Hi I have recently purchased a 2006 159 Q4 V6 i haven't had the best of starts but thats ok. My question is should it have voice commands when I press the buttons on the steering wheel or was that an option as i get nothing. I think it might have blue and me installed as well as I have the windows sticker and a usb port in the glove box but it also doesn't seem to work either. Any help would be appreciated.
Hmmm? Windows, USB would certainly suggest Blue&Me. Does the Blue&Me logo come up on the centre cluster of the instrument display when key is inserted? Not sure if voice came with Blue&Me or if it was added later. If you have the voice command button on the steering wheel, I'd expect it should be functioning. I think it was a bunch of arcs gradually increasing in size (could be wrong) but I recall it being on the left steering controls.
Hi Cool Jesus I have all the controls on the steering wheel but if i press the speech or the phone symbol nothing happens. I pulled the radio out and there is an additional box under it in the double din area that I am led to believe might be the bluetooth unit. Its as if its not powered or its dropped off the canbus maybe. I will try and dig a bit further in the next couple of days or maybe take it somewhere to get it checked out.
Is it definately Blue&Me?
Is your phone paired via blue tooth? Actual the bluetooth should also say Blue&Me as the connection I think.
Does the USB socket work?
I really don't know and the dealer i got it from isn't Alfa Savoy so they don't have a clue. I don't know if it means anything but i have a blue & me manual with my service books so I just assumed it had it. I was thinking of dropping it around to one of the non franchise Alfa people that are on this site and see if they can tell.
If you have the manual All things being equal I'd say its Blue&Me.
So have you managed to pair your mobile via bluetooth?
Secondly, stick a music file on a FAT formatted USB and see if the USB socket works. If it works we can look at updating the firmware.
Cant pair the phone as I cant see bluetooth at all. I will retry the mem stick as it is currently formatted as FAT 32.
Gab fat32 is fine also mate
I thought Fat 32 would be but just for the sake of it i tried it as a FAT format with just a few songs but the system still doesn't see it when i switch to AUX. I am more than convinced that it has the bluetooth box sitting under the radio but for some reason the car doesn't see it as being installed. Got me beat for now.
Mate there's every chance that a previous owner had an aftermarket radio and hasn't retro fitted the original radio properly. Alternatively, it is an '06, its possible that it doesn't have it, though it has the usb, its a top range model, etc... which should be working. Actually you said you selected aux for the usb? Hmmm from memory the media library on my '10 was accessed via the menu off the steering controls and the instrument display. You also mentioned a an extra box, I would expect the Bluetooth to be incorporated into the radio itself, not separate. Back to after market, its not a link box to get an aftermarket radio to work with the steering controls perhaps? hence shouldn't even be there.
PS, did the dealer sell the Bluetooth functionality at all? I know it will shock some, but the do play dumb if they can get away with it.
It sounds like you had the radio out, can you chuck a pic of the radio numbers stuck on the side of the radio chassis or any identifiers for it.
No the dealer didn't mention it at all and to be totally honest I didn't even check it as I just assumed it had it. I stumbled across an Nav/bluetooth aftermarket install on a 159 on the web and his pictures look identical to my set up and it makes reference to the Blue and me ecu under the radio as it needs to be relocated so that the new double din stereo can fit. I don't know the protocol for posting other peoples links so I decided not to. I took some photos the other day of the numbers on the radio and the box. I will post up some photos of mine in the next day or so
PS the box i am talking about has a usb port on the front and also thank you for your help.
Peter
Its a pity you weren't up my way as I would have popped over to see what's happening. Anyhow, pulled up my e-learn for the 159 and you're right that box is the 'bluetooth control unit' as you correctly say under the radio, with the usb plug, etc... So good news is you have the media player, bluetooth and voice. Just need to figure out why she no speaky.
