My standard (58 plate GS) as fitted radio is behaving very weirdly. After the ignition has been off (key fob out) for an hour or so, the radio will not switch on. When starting the car, the screen will light up green but no information and no sound. If I then switch off the engine and remove the fob the green screen stays lit. I then have to briefly remove the battery negative (at the battery) and that switches off the green screen. The radio will then work as normal for the length of the journey. When removing the fob next time, the screen again stays lit and I have to remove the battery earth again to switch it off. (If I don’t do that the battery will go flat in about two days). Next time I use the car, I have to go through the same process again to get a radio. This used to be intermittent – about once every couple of months but now it’s every time. Its driving me nuts! A hard reset (tried many times) has exactly the same result. I am beginning to think I have to replace the radio but can anyone else shed any light on what the problem is? Any help appreciated.

Is the battery voltage up to spec ? FL2 seem to be very susceptible to anything below about 11v

If the battery is ok (or after fitting a new one) maybe try the extra earth lead fix... cheaper than a new stereo fascia and will only benefit the car anyway.

Thanks RogB. Yes, it is a relatively new battery and fully changed. I fitted an earth strap a couple of years ago and cleaned the connections a few days ago just in case, but it made no difference. In all other respects the car is behaving flawlessly.

stereo fascia off, check connections and printed boards for anything obvious

pull out the main unit and check connections, earths etc.

basically im just taking wild guesses

occasionally 2nd hand fascia do come up on flea bay for around £40 I think


good luck

I was afraid of that! Ah well I have had a good run to date having had the car for 7 years with nothing really to speak about - just a new throttle body about a year ago, so I can't complain...oh, yes I can! . Thanks for the help.

OK I have concluded that the radio itself is the culprit. I have just installed a second hand radio which works fine for about a minute then comes up with "Invalid VIN System shut down". It then shuts down! I have done a search of the forum but there doesn't seem to be definitive answer. It looks as if the new radio has to be coded to the vehicle by a dealer but is that true? I didn't expect that. Has anyone discovered any other way? Advice much appreciated.

search has brought up this thread

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic3050.html...reo+coding

so it looks like it may need coding

Thanks Rog. I had missed that thread. I does look like a trip to an indy (hopefully). I'll report back in due course. Grrrrrr.

I contacted RCV (Independent in Kent) who said they hadn't seen it before but would try to re-code the radio. After an hour trying they decided it wasn't possible but they could tell me the identity of the Freely it had come from! (RCV didn't charge me anything for that hours work - excellent). So that radio went back to SCAN 4x4. Refund (£110) obtained very quickly and Paypal refunded my return postage as well - very impressed. I then ordered a new radio from OEM found on eBay (£180. A new radio from a dealer is a huge £370!) who assured me that theirs was "Plug and Play". That arrived very quickly and sure enough worked with no issues. So I am a happy bunny again! So to sum up:

1. You can't fit a factory fitted radio to another car because it is permanently coded to the VIN. (I am talking about the basic FM/AM radio with single CD drive)

2. A new radio will work without any dealer involvement. If you can then go on to move it again, I don't know, but I suspect you can.

If anyone would like my old radio they are very welcome for the cost of the postage (£12.98 Parcel Force) or I could split it from the facia and you could have just that. Postage would be much cheaper for just the facia. PM me if you would like it.