Audio system illumination...

[wtom]

Good day all,

Weird thing happened this morning while I was starting up the car to go to work; car started and all lights were on, EXCEPT the LCD display (Hello! text) and the illumination bars!

I fiddled with the two different lighting switches (lower left of steering wheel as well as left top of gauge cluster) with no success to get the audio system illumination on. Checked the setting within the audio system config menu with no success also.

All of this occured while the car was still inside the (relatively) dark garage. I swear this non-illuminating issue never occured before.

So I decide to reverse out of my garage anyway. After I close the garage door (the remote fits perfect in the ashtray compartment, without the actual tray in there of course), I find the audio system lights are now all on and illuminated! WTF? ...

[dinu01]

No clue. Did you drive over bumpy roads yesterday or was your car outside in that nasty rain?

Mine was outside all day and it worked...

[wtom]

Bumpy roads, no... driving in the rain, yes, but not parked in the rain.

Also finding the condensation/fogging-up problem seems kinda major. I mean, if my windows fog up like they do now during the cooler summer nights, winter will be a bitch to keep the windows clear of fog.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom


Also finding the condensation/fogging-up problem seems kinda major. I mean, if my windows fog up like they do now during the cooler summer nights, winter will be a bitch to keep the windows clear of fog.

turn the A/C on

[dinu01]

Whenever it rains I run the A/C by setting the vents to defronst - no more \"fog\"

[wtom]

I know that (turn on A/C) but I don\'t think I\'ll be too wanting to do that in the freezing cold winter...

[dinu01]

But you have to...

A/C on but with the dial set to hot - one of those fool-proof things on new cars to make sure the a/c is used from time to time, even when you couldn\'t care less about it

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by dinu01


Whenever it rains I run the A/C by setting the vents to defronst - no more \"fog\"

in addition to the defrost/de-fog setting, turning the A/C on while set at the other vent positions also works well...all you really need to do is remove the humidity from the air inside the car and it\'ll keep the fog/condensation off the interior glass.

in cars with no A/C, you have to equalize the humidity inside the car with that outside, which means opening the windows and keeping the vent at Fresh.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom


I know that (turn on A/C) but I don\'t think I\'ll be too wanting to do that in the freezing cold winter...

i agree with dinu. turn the A/C on but set the temp dial to hot.

reason being, you MUST lubricate the seals of the A/C system during the wintertime. the only way to do this is to turn the A/C on from time to time. if you don\'t, the seals in the A/C system will dry out, become brittle and crack...which results in a leaking A/C system and a ~$2000 repair bill.

the biggest misconception people have with A/C is that it is only for the summer months ...it isn\'t. Cars with \"Climate Control\" cycle the A/C compressor on and off when set to \"Auto\". this maintains the humidity levels, as well as the temp of the interior.

cliff\'s notes: if you don\'t want an expensive A/C repair bill in the future, turn the A/C on during the winter (unless of course you don\'t plan on keeping the car for long, which will leave the repair bill to the shomo that buys it).

[Jay3]

hey the same illumination problem happened to my car a couple of months back. I think it\'s just a freak occurence since it hasn\'t happened again for the past few months. And yes, I was driving on a pretty wet day when it happened.

[majic]

a l\'il off topic but if your outside mirrors get \'dirty\' (streaks - hard to see in the mirror) and it\'s raining, turn the heat on the mirrors and it usually cleans them right up :D

[bluntman]

Actually, turning on the rear window defroster also turns on the side mirror defroster. I use this technique when it rains too.

But I digress...back on topic.

[wtom]

Yup I\'ve seen the verbage in the manual regarding turning on the A/C for about 10 mins at least once every month to maintain the cooling system. Thx all.

[FLIPDADY]

There was a bulletin on the audio displays recently. It was regarding the appearance of horizontal bars on the side of the audio display. The fix for this was to remove the 15A room fuse (in under hood fuse box). Wait 2 minutes. This resets the audio dispaly. Maybe this might help with your problem.

[mEtH]

One time I had my lights on and all the display illumination aws so dull. I fiddled with the dimmer and it did nothing. Then i popped it into reverse and it all went back to normal. Never happened again.

Although after that I was thinking on getting a grounding kit. Too much electrical I think, might help somethings like that from happening again. The price variations on kits throw me off though. They all seem to be the same but some will cost as much as $100. Doesn\'t make sense to me.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


There was a bulletin on the audio displays recently. It was regarding the appearance of horizontal bars on the side of the audio display. The fix for this was to remove the 15A room fuse (in under hood fuse box). Wait 2 minutes. This resets the audio dispaly. Maybe this might help with your problem.

FYI, there was talk in the other forum about removing the fuse would cause your radio lose the programmed radio stations, it doesn\'t, your stations are safe.

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by methodyst

.......... I was thinking on getting a grounding kit. Too much electrical I think, might help somethings like that from happening again. The price variations on kits throw me off though. They all seem to be the same but some will cost as much as $100. Doesn\'t make sense to me.

that\'s not one of those rubber strips with the reflective yield sign that hangs of the bumper right?? that sounds more technological....
how does that work?

