[Sarj Oz]

Hi all.
I am based in Melbourne, Australia.
I have a 2014 Oct build Allure (petrol turbo 1.2)
I bought it brand new in October 2016 (assuming it was in the docks for 18 months or so).
Lovely car, however have had some minor niggles here.
Posting this recent issue.
I was driving between Melbourne and Bendigo (approx 2 hours), and approx 1.5 hours into the freeway drive listening to my connected iPod (via USB cable into the main console - not the one next to the steering wheel), I got this odd message "(i) CONSOLE TEMPERATE EXCEEDED - VOLUME RESTRICTION IN PLACE" and the volume of the stereo was limited to level 15.
I rang the dealer immediately, as I have another ongoing issue with the radio FM reception. They recorded this down.
The volume returned approx 15 minutes later after a message came up along the lines of "VOLUME RESTORED".
Q - Has anyone else come across this? This is 'highly' irregular.
Some interesting observations:
- It's bloody winter here ie the cabin temperature was around a cruisy 22deg celsius, and outside approx 15 (nothing like a summer day here!)
- It was during an iPod connected music session
Overall I have been quite displeased with the sound/music quality of my system (compared to the Ford Focus 2012 and VW Golf 2014 I was driving).
Any feedback from your subject matter experts would be great, as well as anyone else that has come across this.
Thanks

 

[mtempsch]

I've got a removable (docking cradle) aftermarket HU which of itself doesn't generate much heat (doesn't have internal amplifiers, only low-level outputs) and it gets warm/hot when it's cold outside and I'm running warm/hot air into the cabin, I presume due to the proximity to the air ducts.
On the other hand, in the summer when running the A/C, the HU is quite cold on removal.

 

[storeman]

I had something similar on my 307 during a particularly warm few days in the UK. Others with 307's have also experiencd this with some even fitting a fans to try and cool things down. There is a safety thermistor monted on the same heatsink as the output amplifier chips. These are to protect the amplifier(s) burning themselves out due to excessive heat. Most (if not all) car stereo's will be fitted with thermistors these days and some cars have cooling fans fitted as stock - especially those with larger colour screens like the RT systems.

 

[Sarj Oz]

Thanks mate. Appreciate the comms. That sort of makes sense. Which is why it's even more odd as well it was a bloody cold day here (it's winter, and it was around 12-13degrees celsius outside). Cabin temperature was set to around 22degrees.
Having had the car just 8 months, I am a little bit concerned that something like this occurred - I was wondering if it 'could' be related to having the iPod connected? It's odd - I have driven with an iPod connected on a long drive approx 2-3 hours with no problem, and, it was much warmer outside. This was just after around 45 minutes.
Baffled.

 

[reliable406]

The RT3/4 units also do this and disable the phone section when they get too hot they have small fans fitted but its still not enough and they still get too hot !

 

[storeman]

Possibly heat from the vent pipes radiating up and warming the head unit up. If it becomes a regular occurence it could well be the thermistor is on it's way out.

 

[Sarj Oz]

Thanks guys. I have reported this (and my radio issue) to the dealership.
I wonder if it's connected to something else I noticed - when connecting my iPhone to the console via the USB connector, well, first the phone doesn't charge much at all and second the phone 'does' get warm. My phone was connected for it's music when the incident occurred, via the USB port - I am 'wondering' if it's all connected?
I only purchased the vehicle in Oct last year - am really hoping this isn't the start of more malicious symptoms this early in it's lifecycle :-( Still, I guess best it occurs now than when not under warranty!

 

[Brilec]

Interesting, I recently noted my Windows phone hardly charged up at all when connected to the USB. I haven't bothered with streaming, as I loaded everything via a USB stick into the juke box.

 

[Jules_525]

Mine did this today ,after a week of the USB int working ,me keep having to un plug and plug back in to make it work ,today the message came up on the screen about the volume being restricted . Im guessing its all related .Not really a proper solution by Peugeot to just display a message and restrict the sound rather that cure the problem.

 

[storeman]

Mine did this today ,after a week of the USB int working ,me keep having to un plug and plug back in to make it work ,today the message came up on the screen about the volume being restricted . Im guessing its all related .Not really a proper solution by Peugeot to just display a message and restrict the sound rather that cure the problem.

Do you honestly believe Peugeot manufacture the system??

Nope - they buy them in so it is the manufacturer who designs the thermal safety feature not Peugeot. It's better to display a message as to why the volume cannot go any higher than no message ar all. Or perhaps you would prefer the thermal safety feature to be removed so the amplifier I.C's can carry on pumping too much current through themselves until they burn out ?

 

[Jules_525]

Its not just the responsibility of the manufacturer of the sound system ,Peugeot are selling the item .Ive been working in manufacturing long enough to know that a product is expected to work in its intended environment. We build the same electronic equipment to work in a host of places ,if not adapted to work in those places they would soon break down .You just cant take a product ,stick it in an unknown environment and expect it to work in all conditions.

