Sony CD Radio headunit not working

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06-30-2011, 02:03 PM
cg1349

Sony CD Radio headunit not working

Our car has an aftermarket CD radio headunit, Sony CDX-S2010, and it has a removable face plate. The buttons on the face plate no longer function, nothing works. Sometimes the volume will go up by itself, and sometimes the face plate won't light up at all. So I'm not sure if the problem is in the headunit or it just the face plate malfunctioning. Any ideas or suggestions. Thanks and God Bless you.
06-30-2011, 02:11 PM
keith6110

If you remove the faceplate, there are gold contacts between that and the entire unit. Get some electrical contact cleaner while the car and unit is off and clean the contacts. I recommend using a Q-tip or something to spray the contact cleaner on and wipe it off that way.
06-30-2011, 03:04 PM
cg1349

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith6110

If you remove the faceplate, there are gold contacts between that and the entire unit. Get some electrical contact cleaner while the car and unit is off and clean the contacts. I recommend using a Q-tip or something to spray the contact cleaner on and wipe it off that way.

Thanks. Is there a certain brand electrical cleaner I should look for? Could I just use some rubbing alcohol? Do you know if this is a common problems with faceplates?
07-01-2011, 12:32 PM
cg1349

Well, yesterday I cleaned the gold contacts with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol and it's still not working. The OFF button does work though, but the other buttons don't. So either it's the faceplate or the headunit itself. What do you guys think?
07-01-2011, 12:38 PM
oakrdrs187

It's done bro, New radio....Go Pioneer or Alpine.
07-01-2011, 01:18 PM
cg1349

Quote:

Originally Posted by oakrdrs187

It's done bro, New radio....Go Pioneer or Alpine.

Really? The CD eject button works and the CD player does work and there is sound coming out but the volume buttons don't work and the volume will start to go up on its own.
07-01-2011, 02:09 PM
tamim13

It's going to cost you almost 1/2 - 3/4 of the cost of a new Sony head unit with the prices now a days, to get yourself a used faceplate. Just get another Sony head unit, so that you can just plug it in without having to get another wiring harness/anything else.
07-01-2011, 02:15 PM
cg1349

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamim13

It's going to cost you almost 1/2 - 3/4 of the cost of a new Sony head unit with the prices now a days, to get yourself a used faceplate. Just get another Sony head unit, so that you can just plug it in without having to get another wiring harness/anything else.

Thanks, you're probably right. I'll see what I can find.
07-01-2011, 02:20 PM
smash410

yeah get a new face plate something happened to me with a Sony deck
07-01-2011, 02:22 PM
MisterDeadeye

I've got a friend with a Sony head unit, and his faceplate has stopped working as well. He can turn it on and off, and if he puts a CD in, it will play, but he can't control the volume or press any buttons.
07-01-2011, 03:01 PM
oakrdrs187

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamim13

It's going to cost you almost 1/2 - 3/4 of the cost of a new Sony head unit with the prices now a days, to get yourself a used faceplate.

This is why I said time to replace, also IMO that deck was ugly looking.
07-01-2011, 09:10 PM
cg1349

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterDeadeye

I've got a friend with a Sony head unit, and his faceplate has stopped working as well. He can turn it on and off, and if he puts a CD in, it will play, but he can't control the volume or press any buttons.

Same problem I'm having. I don't want to take the chance of buying a new faceplate and the headunit being the real problem.

Anyone got a Sony CDX-S2010 that's working perfectly?
07-02-2011, 07:30 AM
wetamup2k3g

Quote:

Originally Posted by cg1349

Same problem I'm having. I don't want to take the chance of buying a new faceplate and the headunit being the real problem.

Anyone got a Sony CDX-S2010 that's working perfectly?

In my opinion, I'd look at a new radio just because we already know of two cases where the faceplate stops working; chances are if you could find another CDX-S2010 it will develop the same problem in short order.

Also, a member suggested getting another Sony so you can just plug and play. I'd recommend at least getting another wiring harness just in case. I had a Pioneer DEH-P3600 that went up and I thought, "Get another Pioneer, plug it in, let's go." Well, I got a Pioneer DEH-3200UB, looked at the connector and it was the same, but the pin layout was reversed, so I had to rewire it anyway.

Sometimes manufacturers may make wiring changes, so I'd suggest doing it all over with a new harness. It didn't take long, I did the harness at my living room coffee table then took it outside and plugged everything up in about five minutes.