(BTW i bought one of those anti-static things but couldn\'t figure out where to put it!
If you look under/behind the bumper, the THIN plastic would snap right off,
and the steel bar is so thick that i can\'t get the thing on. Has anyone else tried?)

Ray

[bluntman]

Originally posted by firstmazda



Originally posted by methodyst

.......... I was thinking on getting a grounding kit. Too much electrical I think, might help somethings like that from happening again. The price variations on kits throw me off though. They all seem to be the same but some will cost as much as $100. Doesn\'t make sense to me.

that\'s not one of those rubber strips with the reflective yield sign that hangs of the bumper right?? that sounds more technological....
how does that work?

(BTW i bought one of those anti-static things but couldn\'t figure out where to put it!
If you look under/behind the bumper, the THIN plastic would snap right off,
and the steel bar is so thick that i can\'t get the thing on. Has anyone else tried?)

Ray

The grounding kit is in the engine bay and grounds your battery not just to one point in the engine bay, but to several other points (engine parts) as well. Check out this thread to see a simple grounding mod that one of our members did in his engine bay:

MajesticblueN\'s Grounding Mod (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=395)

[01AWW18T]

Originally posted by wtom


Good day all,

Weird thing happened this morning while I was starting up the car to go to work; car started and all lights were on, EXCEPT the LCD display (Hello! text) and the illumination bars!

I fiddled with the two different lighting switches (lower left of steering wheel as well as left top of gauge cluster) with no success to get the audio system illumination on. Checked the setting within the audio system config menu with no success also.

All of this occured while the car was still inside the (relatively) dark garage. I swear this non-illuminating issue never occured before.

So I decide to reverse out of my garage anyway. After I close the garage door (the remote fits perfect in the ashtray compartment, without the actual tray in there of course), I find the audio system lights are now all on and illuminated! WTF? ...

are u sure your auto light control isn\'t on? I noticed when headlights are on, the LCD backlite is dimmed (so its not as bright in the night time to distract driving)
you mentioned when you pulled out of your dark garage, the LCD\'s backlite came back on? well it seems to me auto light is the cause, because when you\'re out in daylight, the headlights shut off, and the LCD is brighter.

Hope that helps :)

[wtom]

Hi 01AWW18T, that wasn\'t the issue. The entire screen had no illumination at all. It wasn\'t dimmed down; the lights were off on the LED screen and the radio/CD controls. After I reversed out of the garage thou, everything was back to normal. That appears to be the only time it has ever happened.

[wtom]

Okay the odd light-up of my stereo happened again tonight. There wasn\'t any rain these past few days so that isn\'t the reason.

The headlights switch is on Auto. Handbrake is set (pulled up).

I turn on the car and instrument gauge lighting is on, climate control buttons lighting is on, but stereo related lighting is not on!

http://members.rogers.com/wtom/stereo_lightsauto.jpg

Car remains on.

I switch the headlights OFF

Switch on the interior lighting setting (the dot on the headlight switch).

The following happened;

http://members.rogers.com/wtom/stereo_lightsrestart.jpg

I switched the headlights ON/Auto (same effect since it was night time) and then everything came on (as normal)...

Weird.

[Xenon]

I know it\'s off topic, but do you always drive with the illumination of your speedo and tach at full intensity?

I can tell by the reflection in the 3 circles that it\'s on Max Brightness...

[majic]

Originally posted by Xenon


I know it\'s off topic, but do you always drive with the illumination of your speedo and tach at full intensity?

I can tell by the reflection in the 3 circles that it\'s on Max Brightness...

he might not be necessairly .. if you open up your shutter for a long period of time (ie. 1 second or 5 or whatever vs the usual 1/60th 1/100th of a second) you will get a lot of light in, you also may see some bleeding if the person move the cam around a bit..

[Xenon]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by Xenon


I know it\'s off topic, but do you always drive with the illumination of your speedo and tach at full intensity?

I can tell by the reflection in the 3 circles that it\'s on Max Brightness...

he might not be necessairly .. if you open up your shutter for a long period of time (ie. 1 second or 5 or whatever vs the usual 1/60th 1/100th of a second) you will get a lot of light in, you also may see some bleeding if the person move the cam around a bit..

Then why isn\'t his radio the same intensity? In My car my radio and tach/speedo illumination is about equal.

[majic]

good question.. but i believe that there\'s a lot of the light bouncing off the gauges\' housing

[Xenon]

Originally posted by wtom

Switch on the interior lighting setting (the dot on the headlight switch).


That turns on the parking lights.... it should illuminate the interior as if your headlights are fully on.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by majic


good question.. but i believe that there\'s a lot of the light bouncing off the gauges\' housing

Exactly, which is why I believe his illumination is on MAX. I can take a picture if you want, but my instrument cluster doesn\'t show that much illumination when in night mode.

[mEtH]

Yah that is on max, it is less intense on mine. I only use that feature if my lights are on and its still kinda light outside. It\'s to intense at night.

