Technical Bluetooth node causing battery drainage

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Technical Bluetooth node causing battery drainage

rkc86

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My partner bought a used Fiat 500, 22K mileage, 65 plate. She rarely drives it and if not turned on after a couple of days, the battery will die and requires jump starting.

The car drives fine but bluetooth not working, nor the handsfree button on the wheel and I have this annoying flashing odometer.

Dealership confirmed bluetooth node is causing battery drain & quoted £900+ for parts & labour, which my warranty does not cover.

I don't care about using bluetooth, handsfree nor the annoying blinking odometer. Is there a way of disconnecting the bluetooth to stop draining the battery or a cheaper alternative method? Really frustrating to jump start the car everytime if not turned on after a few days.

Many thanks.
 
My partner bought a used Fiat 500, 22K mileage, 65 plate. She rarely drives it and if not turned on after a couple of days, the battery will die and requires jump starting.

The car drives fine but bluetooth not working, nor the handsfree button on the wheel and I have this annoying flashing odometer.

Dealership confirmed bluetooth node is causing battery drain & quoted £900+ for parts & labour, which my warranty does not cover.

I don't care about using bluetooth, handsfree nor the annoying blinking odometer. Is there a way of disconnecting the bluetooth to stop draining the battery or a cheaper alternative method? Really frustrating to jump start the car everytime if not turned on after a few days.

Many thanks.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

The convergence module for the bluetooth is located behind one of the rear trim panels; @typecastboy will likely be along soon to tell you exactly how to access it. They can be bought secondhand on ebay for much less than the price of a new unit. If you really don't need it, you can disconnect it.

To get rid of the flashing odometer, you'll need to put the car onto diagnostics. Multiecuscan (€50 + some cables) can do this; if you let us know your whereabouts, there may be a member on here who can help. Alternatively it's a trip to the main dealer; you've already been given an idea of the sort of prices they charge.
 
Here’s a link to a thread I created recently for just this question.

You need to remove the rear seats, trim along the door opening, peel back the door rubber, remove the top seatbelt anchor, take off the trim under it then remove the screws on the rear quarter panel. Do not remove the bottom left bolt which is the rear seatbelt anchor it goes to the outside world and almost always shears off. There’s enough room to pull it out of the way.

The ECU is in a cage held in by 3 rivets. It’s a simple job and takes me about half an hour but I’ve done it a few times.

As JR says you can pick them up on eBay for around £60. You will need to do a proxy alignment when you’ve installed another one.

Blue & Me ECU Location
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?p=4504353
 
Thanks for your replies.

I don't really need the convergence module for the bluetooth to be fair. If this is disconnected, will radio & AUX still work?

After disconnection, will that solve the battery drainage problem?

I'm surprised Fiat has not recalled the vehicle for this type of problem.

The Fiat dealership has quote me £300 to disconnect the thing. Will it be cheaper to go to an independent garage instead?

Many thanks.
 
If you're not able to remove the trim yourself and unplug the unit(no need to remove) then an independent will be cheaper you'll still have the flashing mileage though.
Unplugging it should stop the battery drain.
 
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If I disconnect the bluetooth permanently, will that devalue the car in the future if we decide to sell it?

Is it worth buying a used ECU online and replace it? This will save me having to strip the car again but I'm worried I will be back at square one if the used ECU causes the same problem.

Any advice will be great. Thanks.
 
If I disconnect the bluetooth permanently, will that devalue the car in the future if we decide to sell it?



Is it worth buying a used ECU online and replace it? This will save me having to strip the car again but I'm worried I will be back at square one if the used ECU causes the same problem.



Any advice will be great. Thanks.



Replace it. It’s silly not too. Nobody will want to buy it with the Bluetooth not working. They do break but most don’t.
 
I have a 2010 1.2 Pop and I have a parasitic battery drain which I am trying to trace. The Blue&Me module has stopped working which investigations on this forum indicate could be the cause. I have looked on eBay for these and there are several around for the £150 - £180 mark, some local, some Polish or from elsewhere in Europe. Are they model specific? I don't want to spend that and end up buying the wrong one.
 
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I have a 2010 1.2 Pop and I have a parasitic battery drain which I am trying to trace. The Blue&Me module has stopped working which investigations on this forum indicate could be the cause. I have looked on eBay for these and there are several around for the £150 - £180 mark, some local, some Polish or from elsewhere in Europe. Are they model specific? I don't want to spend that and end up buying the wrong one.

Disconnect the Bluetooth unit, then replace the radio with one that's got it built in with a new adapter plate you're looking at about £80?
 
Don't care about the radio, sorted phone connectivity (and streaming - it's my daughter's car) using an FM transmitter. I have read that a faulty Blue&Me unit can cause parasitic drain and also the flashing odometer, both of which I have.
 
Are they model specific? I don't want to spend that and end up buying the wrong one.

Not so much model specific as build date specific.

There have certainly been hardware changes to the Blue&Me modules during the production run; I know that early versions can't run the latest software. I don't know exactly how this pans out in terms of interchangeability, but if I were contemplating a secondhand replacement, I'd look for a part number on the old unit, and match that.

@typecastboy may know better which parts can be interchanged; IIRC he's swapped out a few.
 
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Not so much model specific as build date specific.

There have certainly been hardware changes to the Blue&Me modules during the production run; I know that early versions can't run the latest software. I don't know exactly how this pans out in terms of interchangeability, but if I were contemplating a secondhand replacement, I'd look for a part number on the old unit, and match that.

@typecastboy may know better which parts can be interchanged; IIRC he's swapped out a few.

what's interesting is that if you pair up a blue and me tomtom not only does it know what car you have it also changes the colour of the car on the screen sometimes to match the car.... so I believe the blue and me module is programmed in the factory specifically to the spec of the car
 
My partner bought a used Fiat 500, 22K mileage, 65 plate. She rarely drives it and if not turned on after a couple of days, the battery will die and requires jump starting.

The car drives fine but bluetooth not working, nor the handsfree button on the wheel and I have this annoying flashing odometer.

Dealership confirmed bluetooth node is causing battery drain & quoted £900+ for parts & labour, which my warranty does not cover.

I don't care about using bluetooth, handsfree nor the annoying blinking odometer. Is there a way of disconnecting the bluetooth to stop draining the battery or a cheaper alternative method? Really frustrating to jump start the car everytime if not turned on after a few days.

Many thanks.
I have the same problem. I've had the blue&me taken out but I'm afraid of any problems I may have now!! Has anyone done this and is everything in working order still?
 
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