1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2020 Prime - car wash kills stereo speaker sound every time

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by andrewfez, May 26, 2024.

  1. andrewfez

    andrewfez Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    8
    4
    0
    Location:
    Encino, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Hello,

    My 2017 prime got totaled so I bought a 2020 prime as a replacement.

    But every time I go through the car wash, the sound from the stereo system goes away. Like nothing audio related will sound through the speakers. Then after everything dries for a few hours, it works again.

    I saw on a Lexus forum someone was having a similar issue and water was somehow migrating down into the stereo amp, causing there to be no sound coming from the speakers.

    Anybody have a similar issue or know how water is getting in and somehow disabling the speaker sound?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,560
    49,331
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    do you know where the amp is?
     
  3. andrewfez

    andrewfez Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    8
    4
    0
    Location:
    Encino, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I'm assuming it's behind the glove box. I took out the glove box and felt for water, but it all felt dry to me. I don't have the trim tool or long socket wrench arm to take the head out and feel behind it.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,560
    49,331
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    maybe coming in from the well under the wipers. you could try spraying a hose in there to see if it shuts down
     
    andrewfez likes this.
  5. soft_r

    soft_r Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2024
    59
    31
    2
    Location:
    Beverly Hills
    Vehicle:
    2024 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    Dash seems like a silly place for water ingress. Yes water can wick up a wire vertically but it wouldn't be so fast acting that it'd short something UP in the dash right after a car wash. I'd start with lower points. I'd be looking at doors first. Speakers and their wiring reside there and water does get in there. I'd check each speaker, make sure there's no water damage, etc.

    I'd also look between the door and the body, check the rubber wire guards. Had one on the trunk of my old car that was loose and allowed water into the trunk. Just needed some silicone sealant after being cleaned.

    Go to a self car wash, one where you pull in and use a power washer yourself, close doors and windows, turn music up so you can hear it from outside the car, and VERY slowly, go over sections of the car til the music stops. It may be where you were spraying just in that moment or a few moments before. BUT this narrows down where the water issue might be.
     
    andrewfez, Kan and Trollbait like this.
  6. andrewfez

    andrewfez Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    8
    4
    0
    Location:
    Encino, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    It took a day to dry out this time and for the speakers to start working again. And I have a date on Saturday so don't want to risk it again right now.

    But I did look in the areas of the door where the rubber pathways exists that houses the wiring from the head and amp to the door speakers. It looked sound.

    The funny thing is that during the car wash the speakers are getting supplied with power okay. It's when I park right after to do the vacuuming, then turn the car back on, that's when it goes silent.

    I'm assuming it's a centralized problem such that even if one speaker's wiring gets wet, the others would continue to work. But I don't have any real reason to think that bc I'm not familiar with the wiring.

    There is a teeny bit of play with with external shark fin antenna, such that I can just barely lift the antenna away from it's rubber foundation gasket. But I would suspect this getting wet would only affect the FM/AM performance of the radio. I mostly just listen to music on my phone via the USB connection.

    But thanks - I didn't think about checking the very back of the car for water migration. In the Lexus forum water migration near the trunk of a car was making the amp wet as that's around where it was housed.

    Here's a video I found of a car audio business taking apart a Prius to get to individual sound system components. If I get some time I'll go around each area and look for migration areas then silicon stuff up.
     
    bisco likes this.