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Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:28 pm

A problem that has popped up for me this month is that my Retrosound radio sometimes stays on with the key off. I installed the radio over a year ago but about 3 times this month the radio kept playing once I turned the key off. The radio has a clock in it so there must be power to it at all times. This doesn't happen all the time. Is it possible there could be some problem in the radio? I pulled the radio out a few days ago and the hot wire feeding the radio is dead once I turn the key off, so what is occasionally powering the radio once the key is off?

Wed Jul 27, 2016 8:31 pm

Please confirm where you have your radio wired? The two main connections would be the red power wire that powers the radio and the yellow constant 12v wire that maintains the clock and channel memory.

On your fuse box, the ignition switched wires are typically black (or green on some models). The battery constant 12v wires are always red. Look for these wires on your fuse box and confirm the radio is wired correctly. It would help to know the model year and model for your Beetle as these fuses have changed over the years.
Your radio may also be powered by the black/yellow "X" circuit. This could be a single wire ('71) or fuse #10 ('72-later). If the radio were powered from this circuit it would loose power while the starter was cranking the engine. This is the function of the "X" circuit... power off unnecessary devices to give the starter as much amps from the battery as possible.

Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:12 am

It's a 78. I'll have to look as to where it is wired and to what fuse. Just seems odd that it started doing this recently.

Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:56 am

Dwayne1m wrote: A problem that has popped up for me this month is that my Retrosound radio sometimes stays on with the key off. I installed the radio over a year ago but about 3 times this month the radio kept playing once I turned the key off.

Does the radio eventually shut off after a few moments, or does it remain on indefinitely ?

Thu Jul 28, 2016 6:17 pm

Luft kühl wrote: Dwayne1m wrote: A problem that has popped up for me this month is that my Retrosound radio sometimes stays on with the key off. I installed the radio over a year ago but about 3 times this month the radio kept playing once I turned the key off.

Does the radio eventually shut off after a few moments, or does it remain on indefinitely ?

I never tried to see if it would turn off by itself. I always turned it off if it didn't turn off with the key. When it does turn off with the key it turns off instantly.

Fri Jul 29, 2016 7:22 am

The radio will shut off by itself a short time before the battery dies.

Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:42 am

First thing you should check are all your fuses including any in-line fuses on the radio wires.

There are three wires I would check (colors based on typical aftermarket radio wiring....)
black wire (ground) - make sure this has a solid connection to a good ground.

yellow wire (constant 12v+) - this should run to the input side of fuse #8 or #9 along with the solid red wires that are powered by the battery. This yellow wire should have its own in-line fuse.

red wire (switched 12v+) - this wire should run to the input side of fuses #10-#12. This wire should have its own in-line fuse.
The next time you encounter the radio remaining ON after you have turned the ignition switch OFF... take your voltmeter and test for voltage on the fuse where the red wire is connected. It should NOT have 12v since the ignition switch is OFF. Then, remove the red radio wire from the fuse box and check again. This confirms if it is an ignition switch problem or a radio problem. If there is still 12v at the fuses with the radio wire removed then you have an ignition switch problem.

Fri Jul 29, 2016 1:52 pm

ashman40 wrote: First thing you should check are all your fuses including any in-line fuses on the radio wires.

There are three wires I would check (colors based on typical aftermarket radio wiring....)
black wire (ground) - make sure this has a solid connection to a good ground.

yellow wire (constant 12v+) - this should run to the input side of fuse #8 or #9 along with the solid red wires that are powered by the battery. This yellow wire should have its own in-line fuse.

red wire (switched 12v+) - this wire should run to the input side of fuses #10-#12. This wire should have its own in-line fuse.
The next time you encounter the radio remaining ON after you have turned the ignition switch OFF... take your voltmeter and test for voltage on the fuse where the red wire is connected. It should NOT have 12v since the ignition switch is OFF. Then, remove the red radio wire from the fuse box and check again. This confirms if it is an ignition switch problem or a radio problem. If there is still 12v at the fuses with the radio wire removed then you have an ignition switch problem.

I'll try to get more details on Sunday when I might have a chance to dig into it. It's happened 4 times now in the last month but never happened before this month, and it always happens at inopportune times when I don't have the time to dig into it. It never happens when I come home and I have time to look into what the problem is. This is a "recon" radio so that might or might not play into the problem. The radio has been in the car for about 18 months.

Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:10 pm

Does this Retrosound have a clock or any memory pre-sets? If not, simply wire the positive lead (likely has an in-line fuse) to a fuse box location that is powered ONLY when the key is turned to "run" position.

If it does have some always-on memory, and still stays on with key off, then I'd switch the non-memory positive wire to another location on the fuse box to try.

