Is the MMI control panel in the centre console, also the "Control Head" as reported by VCDS?

[rjsdavis]

Up until Friday, everything within the MMI system was working fine. On the very odd occasion, the lights within the MMI control panel in the centre console would not light up when the car was started, but re-starting the engine would always solve this. It would happen probably 2-3 times per year.

Last Friday, it happened again, and an engine restart fixed this and caused the control panel lights to come on. However, this time, whilst driving the car and during the journey, the lights in the control panel just went out, but this time, it caused the screen in the dashboard to turn off as well. Curiously, my phone was still connected to the system via Bluetooth, and it continued to stream and play music even though the MMI panel and screen were off, however, the volume was fixed and neither the volume button on the MMI control panel, or the steering wheel could alter the music volume. It appeared to me that the MMI control panel had just died there and then. Nothing had been changed, no MMI updates, nothing had been spilled on it, and there's no water ingress in the MMI stack in the boot - it's as dry as a bone in there. It just died.

During the rest of the day, engine restarts failed to make any difference, and the MMI control panel and screen has remained off ever since. I’ve done a full VCDS scan of the car, and the only faults showing are all MMI related, in that it simply says:

07-Control Head -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
0E-Media Player 1 -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
37-Navigation -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
47-Sound System -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
56-Radio -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100

Worse, the car wasn't used again until the Sunday morning. Come Sunday morning, the car battery was as flat as a pancake and would not turn over or even unlock from the key remote. It's clear that the system remained on for about 36 hours and completely drained the battery flat. It was charged all day Sunday, and the car started and runs fine and has done ever since. As a precaution, as the MMI system was down, I disconnected the large cable connector from the amp in the boot at the top of the stack, and the car system now shuts down in just a few minutes, and there is now no battery drain (you'll see above, that I have had drain issues for months!). The one positive to come out of this, is that the part-battery drain I've been trying to diagnose for months, is definitely, and without doubt caused from within the MMI system. I now never have any battery warnings on the dash when I go to start the car, the spotlights and rear lights always now come on when you unlock the car in the evenings even if she's been sitting around for a day or two (this didn't happen if the car had been left for a while, as the battery was part-draining, as it was taking the best part of 2-2.5 hours to shut down).

All other systems are ok. I've become aware from research in the RossTech forums, that the MMI system optical bus is a big loop, with the CAN gateway as the starting point, going onto the control head, and then onto the individual MMI components finishing with the radio tuner and then coming back to the CAN gateway again. Given that the CAN gateway is reporting ok in the VCDS scan, does this automatically point to the Control Head as the culprit that is stopping the loop from going any further, as it is first in the "faulty" list and has taken out every other module in the loop that follows it? My gut feeling is that the control panel in the dash is the faulty unit anyway given what happened, and because it's actually faulty, then remained an open or live circuit after the car was shut down last Friday, causing the battery to drain - this all appears to be logical to me.

Therefore, my question is; is the MMI control panel in the centre panel of the car, also the “Control Head” as reported by VCDS?

Assuming that this is yes - I'll get onto getting a replacement control panel / control head asap. I'm watching one on eBay at the moment, and a quick question about compatibility... My car is a 2007 A6. On the control panel, the button below RADIO is MEDIA on mine. The one I'm watching has TV / CD on the button instead of MEDIA.

I don't mind this, but would it be reasonable to expect any compatibility issues between the two?

[Gunnark100]

No,control panel and head are two different units. Panel is connected to the head(behind glovebox)

[rjsdavis]

No,control panel and head are two different units. Panel is connected to the head(behind glovebox)

Thank you for this Gunnark

Do you mean behind the CD multiplayer in the glove box, or behind the whole glove box unit? I.e. you'd need to go in from the footwell and get in behind the glovebox from underneath?

Also, so if the control panel, and control head, are completely different units, what does the control panel report as when VCDS is doing a scan?

Many thanks

[Gunnark100]

Thank you for this Gunnark

Do you mean behind the CD multiplayer in the glove box, or behind the whole glove box unit? I.e. you'd need to go in from the footwell and get in behind the glovebox from underneath?

Also, so if the control panel, and control head, are completely different units, what does the control panel report as when VCDS is doing a scan?

Many thanks

You had mmi 2G high?! Behind means you need to remove glovebox, to get access to contol head, but test other modules first!

In vcds, control panel is sub module under head, but its not part of optical ring and yours is "down"!

[rjsdavis]

You had mmi 2G high?! Behind means you need to remove glovebox, to get access to contol head, but test other modules first!

In vcds, control panel is sub module under head, but its not part of optical ring and yours is "down"!

Ok, thanks. Yes, I have MMI 2G High.

I don't know what the Control Head actually looks like. Is it just some sort of black box hidden behind the glovebox - like a large relay or something?

