B&O amp

[tedthebellhopp]

I've got a 2010 a4 prestige s-line with the Bang and olufsen stereo. the music will fade out after about 5 minutes in the car. its done this off and on for a few years but always stopped after a week or so, but this time has been about a month or 2. Seems like the amp is a common issue and I'm pretty sure it's mine as well.

I've looked at buying a used unit then re-coding for anti-theft i have access to a full vac-com, but looks like it would need to be done by the dealership and none are anywhere close. Also found this site. https://paulisoncorpserv.com/product...lifier-repair/

My question would be, can the car be driven without the amp? seems like would affect anything to do with the mmi, would be inconvenient but not a deal breaker for a week or so while the unit is repaired.

[pierreb]

Yes it can be driven without the amp.

[Walletclan]

I almost posted the same thing. I have the dreaded leak that drips on the amp. My amp is fried and only the front speaker seems to be working. I need to fix the leak and get a new amp....

[tedthebellhopp]

I almost posted the same thing. I have the dreaded leak that drips on the amp. My amp is fried and only the front speaker seems to be working. I need to fix the leak and get a new amp....

I don't seem to have a leak, maybe the previous owner had leak and it was fixed. I bought the car at 48k and it first started about 55k but it was intermittent at best.

Has anyone had any experience with the repair option for the amp?

[A4 Centaur]

Mine blew a fuse last month, and I drive the speakers pretty loud all the time. I started getting soft codes on VAG COM scans for the speakers and then the fuse went out. I have toyed with the idea of attaching another amp to boost the overall power in the system, but I think an LC-1 https://www.crutchfield.com/S-ZpIu7Q...000-1bdCP.html would be needed to bridge the two devices? There is an upgrade thread, but I have gotten so busy I stopped following it.

[tedthebellhopp]

I must be getting old(38) the stock B&O is plenty loud lol. Never had any codes thrown for anything audio related. everything works fine for a few minutes when first starting the car and subsequent restarts after. Just like the volume is being turned down then back up after a few minutes if it comes back at all. thought about replacing the amp with an after market but see its pretty well tied in to the nav and Bluetooth...

[A4 Centaur]

Haha! Well I put in speakers with a higher Sound to Noise ratio (S/N) and with the sound dampening material seems to have increased the "power" I guess. An increase in 2-3db in S/N levels is pretty significant.

[Novarider]

The b&o system is plenty loud however it's not that clear. There are sections that are almost completely missing (like guitar riffs etc) because the speakers just don't have the response needed. There is an upgrade thread in the audio section. You can replace the front dash speakers and it's supposed to make a huge difference.

OP is the fan on the amp working? If not it could be overheating and shutting itself off, then when cooled it turns back on.

[mtroxel]

I almost posted the same thing. I have the dreaded leak that drips on the amp. My amp is fried and only the front speaker seems to be working. I need to fix the leak and get a new amp....

Indy Audi tech friend of mine says the "leak" problem is pretty well know...and that there is even an Audi part # for a little plastic shield/gutter that diverts the leak away from the amp. I never bothered to get the part # though.

[mtroxel]

Foiund it. Technical Service Bulletin (2024804/1, 01/2011) regarding the 'wasserabweiser' or water deflector. Seems to be aimed at the A5 more than our car. I don't know how/why our B8 is different enough to make the A5 B8 the target, but it is. The part number for the deflector is 8T0 863 681. Water can run down the trunk hinge and crap out your over-priced/under-performing B&O amp. Here's a picture.

[tedthebellhopp]

Foiund it. Technical Service Bulletin (2024804/1, 01/2011) regarding the 'wasserabweiser' or water deflector. Seems to be aimed at the A5 more than our car. I don't know how/why our B8 is different enough to make the A5 B8 the target, but it is. The part number for the deflector is 8T0 863 681. Water can run down the trunk hinge and crap out your over-priced/under-performing B&O amp. Here's a picture.

Nice! not bad for 45 dollars. I'll order one up.

Finally scummed and streamed the local radio station on my phone for the 45 minute commute.

[tedthebellhopp]

The b&o system is plenty loud however it's not that clear. There are sections that are almost completely missing (like guitar riffs etc) because the speakers just don't have the response needed. There is an upgrade thread in the audio section. You can replace the front dash speakers and it's supposed to make a huge difference.

