Radio turning itself on!

[Countrylad]

Bit of a weird one, this. I switched on the heated seats yesterday and the radio started up. And then I remembered that the same thing had happened a few weeks ago when I turned the headlights on.

I'm guessing that the seats, etc, are sending a heavy demand surge through the electrical system, and that there's some sort of a "brown-out" going on, which is resetting the radio. But the Battery (and the car) is only three and a half years old, and it gets plenty of exercise, so the Battery shouldn't be run down despite the cold weather. Before I take it to the dealer (because it's only a minor and occasional annoyance), does this ring any bells with anyone?

Ta muchly

[Mooly]

I'm assuming this is with the engine is running. If so, then the additional load of heated seats and so on should all be met from the alternator. Worth making sure the Battery terminals are tight.

Does it ring any bells ? Erm yes, kind of, but not on a Toyota. Years back I had a new Audi A4, and among the myriad issues that it had through its life was a weird electrical issue. Turning the aircon on caused the cassette player to eject. The fuel gauge read low. The wipers came on by themselves. The washers trickled out water that wouldn't reach the base of the screen......

This was an intermittent issue and the dealer couldn't find the problem. In the end I had a poke and tug of all the wires behind the dash and by good fortune found the problem. A large earth tag with many returns to it was hanging loose, the bolt having come undone. This was located in the passenger footwell behind the kick plate.

On a Toyota... well I would look for more simple reasons first before suspecting a major issue.

 

[Countrylad]

20 hours ago, Mooly said:

Does it ring any bells ? Erm yes, kind of, but not on a Toyota. Years back I had a new Audi A4, and among the myriad issues that it had through its life was a weird electrical issue. Turning the aircon on caused the cassette player to eject. The fuel gauge read low. The wipers came on by themselves. The washers trickled out water that wouldn't reach the base of the screen.....

 

Cheers Mooly, much appreciated. You've just brought back happy memories of my 07 VW Passat, which was a close relative of the Audi A4. What fun that was! If the windscreen wipers or washers wouldn't work, you were supposed to check the bonnet catch. And if the dashboard started making a deep booming noise (that wasn't in the manual) every time you turned a right hand corner, it was because you needed to change your brake pads.

Duhh, what?  Yes, worn brake pads would mean that your brake fluid level would fall in the reservoir. And then whenever you took a right-hander, all the fluid would rush over to the left of the reservoir and your low fluid level senders would activate. And as soon as you straightened up again, the fluid would rise again and it would stop. Took a bit of tracking down, that one.

Mind you, the Auris has some weird stuff. How many of us can honestly say we understand the switches that work the rear passenger interior lights? Like, when can they override the front switch settings, and when do the front interior lights override them instead? If I ever work it out, I'll be sure to let you know.

[Mooly]

Sounds like you got off lightly with the Passat. Have a look through this:

A4 woeful reliability

Have to say that in all honesty my Auris has been the most trouble free of all the cars I have owned although all the Toyotas have been pretty stellar in that respect in reality. Mine will be the earlier model to yours and so I have not had the delights of the interior lights 

 

 

 

[Countrylad]

13 hours ago, Mooly said:

Sounds like you got off lightly with the Passat. Have a look through this:

A4 woeful reliability

 

 

 

Blimey, you did suffer didn't you? In fairness my Passat was very reliable and comfortable, and I still miss it. Which might be because it was two years too old to have the dieselgate bug. 

It was also a bit more fun to drive than the Auris, if I'm honest. OTOH, it wasn't as well built as the Auris, and yes, those VW electrics were a mystery wrapped in an enigma......