Last night, after starting my 03' MCS, I noticed my dome light didn't fade out, so I manually shut it off. After driving about 5 minutes I started hearing a loud scraping noise coming from the left wheel area, so I turned the radio off to determine what it might be. I discorved the noise was coming from the speaker. It was static, but the radio was off???? It happend again this morning after I took off, same thing. The static noise was gone after 10 minutes of driving. Same thing with the dome light, I had to manually shut if off.

Has this happened to anyone else. Could it be the cold extreme weather?

I am taking the car in tomorrow to have the service dept. check it out and also have them install the new software to get rid of the stumble in 1st gear.

GiGi

 

did you find out what that was?

 

Bringing this one back up to the top because my car is also doing this. Intermittent severe static from the passenger tweeter even when the radio or cd are off (also when they are on, so independant of that). Will do this even when the car is shut off and the key is turned to the first position. When the key is in this middle position I can hear something running in the radio/acc control area. Sounds llike the radio but it is shut off. Is this the HK amp powering up the cd drive? Do all cars do this? I never noticed it before but then I always just passed through this key position before either starting up or shutting down. Seems like this must be a bad ground or HK amp or something and I get occassional feedback through that speaker from thiis running electrical appliance. I thought I was getting it to go away by turning on the AC and that it might be associated with those controls but havn't experimented enough to be sure. First glitch in 8700 miles. I'd probably even be less bummed if this car had been a lemon but she has been great and I can't believe she is letting me down.

Any ideas? Anyone know where the ground is for those dash items? This is definitly not a loose speaker or grill and is electrical static. A trip to the dealer would be an eight day trip minimum there and back just for ferry and driving time and cost me a couple thou and lost work so that is not an option. Help, please!

02/03 build MC. CVT, HK, ACC

 

Just started having the same problem.

Anyone get it fixed?

 

It was the amp. The noise gradually moved to my driver's tweeter. Then began to give a big pop and the sound would go completly off. Multiple other crazy doings like rear sound only, no volume control, ad infinitum....

Bought an amp from a 2004 wrecked car off Ebay for $30 and replaced it and it fixed everything. Now trying to get a dealer to swap out my bad one so that I'll have a spare since I paid for it and have no hope of any other warranty work being accomplished.

Mine eventually would not turn on at all so if you can get to a dealer I don't see how they could not replace it for you. Good luck.

 

nevermind..........didnt read the last post.......you figured out it was the amp.

 

I had the same noises then eventually nothing but noise, no music, Nav instructions etc. A new HK amp solved the problem. Have seen the same problems with the Acura/Bose setups also.

 

Thanks guys. I will add this to the list for my next service visit.

 

When you start getting static noises in cold weather, it ususally is a cold solder joint somewhere in the amp. As the car and amp warm up, the metal expands enough to stop the "arcing" that is causing the static. Car audio products are usually designed to withstand vibration way in excess of what a home unit would endure, but nowadays all the soldering is done by machines, so no one is checking the joints except at room temperature. Should be a warranty replacement. Be happy you have a Mini, which warrants the radio system for the full 4 years, 50,000 miles in the U.S. - a lot of manufacturers have only a 12 month warranty on audio equipment they put in their cars, and a lot of the time you have to go through the audio manufacturer, not the car dealer!