[ron kramer]

In FL ,if you remember, the GPS kept asking me if I were in the United States. Ultimately that when away and all has been well for months and I am back in MA since early May. Last night I am traveling up from RI and my GPS goes bananas. On Interstate Route 95 it informs me I am off road. I pull over and restart the car to no avail. I take out the CD, clean it a bit put it back and the same thing. I continue to my home to the same off road message. Every couple of minutes it seems to wake up but is in spasm indicating a litany of different street names every 20-30 seconds and telling me to turn at each one. I was still on the four lane Rt. 95. Maybe those were the streets I was passing on the sides of the Interstate?

I started up this morning and the GPS came out of its coma and seem to be working. What might the malady be and what is the Rx?

 

[PanEuropean]

Hi Ron:

Assuming that there are no physical problems with the car (i.e. damaged or loose fibre optic cable between the navigation CD reader and the front screen), my guess is that you have out of date software in either your instrument cluster or your navigation CD reader.

For a North American car, the nav CD reader software should be at version 0168. More important, the instrument cluster software needs to end in the number '21'.

The instrument cluster also functions as the network gateway for the vehicle. If the software has not been updated to the most recent release, all sorts of communications problems will be present, including problems with the navigation system not presenting accurate position information.

You can determine what software is in your Front Information Display and Control Head and in your navigation CD reader easily enough (there is a post in the FAQ that explains the button-pushing sequence to display this), but you need a diagnostic scan tool to determine what software is in your instrument cluster (controller 17).

I suggest you eliminate out of date software as a possible cause of the problem before you go any further. Running a diagnostic scan to determine software versions will also let you determine if there are any other problems present (e.g. a fibre optic cable problem, a GPS antenna problem) that might be related.

Michael

 

[ron kramer]

Hi Ron:

Assuming that there are no physical problems with the car (i.e. damaged or loose fibre optic cable between the navigation CD reader and the front screen), my guess is that you have out of date software in either your instrument cluster or your navigation CD reader.

For a North American car, the nav CD reader software should be at version 0168. More important, the instrument cluster software needs to end in the number '21'.

The instrument cluster also functions as the network gateway for the vehicle. If the software has not been updated to the most recent release, all sorts of communications problems will be present, including problems with the navigation system not presenting accurate position information.

You can determine what software is in your Front Information Display and Control Head and in your navigation CD reader easily enough (there is a post in the FAQ that explains the button-pushing sequence to display this), but you need a diagnostic scan tool to determine what software is in your instrument cluster (controller 17).

I suggest you eliminate out of date software as a possible cause of the problem before you go any further. Running a diagnostic scan to determine software versions will also let you determine if there are any other problems present (e.g. a fibre optic cable problem, a GPS antenna problem) that might be related.

Michael

I'm a little confused, OK, a lot. The car has not seen a dealer for any diagnostics for a year YET the GPS was fine. What would precipitate an error now?

 

[ron kramer]

I may end up doing this in a separate post but my clock that used to lose two minutes a week and is now losing five minutes a week. The Tech says they will likely be replacing my instrument cluster?
The software update to supposedly correct this was done 15 months ago. Any possible connection with the GPS problem?

 

[Itzmann]

One point to consider is that if one asks the nav system to take the shortest route and one is riding on a freeway, the system will often ask one to get out of the highway and go via the little side roads which, even though the trip may in fact take 5 times longer, would cut the actual no. of miles traveled.

 

[ron kramer]

One point to consider is that if one asks the nav system to take the shortest route and one is riding on a freeway, the system will often ask one to get out of the highway and go via the little side roads which, even though the trip may in fact take 5 times longer, would cut the actual no. of miles traveled.

Couldn't possibly be the problem going from Providence RI to a Boston suburb on an Interstate.

 

[PanEuropean]

I may end up doing this in a separate post but my clock that used to lose two minutes a week and is now losing five minutes a week....

The software update to supposedly correct this was done 15 months ago. Any possible connection with the GPS problem?

Hi Ron:

Yes, there is a direct, 1:1 correlation between the two problems (clock losing time and GPS location problems).

Before you do anything, please get a diagnostic scan completed - either by your VW dealer, who can give you a printout on paper, or by a VW enthusiast with a VAG-COM, who can give you the results as a text file - and post the results here.

Although it would be most desirable if you could post the complete results (as text) from a VAG-COM scan, the three most critical controllers - for the purpose of solving this problem - are controller 07 (the Front Instrument Panel Display and Control Head, which is the big screen between the two front seats), controller 17 (the instrument cluster), and controller 37 (the navigation controller).

