****** Radio Pullers are stuck...

technics100

technics100

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I used radio pullers last night to remove my concert stereo from my 2000 Audi S6. They worked fine and I got the stereo out, now the pullers are jammed in the dash and I can't get them out.. I know that pushing the metal tab plate behind the fascia on the radio should release them, but no luck. I'm driving about at the minute with the pullers hanging out of the dash. Anyone any ideas?
 
Annoyingly stupid question but why on earth did you put the radio back with them still engaged?
Can you not remove the radio again and release them manually?
Failing that push the HU out from behind by removing the glovebox, which is what you're supposed to do in the first place. I'm guessing you used the keys to pull the unit out, which is why they are now jammed.
 
the keys have locked open, so I can just pull the radio in and out easily. I will disconnect it and take it into the house for a good butchering.. So I'm not meant to pull the stereo out with the pullers then? oops
 
AndyMac said:
Annoyingly stupid question but why on earth did you put the radio back with them still engaged?
Can you not remove the radio again and release them manually?
Failing that push the HU out from behind by removing the glovebox, which is what you're supposed to do in the first place. I'm guessing you used the keys to pull the unit out, which is why they are now jammed.
Click to expand...

According to Elsawin you should remove the radio using the radio keys, not going through the whole process of removing the glove box. I have removed my double-DIN Symphony unit several times using the keys with no problems at all. That's what the small slots in the radio facia are for.
 
Yes very helpful, if you bothered to read my post, I'm not suggesting not using the keys, just not pulling on them to pull the HU out. That's how you end up with the unit jammed in the dash. I don't give a **** what elsawin says, so many people have ended up destroying their HU's by pulling on the removal keys.
Removing the glovebox is a huge process comprising of about 5 minutes work. And FYI you can't remove the HU without the keys, so I am fully aware what the slots are for, but thanks for pointing out the bleedin' obvious.

But getting back to the problem, you'll have no bother releasing the keys with the HU out, so that's pretty lucky, a lot of people get them jammed in there and the HU won't budge, which is not so good.
 
Interestingly I had an iPOD interface fitted to my A3 yesterday. I got the dealer to do as I could not be bothered and their fixed price (decided by Audi by all accounts) of £61.00 seemed reasonable.

The Technician had to remove both my Symphony radio unit and the glovebox to fit the interface and I asked him how he took the radio out. With the radio keys was his answer, before I took of the glovebox. I explained to him why I had asked as I told him. He laughed!

He did say that it is very easy to remove the radio with the keys if the are the genuine Audi keys but they have had to help out some people who have bought a 'cheap' set of keys from Halfords and have got the stuck or bent in the process.

They also gave me 15% discount on the Audi iPOD interface kit.
 
Audi mechanics are the best people for advice on anything car audio related!
I wouldn't trust them to change a CD....
So this is helping technics100 how exactly? Your advice is to take it to a stealer? Brilliant.
 
AndyMac said:
Audi mechanics are the best people for advice on anything car audio related!
I wouldn't trust them to change a CD....
So this is helping technics100 how exactly? Your advice is to take it to a stealer? Brilliant.
Click to expand...

If it's an Audi part being fitted to an Audi car with an Audi radio then I think many of the technicians would be as good as anyone else.

I have just being dealing with so called ICE specialist companies trying to purchase an iPOD interface and active cradle for my wife's new VW Polo. Most of the guys at these so called specialist don't have a clue about which ones will work with which iPODs for example. One 'specialist' has just sent me what he things is the right one, after over a week of chasing up an order placed nearly three weeks ago. Surprise surprise it turns out to be for the wrong iPOD and the wrong VW radio even though I explained over the phone it was for a second generation iPOD Nano to be fitted to a VW RCD200 radio.

When I called in to the Parts Department at my dealers to purchase the interface for my A3 the chap checked which radio I had fitted as their are at least three different interfaces depending on the radio fitted and he also wanted to know what type of iPOD I intended to use because he explained that the latest type of 4th general Nanos and the 6th generation Classics, the iTouch and the iPhone can be a problem because the current Audi interface cannot charge them correctly.

The technician who did the fitting made a good job of it and he also hid most of the wiring for my existing connection to my TomTom cradle behind the glovebox at the same time. Everything works just as it should and my car was cleaned inside and out, including tyre dressing on the tyres at the same time. Today I received an email from the dealer asking if everything was OK and asking to rate various aspects of their service.

