Now that I can't fix her radio I'm finding out what mad really is!!

This past Christmas day (just shy of 2 weeks ago) I was a front seat passenger in my wife's 2000 S430.

She stopped quick and my almost empty glass of sweet green tea launched from the center armrest cup holder right into the Command screen.

Immediately the volume jumped to 800 or whatever the absolute maximum volume is.

I tried to lower the volume but got no response from the volume button on the dash. My wife tried to lower the volume from the steering wheel but no joy there either.

Finally I hit the "Power" button on the dash and the Command unit shut off.

After lots of yelling (wife at me) I powered the radio back on and again tried to lower the volume but none of the buttons on the dash or the steering wheel work at all except the Power button.

We got home shortly after that and I tried again but got nothing but maximum volume, none of the Command buttons worked.

I told her to wait a few days and things should dry out and that everything would be fine.

Well, turns out I am completely wrong.

Yesterday I took the entire Command unit out of her dash and cleaned and checked everthing I could get at.

Put it all back in and tested again but still none of the Command buttons work. Just Power On or Power Off.

All of the other controls on the Command panel work just fine like the A/C, the filters, etc.

The Command system appears to be broken. Can't access the NAV or change radio bands or channels from the front panel or the steering wheel.

With the Command unit out I was able to see into the dash where the liquid would have gone but don't see anything that could get damaged by liquid other than one electronic device bolted to the floor right behind the ashtray but it is in an aluminum case and I don't think it got wet at all.

Anyway, I was hoping someone on this forum might have some suggestions that could help get me out of some hot water with the wife.

Thanks all,

Milton

 

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One of the standard emergency fixes for coffee/tea/Coke/water in electronics is to soak the system in pure alcohol. This removes the water and the contamination that it included, and then dries relatively quickly.

To help an electronic device dry out thoroughly, some folks seal them into a bag of dry rice.

Might take a lot of alcohol (ask the pharmacist, but they are often expensive. Cheap vodka is sometimes actually cheaper!) or rice, but might be worth a shot.

 

Trade her in for a later model year, maybe 1986 or so.

 

Water damage is covered if you have comprehensive insurance

 

Thank you all for your feedback.
I did thoroughly clean when I took the Command unit out of the dash.

I was hoping someone might know why the buttons on the steering wheel would be affected when no liquid got anywhere near the wheel.

I also wanted to try to positively identify the problem as the Command unit itself or is there some other component(s) in the area that might be the culprit.

Thanks again for your feedback,
Milt

 

Was there any mechanical damage from the cup hitting buttons?
Check to see if they all feel normal clicking action, and check volume ring.
Maybe button on command is over-riding steering wheel button.

 

I did physically inspect the entire Command unit when I had it removed.

I made a few attempts to remove some of the buttons but got a bit intimidated when I couldn't figure out how to properly disassemble.

I plan to remove the Command unit again this weekend and make another attempt to clean the facade including the buttons. I plan to use an electronics cleaning product (fast evaporating cold cleaner)

I'll update with the results

Anyone have a method for disassembling the front panel of the Command unit?

Milt

 

Just a quick follow up

I again removed the Command system from the dash and used an electronics parts cold cleaner spray on all of the buttons. I concentrated on in-between and underneath all of the Command controls.

When I reinstalled the unit all of the buttons began to work again including the volume control from the steering wheel.

Wife is happy

 

LMFAO!

 

Dude! You are one LUCKY ****.

Happy wife, happy life sir,

K