Tamas

iTrader: (1)

I started to have the garbled display problem as it's described in this thread.
There is no clear pattern when or why this happens, but it appears to be related to ambient temperature. Recently there were some colder days here, like upper 30s in the morning or so, and the messed-up display showed up twice when the car was parked outside. Usually I park in my garage, just very rarely in front of the house, but I had the display problem even when the car was in the garage and the temperatures were low. Sometimes I get just dashes all the way, other times it looks like on the attached photo.

So it seems like the problem is probably caused by the head unit going nuts, correct?

If so, this may be the perfect excuse to ditch it and install a new head unit using the Metra kit... I'm just not very keen on dealing with possible issues caused by the Metra kit itself.

Actually, come to think of it, it also happened to me twice that the left side door speakers quit working for no apparent reason, then later they worked OK again. So it is indeed possible that the head unit starts to give up the ghost.
(I have an aftermarket system connected to the stock head unit, with an amp, sub and upgraded speakers, but the display issue could point to the head unit here too)

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Made sure your battery and charging system are ok. Low voltage will cause all manner of weird problems. Shutting off all electrical equipment before starting may prevent this from happening as well.

Karack

as will bad solder joints on circuit board connectors, which is generally affected by ambient conditions.

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

Battery is in good condition, it was replaced about a year ago and I have no starting problems or any other issues that would point to it being weak. I'll try to look at the alternator, although there is no sign that would indicate the charging system would have any problem.
I always start the car with all equipment off.

hm... that sounds like a possibility I should look at as well, thanks. But does that mean I should remove and disassemble the head unit and re-solder all connections on any PCB I find? Yikes... then it may be indeed simpler to either buy another stock head unit or just replace the thing with aftermarket altogether...

Karack

generally the pins that crack are the ones that connect directly to the wiring harness connector header on the board. a magnifying glass and light will usually reveal a cracked solder joint.

Slamm

I had a similar situation with my display unit. I took it to the dealer as it is covered under an extended warranty program. The dealer advised that the display unit needed to be replaced and they needed to order the part. Returning home and fter reading additional posts on this subject, I unplugged the room fuse and plugged it back it in. It corrected the issue and has been fine since (1 week).