 forum? There are many many 911 enthusiasts, one of them probably has had this happen to them. I would also be cautious about aftermarket equipment, I know VW has car circuitry wired through the radio. Folks on those 911 forums will know about that, too.
No but I have been monitoring the Porsche boards to see if anyone has had a similar problem. So far nothing. Appreciate the thought, will watch even more carefully.
Remove the radio’s faceplate, and then clean all the contacts with rubbing alcohol, then reinstall.
If that doesn’t do it, replace the ignition switch, as radio issues are typically the first sign of a switch going bad.
BC.
NOBODY can fix this stuff. Radio / CD player combos are nothing but trouble. The technology is history. Install a modern radio with a USB plug and then plug in your I-pod or similar E-toy and play the 5000 tunes you have stored on it with no moving parts that are guaranteed to fail…That is, if you can STAND not having the faceplate light up “Porsche”…
Radio / CD player combos are nothing but trouble.
Radio/Cd player combos have been around for over 20 years…not to mention the fact that the sound quality of a CD or audio DVD is a LOT better then your (iphone, ipod or any mp3 player).
guaranteed to fail.
Maybe your AC/Delco units are prone to failure…But I’ve only owned one that’s failed…and that was after 10 years of daily use.
Ignition switch is about 2 years old. Was replaced when we discovered that I had no dash lights and the door chime was not working.
I am very low tech. No I-pod, no smart phone. Thanks
I think your best bet is to get a good aftermarket unit from www.Crutchfield… or some local Car Audio shop. I’ll bet a new Porsche unit will cost 10 times what a comparable (or better) aftermarket unit will cost.
Put in an 8-track…At 90 mph, you can’t hear the radio anyway…