Radio on mute at start up...
 

Hi all,

Since about a week I have experienced a very strange change without me making any changes to anything (I think). Each time I start the car the radio/stereo is turned off/on mute, and I need to press the volume dial to turn it on/unmute it. It doesnt matter if I listen to the radio, a CD or an external source when I turn the car off, it behaves exactly the same all the time. I've had the car for over a year, and have never experienced this before. I admit it isn't a big issue, but I'd like to understand what has happened. Anyone has any ideas?
Thanks

Me too. I have the same issue with me 2013 E70. I've read through the manual and can see no mention of this. I'm watching for a helpful reply.

My '08 sometimes does it, sometimes doesn't. No idea why.

I've previously read that is a symptom of low battery voltage. Can't confirm or deny, just passing along.

I have had a couple of random warnings about low battery voltage... maybe we are on to something...?

Seeming likely

I have also noticed that it looses the time, i.e. the clock just shows dashes... I have no problems starting and it doesn't seem to struggle when starting (i.e. as when you have a low battery situation)...

I do know the clock reset is due to battery.

Planning on replacing the battery soon, so good to know this will likely be remedied.

Yes, the clock is another symptom. These cars are very quirky about even the slightest variation in charge. A lot of people use trickle chargers to help maintain charge and improve battery life.

It's my fiancée's DD and she has a whopping one mile commute into work which I'm sure doesn't help things. I know the battery is definitely on it's way out because I actually followed the owner's manual's instructions going through the car wash and turned the car off, leaving the key in the ignition. A whole 30 seconds goes by and it lights up warning me of excessive battery drainage. Now all this week it has needed to have the clock reset every start. Booking an appt at the dealer for this first change since I'm not set up with DIS/INPA yet, plus there's $40 off going on right now.

Odd...I just noticed today that the radio was on mute when I started the truck on my way home from work. It only lasted maybe 1/2 second, then it was normal. I did't think anything of it, until now. Ive had no other symptoms of low voltage.

OK, so I now have a warning message saying: "Increased battery discharge! - Vehicle battery. Increased battery discharge while statonary. Electrical consumers may have been switched off. Reset date and time if necessary. In the event of recurrence, have the system checked by BMW Service."
How can I know this is the battery that is slowly dying? Could it be something else that discharges the battery? Or am I not driving long enough distances (as Nanniepoo suggests)? I don't drive much and it's often very short trips... I'm happy to change the battery, but I'm hesitant to take it to the BMW garage, since they are very expensive just to do a diagnostics...

Electrical system diagnosis is not my forte unfortunately.

I just got the car, and it started with warning me if it sit for a while, or the car wash thing. Now it's every time because of the short trips. Got some highway time in yesterday and although it still shows a warning, my clock stays set and comfort access works.

I've also had a CEL all week. Scanned for codes yesterday and apparently there was none... I can read live data so I'm assuming my scanner is hooked up fine. I know low battery shouldn't set a CEL, but I'm hoping it's causing some other complication.

Is the 'battery' the Chupacabra of the E70 world?

(Everything bad that happens is the battery.)

Want some advice?

Change the battery yourself, THEN go to the dealer. Ask them to check the CELs and register the battery.

Mark my word you dont do that you will get trapped into $200 diagnostic and then $600 for a battery

Though a low battery may cause radio muting (and other issues) this is not the case in my instance. The radio is actually on but the volume is at the lowest level. Once I turn up the volume everything is OK. I am sure there is some feature or trick that I haven't figured out yet.

Came out to $360 ($245 for battery, rest labor/fees). Obviously more than doing it myself, just a little gun shy with the new car and all the fancy software. 95% of my DIY work has been on an E36, which I feel is a pretty straightforward car. Main gripe is it took 2 hours because the car wash was backed up lol. They did do the multi-point inspection. Noticed a valve cover leak and timing cover leak, although I have yet to notice anything below the vehicle, any smells, and after the 4k miles we've put on it, oil level has not dropped via the computer, so it'll be left alone until there's an actual problem.

The CEL disappeared Saturday morning. I spent about 2 hours on the highway Friday so things definitely had time to charge up. Also stopped at an O'Reilly's and their reader also came back with no codes. I forgot to ask while I was there for them to scan to see if anything is lingering.

Radio starts up however it was left (whether mute or on), so I can testify there's a direct relationship.