You should not tar all dealers or techicians with the same brush! Personally I've have owned 6 A3s since 1998, all have been supplied and serviced by the same dealer and I have never had any cause for complaint. In the past I have several jobs done by 'specialist' ICE companies and had all sorts of problems requiring several return visits.

If the guy has radio keys stuck and cannot remove them satisfactorly himself then, Yes, I would suggest he pays a visit to a dealer and asks for some help.
 
audi upgrades
"If the guy has radio keys stuck and cannot remove them satisfactorly himself then, Yes, I would suggest he pays a visit to a dealer and asks for some help"
Thought that was exactly the point of forums like this one or am I missing something?
The guys keys are stuck, I've told him how to remove them, no fleecing from a dealer required.
 
AndyMac said:
"If the guy has radio keys stuck and cannot remove them satisfactorly himself then, Yes, I would suggest he pays a visit to a dealer and asks for some help"
Thought that was exactly the point of forums like this one or am I missing something?
The guys keys are stuck, I've told him how to remove them, no fleecing from a dealer required.
Click to expand...

Yes but you were suggesting that the correct way to remove a radio was to firstly remove the glovebox. That is totally un-necessary as with the right radio keys the radio can very easily be removed without touching the glovebox. You then went on to say that Audi technicians were useless at such things and did not know what they were doing. Even that Audi did not know what they were doing because they were telling the technician to remove it using radio keys in their own workshop manual. That was what I was getting at, not necessarily the advice on how to remove his keys from the radio.

Anyone else reading you post may well have assumed that the glovebox needed to be removed to take the radio out, which is clearly in-correct.
 
Disconnecting the battery when removing the steering wheel is also unnecessary, but it's also what I'd recommend and is good practice. Yes if you have an unmolested head unit and the correct keys, you can get it out without doing so, but so many people on here have found themselves with jammed keys because they've inserted them the wrong way or have pulled hard on them without them being properly engaged, that I would always recommend pushing from behind rather than pulling on the keys. For the sake of 5 minutes work it almost guarantees you won't end up with the HU jammed in the dash. Is that not worth the enormous hassle of removing 5 screws?
Audi techs remove HU's all the time so they are less likely to make a mistake, but obviously it's not in their interest to tell you how to do things yourself. They would prefer you to pay them £90 per hour to do the simplest of jobs, like changing a brake light, which according to the manual, can only be done by a qualified Audi tech.
They must just rub their hands together when they see you pull up!
 
AndyMac said:
They must just rub their hands together when they see you pull up!
Click to expand...

I doubt it because apart from the £61.00 I paid them for fitting the iPOD interface I have have only ever paid for normal routine servicing. They have also done the odd small job, like changing my headlights over each year for continental driving (before I had VAG-COM) for free.

Also when I wanted to change the cradle in my A3 from one for my PDA to one for my TomTom using the same bracket I decided not to try it with my flimsy Halfords radio keys as the bracket fits between the radio and the side of the aperture and makes it a tight fit. A quick visit to my dealer and a technician pulled it out for me using their keys -again no charge!

And by the way, in case anyone else is reading this there are 5 screws plus 1 bolt at the end of the facia that have to be removed to take out the glovebox!
 
AndyMac said:
No comments on anything else then?
Click to expand...

Well seeing as you ask....

You say in one of your posts "They would prefer you to pay them £90 per hour to do the simplest of jobs, like changing a brake light, which according to the manual, can only be done by a qualified Audi tech"

This statement is no longer true as the manual for my 2007 Sportback devotes 12 pages to explaining how to change various bulbs. The only one's it says "can only be changed by a qualified workshop" are the Xenon headlight units. I understand this is normal practice for most cars because of the high voltages involved.

The manual does say, "As a rule, you require a certain degree of practical skill to change defective bulbs. This applies in particular to those bulbs which are only accessible from the engine compartment

If in doubt, we recommend that you have defective bulbs changed by a qualified workshop or qualified mechanic.

If you do decide to change bulbs yourself in the engine compartment, be aware of the safety risks involved - see page 239 Working on components in the engine compartment"

Sound advice and nowhere does it say it must be an Audi technician or an Audi dealer.
 
OK ladies, back to topic. I took the radio out and got the keys removed. Since then I have removed the glovebox and installed a Nokia CK-7W car kit which is working fine through my stereo.. thanks for the help..
 
