Technical Blue&Me dead - battery draining - fixed!

[Lil Fairiit]

It's been posted and commented on before so I'm just adding my experience:

TL;DR: Blue&Me stopped working, battery started draining - disconnected B&M, battery no longer draining.

I own a 2013 Pop manual (1.2L), bought new. Current battery is less than 2 years old but for the last 8 or so months have just had so much trouble with the battery going flat when the car wasn't driven for a few days. Winter made it worse. I then realised the problems coincided when the bluetooth stopped working and the mileage started flashing. Web searching found comments and references linking the two issues but I never found an exact reason why a seemingly dead module should cause parasitic drain.
My workshop confirmed the alternator was fine and battery health was good. I did a parasitic drain test and found a 0.4mAh current draw with everything off, doors closed, nothing plugged into the ciggy socket but I didn't know if that was normal or not, so a visit to an auto-electrician was on my to-do list. I never got there. The battery finally gave it up and I couldn't revive it with my home charger. I took the battery back to the shop I bought it from and they put it on their workshop charger and revived it.
At that point I decided this was it - last resort before going to an auto-electrician. I stripped out the back of the car and disconnected the wiring loom from the B&M module. A few days later, I went away on holiday. The car sat for 6 days unused and I've jumped in today and started it. It fired up instantly. The drain problem would have absolutely killed the battery after 6 days on the driveway so I'm calling it fixed, and most definitely linked to a dead B&M module.
I still haven't found an explanation why a dead module drains the battery so my purely speculative reasoning is that the B&M module has it's own independent power feed but is powered on and off by the head unit. When it lost connectivity with the head unit, it remained powered on constantly. Hence, battery drain.

 

[varesecrazy]

Well done,
first pics I've seen with a Panda, so Thanks again,

That's A LOT of kit removed for access!

 

[Lil Fairiit]

Well done,
first pics I've seen with a Panda, so Thanks again,

That's A LOT of kit removed for access!

Thanks - just fyi my car is a 500 - unless it's called a Panda where you are?
Yeah the car looks totally stripped out but it was actually an easy teardown. It was 30 minutes work all by myself. There are a number of excellent videos on Youtube which guided me (search for removing bluetooth / blue&me module Fiat 500). I think one advantage of buying the cheapest model in the range is that the single piece rear seatback was very very easy to remove - I think the split-folding seats are a lot more hassle to pull out.
The one thing I was quite worried about was unscrewing the bolt that anchors the bottom of the rear seatbelt. The bolt goes right through the bodyshell and pokes out into the rear wheel well where it's subject to all the road grime. It can corrode and freeze up and there's plenty of stories of people snapping the head off the bolt. I was lucky, with a liberal dose of WD-40 it came out easy-as.

 

[varesecrazy]

Sorry my mistake, can see the vertical door line of its only door (and you are in the 500 section..)

As you say the seat belt anchor bolt is where people can struggle,

Is the trim fixed here (could you just move the big bulky panel with seat belt still around it?)

My 500 is a 2018..so hoping to have a few more years yet..

BUT.. I Own a 2012 panda.. So there is a fair chance this may be a job to come.


One question:

Your car is RHD.. same as UK

Is this B+M unit Driver or Passenger side..?
(I wondering if image is "mirrored")

 

[Lil Fairiit]

Sorry my mistake, can see the vertical door line of its only door (and you are in the 500 section..)

As you say the seat belt anchor bolt is where people can struggle,

Is the trim fixed here (could you just move the big bulky panel with seat belt still around it?)

My 500 is a 2018..so hoping to have a few more years yet..

BUT.. I Own a 2012 panda.. So there is a fair chance this may be a job to come.


One question:

Your car is RHD.. same as UK

Is this B+M unit Driver or Passenger side..?
(I wondering if image is "mirrored")

Sorry my mistake, can see the vertical door line of its only door (and you are in the 500 section..)

As you say the seat belt anchor bolt is where people can struggle,

Is the trim fixed here (could you just move the big bulky panel with seat belt still around it?)

My 500 is a 2018..so hoping to have a few more years yet..

BUT.. I Own a 2012 panda.. So there is a fair chance this may be a job to come.


