Bluetooth Problem on an Infiniti M35 - Anyone Else?

[rpiercef]

I absolutely love my 1 month old M35, but I recently noticed that when using my cell phone in the car, while attached to the Bluetooth, callers on the other end hear themselves echoed. I know this must be a problem with the car because I recently switched from Cingular to Verizon and the problem is the same. I have a Razr phone now and had a different Motorola phone before that. When I contacted Infiniti Customer Care and Bluetooth (through Infiniti) they both said it's a known issue. My question is, does anyone have a work-around for this issue? For instance, when this happens, is it best to hang up and call back or is it best to hang on the call until it goes away?

Robin

[bamaSAAB]

I have had that problem too...and have switched to the handset (also a razor) and the ecco continued...I called back...in a different location...no ecco! I think it is a bluetooth problem, unrelated to the Infiniti. It seems to be worse in rainy, high humidity weater. I have one person whose phone seems to react poorly with the car, not the handset...for everyone else, all seems well since I turned off the call waiting feature.I use the car phone system for 3-4 hours everyday..it works well enough that I rarely use my headset at all anymore. My voice promps are finally improving...I can get the correct # about 50% of the time on the first try...maybe it is learning my voice.I think this is an amazing car...I'm about to cross 5k in 2.5 months. It may make me forget all about Saabs...My dealer service STINKS...went to the Mazda dealer for an oil change today, as the Infinti dealer couldn't work- in an oil change til next week sometime....won't be back without a warranty issue! First real negative about ownership...never given that pile of crap at my Saab dealer. My dealer (only one in Birmingham) seems VERY snobish! That doesn't appeal to me...am I an odd Infiniti owner?? I didn't buy this car or any other car to impress anyone BUT myself!Anyway, love the car...sorry for the RANT!!

'06 M35 4.8k LP/bourbon/journey&nav'05 Mazda3 sp23 16k wife's "zoom-zoom" GREAT dealer service'88 Saab SPG 140k son's college cruiser...our "last" Saab...currently

[carbuff]

I too have a similar problem with my Motorola V3 Razr and new M45.

Both the the person to whom I call and I hear echos during our transmissions. We also get cut-offs or interruptions of sound during the transmissions.

I have changed the Razr position from on my person to placing it on diffrent points of the car. I have tried the ashtray,the small pocket ahead of the center console and even on the passenger seat. None of these positions resolved either the echo or the interruption problems.

One thread I read indicated that a change in sound levels might correct the problem. I changed sound levels of the phone's volume control as well as adjusting the M45's audio system. Neither proved to be a resolution of the problem.

The Infiniti dealership, my cell phone provider (Alltel) and Motorola could not give me a solution.

I hope that someone is able to help. The Bluetooth feature potential is excellent. However, if I cannot find a solution to the echo and interruption problem, I will have to curtail my use of the Razr in my M45.

[jshattner]

There is a diagnostic menu item available that may help as it adjusts handsfree sensitivity. You can get to the diagnostic menu as follows:1. Start Engine2. Turn OFF Audio system3. While pressing the "SETTING" button on dash, rotate the audio volume control in either direction until you see the screen tell you you are in Diagnostic Mode. You can then release the SETTING button and use the controller like any menu item.4. One of the entries as you scroll through diagnostic mode will be Cell Phone Volume. This is set at factory to mid point. Try "Low" which has worked for some to reduce echoing, or (in my case) "High".5. Back out of Diagnostic Mode by using the "Back" button on the controller.

My experience has been mixed with this, but "High" has seemed to overall be a big improvement with my Treo 650. The echo problem has been present in all my handsfree implementations, from Lexi to MB and now Infiniti. The issue is that it varies with road speed, cabin noise, and of course wind noise from open sunroof or windows.

I have not had an opportunity to do much "controlled testing" of the various options under various road conditions with a willing partner at the other end of the line (my spouse?) but hope to have some time to get to this in the near future.

[rpiercef]

Jshattner, thank you so much for this information! It took me a couple of tries to figure out how to do this, but so far so good. Previously, nearly every call I made, the person called was hearing an echo. So far, 3 out of the 3 callers I've spoken to since making the adjustment have heard no echo! I put the setting on to Low.

What I can't believe is that when I called Infiniti and Bluetooth (through Infiniti) neither offered me any way to fix this.

I can only hope that others will read this fix and find it as helpful as I did. Thanks again.

Robin

[jshattner]

Robin, glad it helped. I actually found it a while back on another forum.

Jerry

[szh]

We also have these details on one of the older threads in this forum!

Sorry, I should have pointed you to it earlier too.

Z

[Jiddo]

I also have a problem with my bluetooth phone system on my M35 everyone say that I sound like i am gargleing, I have a Motorola V551It sounds ok when i switch to the hand set while in a call so it is not the reception. It is definitly a issue with the micrphone in the car.I have tried turning down the outgoing volume to no avail. infiniti says they know about the problem and are working on it.

[waldis]

i have a razr and a m35x. no problems reported for both me calling out or people hearing me.

[superjv1080]

I had come across and used the diagnostic volume setting change and it improved the sound on the other end. And I also have a Verizon RAZR.

