Panasonic CY-VMD9000u

Hi,

I recently bought this unit used on ebay.  The seller ensured that the unit was operational before removal in his vehicle.  It included all the wiring and the brain unit.  I downloaded the instructions from Panasonic and just to test the unit before wiring all the wires; I connected the red (ACC power), yellow (12v), and black (GND) wires.  The unit seemed to turn on but was unresponsive when pressing buttons, the lights on the unit were active but nothing would work.  I inserted a cd inside just to test and the unit did take it and start spinning as if it were playing but would not eject the cd and all other buttons remained unresponsive.

I tried to connect the wires directly to the battery as well as another test, but I got the same results.  I have searched this forum and have seen someone else with a similar problem but with no resolution.  The unit seems to be in good shape so I'm wondering if it's something I've overlooked.  The only other thing that I can think of is the parking brake cable, the directions indicate that the unit should still respond with the 3 wires connected so I don't think the parking cable is necessary yet.  However, I was willing to try anything at this point.  I tried to ground out the wire but it didn't seem to have any effect.

Has anyone here encountered this problem before?  Anyone have any ideas at all?  Help!

Thanks.

Aargh, I'll be slightly annoyed if that's the case.  The seller seemed pretty trustworthy, I even spoke to him on the pphone and he explained how he disassembled the unit out of the car.  His explanation seemed to indicate that he had given me all the wiring and that he had removed the unit with care.  He again reiterated that it was in working order.  The only thing he mentioned was that he pulled the brake wire off and it snapped off its connector, which didn't seem like much of a problem to me.

If I do open the unit, I think it would void the warranty, correct?  Any other ways to determine if it's a dead unit?

Thanks.

Of course the unit would still be working BEFORE it is removed. The question is, will the unit still work when you re-install it ?  Most of the time the person removing the system takes note that the unit is in operational condition before the removal, but did he test the unit again after removing it ?? It's not like he lied to you or any thing, but to the best of his knowledge the system was probably working as he stated BEFORE removal.

As far as warranty goes, it the unit was bought a a box store then you probably can get warranty with the original bill of sales, but if you don't have that, your SOL because no one that I know of will take a warranty item in without the original bill of sales.

Aside from what I told you to test for, all units should still react when you attach those 3 wires together. The GREEN brake wire is only needed for video bypassing to see the monitor while driving. Nothing to do with the initial function of the unit

sh*t, it seems more and more likely that it might be DOA.  After speaking with Panasonic reps they also indicated that  the unit should play with those wires connected.  They then advised me to bring it to an authorized repair center, but ofcourse couldn't provide me with an estimate as far as cost.  This is very frustrating especially after spending $675 for this thing.

Since the unit still performs those basic functions you mentioned above, do you think it may be a fix that I might be capable of doing.  I haven't opened it yet but am considering it, I'm hoping it may be a simple fuse as you said.  But, I would question why a fuse would blow inside the unit yet the fuses that are on teh wire harness are still good.

I'm going to take this unit to an installation center tomorrow morning as my "last resort" before I open it up and inspect it myself.  Thanks for your help, if you have any other ideas let me know. 

Since the unit still performs those basic functions you mentioned above, do you think it may be a fix that I might be capable of doing.  I haven't opened it yet but am considering it, I'm hoping it may be a simple fuse as you said.  But, I would question why a fuse would blow inside the unit yet the fuses that are on teh wire harness are still good.

Opening up the CPU will not harm anything. If there is a glass fuse inside the unit, you should be able to test this to see if it's blown or not. If the board is anything like a PS2, then the fuses will be board mounted ones and will require the removal of the fuses off the board itself ( a pain in the butt ). The fuse rating on the board is ALOT lower than that of the fuse on the power line. If the short occured somewhere other than on the power wire, then the inline fuse would still be good as in your case.

Just curious, and your name seems to imply that of being a shop, have you ever installed any of these units before?  Curious if you have any experience with the actual wiring of them?  After doing some research through google, I noticed that on the wire harness from the dvd unit (CY-VMD9000u) there is some kind of adapter connected to the ACC and GND wire.  On the harness I have here, that adapter is not there, instead it seems that the previous owner wired his own device.  The adapter is a small square black box but I don't have it on my harness.

I will attach a picture of the device that the owner made here if you allow me to?  I suppose I'll question him about it too tomorrow.