Thank you for explaining that the control panel is a "sub module" under the control head. Do you know whether if the control panel is the faulty item in my system, that this would effectively turn off the control head from the optical ring? I don't have spares lying around to test - indeed the only way I can think of to test any other module at all, is to get another module and plug it in. I can't afford to buy a whole new system, and work through it module, by module, so surely logic dictates to start with the module that appeared to fail whilst I was actually driving the car?

What would you do if this was your car?

Many thanks

[Gunnark100]

Ok, thanks. Yes, I have MMI 2G High.

I don't know what the Control Head actually looks like. Is it just some sort of black box hidden behind the glovebox - like a large relay or something?

Thank you for explaining that the control panel is a "sub module" under the control head. Do you know whether if the control panel is the faulty item in my system, that this would effectively turn off the control head from the optical ring? I don't have spares lying around to test - indeed the only way I can think of to test any other module at all, is to get another module and plug it in. I can't afford to buy a whole new system, and work through it module, by module, so surely logic dictates to start with the module that appeared to fail whilst I was actually driving the car?

What would you do if this was your car?

Many thanks

If it was my car, i would get optical loop or taking optical connector to the bits, attaching ends together and testing all units one by one(no need to buy new units for this). After you find faulty unit(rest system will wake up), double check will it get power(to avoid idiotic situation)!

Not bad thread:
Audi MMI Problems Diagnostic - Audiworld

[rjsdavis]

If it was my car, i would get optical loop or taking optical connector to the bits, attaching ends together and testing all units one by one(no need to buy new units for this). After you find faulty unit(rest system will wake up), double check will it get power(to avoid idiotic situation)!

Not bad thread:
Audi MMI Problems Diagnostic - Audiworld

Thanks for the tip Gunnark - I wasn't aware of the bypass loop.

Thanks also for the link to the MMI diagnostic guide. That was helpful. Appreciated, although the "If you're MMI system doesn't turn on at all, it's probably not got power" doesn't work for me, and because it doesn't work at all, I can't go through any of the other steps it suggests at all, as it relys on at least powering up and working a bit to work out which component is at fault.

Therefore, I can't see a way past physically pulling out and changing the MMI control panel - which my gut tells me is the dodgy component. Can I ask if you might know, that if the MMI control panel dies, would you expect this to stop the entire system from turning on and functioning?

Also - where the guide that you've provided me a link to indicates in it's "Pro Tips" that if you fit a replacement amp or indeed any component, that you need to go back to the main dealer to have it reprogrammed into your system, is this really necessary? As part of an earlier problem, the radio tuner and amp have been changed - neither needed to be programmed in, and even if it did, couldn't VCDS do this?

Many thanks

[rjsdavis]

Thanks for the tip Gunnark - I wasn't aware of the bypass loop.

Thanks also for the link to the MMI diagnostic guide. That was helpful. Appreciated, although the "If you're MMI system doesn't turn on at all, it's probably not got power" doesn't work for me, and because it doesn't work at all, I can't go through any of the other steps it suggests at all, as it relys on at least powering up and working a bit to work out which component is at fault.

Therefore, I can't see a way past physically pulling out and changing the MMI control panel - which my gut tells me is the dodgy component. Can I ask if you might know, that if the MMI control panel dies, would you expect this to stop the entire system from turning on and functioning?

Also - where the guide that you've provided me a link to indicates in it's "Pro Tips" that if you fit a replacement amp or indeed any component, that you need to go back to the main dealer to have it reprogrammed into your system, is this really necessary? As part of an earlier problem, the radio tuner and amp have been changed - neither needed to be programmed in, and even if it did, couldn't VCDS do this?

Many thanks

Up until Friday, everything within the MMI system was working fine. On the very odd occasion, the lights within the MMI control panel in the centre console would not light up when the car was started, but re-starting the engine would always solve this. It would happen probably 2-3 times per year.

Last Friday, it happened again, and an engine restart fixed this and caused the control panel lights to come on. However, this time, whilst driving the car and during the journey, the lights in the control panel just went out, but this time, it caused the screen in the dashboard to turn off as well. Curiously, my phone was still connected to the system via Bluetooth, and it continued to stream and play music even though the MMI panel and screen were off, however, the volume was fixed and neither the volume button on the MMI control panel, or the steering wheel could alter the music volume. It appeared to me that the MMI control panel had just died there and then. Nothing had been changed, no MMI updates, nothing had been spilled on it, and there's no water ingress in the MMI stack in the boot - it's as dry as a bone in there. It just died.