I'm still searching through the e-learn, but considering the usb, voice and blutooth isn't working. My checks would be directed at that control unit along with the radio and initially check that all the plugs and connectors are inserted correctly and inspect the wires and cabling that may get jambed behind the radio and control unit to make sure nothings been crushed or cut ??? That usb sicket on the front, I'm guessing should be connected by a usb cord to the socket in the glove box as a starter as I can see a cable leading from it on e-learn. I'm still leaning towards an aftermarket radio having been in place of the OEM and the then owner not having replaced all the cabling properly when retro fitting the original radio...
which buttons do and don't work on the steering wheel?
image off e-learn for the dashboard. M162A is the bluetooth control unit and you can see that a cable should be connected to the usb socket
Also, in case it's not obvious, the control unit is removed like the radio. Once the radio is out of the way use the two pronged keys and it should slide out like the radio. There should also be a connector out back (on top maybe), aswell as the USB from what I can tell in the e-learn.
Ok so I am not going mad! From what i remember there is nothing plugged into the usb port in the front and that might explain why it doesn't see the usb stick but not the no voice.I do remember at least one plug in the back of it (blue connector i think) I didn't pull any of the units completely out though just enough to grab a photo of the part numbers. Might be a weekend job coming up to pull it apart completely and refit.
Yeah, if your capable, pull them out and see if there's any loose cabling, which I think may be your issue here. If not, you may need to find someone (or get a hold of) with diagnostics which may show some error codes. The bluetooth connector has a long skinny 20 pin connector at the rear. Play it safe and disconnect the battery
Game over for me I pulled it all out and refitted it. Couldn't find any loose or missing plugs. I think the usb port in the glovebox is part of the loom that goes to the unit. I tried plugging in a usb in the front port of the blue and me but it still didn't see it. Time to find me my first Alfa mechanic that might be able to find something in diagnostics. Hopefully its just a canbus reset otherwise I might just get an add on or aftermarket unit.
The next step would be to see if power is reaching the connection and check fuses. I feel your fustration gab it is hard to work through it bouncing on a post each day. If it's a simple fix, I would get it up and running. However, do price an aftermarket bluetooth like loudlink or xcarlink which allows you to keep the OEM head unit or price an alternate radio. When it's working, the bluetooth worked well. The USB with music was a bit of a pain, by they may have resolved those issues with firmware updates. I'm happy to keep plugging along with you, but I suppose it comes down to how many bags of swear words you want to fill?
I'd recommend getting your hands on the 159 manual for working on it. I have the e-learn manual, it's ok, takes a bit of getting used to it.
The connector that plugs into the bluetooth is a real pain and and not multimeter friendly. I have downloaded the E-learn and your not wrong about making your way around it. I am thinking that it is a canbus issue though as I have had on 2 occasions now that AUX would not come up at all when you scrolled through with the cd button and on both occasions the odometer was flashing. I disconnected the battery for a few minutes and then reconnected it and it came good but still no voice or bluetooth.
Thanks Heaps for trying to work through this with me. I am open to suggestions and I will try and make sense of the bluetooth section in e-learn.
Peter
Odometer flashing! Blink the light build just came on. Of course, there's an even better chance that a previous owner has retro fitted the bluetooth. When a canbus item is introduced new or otherwise, it has to be Informed to accept it. Similar to human organ donations, we are given certain drugs so as not to reject the implant. It needs to be accepted by the canbus via a proxi alignment with a diagnostic tool. Sounds like you don't have MES so see if an local member can help or have the Alfa mech hook it up.
PS I use the search function on e-learn, makes it a little easier to find the sections you want. Eg I searched bluetooth and it gave me all the relevant sections to click on.
PSS may be time to invest in multiecuscan and some cables?
Anything is possible when you don't know the history. Its making more sense and I hadn't really thought about it that way but the light is getting brighter. The battery was dead on the day I picked up the car (sat morn) so they jumped started me as they thought something was left on. Not the case it wasn't holding charge anymore. To the dealers credit they got me a new one on the following Monday so possibly when it was disconnected it dropped off the system. I hadn't really considered that it may be the issue as I had not tested the bluetooth prior. Any suggestions on what software and tools to buy as I get the feeling they could pay themselves off.
Well, its certainly a worthwhile piece of kit in my opinion and well worth it if you plan to keep your Alfa for a while and at least stay with the marque as it can be used on all OBD compliant Alfas amongst other Italian marques. Even more so if you like to tinker with your Alfa.
The flat battery wouldn't have caused the issue, per se, its actually removing and the canbus item and running the car without it. Which is why I feel that an aftermarket radio was installed. Then when the item is returned, it isn't recognized. Even swapping a window switch could send its heart a fluttering.
