All,

My wife's 06 C6 coupe (M6, 3LT, Nav, ~50,000 miles, GM PAL v2) is having some unusual electrical issues as of late...I'm not sure if they are related or not, but figured I would post them all up on here and see if anyone had any advice!

1. The XM radio buttons randomly just disappear on the touchscreen. I can get them back by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, but they eventually disappear again until I repeat the process.

2. When the radio is working properly, the screen often freezes - i.e. I will pick another station, the audio will update to playing the new station, but the screen will still show the previous station. It even does this when switching modes; for instance, it will be playing an FM station while still showing the XM radio presets.

3. Sometimes the radio itself won't even turn on. I'll hit the power button and it will just continue to show the Corvette flags and do nothing.

4. The seat controls seem to have a mind of their own. Sometimes the memory buttons work properly, sometimes they move everything but the seats (mirrors, radio settings, etc), and sometimes they move the seats to a completely random position (usually all the way forward and up, crushing my legs).

Any chance that these are all related to some common point of failure? I appreciate any advice, as I know that if I take it to the dealer they will likely recommend changing out everything at some outrageous cost.

Thanks!

Tommy

 

The first thing everyone will probably tell you is to have your battery checked. Actually pull it out and take it to Autozone or O'Riellys or where ever. Maybe the alternator, too isn't pumping out enough voltage.

 

I'm thinking that the radio problems are not related to the seat problems. For the radio, the first thing I would try is to disconnect the PAL, then run it for a week or so and see what happens. As far as the seat, the question is how often do you move the seat fore and aft. If it is often, then the problem is likely that the connector under the seat is not making good contact and is causing these problems. There is very little room under the seat and moving the seat fore and aft often can put stress on the many wires going into the seat. Part of the memory system is the seat telling the computer where it is located at the present time. Then the computer can use its' memory to move the seat to where it should be. If the computer cannot tell where the seat is, it cannot move the seat to where it should be.

 

Might be something more obvious behind this: unit's going south. Failing head units are not unusual for C6, they're reported all the time, a search should yield plenty of hits.

A dealer may be able to troubleshoot the cause, however their fix will be to swap-out the unit w/ a refurbished one & send you on your way AFTER you've been relieved of some cash.
Don't know what a swap-out runs, betting it's more than I'd like.

Or, you could try a good stereo shop local to you whose familiar with C6 units. G/L

 

But I would try disconnecting the PAL first, only because it is free and valuable for diagnosis...if that doesn't make any difference then it's just a question of having your radio repaired or just putting in a rebuild...maybe even a take-off from someone on this forum who has replaced with a Kenwood or Pioneer. Used ones are not worth much.

 

Agreed. I would start w/ a battery load test. Then proceed from that.

Good Luck.

 

Strange electrical gremlins is always a sign that the battery is bad. The signs could show up anywhere. When it happened to me a scan showed electrical codes. mine also went into limp mode

Clif

 

Not ALWAYS, both our 2001 and later our 2006 had electrical gremlins that were not related to the battery.

But the battery is always a prime suspect, and easy to check/replace.

 

I agree with the others on the load test. The battery should always be the first thing to check. A load test is the only way to test it. For the seat and steering wheel zip tie the connectors under the seat. It worked for me.

 

If the radio is acting strange when the car is running, then the system voltage is being provided by the alternator and the battery is not really involved. It would be good to check the DIC voltage when the radio starts acting wacky, and if it is above about 13.2 then the battery is likely not involved.

 

but 80% of the time ?

Clif

 

Never did an actual survey, but I'd say that 80% is pretty accurate.