General Panda "mileage flashing fault" Help please.

[Graham GB]

Hi,our 2012 Twinair has just developed a "fault" the mileage indicator is flashing on/off along with the clock "dots", not sure if it is related but the blue & me phone connection is not responding to prompts & won't connect to the Phone.
Can anyone help please.
Regards, Graham.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi,our 2012 Twinair has just developed a "fault"
not sure if it is related but the blue & me phone connection is not responding
Can anyone help please.
Regards, Graham.

Hi

Yes probably a B+M fault

Search that in the 500 section

Charlie

 

[tomdee]

I had that issue twice, it happened after a long stay at the sun in very hot condition. Eventually it stopped after i shut the engine of half an hour after a small trip.

 

[Graham GB]

Hi

Yes probably a B+M fault

Search that in the 500 section

Charlie

Thanks, had a search on the 500(&all) forums, but haven't really come up with anything definite.

 

[varesecrazy]

Thanks, had a search on the 500(&all) forums, but haven't really come up with anything definite.

typecastboy has a lot of experience with this kind of issue

You probably want to scan for errors..

A relevant stored fault code will save a lot of guesswork

 

[typecastboy]

Yes your Blue & Me unit has failed. A proxy alignment may fix it, but it's most likely bust. If so, it's located behind the rear nearside panel and is fixed into a cage which is rivited to the side of the car. Rear seats and rear panel needs to come off to get to it.

See this video and then video 6 in the series.

https://youtu.be/xwmbdRuTWOU

 

[Graham GB]

Yes your Blue & Me unit has failed. A proxy alignment may fix it, but it's most likely bust. If so, it's located behind the rear nearside panel and is fixed into a cage which is rivited to the side of the car. Rear seats and rear panel needs to come off to get to it.

See this video and then video 6 in the series.

https://youtu.be/xwmbdRuTWOU

Thanks a lot, I've just read your reply so I haven't watched the video yet, but does it go through what a "proxy alignment" is, it sounds painful

Thanks, graham.

 

[varesecrazy]

Thanks a lot, does it go through what a "proxy alignment" is, it sounds painful

Thanks, graham.

It gets all the cars 'Kit' talking again

 

[Panda IIs]

Yes your Blue & Me unit has failed. A proxy alignment may fix it, but it's most likely bust. If so, it's located behind the rear nearside panel and is fixed into a cage which is rivited to the side of the car. Rear seats and rear panel needs to come off to get to it.

See this video and then video 6 in the series.

https://youtu.be/xwmbdRuTWOU

Oh no it's not! The Blue and Me unit in the RHD Panda is under the drivers seat. The diagnosis is correct though. FIAT part was £450GBP a while back; there is a company offering refurbishment in Italy for c.€200.00 but this was before UK Border realignment with Europe so there'll be some duty involved now. I didn't replace the B&M unit but swapped it out with the earlier media connection module that plugs into the back of the radio.

Be sure to disconnect the B&M unit at the connector since it will drain the battery in a few days if the car isn't driven; it fails in a way which leads the car not to turn it off (in my and other's experience).

There is a thread here in the this Panda section somewhere.

 

[Panda IIs]

Graham GB see my note above

 

[Graham GB]

Oh no it's not! The Blue and Me unit in the RHD Panda is under the drivers seat. The diagnosis is correct though. FIAT part was £450GBP a while back; there is a company offering refurbishment in Italy for c.€200.00 but this was before UK Border realignment with Europe so there'll be some duty involved now. I didn't replace the B&M unit but swapped it out with the earlier media connection module that plugs into the back of the radio.

Be sure to disconnect the B&M unit at the connector since it will drain the battery in a few days if the car isn't driven; it fails in a way which leads the car not to turn it off (in my and other's experience).

There is a thread here in the this Panda section somewhere.

Thank you, i'll do my best to get it disconnected

 

[Graham GB]

Graham GB see my note above

Thank Panda IIs, I've removed the B&M unit, the odometer is still flashing is there a reset procedure or will it flash until a working unit is refitted ?.
Thanks again for your help.

Cheers, Graham

 

[varesecrazy]

Thank Panda IIs, I've removed the B&M unit, the odometer is still flashing is there a reset procedure or will it flash until a working unit is refitted ?.
Thanks again for your help.

Cheers, Graham

Search on here is great

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/483068-blue-me-issues.html

 

[Panda IIs]

Thank Panda IIs, I've removed the B&M unit, the odometer is still flashing is there a reset procedure or will it flash until a working unit is refitted ?.
Thanks again for your help.

Cheers, Graham

My understanding is that the body computer is pre-programmed to expect to find a B&M unit. Even if disconnected I don't believe you can remove that "expectation" its like its in its DNA! This I was told by a reputable Independent. If you fit a new unit you have to have the "proxy alignment" which is giving the body computer the ID of that unit.

