17 Prestige, Virtual Cockpit rebooting FM->XM, anyone else?

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danman48

New member
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Messages
3
Hi All,
I'm confident I've found a software bug in the Audi MMI software whereby the virtual cockpit (and occasionally the regular center console display screen) crashes and reboots while changing from FM to XM radio stations in presets using the "next track" button on either the steering wheel controls or volume control knob right of the shifter. The dealer has replaced everything they can think of: Virtual Cockpit Instrument Cluster, Gateway Module, 5F module, the Bang & Olufsen amp. But I can easily replicate the failure now. If anyone else has a 2017 A3 e-tron Prestige with the Sport Package (I'm assuming only in the US..but i'm guessing a data point from somewhere else would be helpful) could you try the following?

Have the car on and ready to drive.

Goto radio presets and have an FM station and an XM station (if you don't have an XM subscription you can add the preview channel 001... I got it to fail yesterday with just one FM station and one XM station)

So while your radio setting is showing all of your presets, use the steering wheel control on the right side, press the "next track" and "previous track" button to change between FM and XM radio stations rapidly, like maybe at a rate of 5 presses per second.
Try it for maybe a minute of going back and forth between FM and XM and see if the virtual cockpit crashes and then reboots.

The reason I'm reaching out is that the Prestige is by order only so nobody has one on their lot and I don't think anyone has called back to Ingolstadt yet. I'm confident at this point that I've discovered a software bug in how the MMI handles the switch from FM to XM, but just in the e-tron.

I'm very frustrated at this point as the dealer has been nice but not real competent in their ability to follow my instructions to replicate.
Thanks!
 
So, US-based 2017 A3 etron Prestige owner here. No Sport Package.

Following your steps got my Virtual Cockpit to crash.

However, rapidly switching back and forth from SiriusXM and an FM radio station five or more times a second is not something that would occur to most people to do. Have you encountered this bug under normal circumstances (say, you're driving and listening to one radio station, press the button to switch presets and then the VC crashes and reboots)? Or is this the only way you've gotten this to happen?
 
I found it by just driving around and switching stations. The steps I provided were how I could get it to crash as proof of concept. But it happened to me driving 3 or four times just switching my presets from FM to XM maybe a 3 click and it crashed.

Thank you so much for the feedback!
 
All computers/software/applications will all have a "bug" if you're inclined to do whatever and everything to find (create) it.
If you find a defect in, what is know as the "Happy path", then I would be concerned.
Does the reboot occur when you use the radio normally?

For what you did by fiddling with the controls, in what would be deemed as an unconventional manner, I couldn't see that being a defect or bug in the software.
I don't know of anyone who would change channels at a rate of 3 clicks per second, especially while driving.
I have not had an issue with my e-tron with the B&O system. My presets are set with FM > XM > AM > XM. But I do not have the vir. cockpit (I wish I did). Typically, I scroll using the MMI wheel to the station I want and then select it.
The majority of the time I "hover" over that station to see what's playing before making my selection.
 
I don't know, actually. I can see someone with, say, 16 presets, rapidly pressing the button multiple times to get to the one they want triggering this bug.

From the original poster's second explanation, the "unconventional" method used to reproduce the bug is just that. A reliable way to get the problem to occur. Many times people need a reliable way to reproduce the issue so they can demonstrate it to the people who are in a position to fix it.

I would say that a workaround could be to group your FM or XM radio presets together first, and then the other type of radio presets second. That way, only one receiver switch happens instead of going back and forth between them.

I would also suggest that the OP have the technician sit next to him in the car while he does the steps needed to reproduce the bug if he has doubts over the dealer's ability to follow the instructions themselves. When I had an issue with my last car's radio the tech actually got in the car with me so I could demonstrate.
 
That's exactly how I found out about this issue in the first place.

I have all my FM then my XM stations. And I'd be like FM->FM->XM and then it crashed on me. It took me about 3 or 4 times of it crashing to figure out why it was happening. Then once I figured out roughly what was triggering it after like an hour of driving, I tried to figure out how to replicate the issue in the short term to see if the issue was fixed.

My dealer has replaced everything that's electronic at this point and the fact that someone else with similar model has replicated this indicates either a bad run of parts or (more likely) a software bug in the MMI controller for feedback relating to the FM to XM change over. This would be no big deal if it just crashed the MMI screen. I'd happily wait for Audi to fix this, but the fact that it crashes the virtual cockpit and disabled adaptive cruise control while it reboots poses a potential safety issue. In addition to who knows what else doesn't work while it's taking the 8 seconds or so to reboot.

I've sat with the techs now and the shop manager and showed them how to get it to fail and they've gotten it to fail. (so nobody is denying there's a problem).

So I'm going to see what my dealer has to say and then I'm assuming we'll kick this up to AoA. Hopefully they've already known about the issue and have a fix in the works, because I don't think they're going to give me the car back with this still being an issue.
 
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