You have a choice of either Multiecuscan (MES) or AlfaObd diagnostic software, similar price and similar parameters. My preference is to use the usb wired version over the bluetooth, data can be a misread over the airways and isn't as direct.
Then grab the module cables which in your case is an ELM and a green adaptor. Search multiecuscan on ebay and the cables will pop up. Again I'd recommend grabbing the full cable kit as it will service every Alfa you own or will own, its only a few extra dollars and you have it all. All up, you have the diagnostic capabilities that rival Alfa's own dealership capabilities for < $200.
I really should do a thread on the subject as your the fourth person in as many weeks that I've advised on the subject and I'm not even getting a commission from the developers ??? Not only that my PM's are filling up from a certain 'culo' mechanic on the north shore sending inquiries my way. ;D
Cables ordered, multiecuscan software loaded. I have been playing around with the software in simulation mode for my model and there is plenty in there. There is defiantly settings for blue and me including settings for the steering wheel buttons etc and displaying the blue and me on the dash screen. It looks like any changes i make i then need to run a proxi alignment to lock it in. A little frightening but once i get the cable I will have a look around first and hopefully it will answers some questions.
Good on you. Its software that needs use to become accustomed to, as it isnt as simple as a handheld unit to read just error codes. Also don't be afraid of it, you wont stuff anything up, just make sure you have plenty of battery on your laptop or if possible have it on power cable. If there is anything that may upset the systems a warning will be displayed seeking confirmation etc... and if all else fails, if your not sure, don't do it. Research what your wanting to do and be certain.
Once you get used to the parameters you can then monitor, record and graph monitored modules and sensors to see where and what causes faults. its pretty nifty to open and close your windows, turn on and off systems all from your laptop 8)
Ok plugged in and did a ecu scan and got the followingBody
Body Computer Marelli
ISO Code: 40 83 1F 04 3B
Errors found:
U1602 - CAN line error
B1041 - Rain sensor
I ran a proxi alignment even though it said I didn't need to but still no good. Had enough for tonight I will try and research U1602 a little further but not much info on the web from what i can see.
With a can line error the proxi alignment wouldn't have hooked up the item causing the U1602 error. I think it's safe to say it's the bluetooth that's causing it. I'm starting to run dry on ideas mate.
Do you have a multimeter?
I'm thinking we need to ensure some basics. If you can print off the connector piñon ts from the workshop manual, then ensure the bluetooth is receiving power. If not work back checking fuses (if any) and associated wiring/connectors. If it does have power, maybe it's kaput? Certainly not unheard off for hardware to die, though unusual. Not that we've confirmed if the bluetooth has been removed then replaced, but it may have been damaged this way?
As yourself, I'm also getting negative results for the U1602 code. Best I can manage is that U = network system, 1 = manufacturer specific code. The remaining '02' is evading me so far. There was a post with a screen shot of this error code and the description given by MES points towards a loose/broken connection. A couple of posts had this error along with steering wheel control button issues too, but no real solutions that I could glean. I don't believe the rain sensor is related to it, but is a possibility. In saying this if the bluetooth isn't connected, there'd be no DTC. Although, pressing the voice control button may register the error? You could do a real time scan, monitoring for error codes, but the button and see if that registers the DTC?
Lots of scenarios I know, but if you can confirm power is reaching the bluetooth and that the connections to it are good and clean (including radio connections), we can start looking elsewhere. It would be good to figure out the '02' in the code, as I'm sure it would tell us which line is the cause of the problem.
Final thought, has the odometer stopped flashing or can you make it flash like before?
Odometer only flashes occasionally but it usually goes away the next time the car is started. I will spend some time and try and measures some voltages or try and verify that there is power to the Bluetooth box. Failing that i might invest in an after market unit as I suspect to try and get someone to fault find it or replace the unit if it is faulty might be cost prohibitive. Should have added when the odometer does flash AUX doesn't come up when I scroll through the CD menu button.
Fixed, Blue and me unit was dead. Sourced a 2nd hand one from the boys at the Italian job and after a little perseverance and trying a couple of different part numbers we found one that spoke to us and paired the phone up. It took a few attempts for some reason to do the proxy alignment but it finally went through and works.