Radio buttons and dash ideas

[kydegan]

[EDIT] I edited the title so members can see this includes more than buttons[EDIT] Larz

Hi all,
I have a new to me 2006 M35 Sport with 40,000 original miles. The car is still on the original tires (first thing to be replaced). I think I have found the proverbial little old lady car.

Anyways the problem I am having is for some reason the 1 and 3 buttons on the radio are not working. I took off the face plate and see that it is all electronics back there. So thinking it might be the board behind the numbers I find a used one on ebay. The ebay unit does the same thing. So my thoughts are the ribbon cord to the face plate or the radio itself. Has anyone seen this kind of behavior from theirs??

As my wife would say this is a "first world problem." Really just annoying that I cannot set the stations on 1 and 3 for A, B and C. Not the end of the world just annoying!

Anyways, I will get some pics up for the intro thread when I take some. Hope to be an active member here and thanks for any help.

[Larz]

Welcome to the forum !

Never heard this particular situation. If the buttons actually move in and out, I'd reckon as you did, that it's electronic. Seems somehow that when depressed, they fail to make contact with whatever lies underneath to send that signal. But you replaced that board, so maybe it's a fault in the connecting harness? If you haven't done it already, disconnect each harness and clean as well as you can. Make sure each wire is seated nice and tight inside the plugs on either end. Perhaps it's just a loose wire.

About your car:
Absolutely the BEST choice! If I could find another M between 08-10 with low mileage like yours, I'd buy it! Twice a day and all day Sundays! Our generation of the Ms id THE best, most comfy, and actually a wee bit larger than the current Q generation. The only reason for me NOT to buy an 060/07 is the orange dash lights. Don't get me wrong, they look brilliant but now I'm spoiled by the neon white / blue colors and the 7 speed gear box of the later models.
You sir, have got yourself an absolute peach of a car there!

[midnightclub619]

I think I have found the proverbial little old lady car.

[Ilya]

I too once found a little old lady car. 1999 Nissan Maxima SE in ~2006 with 26kmi for $9k! Evidently lady was a stay at home mom and then passed away from asbestos cancer. Her widower wouldn't get rid of the car for 2-3 years and it sat under a cover. Only thing wrong with it was the rotors were rusted as all hell but the rest of the car was MINT. Loved that car. It was my first 'real' car (parents loaned me the money which I paid back in like 2 years). Congrats on the MINT purchase .

I too, having been around here since 2010, have not seen this issue reported. I'd definitely side with Larz and his thought process though.

[kydegan]

Thanks for the replies. I paid $11.5k for the car. Not too much off the asking price for one with 100k miles. I was looking at all kinds of cars and even mid sized sedans from 2011 to 2013 all had 80k plus miles. I went with condition over age for this purchase. Also knowing that this engine is practically in every Nissan/Infiniti and there is a lot of knowledge and parts doesn't hurt. Only issues other than tires are headliner and the dash is cracked. Had the car gone over at the local Infiniti dealer and they want $2k for the headliner and $3.3k for the dash...ummm not going to have it done there and need to check out the other Infiniti dealers in my area now. I'm also going to change all the fluids and replace front and rear brakes so I have a starting point with the car.

As for the radio, I will take the advice Larz offered and see if it is the connections. In my mind the radio works for all the other buttons, so probably not it. I've taken the faceplate off the table, so I am thinking it is the ribbon cable. Does anyone know who the radio manufacturer is? Mine is the 8 speaker Bose edition. Thanks and I will keep this thread alive if I find a cure so other might find it.

[Ilya]

I know Nissan likes (liked?) to use Clarion...but don't know if that is only for Bose or Non-Bose...

[airmanhoward]

Hey kydegan don't worry about your dash I doubt your car has had the airbag recall done. Call a couple stealerships and inquire about the recall. You may be a candidate for a new dash.

Thanks for the replies. I paid $11.5k for the car. Not too much off the asking price for one with 100k miles. I was looking at all kinds of cars and even mid sized sedans from 2011 to 2013 all had 80k plus miles. I went with condition over age for this purchase. Also knowing that this engine is practically in every Nissan/Infiniti and there is a lot of knowledge and parts doesn't hurt. Only issues other than tires are headliner and the dash is cracked. Had the car gone over at the local Infiniti dealer and they want $2k for the headliner and $3.3k for the dash...ummm not going to have it done there and need to check out the other Infiniti dealers in my area now. I'm also going to change all the fluids and replace front and rear brakes so I have a starting point with the car.

As for the radio, I will take the advice Larz offered and see if it is the connections. In my mind the radio works for all the other buttons, so probably not it. I've taken the faceplate off the table, so I am thinking it is the ribbon cable. Does anyone know who the radio manufacturer is? Mine is the 8 speaker Bose edition. Thanks and I will keep this thread alive if I find a cure so other might find it.