[carbuff]

Hello. I am back with a second post and some new information.

To reiterate, both the party with whom I am speaking and I get echos and breakups of transmission when I use my V3 Razr in my M45. That is until today.

Neither Infiniti, Motorola or my phone provider was able to help me correct the problem. Today I spent over an hour calling home from my driveway. I adjusted every phone control feature in the M45 every which way.

I did so with the volume control on the cell phone.

No success.

I moved the cell phone from my hip, to the covered pocket in near the gear shift to the back seat, etc. No success.

The last place I put the cell phone was in the center front recpticle that hold the cigarette lighter and ashtray. Damn, if the echo and breakup did not disappear.

I drove a few miles, called home numerous times and had complete success. Neither my wife nor I got any echo or breakups.

That ashtry has metal. The cell phone touches the metal. Could it be, that it was grounded and that is what is necessary to get a connection echo free?

I do not know if this is the answer . . . but, it did work for me today.

[psadjew]

Recently purchased M45 and attempted to pair my Treo 650 without success. The dealer informed me that the Treo 650 will not work with the systeml. Has anyone else had this problem, solutions, suggestions?

[jshattner]

Dealer, like unfortunately all to many I've seen on threads in these forums, doesn't know what he/she is talking about.

Treo 650, which you can probably find in numerous posts, works just fine, proiding it's at your carrier's most recent firmware upgrade. Others have vouched for Verizon's and Sprint's. I can vouch for Cingular.

[CCEastlake]

Having researched this for the past week all over the place, including other threads here, this is what I *think* I've learned for a Verizon Treo 650 (every carrier's Treo is potentially different, Verizon may be worse than some, but some of this may be useful even if you're not on Verizon, and reports have it that some other carrier's Treo 650s work fine with the Infiniti):

1. It may help to update to the latest version of the OS. For Verizon at the moment this is 1.04 of the Verizon specific OS. [ Go to http://www.palm.com/us/ and click on the middle right link for "Treo Software Updates" and follow the instructions.

2. It may help (but the site doesn't seem to be 100% up to date) to poke around on Infiniti's Bluetooth page also: http://www.infiniti.com/bluetooth/

3. For a Verizon Treo 650 at least, the pairing itself will be easy if you follow the instructions. However you will only get partial functionality, which means:

4. A Verizon 650 will let the Infiniti M answer the phone. No problem. (Though some have said call waiting etc. is a seperate issue - I haven't tested any of this.)

5. To make a call is more complicated: A. You first have to force a reconnection to the phone by hitting the "Phone" button on the dash or steering wheel. Then B. you have to hit the call button a second time and then have about 12 seconds to complete the calling procedure. The problem seems to be that the Treo disconnects again after 12 or so seconds unless it has received a complete dialing command. For Voice tags or a quick spin down the address book, the Infiniti will usually complete the command in time. For voice dialing a number one digit at a time, it won't.

6. However, using the just-updated Treo Voice Dial from the various Palm sites, you can certainly voice dial the Treo itself dirrectly and the car will then pick up the connected call automatically. In fact, it isn't much harder to pick up the phone itself and do this - and you have voice tag access to every contact, etc., etc. Still, it is a workaround where you're holding your phone and shouting into it for a second or two.

7. You can't send Verizon Treo contacts to the Infinity address book. In fact, retrying the operation reboots the Treo. It appears to be a big bug.

8. Usually you can work in the Infiniti's own phone book by selecting "Settings" and punching down to the address book. However, you must do this with the phone nowhere near the car - otherwise the car will connect to it, start to let you work, and suddenly dump you out of the phone book with a message announcing the phone has disconnected. In the abscence of the phone, however, things work smoothly. If you find you absolutely have to work on some menu setting in a "Connected" state, which, as I mentioned, only lasts to a count of twelve, there is a workaround that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Going to the Treo's Bluetooth application, and punching down through the menus to Trusted Devices / Details for the car connection while the phone is "connected" sometimes hangs the connection! Then you can work away as long as you please on the Infiniti's menus. (But sadly, no, although finally permanently connected, the Treo won't respond to a dial command from the car - and it may hang at some point requiring a soft reboot.) In all or almost all cases, however, you're better off working on the phone book with the Treo out of range.

9. When I called Verizon tech support the tech told me that Verizon does not support Bluetooth in cars! Only connections to headsets and computers. He gave me Palm's number to call. But the Palm number had a voice message saying to call Verizon. Yes, Verizon and Palm are being totally irresponsible since they won't even pretend to listen to the problem. OTOH, Verizon otherwise offers the best service in the business and the Palm is a little gem, if flawed. So what can one say?

10. Rumor has it that even the Verizon Treo 700p works much better. A Treo tech in a Verizon store who wasn't supposed to answer my question unofficially said that Treo enthusiasts were hoping Verizon would come out with an update for the 650s based on the Bluetooth modifications in the 700p, but he didn't know and Verizon wasn't telling him.

That's all I know and some or most of it may be wrong. Good luck!