In the meantime, I recommend you read these posts from the Phaeton Forum 'Table of Contents' (FAQ by Category)... I think you will then get a good understanding of what the cause of the problem is:


TB 90-07-01, TPL 2010404, "Clock Runs Too Slow" (Was: TB 90-05-05)

TB: Distortion in the Display Unit in the Instrument Cluster (MFI, or Y24)

In particular, read post #25 in this thread - my guess is that it describes your situation perfectly:
Navigation System inaccurate, gets lost, does not show correct vehicle position

Lastly, read post #19 on this thread, again, my guess is that it describes your situation perfectly:
Electrical Problems - Includes TB 27-06-02, RVU (Campaign OH)

Let me know if my above two guesses are correct. Then, get the scan done and post the results.

Michael

 

[ron kramer]

I alerted my service advisor to this post and the car goes in Thursday.

 

[PanEuropean]

The executive summary for your service adviser is this:

Controller 07 (Front Display and Control Panel, J523) - software needs to be at version 0188 if the hardware does not have a PHONE hard-key, or at version 0223 if it does have a PHONE hard-key.

Controller 17 (Instrument Cluster) - software needs to end in '21', for example, 0321, 0421, 0521, etc.

Controller 37 (Navigation Controller, J401) - software needs to be at version 0168.

My guess, based on everything that you have written, is that your current instrument cluster software ends in '12' and your current navigation controller software is 0147. Let me know what the service adviser finds, I would be fascinated to know.

Michael

 

[ron kramer]

The executive summary for your service adviser is this:

Controller 07 (Front Display and Control Panel, J523) - software needs to be at version 0188 if the hardware does not have a PHONE hard-key, or at version 0223 if it does have a PHONE hard-key.

Controller 17 (Instrument Cluster) - software needs to end in '21', for example, 0321, 0421, 0521, etc.

Controller 37 (Navigation Controller, J401) - software needs to be at version 0168.

My guess, based on everything that you have written, is that your current instrument cluster software ends in '12' and your current navigation controller software is 0147. Let me know what the service adviser finds, I would be fascinated to know.

Michael

Michael,
ALL settings were as you indicated but the Load Intervention was maxed out at 14 and was reset to 0 per the VW Tech Line.
I have the car back to drive for awhile and then bring it back to make sure there are no drains on the battery before they go further.

 

[DNAguy]

Perhaps GPS is jammed

There are stretches of road in the DC/Va area where GPS is jammed. I am assuming this is do to the CIA @ Langly or the Pentagon....When driving along these roads, all of a sudden I get the "driving off road" message which clears up when I drive out of the area....

Perhaps you were driving thru one of those spots...

Buck

 

[ron kramer]

there are stretches of road in the dc/va area where gps is jammed. I am assuming this is do to the cia @ langly or the pentagon....when driving along these roads, all of a sudden i get the "driving off road" message which clears up when i drive out of the area....

Perhaps you were driving thru one of those spots...

Buck

good thought but no way where i was going from pawtucett ri to boston which i've done many times.

 

[johnt26]

Hi Ron,

Is the Comfort battery the original?

After receiving some excellent advice from this forum, my dealer replace both original batteries in my '04 and all the "bugs" disappeared.

You may be fully aware of the issue but you never know, so I thought I'd throw it out there.

Best of luck!

 

[ron kramer]

Hi Ron,

Is the Comfort battery the original?

After receiving some excellent advice from this forum, my dealer replace both original batteries in my '04 and all the "bugs" disappeared.

You may be fully aware of the issue but you never know, so I thought I'd throw it out there.

Best of luck!

The left battery was replaced six months ago the right side battery is original.

 

[PanEuropean]

Ron, is your rear window tinted?

Michael

 

[ron kramer]

Ron, is your rear window tinted?

Michael

Michael I'll give you a laugh, I think so but have no idea as I drive always with the rear screen UP. :what:

I let you know tomorrow.

 

[ron kramer]

ron, is your rear window tinted?

Michael

yes it is, why?

 

[PanEuropean]

I wonder if the window tinter damaged the GPS antenna when the film was applied to the window. The GPS antenna for the navigation system is mounted in the upper corner (passenger side) of the rear window. The antenna on the roof (of North American Phaetons) is only for OnStar.

Michael

 

[ron kramer]

I wonder if the window tinter damaged the GPS antenna when the film was applied to the window. The GPS antenna for the navigation system is mounted in the upper corner (passenger side) of the rear window. The antenna on the roof (of North American Phaetons) is only for OnStar.

Michael

The GPS has been OK for 11 years so doubt thats it but will mention it.

 

[Victor R]

The GPS has been OK for 11 years...

So you have a MY 2000 Phaeton? :what:

Victor