One question:

Your car is RHD.. same as UK

Is this B+M unit Driver or Passenger side..?
(I wondering if image is "mirrored")

Hey no problem. The side panel with the arm rest and speaker grill - unfortunately the seatbelt bottom anchor goes through the panel. I don't think the panel is flexible enough to pull it away with the seatbelt still attached at the bottom. I think if you dose the exposed side of the bolt in WD-40, give it time to penetrate and then are careful about unscrewing the bolt you should be ok.
Your 2018 500 might be ok - I understand that Fiat changed to a different supplier for Blue&Me a year or two after my car which doesn't suffer the same failure.
Yes my car is RHD (Australian delivered). The B&M is therefore in the left-hand side of the car. Note - it's riveted in (WTF!) So drilling out the rivets is required. I did not bother removing it, I just needed to unplug it. Note that the plug is some fancy complicated thing with a flip-up catch. You can't get line of sight on it so search up to see how it's unplugged so that you know how it works then you'll have to work by feel - easy once you understand how it unlocks.
The B&M module can be repaired but no one offers the service in Australia and I worked out sending it to the UK to repair it was going to cost a good A$500+. Instead I binned the factory head unit and installed a modern touchscreen Sony with built in BT, Apple Carplay/Android Auto and USB inputs.
From what I've read, the Panda B&M is located somewhere else - under one of the front seats?? In which case - it must be way easier to get to.
I hope that helps!

 

[varesecrazy]

That helps heaps,
Cheers

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

I binned the factory head unit and installed a modern touchscreen Sony with built in BT, Apple Carplay/Android Auto and USB inputs.

Good work. This is what I was considering for mine too. Which Sony unit did you fit?

 

[Lil Fairiit]

Good work. This is what I was considering for mine too. Which Sony unit did you fit?

Thanks! I installed a XAV-AX8100. It's a floating screen system. Why? I wanted to preserve the factory air vents.
There are double-DIN kits that fit nicely into the dash but the factory vents must come out and depending upon the depth of the new head unit you may have to cut away the internal ducting. That's very permanent - once you start cutting there's no coming back! If you screwed up and needed to replace the internal ducting - I'm guessing that's a dash out job.
The floating screen however does block the vents somewhat. This Sony has flexibility with the screen - it can be adjusted for height and angle. I ended up setting it lower but it blocks the 3 buttons on the dash. Not a problem for me - there's only one button that's important - the hazard lights and I don't need to look to know where it is. Airflow in the 500 is mediocre to say the least - in a country like Australia I needed to minimise the impact to airflow as much as possible.
You can also get adaptors to utilise the factory AUX and USB input down by the handbrake but I was advised not to bother as the kits I was able to get were not that reliable. Instead, I installed a USB & HDMI socket in the side of the glove compartment. I hope that helps!

 

[steveras57]

Its called BLUE & me for a reason!!!

 

[Lil Fairiit]

Its called BLUE & me for a reason!!!

I do find it amusing that Fiat implemented Bluetooth via a very large module instead of sourcing a headunit with it built-in. It's literally the Bluetooth version of a 1970's computer... 10 years after BT was invented.

 

[Nicolahindmarsh94]

It's been posted and commented on before so I'm just adding my experience:

TL;DR: Blue&Me stopped working, battery started draining - disconnected B&M, battery no longer draining.

I own a 2013 Pop manual (1.2L), bought new. Current battery is less than 2 years old but for the last 8 or so months have just had so much trouble with the battery going flat when the car wasn't driven for a few days. Winter made it worse. I then realised the problems coincided when the bluetooth stopped working and the mileage started flashing. Web searching found comments and references linking the two issues but I never found an exact reason why a seemingly dead module should cause parasitic drain.
My workshop confirmed the alternator was fine and battery health was good. I did a parasitic drain test and found a 0.4mAh current draw with everything off, doors closed, nothing plugged into the ciggy socket but I didn't know if that was normal or not, so a visit to an auto-electrician was on my to-do list. I never got there. The battery finally gave it up and I couldn't revive it with my home charger. I took the battery back to the shop I bought it from and they put it on their workshop charger and revived it.
At that point I decided this was it - last resort before going to an auto-electrician. I stripped out the back of the car and disconnected the wiring loom from the B&M module. A few days later, I went away on holiday. The car sat for 6 days unused and I've jumped in today and started it. It fired up instantly. The drain problem would have absolutely killed the battery after 6 days on the driveway so I'm calling it fixed, and most definitely linked to a dead B&M module.
I still haven't found an explanation why a dead module drains the battery so my purely speculative reasoning is that the B&M module has it's own independent power feed but is powered on and off by the head unit. When it lost connectivity with the head unit, it remained powered on constantly. Hence, battery drain.View attachment 437903

