Kenwood KDC-7009

[camry_tuner 10+ year member]

my friend just got a used car, and it has a kdc 7009 installed in it. when he first got it, it worked fine, now the buttons dont work. i was wondering if there was a way to fix it. i pulled the unit out and everything seems to be okay... The face plate is motorized and it flips into the unit, wen the car is turned on, the face plate flips out... any help would be appreciated.. thanks in advance

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

The face plate is motorized and it flips into the unit, when the car is turned on, the face plate flips out...

The dreaded D-Mask+ faceplate mechanism.

It could be dirty contacts where the faceplate attaches to its 'base' causing a weak connection. Remove the faceplate entirely, clean the contacts (both sides) with a Q-Tip and some denatured alchohol, allow it to dry, and replace the faceplate to see if it cured the problem. If not...

It was unfortunately a very problematic design hence its discontinuation since. The ribbon cable (the group of wires that connects the faceplate 'base' to the actual unit) was a poor design and the face's constant movement back and forth eventually caused its failure. There's a possibility that your friend's in in the beginning of that failure process.

For the electronically inclined it's a fairly easy fix as I understand it. There's a guy on eBay pretty frequent that sells replacement ribbon cables accompanied with instructions on how to replace it. Most folks, though, opt to send it in to be repaired. I think most authorized service centers charge in the neighborhood of $80~$100 to make the fix.

 

[camry_tuner 10+ year member]

where does it attach to the base? i currently hav the unit and was lookin at it, but i dont see how to take it off, unless i need to power the darn thing to take it off... any help is appreciated =D