Component Protection Active Error

[Justin228]

Hi all, I am hoping at getting some help with an issue I have with my 2019 Passat. A few weeks ago I got a notification come up on my infotainment screen which said “component protection active” I took it to my local VW dealership yesterday and they cleared the code and updated the software to that latest version which seemed to have fixed it. I turned my car on this morning and to my surprise the component protection active reappeared! I called the dealership and they advised me to bring the car in again and they will have another look at it but he advised me that usually when they have cleared the fault and then it reappears again it usually means that the infotainment unit needs to be replaced as it maybe a hardware issue and will be expensive to replace. Can anyone confirm this or help me with this please?

Thanks in advance.

[DV52]

Justin: Hi.

Hmm....... of course anything is possible - including the suggestion provided by the dealership - but it's really not possible to answer your question in an informed way without lots more specific information about this fault!

When this car was being assembled on the VW production-line, the MIB (i.e what you call the "infotainment unit" -which lives in the glove-box) was given a special license to operate with the car's VIN and NOT to operate on any other VIN.

Every-time that you insert the car's ignition key and turn the lock to the first position, the vehicle's computer system checks the identity of the MIB and it compares the result with the initial factory license. If there is an identity mismatch, or if the system-check fails because the MIB does not respond properly for some reason - a CP error will be generated.

If the initial CP error was NOT caused because you either physically changed the MIB, or because you changed the software in the module, then it's instructional IMO to ask why the error occurred at all?

Again, anything is possible - but a reasonable (perhaps even, likely) answer to the question above is that an internal fault in the module has corrupted the ability of the MIB to correctly provide the original license information during the CP sytem-test. The dealership clearly was able to re-establish the MIB license to the car's VIN - but if the CP error has reappeared, then it could be because an internal module problem is binding!

Now, of course I'm guessing and it's a BIG guess because not much specific data has been provided about this fault. If you can post-up details of the dealer's SCAN report for this car, maybe it will show more information?

Don

PS: Please be aware that if you do replace the MIB on this car (perhaps with a 2nd-hand unit), the same CP error will be generated because the new module will be licensed to the donor car's VIN, not for this car's VIN. You could use the dealer again to clear this CP error, or you could buy a hacked MIB - both options are possible!

PPS: replacing the MIB on a MQB platform car like this B8 as a DIY project is NOT difficult - albeit you will need a pair of removal "keys" which are cheap and readily available on eBay. Check-out YouTube

[Lucas_R]

These guys are in Dandenong and list component protection alterations on their website. Perhaps give them a call. AVS Diagnostics | Audi Volkswagen Skoda | Melbourne Dandenong

But if your unit is faulty then you will have to find a 2nd hand one (look on Facebook Marketplace/ebay etc) and have the unit coded to suit your car (or as mentioned above, some people sell units which have had the component protection hacked/deactivated).

[Justin228]

I didn’t get a report as such.
All I have is a note on the invoice which states the following:

“Carried out diagnosis - deactivated component protection, enabled infotainment functions, carried out software update to latest version and tested, now all okay.”

I probably should have mentioned before but this may not have any relevance, my car is an ex cop car and the battery that is located in the rear boot was never removed and the dealership thought that this may have been part of the issue, so they removed it as it was not required or being used as far as they new.

I am going back to the dealership tomorrow for them to attempt fix the error code again and go from there.