Modified by CCEastlake at 3:56 PM 6/7/2006

Modified by CCEastlake at 3:57 PM 6/7/2006

Modified by CCEastlake at 3:59 PM 6/7/2006
Modified by CCEastlake at 11:18 PM 6/14/2006

[szh]

Welcome to NICO, CCEastlake!

And thanks for a very informative first post, for sure!

Z

[m35xowner]

I realize I'm adding to relatively old post but thought I would let you all know that I had my m35x at the dealer today for the same issue. They now admit (have realized) that there is a known issue that they plan to have a new software patch/fix for this in the next 60 days or so. I've heard they had a "fix" several months ago and they updated my software with that patch. It's a little better but still not right. They agree and claim the new fix should take care of many if not all of the issues.

Many have complained to me about the same things you're complaining about...echo, feedback, excessive noise, caller on the other end says I sound like I'm in a tunnel, they can hear themselves talk, etc. I have a Treo 700 but the service manager paired his phone (razor) with it and made some calls. He had the same issues. We now have an claim ticket opened with Infiniti headquarters. They are the ones that said they are currently working on the fix and recognize there is still an issue with their software design. They first thought it was a hardware issue within the car but have since found that not to be the case.

Regarding those that commented perhaps it was just the technology...I have a friend that has an Audi A6 and the bluetooth on that has been excellent. He too has a Treo but can use the bluetooth and to the caller on the other end it sounds like he is sitting right next to him...prettly clean sound so I really think it's less about the technology and more about the product/software that Infiniti has put out. They (Infiniti) seem to agree.

I'll try to keep you all posted. Let me know if you hear anything more.Ron

[ceningolmo]

Treo handsets have REALLY finicky bluetooth options...you may find that it is difficult to find/maintain connections to nearly anything via bluetooth. My company uses the Treo 650 as its standard issue phone for director-level managers. I have heard frequent complaints from them regarding the irregularity and inconsistency of performance using bluetooth.

On the plus side, the phone seems very solid other than that.

Who knows...maybe there will be some software upgrades to help correct bluetooth issues with the Treo.

[CCEastlake]

If it's a Verizon Treo 650, the problems in the phone's OS were finally fixed about a month ago. The discussion and links to the official updater are at:

zerothread/205337

That of course doesn't address other problems, if any, that are on Infiniti's end - though the setup now seems to work pretty well.

[zerbs68]

I've had my 2007 M35x for 3 months and the bluetooth "echo" has been my only complaint, I noticed your thread is a few months old and before I inform the dealer of this issue I was wondering if Infiniti ever introduced the patch that you talked about?

I've had 3 different phones paired just to see if it was my phone and the problem exists on all phones and has gotten worse!

[m35xowner]

Infiniti never finalized a fix for it. Each time I ask, they are 'working' on it. Unfortunately, I still have the issue. Let me know if you are able to get any further. I would love to get it fixed...if it can be fixed. Thanks.

[07UmbourbonM35Sport]

Greetings All! New to Infinity and this forum. Love my 07 Umbria/Bourbon Sport, except for a few things, including Bluetooth echo. Happens with both my Blackberry and my older Motorola cell. Tried the M35 settings and the phone's settings, no joy. Hope Infinity provides a fix soon. Taking mine in for 7500 mile service tomorrow.Other minor gripes: no auto-lock of doors when put in gear, cruise is finicky-won't kick in till foot removed from accelerator, Intelligent cruise is deadly-dangerous with unexpected braking!, bad tramlining in front suspencion, front tires vibe a lot, especially when cold, voice recognition needs improvement.Love the colors, style and tight handling (except tramlining). Quick, cool and fun to drive. Hate I had to turn 46 before I could afford it!Any of my issues sound familiar? Any known fixes? Thanks!

[Fafdawg]

Hello, I had the same bad Vibration in front suspension on my 2006 M35X. It has only 2500 ml. It was the front rotors warp... fix that and change front brakes, good to go>>>>>>>>>>>Check your rotors. Good luck!
Modified by Fafdawg at 7:11 PM 9/18/2008

[roywood]

I have the same echo problem in my '07 G35 and use a Blackjack II from AT&T.The phone Co(AT&T) exchanged my phone and it is the same. So far, Infiniti has done nothing and for five weeks, "they are working on it". Other cars have now gone thru the dealer with the same issue. Web site help said I needed a new Bluetooth Module but here was no followup with the dealer and the dealer is sitting and waiting until I give up and go away.

In OCT they will get my car long enough to "fix it"> I'll be driving a new loaner.

[striz923]

here is your answer for an M35, you might use the instructions and such that was given to help your search for the G35...

zerothread/359164

just got this figured out myself last week in this thread.

[maqueswell]

I have an '06 M35 sport. The bluetooth works very well with my AT&T tilt. Incoming and outgoing calls can be done via the sterring wheel. I thought i was going to have a problem connecting after i read this post.

Have you tried lowering the volume settings on the phone set up? I've experienced echo before while using the different cell phones by itself. Rebooting the phone usually helps.

I hope your bluetooth problem is resolved quickly!

Mad Max

[jonlex99]

I'm wanting on the parts to come in so I can bring it in to have the update done. Hopefully it will be in soon.