During the rest of the day, engine restarts failed to make any difference, and the MMI control panel and screen has remained off ever since. I’ve done a full VCDS scan of the car, and the only faults showing are all MMI related, in that it simply says:

07-Control Head -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
0E-Media Player 1 -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
37-Navigation -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
47-Sound System -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100
56-Radio -- Status: Cannot be reached 1100

Worse, the car wasn't used again until the Sunday morning. Come Sunday morning, the car battery was as flat as a pancake and would not turn over or even unlock from the key remote. It's clear that the system remained on for about 36 hours and completely drained the battery flat. It was charged all day Sunday, and the car started and runs fine and has done ever since. As a precaution, as the MMI system was down, I disconnected the large cable connector from the amp in the boot at the top of the stack, and the car system now shuts down in just a few minutes, and there is now no battery drain (you'll see above, that I have had drain issues for months!). The one positive to come out of this, is that the part-battery drain I've been trying to diagnose for months, is definitely, and without doubt caused from within the MMI system. I now never have any battery warnings on the dash when I go to start the car, the spotlights and rear lights always now come on when you unlock the car in the evenings even if she's been sitting around for a day or two (this didn't happen if the car had been left for a while, as the battery was part-draining, as it was taking the best part of 2-2.5 hours to shut down).

All other systems are ok. I've become aware from research in the RossTech forums, that the MMI system optical bus is a big loop, with the CAN gateway as the starting point, going onto the control head, and then onto the individual MMI components finishing with the radio tuner and then coming back to the CAN gateway again. Given that the CAN gateway is reporting ok in the VCDS scan, does this automatically point to the Control Head as the culprit that is stopping the loop from going any further, as it is first in the "faulty" list and has taken out every other module in the loop that follows it? My gut feeling is that the control panel in the dash is the faulty unit anyway given what happened, and because it's actually faulty, then remained an open or live circuit after the car was shut down last Friday, causing the battery to drain - this all appears to be logical to me.

Therefore, my question is; is the MMI control panel in the centre panel of the car, also the “Control Head” as reported by VCDS?

Assuming that this is yes - I'll get onto getting a replacement control panel / control head asap. I'm watching one on eBay at the moment, and a quick question about compatibility... My car is a 2007 A6. On the control panel, the button below RADIO is MEDIA on mine. The one I'm watching has TV / CD on the button instead of MEDIA.

I don't mind this, but would it be reasonable to expect any compatibility issues between the two?



So, I managed to get hold of a replacement MMI control panel a few weeks after the system died, and finally found both the time, and some reasonably not effing freezing cold weather today, to spend the several hours that I needed to pull the centre console out to get to the MMI control panel to plug the new one in.

Gutted to report, that plugging the new MMI control panel into the system made no difference whatsoever, and the entire MMI system is still completely dead!

VCDS still reports all of the systems as being "CANNOT BE REACHED", therefore, I am assuming that there is another central "brain" to the system tucked away somewhere that has likely died, and is preventing VCDS from communicating with all parts of the system?

Can someone please point me in the right direction as to what I need to get access to, and replace to get the MMI up and running again?

Many thanks indeed for any responses.

[B5NUT]

Remove the glovebox and you will see the control head, as shown in this picture.

Also as none of the MMI module cannot be accessed, 100% sure your control head is dead as the control head acts as the infotaiment bus controller for the can gateway.

Remember when replacing the control head you will need to get component protection removed, by either a dealer or a third party with access to a fully licensed version of ODIS.

[rjsdavis]

Remove the glovebox and you will see the control head, as shown in this picture.

Also as none of the MMI module cannot be accessed, 100% sure your control head is dead as the control head acts as the infotaiment bus controller for the can gateway.

Remember when replacing the control head you will need to get component protection removed, by either a dealer or a third party with access to a fully licensed version of ODIS.

Many thanks for this - I finally found where the Optical Bus testing software within VCDS, and tested the system. The results were:

Control Module Part Number: 4F0 910 468 A
Component and/or Version: Gateway H11 0070


Optical Bus Diagnostic : Standard


Controller Electrical Optical
19-CAN Gateway OK ERROR
07-Control Head ERROR ERROR
0E-Media Player 1 OK ERROR
47-Sound System OK ERROR
56-Radio OK ERROR
37-Navigation OK ERROR

So, I'm guessing that you're exactly right, and the Control Head is el kaputo, and that this is effectively the central hub of the system, which is why I'm getting Optical error's on every element? (i.e. that the dead control head is stopping the optical signal from going to any part of the system at all?)

Really effing annoying, as I was convinced that the MMI control panel in the centre console was the culprit, bought another, and just went though all this jip to try and replace it! Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Also - to understand the components of the system:

19-CAN Gateway Where is this if it goes wrong?
07-Control Head The dead silver box in your pic behind the glovebox
0E-Media Player 1 The multi-CD player in the glove box?
47-Sound System The amp in the boot stack?
56-Radio The radio tuner unit in the boot stack
37-Navigation The nav DVD unit in the boot stack

Many thanks indeed for your help!