993 Blaupunkt Bremen RCM 43

[Wozy68]

Hi,
I have the original Bremen Blaupunkt radio still installed in my 993. It has a problem with it that I just can't fathom.

When I start the car and drive off the stereo is dead, absolutly nothing, I pull the little credit card thingy out and the radio flashes a red light to say (I guess) its armed ..... so in other words there's power there, but when I slide the CC back in, still nothing, no power.

The strange thing is that after say twenty minutes, most of the time it suddenly starts working, and other times after it's been working it will start straight up when I start up the car again.

I did notice the other day that when it decided to work it had the words 'learning' on the display before it suddenly popped into life.

Any ideas? Is it some kind of delay you can programme into it? I've even tried the spare CC thingy but it still doesn't work. I've only owned the car a couple of months so have no idea if this is a fault that develops over time with these or not. Any help appreciated.

[stewart rix]

I have no idea what is causing your head unit fault, but seriously, do you really want to stick with the original (cassette player?)? I'm all for originality, but there are some things that can be brought more up to date without spoiling the look and feel of the interior. Although now not available new, a Becker units would be my recommendation, without a doubt, as a straight replacement, as they just seem to look right in a 993 dash. They do come up used now and again.

[Lightningman]

stewart rix said:

I have no idea what is causing your head unit fault, but seriously, do you really want to stick with the original (cassette player?)? I'm all for originality, but there are some things that can be brought more up to date without spoiling the look and feel of the interior. Although now not available new, a Becker units would be my recommendation, without a doubt, as a straight replacement, as they just seem to look right in a 993 dash. They do come up used now and again.

The 7990 is the model you want for a Porsche (amber display) but they are pricey due to Becker ceasing production and all of us greedy Porsche chaps gobbling them up

[Wozy68]

stewart rix said:

I have no idea what is causing your head unit fault, but seriously, do you really want to stick with the original (cassette player?)? I'm all for originality, but there are some things that can be brought more up to date without spoiling the look and feel of the interior. Although now not available new, a Becker units would be my recommendation, without a doubt, as a straight replacement, as they just seem to look right in a 993 dash. They do come up used now and again.

I like the whole cassette thing, especially when I want to run my IPOD through it via a cassette adaptor ...... much better than an FM module. I do also like the idea that my car is still original inside.

Finally I see nothing on the market that doesn't have flashing lights and looks so out of place in the 993 dash (Excluding the Becker, but try and find one cheap enough).

Even the Porsche retro Sat Nav does not look/fit right by all accounts.

[Lightningman]

Wozy, I put an OEM cassette back into my 968CS (taking out a discoball Alpine), so I know what you mean.

Try speaking with someone like http://www.oldautoradio.com/ or http://www.retroretreat.co.uk/page3.htm

[clorenzen]

I have the Porsche Retro unit with Sat Nav and it is utterly rubbish...

[Tino]

could be a faulty ignition connection to the unit. The easiest would be to pull the unit out and check these connections at the back.

[Wozy68]

Tino said:

could be a faulty ignition connection to the unit. The easiest would be to pull the unit out and check these connections at the back.

Took the car out this morning and nothing. Just started her to put back in the garage and away she goes playing away merrily.

Ignition connection? How come the little light flashes when the radio is dead. Surely that means power is there?

Dunno, I know more about astro physics than I do anything electrical.

I am tempted to pull her out and have a look, other than that maybe a stiff talking too might put her right.

[Tino]

Wozy68 said:

Took the car out this morning and nothing. Just started her to put back in the garage and away she goes playing away merrily.

Ignition connection? How come the little light flashes when the radio is dead. Surely that means power is there?

Dunno, I know more about astro physics than I do anything electrical.

I am tempted to pull her out and have a look, other than that maybe a stiff talking too might put her right.

A stereo normally has 2 power connections, one to a constant live, that keeps the memory, the other to the ignition, that powers the unit down when turning the car off.

[guards red]

Hi,

Make sure that the contacts on the credit card thingy are clean. Clean it properly then try sliding it in and out of its tray and see if that kicks it in.

[thegoose]

Tino said:

A stereo normally has 2 power connections, one to a constant live, that keeps the memory, the other to the ignition, that powers the unit down when turning the car off.

I found recently when fitting a unit in a Golf (same connections and same "stays on when ignition is turned off until key is removed" functionality as a Porsche) that sometimes the connections in the DIN plug for permanent live and ignition fed live are the wrong way round - I carefully picked them out of the multi-pin connector, swapped them over and it now works exactly as it should.

NB don't try swapping them over unless you have used a test meter first to be certain that you're swapping the right wires over, I wouldn't want to be responsible for you blowing anything.

[///ajd]

wozy, not sure if you fixed this, but my rcm43 bremen starting doing exactly the same as you describe. I think its the unit rather than the 12v feed, but not entirely sure. As it occassionally still works, it doesn't seem like a difficult issue to fix, but no idea how. I guess the fact we both have identical symtoms suggests it maybe a unit thing.

I know why you want to keep it as the look great. I just bought a blaupunkt toronto 430 bt, but would still like. to get the bremen fixed.

