Headunit drains my battery every night: Solution inside, need your thoughts

So, I have been having chronic battery drainage issues with my 2005 LGT wagon. Basically, the car dies within a few days if I don't drive it, usually at trailheads or other inopportune locations.

 

I have also been having the famed headunit glitches, which have culminated in a completely dead CD player !

 

I had a feeling this is what was causing the drainage. Just got a call from the shop and they affirmed it is something in the HU causing the parasitic drain, although they cannot affirm that it is the CD player, without tearing it apart.

 

This is the second HU put in this otherwise perfect (to me) car.

 

Solution1: replace HU with a new stocker. $700. No way. I am not shelling out that amount of cash for a HU which could possibly fail again.

 

Solution2: They want to install a relay which will disconnect the HU from the power supply everytime the car is turned off. Besides the obvious issue that I will lose my presets everytime (I could care less), is there any reason you guys can forsee that this would be a bad solution?

 

I appreciate your help guys.

I had the same issue when I was in college. But a little worse. My headunit froze and wouldn't let me do anything including ejecting my CD's. My roommate also had to come and charge my battery everyday since I kept getting stranded with a dead battery.

 

After I brought it to the dealership they said that the headunit was draining the battery because it was broken. They replaced the entire unit and I haven't had any issues since. Of course at the time my headunit was under warranty.

 

I am shocked that this is your second headunit. Should of got it right after the first one lol. I would shy away from the relay. That seems sketchy. The headunit should just work and not cause a problem. If it's no longer under warranty I would recommend trolling eBay for a replacement one. Sorry to hear about your trouble.

^Thanks for the quick reply and advice. i think down the line I will definitely look to replace the headunit with a fully functioning one, but as of right now my radio is still functional (just no CD) so I can't justify the cost. Probably will help resale.

 

My main concern right now is if I should worry about the relay causing further issues.

sounds like it could be wired incorrectly

You should be able to find a perfectly functioning used 05/06 head unit for $100 - $150.

^ best solution IMO. Even though the only noticeable thing is the CD player, the whole headunit is causing a problem.

Surprising enough, my brand new '09 had the headunit go dark one day, yet still keep playing and nothing would work except ejecting the cd player. thankfully when i turned the car off it came back on ok.

Received some PMs with people offering to sell me their units, and I'll probably do that. I really appreciate the help. I went ahead and did the relay to get me through until I decide on a more permanent solution. But, to be honest, everything seems to be working great now, and if I do go to the length to replace the whole unit, I would really like an AUX in. Researching my options now.

Question: If i replace my stock stereo with an aftermarket HU, which shops around town say they can easily do, will this solve my problem? From what I understand, they seperate the HVAC from the stereo, correct? Are the HVAC and stereo on different power supplies even though they are an "integrated" unit?

 

Does that make sense?

I saw them working on your car yesterday. I'd get a used one and slap it in there. Biggest problem with the relay is that you lose your presets every time you turn off the car.

Question: If i replace my stock stereo with an aftermarket HU, which shops around town say they can easily do, will this solve my problem? From what I understand, they seperate the HVAC from the stereo, correct? Are the HVAC and stereo on different power supplies even though they are an "integrated" unit?

Does your car have the mechanical or electronic A/C controls? Single- or dual-zone?

 

If you have manual controls, changing to a new aftermarket radio is easy.

 

On the ones with automatic/electronic controls, the entire radio/AC unit is powered from the one speaker/power harness.

 

Separating the A/C portion is a major undertaking. You actually still keep all of the "guts" (except for the CD mechanism) but the radio portion is hidden behind the dash to make room for an aftermarket unit. Some good pictures are here. Expect to pay $1000 or more for all of the custom work that would be required (not including a new head unit).

Dual zone.