wolf

I have the "logic 7" stereo system in my car. I have noticed an intermittent "pop" sound that is coming from the speakers. It tends to come from the driver's side front but does move around. It doesn't happen all the time. When it does happen, adjusting the volume (on the dash or steering wheel) causes more pops. That is, while I adjust the volume it triggers pops. When this gets really bad the system ultimately stops playing audio of any kind (phone, sat, aux...)

I have reset i-drive but this doesn't make the problem go away when it is acting up. The problem seems to go away on its own and never runs for more than 15 minutes.

As dictated by Murphy's law, the problem is not there when I take it to the dealer so they can't troubleshoot!

Any ideas? Is the amp going bad? Any ways to troubleshoot for the problem when the symptoms aren't there? Are there any service bulletins for this type of thing?

pukka

Post some more info please:

What audio source are you using when the "pop" sound occurs?

Does this also happen when the engine is turned off?

Alpine White Girl

if you are using a cable to connect your ipod i would maybe take a look at the cable. make sure nothing is wrong with it, then look at the plug in jack. make sure the ipod is completely plugged in at both points. you will get humming and weird noises when you dont have it plugged all the way in. just a thought, since we dont know what setting you have it on when it starts...

xxrap985xx

i had the same problem but with my rear driver side speaker.. and now the rear channels stop working .. im pretty sure its my amp.. i gotta get that replaced

wolf

I run my iPod through the "aux" input. However, the sound does not appear to be related to the iPod. The sound occurs regardless of what audio is selected (Sat, Phone, iPod). Also, the sound occurs when the iPod and aux cable are removed. Finally, when the popping gets really bad, all audio stops working.

Alpine White Girl

might have a power cable crossing a signal cable, this can cause interference. it could be this but it could also be the amp.

Stranger

It could well be your amp. The DC level is drifting. Just a wild guess.

wolf

Time will tell. It has stopped again for now....

pukka

My experience with audio amplifiers is either they work or they don't, no in-between.

Any pops, clicks, or other audio distortions would come from either the source, which in this case is the factory radio since the problem exists no matter what input is playing, or a bad ground somewhere (most likely the radio). Since the problem is intermittent its most likely caused by a component overheating or failing when it gets too warm.

Bad or punctured audio signal cables could also cause distortion but they won't shut off the amp. The only way to completely rule out the amp is to plug a source directly in to it and see what happens.

There's no easy way to troubleshoot this without pulling things apart, so if I were you I'd take the car back to the dealership and press the issue. You could probably reproduce the problem by keeping the radio on at a louder than normal volume. GL.

vwvwvw

You only get pops when adjusting the volume, and no other time? It could be dirty contacts on the volume knob, like in an old radio. I would have thought the knob was a digital encoder, and not a potentiometer, but this points otherwise.

Have you tried asking the dealer if they've seen this before?

Are you out of warranty? Do you want to tackle this yourself?