OP is the fan on the amp working? If not it could be overheating and shutting itself off, then when cooled it turns back on.

just checked the fan and didn't feel anything, I'm thinking its setup to pull air out, but working in in the computer field (system admin) components shouldn't overheat in less than a minute unless there is something wrong.

[Novarider]

You originally said 5 minutes but now it's less than 1 minute?

Either way it could be designed to shut down if the fan doesn't work or at a low temperature if the fan fails etc. You would know if the fan was running. Mine sometimes runs after I shut the ignition off on really hot days and I can hear it in the driver seat.

[tedthebellhopp]

It varies, sometimes it will come back on too while operating the vehicle. If you can hear that fan from the from the drivers seat then mine isn't going for sure. I'm going to pull the unit this weekend and try and crack it open.

[Novarider]

I can only hear it with engine off, no music etc. It's not loud but I heard it, didn't know what it was and searched for the source till I found it.

[tedthebellhopp]

I couldn't feel the fan at all when I removed the access cover and put my hand over it.

[tedthebellhopp]

Tested the fan and pulled the amp tonight. The fan didn’t come one at all but wasn’t stuck. The car was cold and it’s 38 out. Nothing burnt on the board so that’s a good sign. Going to give the repair option a shot.

[mtroxel]

Tested the fan and pulled the amp tonight. The fan didn’t come one at all but wasn’t stuck. The car was cold and it’s 38 out.

I looked at mine after Novarider's story about hearing his fan. Same here, my fan doesn't come on either, but it's about 40° F here too.

[Novarider]

I haven't noticed it since it's been cool out but like I said it was on really hot days. I'd unplug the fan and try to direct power it with a battery and see if it will move.

Did you look at the bottom of the board or just the top?

[tedthebellhopp]

the fan brushes feel good, but I'm going to make a note of it on my repair order. Didn't look at the bottom, but it does sounds like thermal damage. I'm going to ship the amp out today and will keep everyone updated on the repair and how the business was in getting it fixed and back to me.

[Novarider]

Who are you sending out to for repair?

[tedthebellhopp]

Who are you sending out to for repair?

https://paulisoncorpserv.com/product...lifier-repair/

these guys.

[mtroxel]

^^^Nice source^^^

[Walletclan]

Following. Paulison seems reputable. Not cheap, but good. Is it going to run about $300?

[tedthebellhopp]

Following. Paulison seems reputable. Not cheap, but good. Is it going to run about $300?

It was 320 including 2-3 day shipping. It is pricey but has a 6 month warranty. My local vw/audi dismantler quoted me at 440 for a used unit, although I was able to find them from other used parts vendors for 120-220. Then the nearest dealership is easily an hour and a half away from me.

The water deflector should be in on Monday as well.

[Walletclan]

Please post some pics of your deflector install. I don’t remember whether you mentioned this or not, but did you clear all your drains in your car? The front is easy. The back is harder.

[tedthebellhopp]

I will. it looks a little short to cover the amp but well see.

I don't have any water damage to my unit or evidence in the trunk of a leak. this is simply precautionary.

[tedthebellhopp]

Update: Haven't gotten the unit back yet but I gave them a call this am. Unit is done and should be shipped today or tomorrow. The tech said it was the main chip failed due to thermal damage. If I get the amp back before the weekend I'll post some pics of it and the splash guard installed.

[mtroxel]

The tech said it was the main chip failed due to thermal damage.

If that's the case, that's pretty shitty design. It costs almost nothing to put a thermistor on the heat sink to shut things down when the CPU overheats. Every computer you've ever been on has one.

[tedthebellhopp]

My compaq 486-dx25 didn’t, but I know what you mean.

[mtroxel]

My compaq 486-dx25 didn’t, but I know what you mean.

Hmmmmm...guess I'm not sure about my Compaq 286 for that matter. But it did have the extra large 40 Meg (yes, Meg!!!) hard drive.

[A4 Centaur]

It's interesting to see the guts of this amp, and compare that with the weak speakers, seems to be a light design all around. Though I have looked at the same B&O offerings for the outgoing Q7 and S7 and those seem to be a bit more robust.

[tedthebellhopp]

Amp is in and working, no component protection problems at all. I would definitely recommend Paulson Corp for anyone with an amp problem.

I’ll get the rain deflector installed tomorrow it’s nasty out tonight.