[Wozy68]

///ajd said:

wozy, not sure if you fixed this, but my rcm43 bremen starting doing exactly the same as you describe. I think its the unit rather than the 12v feed, but not entirely sure. As it occassionally still works, it doesn't seem like a difficult issue to fix, but no idea how. I guess the fact we both have identical symtoms suggests it maybe a unit thing.

I know why you want to keep it as the look great. I just bought a blaupunkt toronto 430 bt, but would still like. to get the bremen fixed.

Hi, no never got it fixed, bought a cheapo ex display from Halfords to have at least something to listen too whilst away on a euro holiday last year. The OE unit is on the shelf in the garage.
It really bugs me I can't get the original unit to be reliable, but I gave up on trying to find someone who could rather than would try, to fix it.
Wished I'd never took it out though. The alarm plays up now, and its possibly something to do with me replacing the stereo. In fact I may just have to reinstall the old unit just to stop the damn alarm going off sometime after I lock the car.

What shocked me the most was just how much old heads are going for, looking over the last 12 months I've seen intermittent working ones going for over £100 on eBay, and a working one went for shy under £275.00.

[stratfordshark]

Wozy68 said:

Hi,
I have the original Bremen Blaupunkt radio still installed in my 993. It has a problem with it that I just can't fathom.

When I start the car and drive off the stereo is dead, absolutly nothing, I pull the little credit card thingy out and the radio flashes a red light to say (I guess) its armed ..... so in other words there's power there, but when I slide the CC back in, still nothing, no power.

The strange thing is that after say twenty minutes, most of the time it suddenly starts working, and other times after it's been working it will start straight up when I start up the car again.

I did notice the other day that when it decided to work it had the words 'learning' on the display before it suddenly popped into life.

Any ideas? Is it some kind of delay you can programme into it? I've even tried the spare CC thingy but it still doesn't work. I've only owned the car a couple of months so have no idea if this is a fault that develops over time with these or not. Any help appreciated.

Hey. I had the Bremen in my old E36 328i

Specified it when I bought the car - was top of line Blaupunkt then in 1996!

i also had exactly the problem you describe...

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the fix was to use the spare keycard I had for it, in other words the fault was in the card (as long as I remember correctly).

[Wozy68]

stratfordshark said:

Hey. I had the Bremen in my old E36 328i

Specified it when I bought the car - was top of line Blaupunkt then in 1996!

i also had exactly the problem uou decide...

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the fix was to use the spare keycard I had for it, in other words the fault was in the card (as long as I remember correctly).

At the time I tried the spare, still wouldn't play ball. The spare looked liked it had never/hardly been used but alas after 20 minutes or so of nothing the head unit came to life just like using the original card. Maybe they were both faulty though.

Just plain bizzare

[///ajd]

could well be the key card i guess, seems plausible.

i've just put the toronto in and for around £100 (new from germany) it appears a very good alternative. it looks a bit cheap, with some red lighting (why not just white) and not great plastics, but the design is still much more fitting in the 3.2 than a modern kenwood, alpine or sony, and the features are great. bluetooth streaming from iphone (with control via head unit) as soon as you turn it on (no need to do anything on phone) and easy one touch hands free voice dialing telephone control too.

can't beat the period looks of the bremen though, shame it had to go on the shelf.

[Wozy68]

///ajd said:

could well be the key card i guess, seems plausible.

can't beat the period looks of the bremen though, shame it had to go on the shelf.

Yes I know what you mean. Back in 94 when my 911 was new, there is nooooo way I could have afforded a new Bremen, I'm guessing back then it was probs £400.00 or something like that ...... let alone a new Porsche.
Looking at it today, I'm pretty sure I would have been bowled over by the look of it and the spec. Even now it still looks like a cool piece of kit and just right in the 911 dash. As you say, a damn shame.

[Logicdr]

I have exactly the same intermittent problem on the Bremen RCM43, I don't use the radio much anyway so haven't spotted any consistency when it does or doesn't work. Mine has the CD changer unit attached. Do you have this attached? I will pull the unit and see what I can figure out by running it on the bench. Ideally I will fix the original unit and convert the CD changer input to a 3.5mm iphone input.

Please let me know anything else you notice about when the unit is working or not.

[Wozy68]

Logicdr said:

I have exactly the same intermittent problem on the Bremen RCM43, I don't use the radio much anyway so haven't spotted any consistency when it does or doesn't work. Mine has the CD changer unit attached. Do you have this attached? I will pull the unit and see what I can figure out by running it on the bench. Ideally I will fix the original unit and convert the CD changer input to a 3.5mm iphone input.

Please let me know anything else you notice about when the unit is working or not.

I've been told its the capacitors that are kaput. However this was via email from a guy who repairs them, not actually checked on the bench. Mine no longer even lights up.

I'm looking for a replacement on Ebay, but of yet, no show in the UK other than for silly money.

[Logicdr]

Faulty capacitors would make sense as they do deteriorate over time - I fixed 2 duff Sky+ boxes by replacing a set of capacitors, it's a known problem.
That also makes sense with many people having the same intermittent problem.
I might just pull my system out as it seems to have stopped altogether now and see how easy it would be to replace likely looking ones.

Did your contact give you any details which ones?