ELECTRICAL Drain?? Ignition?

[Bmwtvboy]

Other night; radio stays on for sometime. Eventually goes to sleep.
Next day. Radio turns on without key ignition turned onto #2 or engine running.
I can't remember if I ever could turn the MID head unit/radio control on without the ignition switch turned on.
How do I determine if the ignition switch is bad?
The radio head unit will flicker on and off if you hold down the volume control knob. Radio turns off manually with the volume control knob, then turn off the car and it stays off.
I had the entire sounds system checked out for shorts/draws and it came up negative. Are the ignition switches faulty as the vehicle ages? It is 15 years old with 209K miles.
I think I can change it, just don't want to throw parts at.

[gatojurko]

Ignition should be ok....otherwise car could start and drive away with out you u can check module...take out first fuse at the back or reset 'blue tooth' module!
Radio works on position 1! But I think radio unit has gone bad or u have deal with wet weather...condensation may be some where?

[Zulu95]

Ignition switches are a known failure point. Had to do our '01 at 70K. There are a number of stories here of failed switches with all sorts of electrical gremlins as a result. In our case it was a phantom AB Light with no associated codes. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find lots of posts of symptoms and cures.

[Bmwtvboy]

How do you test the general module and the module on the lower driver's side? How do you know if it's a module creating draw that needs to be replaced. BTW, I am not an electrical engineer, it has always baffled me; but mechanically I can do great things.
IF the radio flickers when the on button it held pushed in if the key is not in the ignition can we rule out the ignition? BTW, everything was working perfectly for the past 2 months.