Velocity Motors wrote:

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Sounds like you may have bought a DOA unit off eBay  Lots of those around and more to come unfortunately.

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The bad thing with that is people keep buying stuff like this from the web, instead of supporting their local dealers. You would think after hearing a horror story or two like this one people would wise up. As for your problem, I would take the advise of the Panasonic rep and have it looked at by a professional. Yeah, it will cost you some money, but will be fixed right and you really got a decent price on it to begin with. When buying anything off of the internet the phrase "Buyer beware" comes into play. Have you bothered to contact the seller of the item yet?

I'm unsure if you're referring to me but eBay can be a viable venue to obtain products at a fraction of the "local dealer" price.  I took as many precautions as I could to ensure that I'd be purchasing from a legitimate seller.  I haven't contacted the seller today but I had spoken to him numerous times yesterday when attempting the install.  Right now the unit is at an install center being "bench tested" for a nominal fee. 

If it turns out to be bad, I will send it back and receive my $ and have only suffered the frustration of having to wait a few more days to put a dvd player into my car.

antonio010 wrote:

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I'm unsure if you're referring to me but eBay can be a viable venue to obtain products at a fraction of the "local dealer" price.  I took as many precautions as I could to ensure that I'd be purchasing from a legitimate seller.  I haven't contacted the seller today but I had spoken to him numerous times yesterday when attempting the install.  Right now the unit is at an install center being "bench tested" for a nominal fee. 

If it turns out to be bad, I will send it back and receive my $ and have only suffered the frustration of having to wait a few more days to put a dvd player into my car.

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I was making a blanket statement when I said what I did about the net and people buying from there, not you specifically. I agree that it is a way to save money, but it can also lead to bad things as well. Luckily it sounds like this guy will make it right if it does not work, but that is not always the case. As a rep and I am sure as a retailer as we have some here, it is discouraging the amount of 12 volt product that is bought from the web. The real kick in the nuts is when some guy, again not you, takes all the persons time on the retail floor to learn about the product only to go home and buy it off the web. Now in your case you bought something used, which is a different case. It is funny because what first brought me to this site was some kid saying that retailers don't mind if  "Joe Customer" comes into the store, uses the salesmens time and knowledge to see if he wants that unit, again only to go home to buy it from the web. The same kid said he comes here for the knowledge...which is cool and all, but this is not a retail store. I end up on my soap box when people like the above mentioned kid says stuff like he did. I just try and stress that if we do not support the local guy he will end up not being there for long, and then who will "Joe Customer" turn to for real advise. Again, this was NO WAY directed at you, and is really off the topic, but I didn't want you to think I was pointing fingers. Man, I hope this thing works out for you though, let us know what happens.

I understand what you mean and agree with your point.  It must be discouraging to help a potential customer only to have him purchase it elsewhere.  My experience with local dealers is just that their markup leads me to explore other options, ie. the internet.  Sadly, I'm sure others feel the same.  :(

Anyhow, the shop I took it to confirmed our suspicions, according to them the unit is indeed defective.  As you can imagine I am annoyed.  I did, however, open it up to inspect it myself.  It does have a "burnt" smell to it, but I'm unable to pinpoint exactly where.  All the components seem to be in order, and as you suspected the fuses are soldered onto the board which makes replacing them a feat in itself.  The only thing that seems damaged is the cable that connects from the cd player to the lcd, it seems that it should rest flat against the metal but it has been moved.  I'm  unable to tell if the unit was opened before and tampered with or not.  Either way, I'm ready to give up.  I shouldn't have to examine this unit anyway. 

I've contacted the seller via e-mail detailing my problems and providing a link to this thread so he can see for himself that I did try in earnest to resolve it on my own.  Hopefully he does the right thing and gives me $ back.  I'd like to thank you Velocity Motorsports and 12v_rep for you help and quick responses, you guys are an asset to this forum.

When I get my $ back I think I will invest in the Kenwood KV-915 available at the local bestbuy.  My friend works there and they seem to get things at cost, their price for that particular unit is $816 for emplyees.  Being that I'll get it new I hope I have better luck.

Thanks again guys.

Yeah, I had tried the reset button repeatedly.  The unit was dead, I already boxed this thing up and will send it back.  My friend purchased the Kenwood KVT-915 model for me this morning, I'm just waiting until next weekend before I attempt that install.

Thanks though.