Hi I'm having the same issue with my 500, I only bought it yesterday and its dead today and I'm guessing it's the b&m unit. Are you upgrading the radio/stereo system if you have took your b&m unit out? I'm thinking it would be easier to just take it out and put a new stereo system in? Would that solve the problem or have I totally got confused? Any help I appreciated

 

[Lil Fairiit]

Hi I'm having the same issue with my 500, I only bought it yesterday and its dead today and I'm guessing it's the b&m unit. Are you upgrading the radio/stereo system if you have took your b&m unit out? I'm thinking it would be easier to just take it out and put a new stereo system in? Would that solve the problem or have I totally got confused? Any help I appreciated

Hi I'm sorry you're having issues with your newly purchased car.
I did remove the stereo head unit and replaced it with an aftermarket Sony (see one of my replies above).
I left the Blue&Me module in the car but I had to unplug it from the wiring loom (per my original post above) because it was draining the battery.

If you want to replace the stereo you can leave the B&M module in the car. It will become a redundant module which is fine but if you start experiencing battery drain and flat battery problems when the car is not used for 2-3 days you will have to pull apart the back of car and unplug the module.

 

[AndyRKett]

I do find it amusing that Fiat implemented Bluetooth via a very large module instead of sourcing a headunit with it built-in. It's literally the Bluetooth version of a 1970's computer... 10 years after BT was invented.

Blue and Me was devised in the mid 2000s before proper smart phones even existed and when everyone thought phones running on versions on Windows CE would take over the mobile phone world. The Blue and me Module is basically an SOC (system on chip) which in 2005 was way ahead of it's time, and it runs a fully functional operating system (windows Auto) which was devised specifically for cars. Unfortunately in 2007 Apple came out with the iPhone and completely changed the landscape. There was an update to B&E to accommodate iPhone as earlier models where not even compatible with an iPod without an adaptor. but some nearly 20 years since it was introduced it's fair to say that blue and me is a little behind the times now. I would not say it was a 70s computer however, the specs where pretty good and these SOC devices pretty much control everything around you these days.

 

[steveras57]

I think its fair to say that perspective changes with the passage of time!

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Thanks! I installed a XAV-AX8100. It's a floating screen system. Why? I wanted to preserve the factory air vents.
There are double-DIN kits that fit nicely into the dash but the factory vents must come out and depending upon the depth of the new head unit you may have to cut away the internal ducting. That's very permanent - once you start cutting there's no coming back! If you screwed up and needed to replace the internal ducting - I'm guessing that's a dash out job.
The floating screen however does block the vents somewhat. This Sony has flexibility with the screen - it can be adjusted for height and angle. I ended up setting it lower but it blocks the 3 buttons on the dash. Not a problem for me - there's only one button that's important - the hazard lights and I don't need to look to know where it is. Airflow in the 500 is mediocre to say the least - in a country like Australia I needed to minimise the impact to airflow as much as possible.
You can also get adaptors to utilise the factory AUX and USB input down by the handbrake but I was advised not to bother as the kits I was able to get were not that reliable. Instead, I installed a USB & HDMI socket in the side of the glove compartment. I hope that helps!

It does help, thanks. I prefer Sony in everything; phone, tablet, speakers, headphones etc but I think the floating screen's a bit big for me - I'd prefer something a little more compact. I'm less concerned with the airflow, my car's a cabrio and in Melbourne the roof's usually open in all weather anyway if it's not actually raining.

Did you connect the Sony unit to the steering wheel controls?

I have no issues with Blue&Me - it's adequate for my undemanding requirements - but mine tends to lose connection very occasionally, reconnecting within a minute, and I daresay that can only get worse given time.

 

[Lil Fairiit]

It does help, thanks. I prefer Sony in everything; phone, tablet, speakers, headphones etc but I think the floating screen's a bit big for me - I'd prefer something a little more compact. I'm less concerned with the airflow, my car's a cabrio and in Melbourne the roof's usually open in all weather anyway if it's not actually raining.

Did you connect the Sony unit to the steering wheel controls?

I have no issues with Blue&Me - it's adequate for my undemanding requirements - but mine tends to lose connection very occasionally, reconnecting within a minute, and I daresay that can only get worse given time.