It may be that a dealership would be able to reprogramme the body computer not to expect a B&M unit but as I understand it this cannot be done.

I have removed the B&M unit and currently live with the flashing Odometer.

Here's the link to the remanufacturer in Italy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233585455447?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I have not used them before.

I will also try to find the previous thread https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-iii/480771-wheres-blue-me-module-2.html see post #17 for removal detail and my workaround fix.

 

[Graham GB]

Search on here is great

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/483068-blue-me-issues.html

Thanks varesecrazy, I've read the thread, but I don't understand a lot of what's being said (old age problem maybe

My understanding is that the body computer is pre-programmed to expect to find a B&M unit. Even if disconnected I don't believe you can remove that "expectation" its like its in its DNA! This I was told by a reputable Independent. If you fit a new unit you have to have the "proxy alignment" which is giving the body computer the ID of that unit.

It may be that a dealership would be able to reprogramme the body computer not to expect a B&M unit but as I understand it this cannot be done.

I have removed the B&M unit and currently live with the flashing Odometer.

Here's the link to the remanufacturer in Italy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233585455447?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I have not used them before.

I will also try to find the previous thread https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-iii/480771-wheres-blue-me-module-2.html see post #17 for removal detail and my workaround fix.

Thanks for the link, now that i know the odo will stay flashing i'll try & ignore it , my next steo is to get my electronics friend to check out the PCB in case it's just a P.S. or component issue, I might get lucky
Cheers Graham.

 

[Panda IIs]

Thanks for the link, now that i know the odo will stay flashing i'll try & ignore it , my next steo is to get my electronics friend to check out the PCB in case it's just a P.S. or component issue, I might get lucky
Cheers Graham.

I'd be interested to know if you can repair the module; I opened up the case on mine but the circuit board looked very "digital" and beyond my capabilities! A lot of surface mount components for example.

The fact that there are repairs available must mean it is doable (to state the bleeding obvious!), but there was nothing obvious (or that I could test) on the board.

 

[Graham GB]

I'd be interested to know if you can repair the module; I opened up the case on mine but the circuit board looked very "digital" and beyond my capabilities! A lot of surface mount components for example.

The fact that there are repairs available must mean it is doable (to state the bleeding obvious!), but there was nothing obvious (or that I could test) on the board.

I'm not a tech,although in a former life I did a lot af Amplifier & PCB assembly, but my friend/colleague is a very good electronics guy & as you say some surface mount is doable, I will of course post the findings, good or bad.

 

[murphyv310]

I'm not a tech,although in a former life I did a lot af Amplifier & PCB assembly, but my friend/colleague is a very good electronics guy & as you say some surface mount is doable, I will of course post the findings, good or bad.

Hi.
My life for over 50 years has been the repair of electronics from valve, transistor to microprocessors.
In the main ECUs fail with either corruptions or switching components.
The mnain problem with trying to fix car electronics is the jigs to carry out testing, cold checks rarely show up anything unless blatantly obvious to the eye. Unless you can power it up out of the car and can talk to a body computer and head unit you are up against it. Only one company as far as we know fixes these Blue and me modules........ You have to ask why? The answer should be obvious.

 

[Graham GB]

Hi.
My life for over 50 years has been the repair of electronics from valve, transistor to microprocessors.
In the main ECUs fail with either corruptions or switching components.
The mnain problem with trying to fix car electronics is the jigs to carry out testing, cold checks rarely show up anything unless blatantly obvious to the eye. Unless you can power it up out of the car and can talk to a body computer and head unit you are up against it. Only one company as far as we know fixes these Blue and me modules........ You have to ask why? The answer should be obvious.

Thanks,yes i'm not expecting that it can be repaired, but could it not be just be plugged into the circuit of the car & powered up for basic voltage measurements etc ?, just in case it is a PS problem ?.
As I said i'm not a Tech but my colleague is like yourself, a tech of many years & experience, no harm in just having a try with it(hopefully .

 

[chris3234]

My understanding is that the body computer is pre-programmed to expect to find a B&M unit. Even if disconnected I don't believe you can remove that "expectation" its like its in its DNA! This I was told by a reputable Independent. If you fit a new unit you have to have the "proxy alignment" which is giving the body computer the ID of that unit.

It may be that a dealership would be able to reprogramme the body computer not to expect a B&M unit but as I understand it this cannot be done.

I have removed the B&M unit and currently live with the flashing Odometer.

Here's the link to the remanufacturer in Italy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233585455447?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I have not used them before.

I will also try to find the previous thread https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-iii/480771-wheres-blue-me-module-2.html see post #17 for removal detail and my workaround fix.

The fix for that issue is the proxi alligemnt mentioned before