02 Q45 dead central display/AC/audio/etc

[q45inca]

hi, after sitting for several days in the hot Florida weather (may or may not be the cause), the audio buttons in my 02 Q45 stopped working and shortly later the whole center display went blank, none of the buttons in the center panel work. Also back lighting in the instrument panel stopped working. Car starts/runs ok otherwise (except for no audio/AC etc).

Audio fuses are ok (one near the battery and the other near the parking break pedal). There is power to the Navi DVD box in the trunk.

Other posts mentioned that the problem is typically the Navi DVD box in the trunk. So I've bought a used one and installed, no change. The box was supposed to be working and tested, but who knows...

Is there anything else I should check before trying another Navi DVD box? Thanks!!!!

[Q451990]

Check out this thread.
2002-q45-with-dead-av-control-unit-cent ... 23598.html

I think the instrument cluster may be a separate issue... this looks promising, but I've never heard any feedback about them.
http://www.atlecu.com/infiniti-q45-2002 ... r-rebuild/

[q45inca]

Thanks, so the first thread basically says it's the Navi DVD unit (which I have just replaced with a used one without a difference), second sounds like excellent deal for the instrument panel alone. But it makes me think since they both went out at the same time, the root cause will not be the instrument panel. I'm reading the IP section of the shop manual and it has hundreds of cases of little things not working, but "all failed" points to either Navi DVD in the trunk or fuses. So I think I will try another Navi DVD box first... Used not rebuilt - I have already had bad experience on another (Mercedes) car with a rebuild ignition unit which unfortunately turned out to be bad after rebuilt (which I only found out after many hours of debugging everything else in the car)

[Q451990]

Please keep us updated! This sort of thing is common enough that we'd love to know the solution, but not common enough that we know it yet

[DarkKnightQ]

Sorry for the late reply I haven't logged on in a few weeks but I also own an 02 q45 and had the same issue when I bought my car.. I replaced the center controler where all the buttons are it's one piece I got a used 1 on ebay for about 100 bucks n problem solved for me.. That's a good place to start tho

[O5Q45]

Car-Parts.com the have units for 100-250 there were two sizes made- make sure you know which one yours it. I use the setting to turn the screen off unless I’m pushing buttons or adjusting something.. easy after you memorize the ergonomics of the dash-

[q45inca]

Ok, so the problems are solved and the car has been running fine for a while. I replaced the DVD in the trunk to get the display working again and the root cause for the buttons not working was the audio unit/the tape deck (located in center console in my 2002 model year or would be in the glove box in newer models). After I RTFM the self test which can be run in the car (once the display worked) also pointed to the audio/tape unit.

The interesting thing is that the audio unit malfunction caused not only the audio to go dead, but all of the buttons to be dead! So climate control, navigation control and audio control ALL started to work again after I replaced the audio/tape unit! Of course at first I thought that the problem was caused by a bad buttons panel so I bought the center controller with buttons and tried it on (without a change). I will post it back on ebay for sale in case someone needs the buttons or ventilation outlets which come with it.

[EdBwoy]

Thank you for the update.

I'm curious about these:
Since you have DVD navigation, I'm guessing you had the voice control too, right? Did you try to set temperature etc through that button on the steering wheel or did it die with the main buttons as well?
And then, you ended up getting another used DVD unit, not just a disk, correct?

[q45inca]

Hi, yes, I did get a complete DVD unit in the trunk replaced. From what I recall the steering wheel buttons and voice control stopped working as well, I'm just not sure at what point - was it linked to the audio/tape unit (which caused the center buttons not to work) or trunk DVD unit (which caused the display to go dark)

[DarkKnightQ]

Glad u got it up and running..I'm interested in that center controler tho depending on the condition as some of my buttons are fading.. how much do want for it and do u have pics?

[q45inca]

I would say buttons are in very good condition. I bought it together with the vents and screen for $280.00 (obviously will accept some loss). The front panel is beige (my car is black) so I was going to unscrew the controller and swap it. Also note there is no NAVI button in the middle (in case someone is still using Infiniti navigation), even though Navigation worked when I plugged this as-is into my car. If you are interested please message me directly, thanks. (I was going to attach a photo but can't figure it out at the moment - the forum s/w is rather ancient :-)