Yes I connected the steering wheel controls up. Here’s the parts I bought to connect it all up:
Aerpro secondary harness APP9SP4
Aerpro steering wheel adaptor CHFT2C
Aerpro AP349 aerial adaptor

These make it all plug n play.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Yes I connected the steering wheel controls up. Here’s the parts I bought to connect it all up:
Aerpro secondary harness APP9SP4
Aerpro steering wheel adaptor CHFT2C
Aerpro AP349 aerial adaptor

These make it all plug n play.

Brilliant! Duly noted - thank you.
I wonder if the aerial connection in the cabrio is the same as the hatch - I suppose it is. The aerial itself is embedded in the windscreen of course. Mind you, I only turn the radio on about once a year just to see if it still works...

 

[Rayh]

It's been posted and commented on before so I'm just adding my experience:

TL;DR: Blue&Me stopped working, battery started draining - disconnected B&M, battery no longer draining.

I own a 2013 Pop manual (1.2L), bought new. Current battery is less than 2 years old but for the last 8 or so months have just had so much trouble with the battery going flat when the car wasn't driven for a few days. Winter made it worse. I then realised the problems coincided when the bluetooth stopped working and the mileage started flashing. Web searching found comments and references linking the two issues but I never found an exact reason why a seemingly dead module should cause parasitic drain.
My workshop confirmed the alternator was fine and battery health was good. I did a parasitic drain test and found a 0.4mAh current draw with everything off, doors closed, nothing plugged into the ciggy socket but I didn't know if that was normal or not, so a visit to an auto-electrician was on my to-do list. I never got there. The battery finally gave it up and I couldn't revive it with my home charger. I took the battery back to the shop I bought it from and they put it on their workshop charger and revived it.
At that point I decided this was it - last resort before going to an auto-electrician. I stripped out the back of the car and disconnected the wiring loom from the B&M module. A few days later, I went away on holiday. The car sat for 6 days unused and I've jumped in today and started it. It fired up instantly. The drain problem would have absolutely killed the battery after 6 days on the driveway so I'm calling it fixed, and most definitely linked to a dead B&M module.
I still haven't found an explanation why a dead module drains the battery so my purely speculative reasoning is that the B&M module has it's own independent power feed but is powered on and off by the head unit. When it lost connectivity with the head unit, it remained powered on constantly. Hence, battery drain.View attachment 437903

Had this problem with my Doblo ,took it to some great blokes in Bradford,who took an hour to fix and reprogram module ,all fine now ,place was called Revolution I think

 

[Rayh]

It's been posted and commented on before so I'm just adding my experience:

TL;DR: Blue&Me stopped working, battery started draining - disconnected B&M, battery no longer draining.

I own a 2013 Pop manual (1.2L), bought new. Current battery is less than 2 years old but for the last 8 or so months have just had so much trouble with the battery going flat when the car wasn't driven for a few days. Winter made it worse. I then realised the problems coincided when the bluetooth stopped working and the mileage started flashing. Web searching found comments and references linking the two issues but I never found an exact reason why a seemingly dead module should cause parasitic drain.
My workshop confirmed the alternator was fine and battery health was good. I did a parasitic drain test and found a 0.4mAh current draw with everything off, doors closed, nothing plugged into the ciggy socket but I didn't know if that was normal or not, so a visit to an auto-electrician was on my to-do list. I never got there. The battery finally gave it up and I couldn't revive it with my home charger. I took the battery back to the shop I bought it from and they put it on their workshop charger and revived it.
At that point I decided this was it - last resort before going to an auto-electrician. I stripped out the back of the car and disconnected the wiring loom from the B&M module. A few days later, I went away on holiday. The car sat for 6 days unused and I've jumped in today and started it. It fired up instantly. The drain problem would have absolutely killed the battery after 6 days on the driveway so I'm calling it fixed, and most definitely linked to a dead B&M module.
I still haven't found an explanation why a dead module drains the battery so my purely speculative reasoning is that the B&M module has it's own independent power feed but is powered on and off by the head unit. When it lost connectivity with the head unit, it remained powered on constantly. Hence, battery drain.View attachment 437903

It only costs £99 to get it repaired

 

[steveras57]

It only costs £99 to get it repaired

Or 0 quid to chuck it in the bin!!!