Hi All.

I have a long backstory, so please bear with me, as I think the details my be important / play a role.

I've had sirius satellite service for as long as I've had my car, for which the 'satellite' band selection option suddenly disappared, conspicoulsy, after having picked up my car for air bag recall service (working prior to taking in, not working as soon as picking up).

After noticing, I told the dealer what happened and they claimed it could not be related to the work done. I researched and found the TSB for this issue (from 2010) and they agreed to update the firmware for free (after some complaining) since my car was under warranty, but not updated, at the time of release of the bulletin. This doesn't make much sense to me anyway that this bug would "suddenly" surface after all this time. Unfortunately, the update did nothing to cause the satellite band to re-appear (further proving something else has occured). BTW, I asked and they also peformed a courtesy "service due" reset as I changed the oil myself (not sure if this could be related / scewed something up software wise in the process).

After the firmeware flash did not resolve, they said the only next step would be to replace the radio unit for $4K. Obviously, given the age of my vehicle, this doesn't make sense, for which I told them as much. I asked as another courtesy, if they could provide me the part number and that I could perform the work on my own (part number provided by service rep, not technician) . Completely ignorant at the time, I took the provided part number, looked it up, and could see it was for the MMI head unit (cd player, sd card inserts, etc). This seemed logical. I ordered a working unit (valid / functional with VIN) off of eBay, replaced, and despite "content protection active" present (as expected), the satellite band did not re-appear anyway, even after OBD fault clears, etc, via my OBDEleven.

Now, more educated on the hardware involved, and re-reading the quotation, I could see that it said "radio control module", which isn't even the part number they provided me (MMI), rather, the radio receiver / satellite receiver unit in the back left of the cargo area!

Obviously, frustated, in my never ending quest / obsession with resolving the issue, I returned the MMI unit (after enduring a 20% re-stocking fee), bought a valid radio control module instead (4F0035082A), replaced, only to still have no satellite band appear. A hardware scan (OBDeleven) returns the same error(s) regardles of the MMI unit and/or radio control module installed (my current or replaced hardware):

OBDeleven data log

Date: 2018-06-12 21:49

Car: Audi Q5
Year: 2010
Body type: SUV
Engine: CALB 199 kW (270 HP) 3.2 l
Mileage: 55530 MI

---------------------------------------------------------------
56 Radio

System description: Radio U SIRIU
Software number: 4F0035082A
Software version: 0021
Hardware number: 4F0035082
Hardware version: H45
Serial number: 335CK0A7562010
Long coding: 020000020100000001

Trouble codes:
00003 - Control module Faulty Intermittent
02788 - Internal communication error static

To my uneducated eye, the fault codes above, coupled with the hardware I've replaced that did not resolve would lead me to believe something got "screwed up" from a "communications" line / harness / bus perspective during the airbag recall service performed, causing the issue. Maybe I'm way off base and all of this is a coincidence, but I'm struggling to believe so. With the dealer wiping their hands of the issue, despite my hunch to the contrary, I'm don't really know what else to try.

Hoping some of you might have some advice / insight.

Thanks.

*Edit: It should be noted that I have no other issues as it relates to radio (AM/FM), bluetooth streaming, phone connectivity, navigtion, etc.

 

Anyone out there that may have some insight?

 

Sorry to hear this. I took my 2010 Q5 in for an airbag recall and within 2 weeks I had lost my Sirius module, my driver's side rearview mirror began to malfunction, and my seat memory buttons quit working. Was quoted $1200 to replace the Sirius module.

 

Interesting.

FWIW, however, I purchased a salvaged satellite module off of eBay for $170 (after first purchasing a MMI head unit), and have replaced both, neither of which have resolved the issue anyway! So, if you're in the same position as me, it likely may not have made a difference :-(

If the communication lines run left from the head unit past the steering column in any way (I'm unsure), I have to think they screwed something up in the fiber optic line, etc, during the air bag replacement process. I'm trying to understand if there is a way to purchase a separate connector "cable" to bypass the existing one all together and test the theory...