1 pt - Xenon

[wtom]

Haha man it\'s so easy for you guys to stray off topic... yes my lighting is on max. I\'ve always preferred it on max even on the old car. I try the less-illuminated setting(s) but it\'s not bright enough for my personal preference.

[mEtH]

Would maybe taking out the fuse for the radio for 5 secs (resets the radio) fix your illumination problem? It looks like its only the radio but the illumination might be running off another fuse.

How\'s that for on-topic? didn\'t say it was useful, but on topic indeed :)

[Melenium]

Originally posted by methodyst


Would maybe taking out the fuse for the radio for 5 secs (resets the radio) fix your illumination problem? It looks like its only the radio but the illumination might be running off another fuse.

How\'s that for on-topic? didn\'t say it was useful, but on topic indeed :)

Just FYI, if you take out the fuse, theres a 99% chance your presets will be gone and you\'ll have to reset them. I don\'t know if this is the case on the 3, but I know it is on every other car I\'ve ever done it to. Just as a precaution, you may want to write down what you have set before hand.

[Xenon]

There are 2 stations that are preset on my radio...
103.5 and 680 News

The rest of my Audio Entertainment comes from my custom mixed CDs that I create.

I hope warren\'s radio settings are as simple as mine... i don\'t even use the FM2 feature... Our cars can hold 12 FM presets and 6 AM.... I\'m using 1 of each.

Maybe if I get a gf, I can use the other 11 FMs and 5 AMs for her :p

[Melenium]

Originally posted by Xenon


There are 2 stations that are preset on my radio...
103.5 and 680 News

The rest of my Audio Entertainment comes from my custom mixed CDs that I create.

I hope warren\'s radio settings are as simple as mine... i don\'t even use the FM2 feature... Our cars can hold 12 FM presets and 6 AM.... I\'m using 1 of each.

Maybe if I get a gf, I can use the other 11 FMs and 5 AMs for her :p

Lol :)
I had 7 FM presets (out of a possible 18) and could still never find anything to listen to. I had 2 AM presets, but I hear that now Mojo sucks, so it\'ll be down to just 680 then. What I\'d really love to do is make a mp3 jukebox type thing-- or maybe get an iPod and integrate it somehow (MP3 CDs just don\'t hold enough ;)

On a similar subject, can someone with the MP3 option maybe respond to this: Where does it display the song title? Does it have a decent file finder? Everyone else: does the default CD player support CD Text?

[majic]

2 words AUDIO DVD :D that would be pretty hype.. esp if you can throw on some nice 192 or 256kbps mp3s .. ye ye..

[bluntman]

I have a couple of those DVDs that I bought to try out the DVD Audio capabilities of my home theater. Honestly, I never really go into it and noticed a difference. Of course I rarely listen to music in my home theater and I only have towers as the main speakers, all of the others are satellites and/or dipoles.

[wtom]

Originally posted by Melenium



Originally posted by Xenon


There are 2 stations that are preset on my radio...
103.5 and 680 News

The rest of my Audio Entertainment comes from my custom mixed CDs that I create.

I hope warren\'s radio settings are as simple as mine... i don\'t even use the FM2 feature... Our cars can hold 12 FM presets and 6 AM.... I\'m using 1 of each.

Maybe if I get a gf, I can use the other 11 FMs and 5 AMs for her :p

Lol :)
I had 7 FM presets (out of a possible 18) and could still never find anything to listen to. I had 2 AM presets, but I hear that now Mojo sucks, so it\'ll be down to just 680 then. What I\'d really love to do is make a mp3 jukebox type thing-- or maybe get an iPod and integrate it somehow (MP3 CDs just don\'t hold enough ;)

On a similar subject, can someone with the MP3 option maybe respond to this: Where does it display the song title? Does it have a decent file finder? Everyone else: does the default CD player support CD Text?

Xenon; pretty similar here, only two FM channels (98.5 and 103.5) and one AM (680 news). Won\'t be any problem resetting those. :)

Melenium, regarding the MP3 player (I don\'t have but I was very interested originally); the song title is displayed on the LCD where presently CD track number and time are displayed. The text will ONLY show when you push the text button (left round button on audio instrument panel). File finding is not as easy as you may expect, folder names are not displayed, only folder NUMBER. The player treats each folder like a separate CD. The default CD player as well as 6-CD changer do not support CD text. The MP3 player however WILL display CD text on audio CD\'s (as well as MP3 CD of course).

[majic]

Originally posted by bluntman


I have a couple of those DVDs that I bought to try out the DVD Audio capabilities of my home theater. Honestly, I never really go into it and noticed a difference. Of course I rarely listen to music in my home theater and I only have towers as the main speakers, all of the others are satellites and/or dipoles.

i was more concerned/interested with the ability to put mp3s on a DVD and play them back.. cuz that would be nice.. but so far i\'ve only seen the dvd player that plays mp3s but it comes with the flip screen (i don\'t need an LCD)

[bluntman]

Hence the term audio DVD, my bad. ;) That would be awesome...!