Firmware upgrade broke amplifier

[porsche]

I have an early 05 997 S, and wanted to upgrade the PCM firmware to be able to play Mp3. I downloaded this update and tried to install it in my car. There were three steps in the update, the PCM upgrade went fine, but when I got to the amplifier update it crashed. My bose amplifier now doesn`t work at all.

I went to my Porsche dealer to get it fixed. They tried to upgrade the system as well, but had no luck with the amplifier. The say I have to order a new one (which is rather expensive) because they can not contact the amplifier. They have no way of reseting it, it need to be replaced.

Does anybody know if there is another possible solution? The amplifier hardware is fine (worked perfectly before I tried to upgrade PCM), and it seems strange to me that there isn`t a way to install the original firmware.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Christian

[tomnash]

I have an early 05 997 S, and wanted to upgrade the PCM firmware to be able to play Mp3. I downloaded this update and tried to install it in my car. There were three steps in the update, the PCM upgrade went fine, but when I got to the amplifier update it crashed. My bose amplifier now doesn`t work at all.

I went to my Porsche dealer to get it fixed. They tried to upgrade the system as well, but had no luck with the amplifier. The say I have to order a new one (which is rather expensive) because they can not contact the amplifier. They have no way of reseting it, it need to be replaced.

Does anybody know if there is another possible solution? The amplifier hardware is fine (worked perfectly before I tried to upgrade PCM), and it seems strange to me that there isn`t a way to install the original firmware.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Christian

You might try to pull the fuses on the circuits for both the PCM and the amp. Then reinstall the fuses. This would be an attempt to force the PCM processors, etc., to reset themselves.

Actually, I stole this reply from a suggestion by Peter Smith today on the PCA.org Technical Q&A in response to a 997 owner with an unresponsive radio. If this doesn't work, you might post a question to Peter -- he has lots of experience with bizarre behavior of PCM and related systems.

I am also very skeptical that you should have to replace the amp.

Tom

[White987S]

Christian, aren't you still under warranty?

[porsche]

Thank you, but I have already tried to remove and resetting the fuse without any luck.

I don`t know if the car is still under warranty. The car was first time registered in september 04. I`m not shure how long the warranty holds in the US. The car is now in Norway, but originally bought in USA.

[berty987]

Unfortunately I think this highlights the problems with using bit torrent software and not understanding the full complexities of the task. For any one else out there looking to download the update file from bit torrent to update your PCM... ...DONT DO IT !

You need the original disks or a first generation copy from a good source

1. Early PCM 2.1 units do not have the HARDWARE to support MP3 playback, the CD drive is different , updating the software will NOT give you this functionality. Spend your money on a dension gateway 500 or mobridge unit and use an I pod.

2. The updating procedure of the PCM2.1 has to follow a set pattern of modules...the telephone module whether present or not has to be done first. The update is done over 2 CD's the first CD being the telephone module.

3. If the file is even slightly corrupted , the system may crash and as in this case render the unit useless.

4. When updating the PCM from level A to level B using these disks you also need a new navigation DVD, that must be 2005 or later. if you try and use the original 2004 map DVD in your drive with the new software , the unit can overheat and become damaged.

5. The update should be done with both the correct disks and a new navigation DVD , ideally 04.2005 initially and then 05 or 10 2006 followed by the latest map DVD 05 or 10 2007.

The updating of the pcm 2.1 from level A to level B gives navigation and post code search improvements , along with some bug fixes in the Bose amp and telephone modules. The BOSE amplifier is updated to the latest generation of software as well. You can only use the 2005 map DVD's on PCM 2.1 units that have level B software , the earlier units that have level A and have not been updated will not recognise the disk (DVD). The navigation system is also software updated by the map DVD itself.

Porsche do not cover the PCM or audio as either part of the extended warranty and may be somewhat reluctant to cover a unit that has been tampered with in this way. Buying a new unit poses some additional issues in that the navigation DVD drive / PCM and Bose must be matched in hardware levels to the PCM and the dealer will also need to spend some time coding the new unit to the car , particularly if the unit is second hand.

The cheapest possible solution i can see to this situation is to try updating the PCM again , using the correct disks and correct procedure.

When you acces the software menu on the PCM , is the BOSE amp listed , what info does it display ?

If the BOSE has lost its connection on the MOST link , it could be the amplifier software is so corrupted it can no longer be recognised on the system. Unfortunately replacing the amp and updating the PCM to work with it will be the only course of action open to you. After supplying an amp and paying for the tech time to recode , the cost of the update from porsche will probably look very good value.

PM me if you would like to talk more on the subject.

Edited November 23, 2007 by berty987

[Scrawf]

Hmmm......

Don't want to be the Devils Advocate here but I downloaded a BitTorrent upgrade and upgraded to software version 3 no problem. £130 on eBay bought me a 2007 DVD for the Nav and I now have postcode search and TCM.

Bose, Telephone, Nav and Amp are all working fine. Perhaps I got lucky? But I did do my reasearch first!

I also got a Gatway 500 unit and installed that recently. It was all a doddle.

Scrawf

[scuzy]

well i took my car into the dealer to get the software updates so i can use the new maps. They updated my system but in the process the amp didn't get the software updates. So now they have to order me a new amp and replace my amp as a warranty since the dealer screwed up.

[matteotizz]

I have an early 05 997 S, and wanted to upgrade the PCM firmware to be able to play Mp3. I downloaded this update and tried to install it in my car. There were three steps in the update, the PCM upgrade went fine, but when I got to the amplifier update it crashed. My bose amplifier now doesn`t work at all.

I went to my Porsche dealer to get it fixed. They tried to upgrade the system as well, but had no luck with the amplifier. The say I have to order a new one (which is rather expensive) because they can not contact the amplifier. They have no way of reseting it, it need to be replaced.

Does anybody know if there is another possible solution? The amplifier hardware is fine (worked perfectly before I tried to upgrade PCM), and it seems strange to me that there isn`t a way to install the original firmware.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Christian

Christian, have you fixed your problem? I've the same in my 997/2004.

Thanks, Matteo, Bologna, Italy

[summoboy]

I had my dealer update the PCM 2.1 to rev B. But they screwed up the amp software in the process, which broke the amp. They will install an new amp tomorrow and hopefully finish the process without any more problems. They are doing it all for free, so far. They tell me that there is no upgrade for a MY05 997s from PCM 2.1 to 3, nor is there a 2007 nav dvd for the car. Do i believe them??

[summoboy]

I had my dealer update the PCM 2.1 to rev B. But they screwed up the amp software in the process, which broke the amp. They will install an new amp tomorrow and hopefully finish the process without any more problems. They are doing it all for free, so far. They tell me that there is no upgrade for a MY05 997s from PCM 2.1 to 3, nor is there a 2007 nav dvd for the car. Do i believe them??

Dealer did PCM upgrade 21.a to 2.1b for free and replaced the BOSE amp that broke for free. They are checking to see if they can upgrade the PCM to 3.x for me as well. Now, they do say there is a 2007 DVD (05/2007, #997.642.257.05) it is about $600 from them. Heading to ebay where it is $200.

[berty987]

Note Scrawf has a 987 Boxster not a 997 with the different Bose configuration. I still maintain bit torrent is a risky business especially if you own a 997 , which seem more prone to Bose amp issues than the 987 during update.