W211 COMAND freezes intermmitently

[benz1]

Hi all,

My MY04 E320CDI COMAND unit freezes especially when I try to use the SATNAV. When I press the "NAV" button to enter a destination etc.. I get the following message "NAVIGATION ACTIVATED PLEASE WAIT" and I can't use the sat nav at all till I have stopped the engine, most times for up to an hour or two. Everything else works (audio,phone,video etc...)
This is of course very irritating if you actually need the SATNAV to get you somewhere.

It doesn't happen all the time and the car has been in to MB Watford about this a few times but they have been unable to reproduce/determine the fault. Last time, it was with them for 3 days. I myself can have trouble free use for two to three weeks before it happens and I use my SAT NAV practically every day.

I have been unable to make it happen at will or get it to the dealer so they can examine it while the fault is occurring; I did make it there once in October, but the technicians had left as it was past 5.30pm

Anybody else encountered this or have any idea what the problem might be?

 

[television]

It sounds as thought the unit is having problems in reading the disc, as this is where it is taking the info from

 

[benz1]

Hi television, thanks for the reply. That is what MB thought also, but it does not get to the point of reading the disk. The NAV application does not load at all...

 

[television]

What happens if you just use the map as you drive, does this part work OK,, just trying to break it down as to where the fault is

 

[benz1]

What happens if you just use the map as you drive,

When this freeze occurs I can't get into any of the nav functions, the map doesn't work either. If I press "NAV" or "MAP" on the console, I just get the "NAVIGATION ACTIVATED PLEASE WAIT" message. I don't see anything on the instrument cluster also.

If I scroll out of the NAV function using either the console or the steering functions for the instrument cluster I can see the radio,cd/dvd player, phone etc... but if I go back to NAV or MAP I just get the above message with a circular symbol akin to a PC hour-glass symbol and it doesn't clear even if I restart the unit or the car. It only clears after switching off the car for at least an hour.

When there is no freeze, everything (NAV,MAP included) works fine.

This has been happening on and off since late 2006, but is getting a bit more frequent -it is still totally unpredictable though...

Thanks

 

[television]

Then this points to the laser pick up, its the only real thing that will freeze.

One further check as yours is DVD based take out the disc and try and do a destination, if it ask you for a disc that would confirm it

 

[benz1]

Hi televison (or Malcolm?)

Tried your theory;

I tried using the navigator after removing the DVD. I got the following message "NO DVD please insert DVD(boot)"
I slotted in the DVD and tried it again and the NAV and MAP functions came up.

If it was laser pickup would the error not be more constant ie -either it works or doesn't work at all...?

 

[television]

One never knows with these things, some lasers work sometimes and not others, for every 100 DVD players that come into me for repair 99 have dodgy lasers