[Larz]

Thanks for the replies. I paid $11.5k for the car. Not too much off the asking price for one with 100k miles. I was looking at all kinds of cars and even mid sized sedans from 2011 to 2013 all had 80k plus miles. I went with condition over age for this purchase. Also knowing that this engine is practically in every Nissan/Infiniti and there is a lot of knowledge and parts doesn't hurt. Only issues other than tires are headliner and the dash is cracked. Had the car gone over at the local Infiniti dealer and they want $2k for the headliner and $3.3k for the dash...ummm not going to have it done there and need to check out the other Infiniti dealers in my area now. I'm also going to change all the fluids and replace front and rear brakes so I have a starting point with the car.

As for the radio, I will take the advice Larz offered and see if it is the connections. In my mind the radio works for all the other buttons, so probably not it. I've taken the faceplate off the table, so I am thinking it is the ribbon cable. Does anyone know who the radio manufacturer is? Mine is the 8 speaker Bose edition. Thanks and I will keep this thread alive if I find a cure so other might find it.

do NOT have the headliner fixed at the dealer. I recommend a local upholstery shop that does headliners. There are several around me and I had the headliner in my 69 Fleetwood done for a little over $500. They removed the liner fabric, cleaned it well, and re-installed a beautiful brocade design that looked even nicer than the original.
The dealer is going to order the entire assembly - meaning they won't peel the existing fabric, clean, prep, and recover your existing headliner assembly. It's easier for them to dismantle the entire assembly, chuck it, and install another OEM complete assembly. The labor alone will be a fortune as so many pieces have to be removed to chuck that molded frame, etc.
As for the dash, I recommend getting a cover from CoverKing. I happen to have a new OEM dash that I had to buy after my airbag recall was done. I bought it direct from Infiniti parts online and saved about $1,000 since I avoided the dealer markup. I still bought a dash cover as I'm in South Florida where its over 85 degrees and hot sun almost all year. Here is the website:
https://www.carcoverusa.com/coverking-c ... covers.php
I chose charcoal / Suede and it matches the OEM grey dash very well. It came with holes cut out for the dash sensors and center speaker. It will keep my new dash pristine for years, protecting from UV rays, etc.
It's cat black outside right now, but tomorrow I will snap a couple of pics so you can see how well it looks.

[kydegan]

Thanks airman, but I had a check done at the dealership and there are no outstanding recalls or tsb's on the vehicle. I am assuming that the airbag recall has been completed already. I have the whole history and will look to see when it was done. A new dash paid for by a dealership would be a great perk!!

Hey kydegan don't worry about your dash I doubt your car has had the airbag recall done. Call a couple stealerships and inquire about the recall. You may be a candidate for a new dash.

[kydegan]

I have a guy local that does upholstery and will go that route as well. I'm actually from South Florida (in Charlotte, NC now) and might use a guy down there as we still visit family regularly. Looking forward to seeing the pics of your CoverKing. I have been looking at the Coverlay http://coverlaymfg.com/i-23897454-cover ... cover.html as a more permanent solution. Thoughts??

do NOT have the headliner fixed at the dealer. I recommend a local upholstery shop that does headliners. There are several around me and I had the headliner in my 69 Fleetwood done for a little over $500. They removed the liner fabric, cleaned it well, and re-installed a beautiful brocade design that looked even nicer than the original.
The dealer is going to order the entire assembly - meaning they won't peel the existing fabric, clean, prep, and recover your existing headliner assembly. It's easier for them to dismantle the entire assembly, chuck it, and install another OEM complete assembly. The labor alone will be a fortune as so many pieces have to be removed to chuck that molded frame, etc.
As for the dash, I recommend getting a cover from CoverKing. I happen to have a new OEM dash that I had to buy after my airbag recall was done. I bought it direct from Infiniti parts online and saved about $1,000 since I avoided the dealer markup. I still bought a dash cover as I'm in South Florida where its over 85 degrees and hot sun almost all year. Here is the website:
https://www.carcoverusa.com/coverking-c ... covers.php
I chose charcoal / Suede and it matches the OEM grey dash very well. It came with holes cut out for the dash sensors and center speaker. It will keep my new dash pristine for years, protecting from UV rays, etc.
It's cat black outside right now, but tomorrow I will snap a couple of pics so you can see how well it looks.