Glad to hear you got it all sorted in the end.
 
OK ladies, back to topic. I took the radio out and got the keys removed. Since then I have removed the glovebox and installed a Nokia CK-7W car kit which is working fine through my stereo.. thanks for the help..
 
Big thanks to Dave for all his "advice", encouragement & obsessive attention to detail!
 
AndyMac said:
Big thanks to Dave for all his "advice", encouragement & obsessive attention to detail!
Click to expand...

With most of the jobs I have had in my life 'attention to detail' has always been a very important factor.
 
AndyMac said:
Attention to detail is one thing, obsession is quite another.
Click to expand...

What's the difference. Attention to detail is taking the trouble to make sure all things are correct, whether they be little things or big things. If that's what your describe as an obsession then so be it.
 
No, attention to detail is checking every little thing that effects an outcome, obsession is purely "pedantic wanking" where you're checking detail purely for the sake of it, making corrections that have absolutely no effect on anything other than in the persons own distorted mind.
 
Are you two in a sponsored arguing marathon or something?
 
treblesykes said:
Are you two in a sponsored arguing marathon or something?
Click to expand...

No just a healthy difference of opinion. Perhaps we should send any sponsorship money to Children in Need.

I think we'll just beg to differ on the difference between 'attention to detail' and 'obsession'
 
How can you beg to differ not only on the meaning of the English language but also on how I chose to use it? I'd suggest you write a strong letter to the OED and tell them why in your opinion "obsessive" is a positive thing. They use it in OCD for a reason you know, but you'd probably argue that OCD is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
I don't disagree with the meaning of obsessive or your use of it, but I don't think my level of attention to detail is obsessive whereas you obviously do. That is your opinion and your perfectly entitled to it. The is where I beg to differ with you.

Shall we just leave it there. Initially some interesting items were being 'discussed' but now it's just getting silly.
 
I have the same problem. Four red ring pulls sticking out of my Symphony III radio. In all that went before, no-one answered the question. What is the technique for removing the pullers from the radio once it is out of the car????
 
That's probably because most people get them stuck with the HU still in the car and can't get the HU or the keys out.
With the HU removed, it's fairly obvious how to get the keys out as you can see what on earth is going on. For each key, there's a corresponding spring catch on the HU. Just push the catch further into the HU and voila the key will be released.
 
technics100 said:
I used radio pullers last night to remove my concert stereo from my 2000 Audi S6. They worked fine and I got the stereo out, now the pullers are jammed in the dash and I can't get them out.. I know that pushing the metal tab plate behind the fascia on the radio should release them, but no luck. I'm driving about at the minute with the pullers hanging out of the dash. Anyone any ideas?
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying AndyMac. The original post was that the pullers were stuck in the HU not that the HU was stuck in the dash. This is the same problem I have. I have tried putting pressure on the tabs but the keys won't come out. If that's the correct method then I will have another go. Maybe this time with the radio out on a table. I was worried I might break something by putting too much pressure on the tabs.
 
Yes, sorry I think it was the line "now the pullers are jammed in the dash and I can't get them out" which was a bit misleading.
 
I don't know if you are using the 'cheaper' keys similar to mine, which I bought in Halfords but I've had similar problems in the past. The last time I needed to take the Symphony unit out of my A3 the keys just kept pulling out without the radio moving.

In the end I spoke to the Service Manager at my dealers and he said "Pop up and we'll take it out for you - no charge of course" The technician used 'genuine' Audi keys which are much shorter and looked a lot stronger and it can out straight away with not problem at all. I think the Audi keys are quite a bit more expensive but do seem much better.
 
Ok I finally sorted it. I wanted to take the HU out completely so that I could work on it on a table but the passenger airbag warning light wouldn't come out! Anyway, I could see that all four springs were catching against the bottom of the rectangular aperture in the sides of the HU. This was preventing them from being pushed back enough to release the keys. The trick was to give each spring a bit of a twist with a screwdriver to push it away from the aperture at the same time as pressing it in with my thumb from above. The pullers then slipped out easily. The head unit then clicked back into the fascia. I was beginning to think that the four red ring pulls sticking out of the HU looked kinda stylist.:laugh:
 
Glad to hear you finally got it sorted.
 
Hey guys so I'm in the unfortunate situation of having the radio removal pulls stuck. Only half the radio moves... Any suggestions or if I go through the glovebox will I be able to get the head unit out???
 
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