 

[storeman]

And the system is doing as it was designed to do. Just as you pointed out - it is working in an environment and doing what it is supposed to do.

If you had read the entire thread you would have noticed that it was mentioned that it happening on the odd occasion say when the interior of the car reached a particular high temperature then you can perhaps expect it. On the other hand, if it happens on a regular basis there may be a problem with that particular unit and needs to be returned for checking.

In your particular case, with having other issues it may be a firmware problem - possibly misreading the thermistor or the thermistor tables being incorrect and a firmware upgrade may or may not resolve it. All my response was saying that the system is built by someone else and fitted by Peugeot. If it works when originally fitted then ther is nothing to repair.

Considering you have been in manufacturing for so long you should also be aware that regardless of how good QC is, there will always be the odd few 'bad' units that make it out into the wild due and maybe yours is one of them. Sticking in the message is a solution in that if you notice the message keeps popping up then you should be motivated to return to the dealer to get it investigated and ultimately rectified rather than telling people on a forum that Peugeot haven't found a solution to something they are not yet aware of because you haven't told them about it yet.

 

[Jules_525]

I wont say any more on the subject I clearly dont know what I am talking about ......:thumb:

 

[Brilec]

I would have thought it was reasonable to assume a car radio manufacturer would be making radios which worked in cars without the car manufacturer having to modify it. The only other possibility is that the car manufacturer gave the wrong specification.

 

[ShereKhan]

Its called cost cutting, manufacturer issue spec to supplier.

Supplier offer contract, supplier starts build and they see what they can do to make it even more efficient to make the product (cut corners).

QA from Peugeot come along and see items being made every few months but don't see how they assemble in detail so don't care as long as the quantities arrive at factory on time and work (pass build test on factory line).

Two years on the product fails out in market, Peugeot tell supplier to sort it out or they call on penalty clause to make them pay. Peugeot sit back and just watch money roll in from said supplier. Supplier tells Peugeot forget contract we are no longer selling you our part. Peugeot have already negotiated a new deal elsewhere.

 

[storeman]

I worked for a major company that supplied state of the art equipment to many blue chip companies. Everytime they developed a new machine they built several prototypes to use as demonstrator machines to build the sale ledger. These prototypes would be over-engineered and built the the very best components i.e. high quality motors, military grade PCB's and the best qualitysundry parts. All external panels would be at least 5mm thick high grade steelwith a real nice powder coating. All these high quality parts pushed the cost of the machines to around $500,000 each.

Once the orders came rolling in, the panels were now 3mm, PCB's, motors and bearings were exchanged for the cheapest available which brought the build cost down to less than half the prototype build cost but the selling price stayed the same.

They built quality machines to show customers but supplied something that initially looked the same but was far inferior and much cheaper. Any costs due to early failures were absorbed and more than sufficiently covered by the extra profit from the sale and by the time the major failures started to kick in the machine was out of warranty and the customer tied into a 4 year maintenance agreement poriced to cover the expected cost of repairs and still give a healthy profit. I was the customer facing engineer trying to placate the irate customer when the machine needed repairing.

I believe this is called a business model. All that matters is the profit. Individual feelings about the quality of the product they receive is of no concern to the manufacturer - there are others in the chain de deal with any flak somewhere down the road.

 

[Sarj Oz]

Agree with your comment that a lot the systems are vendor provided as with a lot of other vehicle manufacturers (VW, Renault, Ford etc...)
Question is, is this common with other vehicle manufacturers in the Peugeot league and if not, well I would think Peugeot need to revisit the core of the issue - change provider! It's not rocket science. Shoddy workmanship or saving bucks for isn't excuse in my opinion.

 

[storeman]

I've seen two threads on this busy forum regarding this issue which within this community suggests it isn't a very commonly occuring problem. Nobody has suggested any excuses but merely hilighted potential causes - ther is a huge difference between the two.

As an Aside....
In UK law, the prime purpose of any business is to make a profit for the business owner or the business shareholders. It should strive to achieve this purpose taking into account all legislation applicable.

 

[reliable406]

The issue is not a major one i have seen it a couple of times myself on older units these units live in a hot dry interior not the ideal place so they will get too hot occasionally the software is programmed to protect itself where needed its not really anyones fault !!

 

[ShereKhan]

Agree with your comment that a lot the systems are vendor provided as with a lot of other vehicle manufacturers (VW, Renault, Ford etc...)
Question is, is this common with other vehicle manufacturers in the Peugeot league and if not, well I would think Peugeot need to revisit the core of the issue - change provider! It's not rocket science. Shoddy workmanship or saving bucks for isn't excuse in my opinion.

All automotive marques operate this way. They are all sharks, they make a lot of money on the car production and then the franchises make lots of money on aftersale. You would be surprised to know what it costs to make an actual car on the production line....