[Larz]

The coverlay is absolutely brilliant! Clearly it's not as nice as a vinyl covered dash ... but remember, the dash cover is all one piece, already to lay on your work bench and cover with any material you like. The best part is you can flip it, turn it, etc to do a perfect job covering it and you can glue it from underneath. I did a vinyl cover for my old dash but had to do it while the dash was already IN the car. What a chore. Here is the post I made. TIP: get extra vinyl so you can play a bit with it before actually doing the final covering job.
post6677594.html?hilit=vinyl%20cover#p6677594
It came out quite good, but having the ability to manipulate the dash instead of crawling and contorting your arms and body inside the car, you have the convenience of working comfy while covering it. I would definitely go the coverlay route. You can't hear it, but I'm slapping my forehead because this coverlay would have saved me over $2000 !! I will need a cuppa tea (with Brandy) and medication to get my head round that, LOL.
As promised, here are a few pics of the coverking install. To get it firmly in place, you need to use velcro, but I didn't. I simply laid it over the dash so I can re=move it, vacuum it, and clean under it. I don't want glue marks on the vinyl from using velcro.
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[kydegan]

Well done on the dash covering in the other thread...don't know if I have the patience to do that. The pics remind me of all of my cars in the 90's with the dash mat. That will help but not hide everything for me as some of my cracks are under the ac vents right near the display. I'll probably do the coverlay some time in the future and will post about it when I do.

[pedsemdoc]

To get it firmly in place, you need to use velcro, but I didn't. I simply laid it over the dash so I can re=move it, vacuum it, and clean under it. I don't want glue marks on the vinyl from using velcro.

Or do what I did, I used thin but stiff pieces of plastic (cut some plastic lids to a yogurt cup) that you can wedge into the nooks/crannies/seams of the dash and glued the velcro to those pieces of plastic instead of the dash itself. Dash pad sticks to the plastic piece, but no glue or residue on the dash - Bob's yer uncle!

[Larz]

Excellent idea and very British finish, LOL.
Most yanks look at me cross-eyed when I say Bob's yer uncle, so i do it often as possible, LOL.

[kydegan]

So to update this, I had time this weekend to pull apart the dash and here is what I found:


This is the cable that goes from the front panel to under the dash.


Damged cable

Looks like this ribbon cable has been damaged at one point, so this will be my next piece to replace.

Does anyone have access to the service manual for this car to see if this ribbon cable is something that can be ordered?? Much appreciated if anyone does and has a part number for it.

Thanks.

[EdBwoy]

If you're looking for part numbers, an online parts seller would do you more good than the FSM. It's still a good resource to have though. Send me an email - edbwoy at gmail.
If you look at this link, part E specifically, is that what you're looking for?
https://www.infinitipartsdeal.com/parts ... m=280_A001

From the catalog it seems like you can't get the ribbon without the control panel, but I have a spare audio set in my garage and I can check to see if the ribbon is removable.

[kydegan]

I am pretty sure that the ribbon is removable from both sides. I didn't look up inside of it, but it feels like the same kind of connector that attaches it to the face plate. Part E looked like a clip and not a ribbon cable, but I could be wrong and I don't think that there is a clip there. It is in that general area though.
Thank you for taking the time to send that link.

[kydegan]

It looks like you are correct. It is part of the center stack control. I'm going to see if the dealer sells it separately. I can get the whole unit with the ribbon cable on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/06-07-INFINITI ... SwRdNbGp5N

I'll update as the saga continues!! LOL

If you're looking for part numbers, an online parts seller would do you more good than the FSM. It's still a good resource to have though. Send me an email - edbwoy at gmail.
If you look at this link, part E specifically, is that what you're looking for?
https://www.infinitipartsdeal.com/parts ... m=280_A001

From the catalog it seems like you can't get the ribbon without the control panel, but I have a spare audio set in my garage and I can check to see if the ribbon is removable.

[EdBwoy]

From the third picture,in the eBay link, it looks removable.

Plus I forgot to update my findings. My faceplate does have the ribbon and it seemed detachable.
Why do I have it stored with the ribbon still attached? Probably so I don't lose it.
If you want, just pay for shipping and you can get my ribbon (if I can safely remove it)... or just buy the eBay one and swap it all at once.

[kydegan]

Thank you for the offer. I ordered one from eBay for $31 for both pieces (ribbon cable and control panel). Hopefully it works, I'll update when it arrives.

If it means anything, I think you were smart to store them together!!

From the third picture,in the eBay link, it looks removable.

Plus I forgot to update my findings. My faceplate does have the ribbon and it seemed detachable.
Why do I have it stored with the ribbon still attached? Probably so I don't lose it.
If you want, just pay for shipping and you can get my ribbon (if I can safely remove it)... or just buy the eBay one and swap it all at once.

[kydegan]

Ok, so to finish this thread off. I received the control unit on Saturday. This one came from a navi car and my car doesn't have that so it would seem that it doesn't matter for the function of the ribbon cable. Swapped out the ribbon cables and all the buttons work properly again. Woohoo!! Now onto the headliner and finding someone to refinish the stock wheels.

Thanks for all the help that has been provided. Hope this helps someone in the future.