Jim Banville

I took out my Audio CD 10 to sell, and replaced the stock tape deck. After I had the stock radio screwed in, I tested it by pressing the volume button/power button (the key was not in the ignition). The radio came on for several seconds and then went off, leaving the message "PROD" on the screen. I assume this means it wants the security code, which I don't know. Well, I put the key in and turned on the radio. The radio now seems to play without interuption, but when you turn the car off, the security LED on the radio no longer blinks, but the tow-away alarm LED does blink! WTF?!

tommy

Time to change the first line of your sig before you jump ship.

Buellwinkle

Sorry to hear that Jim, MB's are troublesome cars and the dealers have lots and lots of experience dealing with such issues. They'll probably fix it under warranty.

Jim Banville

No offense Buellwinkle, but F#@k off
My MB is not "troublesome" and I didn't create this thread to give you another place to bash MB's. It's obvious "I" created this problem by tripping the security function in the radio.

Jim Banville

Some more info for anyone that may know how to "fix" this...

I remembered I may have left a CD in my Audio 10 CD, so I pulled out the stock deck again and re-connected the Audio 10 CD. I discovered that my wife must have removed my CD earlier, so I re-connected the stock radio. After I plugged it back up, the LED light on the radio started blinking as it should. I then inserted the key, turned it to position 1 and turned on the radio. It continued to play normal. After I turned off the car, the radio's LED didn't start blinking again. I pressed the door lock button on my remote and the LED on the tow-way alarm button began blinking again (the radio LED stayed off). I'm thinking that either I can enter the security code back into the system to get everything right, or the dealer will have to reset something. I'd much prefer to get it done myself

Lynn

The dealer will have to reset something. There is no radio code for these cars.

20FHK02

Did you say you swapped the 2 units when the battery was still connected? I think it is safe to do these things when the battery is disconnected so that you won't confuse the electric system.

So I think if you disconnect the battery, wait for a while, and then plug it back to let the system reinitiate it may solve your problem.

Jim Banville

I actually did this shortly after I first posted. Disconnecting the battery for a few seconds did cause the little LED on the radio to start flashing again! Before I did anything else, I locked the doors via the remote. I then had BOTH the radio and tow-away lights blinking! I unlocked the doors and the tow light went out. I started the car and the MFD showed ESP was disabled. RATS! Pushing the ESP button didn't have any affect to this other than turning on/off the little "!" light on the dash. I turned on the radio, and it seemed to work fine. It recognized the CD changer, no problem. I then turned the radio off. I then relocked the doors. This time I no longer had the flashing LED on the radio and the tow-away LED was blinking again. I guess I'll be visiting the dealer. Just hope they don't charge me. I have changed out the radio and climate control without disconnecting the battery and have had ZERO problems before now I don't blame the car one bit for this "problem". Everything was fine just a few hours ago before I went into the dash.

Jim Banville

Odd. What does the "PROD" on the radios' display mean then? Other posts here read that once you get that message, the radio locks up. My radio is still working fine though.

Lynn

I think that the radio still plays will giving a "PROD" message is odd. My Audio 10 cd would only play for about 30 seconds and then quit.

amdeutsch

In some cases the VMI will list a code for the radio. But then again the CANBUS is supposed to recognise the radio. Someone on here posted something regarding the *PROD* readout a short while back. Might do a search.

Jim Banville

I did a search on PROD yesterday and discovered that once you get that signal, the radio is supposed to lock you out.
To recap: (1)I installed radio, but tested it before putting the dash piece back in (the little plug going to the area where the anti-tow button is was left disconnected during that time).
(2)I turned in on by pushing on the volume button with no key in the ignition.
(3)It would play for about 15 to 30 seconds and then stop and displayed PROD. You could press the volume and turn it on again, but it would only play for another 15-30 seconds before stopping again and displaying PROD again.
(4)Once, I inserted the key and went to position 1 or 2, I could turn on the radio and it played without interrruption and without displaying PROD.
(5) The only problem after that was that the security LED would no longer blink with the car off.
(6) And a possibly related problem is that with the car locked, the anti-tow button's LED blinks rapidly now.
(7) I disconnected tha battery for several seconds.
(8) Before turning on the car again, the LED on the radio would now blink as it should.
(9) I pressed the lock button on the remote and the anti-tow button started blinking too.
(10) I turned on the car - the radio came on and played normally - the anti-tow button goes off if you unlock the doors.
(11) ANOTHER issue upon starting the car after having the battery disconnected is that I'm getting an ESP error message on the MFD.
Apparently I've done something to really confuse this car's brain

Lynn

Jim, you can reset the ESP by turning the wheels fully to the right and then to the left.

Jim Banville

Thanks! Is there a certain procedure or do you just turn on the car and turn the wheel back and forth while in park?

Jim Banville

10-22 it! I fixed it! Thanks Lynn

steffen

My tow alarm switch blinks too when I lock the doors.
I think that's a normal anti-theft feature.

==Steffen

Jim Banville

That's weird! I could have sworn the only blinking light in ny car was the radio's, and not the anti-tow button. If it was normal, I would have thought someone would have said so in one of the earlier responses

tommy

It's normal.

Sorry, Jim - he's right; I wasn't thinking. Guess we all could have thought and calmed you down a little about the light blinking when the alarm's on.

steffen

I never noticed it either until this weekend.

Hey, maybe it's a car virus.

--Steffen

Jim Banville

Guy's, I'm in a poor position to judge, but I don't think this is normal. The LED on my radio should blink when the car is off. It doesn't anymore since I switched back to the stock tape deck. Well, it did after I momentarily disconnected the battery, but as soon as I turned the car on, then off, it didn't start blinking as it should. The anti-tow button did start blinking after I locked the doors. I could SWEAR that I have never seen it blink before, or I could be completely wrong. I really do appreciate everyone's input into this though

trench

I thought you thought that the rate it was blinking was unusual, not that it was blinking.

Funny aside, I just noticed within the last month that the anti-tow button light even blinks. At first I was "WTF?" but then decided that it was probably normal and I just never noticed.

- BT

Lynn

The light in the anti-tqw button blinks when the car is locked. I, too, misread the original posts and thought that it was blinking at a different rate than normal.

Jim Banville

Okay people, so should both the radio's LED and the anti-tow blink when the car is off and locked? The rate that the anti-tow button blinks is much faster than the radio. Anti-tow is like 1 blink per second. Radio (when it was blinking) was like 1 blink every 3 seconds.

Lynn

Jim, that is what my car does.

steffen

Confirmatory. The radio LED blinks whether you lock the car or not. The tow alarm light only blinks oce you have armed the alarm (lock the doors).

--Steffen