One other thing: most modern stereos do not use the dash light illumination wire, have LEDs and such. But if the Retrosound makes use of such illumination wire coming from the headlight switch, that might be a clue; if so, consider combining that wire with the regular positive wire, then would be lit whenever on, and who cares if light is on during the day, and dimmer operation of the stereo is definitely not a big deal.

Fri Jul 29, 2016 9:35 pm

Yes it has a clock, but it's terrible at being accurate so I don't even rely on the clock.

When I have had time to see what the problem is, it always turns off when I turn the key off so I can't get it to stay on when the key is off. :roll:

Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:20 pm

Dwayne-

Here's a blurb I posted years ago re: a Retrosound installation in a '74 Thing.
Take a look at how the radio is wired.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7228810

On older cars, terminal SU at the ignition switch provides a connection to ground, instead of the +12 volts on late models (I think post 1972), so check your own car.

You are not alone with an inaccurate clock!
I have never seen a digital clock as inaccurate as the one on my radio. I didn't think it possible with a digital clock, but it probably gains a minute per week. (Oh well.)

Good luck, Mondshine

Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:37 pm

I'd be tickled if my was off just a minute a week! I think mine is more like 5-10 minutes a week. I don't even set the clock anymore. I have another Retrosound in my 74 and the clock was accurate and the radio was not possessed like this one is.

I worked on the car sunday and pulled it in front of my garage. I am CERTAIN the radio was off when I parked it. I check EVERYTIME. My wife looked out the door later when it was dark and the radio was on. Nobody touched the car to play with the radio. I went out later that night when she told me about the radio and the radio was off. Tonite I get in the car and the radio is on. I didn't even touch the car yesterday. I'm no electrical expert by any means but I would think that if it is wired wrong it wouldn't turn on and off by itself. Nobody touches this car but me. When I get time I'll explore the wiring.

Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:44 pm

If your wiring checks out OK, and you can confirm that something is actually wrong with the radio, contact Retrosound.

I have found their customer support/service to be excellent.

Good luck, Mondshine

Mon Apr 01, 2024 9:56 am

Dwayne1m wrote:
I worked on the car sunday and pulled it in front of my garage. I am CERTAIN the radio was off when I parked it. I check EVERYTIME. My wife looked out the door later when it was dark and the radio was on. Nobody touched the car to play with the radio. I went out later that night when she told me about the radio and the radio was off. Tonite I get in the car and the radio is on. I didn't even touch the car yesterday. I'm no electrical expert by any means but I would think that if it is wired wrong it wouldn't turn on and off by itself. Nobody touches this car but me. When I get time I'll explore the wiring.

Hi Dwayne1m, I realize that this is an older thread, but were you ever able to resolve this?

I installed a Retrosound (Motor 2A) unit in my 1978 Bay Window Bus, and I have precisely this problem. *MOST* of the time it works as expected, but very occasionally, the radio either stays on, or later I see that it is on.

In my case, the display is lit up, shows the radio frequency, but there is no sound, and none of the buttons/knobs work. Also, when I turn on the ignition again, the radio stays in this 'stuck' state. The only way to solve it is to kill the power (I remove one of the terminals on the 12v battery, wait a few seconds, then reconnect)

I have triple-checked the wiring, and all is good/correct. I believe this is some kind of 'firmware' issue on the unit - maybe not 'shutting down' properly (you know the 'GoodBye' text on the screen)

Mon Apr 01, 2024 10:42 am

Sounds like a burnt diode in the radio.

Tue Apr 08, 2025 8:18 pm

olafwagner wrote: Dwayne1m wrote:
I worked on the car sunday and pulled it in front of my garage. I am CERTAIN the radio was off when I parked it. I check EVERYTIME. My wife looked out the door later when it was dark and the radio was on. Nobody touched the car to play with the radio. I went out later that night when she told me about the radio and the radio was off. Tonite I get in the car and the radio is on. I didn't even touch the car yesterday. I'm no electrical expert by any means but I would think that if it is wired wrong it wouldn't turn on and off by itself. Nobody touches this car but me. When I get time I'll explore the wiring.

Hi Dwayne1m, I realize that this is an older thread, but were you ever able to resolve this?

I installed a Retrosound (Motor 2A) unit in my 1978 Bay Window Bus, and I have precisely this problem. *MOST* of the time it works as expected, but very occasionally, the radio either stays on, or later I see that it is on.

In my case, the display is lit up, shows the radio frequency, but there is no sound, and none of the buttons/knobs work. Also, when I turn on the ignition again, the radio stays in this 'stuck' state. The only way to solve it is to kill the power (I remove one of the terminals on the 12v battery, wait a few seconds, then reconnect)

I have triple-checked the wiring, and all is good/correct. I believe this is some kind of 'firmware' issue on the unit - maybe not 'shutting down' properly (you know the 'GoodBye' text on the screen)

Where you able to resolve the issue with your radio? I have the same radio and doing the exact same thing. Thanks in advance