HK audio fading in and out in '03 330i

[GeoMystic]

I have had this problem in my previous 330i with the audio. It seems as if the bass and stereo sound fades out occasionally. It almost sounds like the stereo is going into MONO. THe bass dissapears and so does the stereo sound. It happens a lot and can get annoying. I figured that BMW would've resolved this issue by now and am surprised that no one has complained about this problem yet. We had a few threads going about htis problem last year, but I never go tot take my car to the dealer. This car has 200 miles on it and has been doing it since day 1. I can't beleive BMW has let something like this slide and not do something about it. Before I schedule an appointment and waste my time at the dealer with a 200 mile car, I was curious if anyone else with a new or old 330i is experiencing this problem? A few people have brought there cars to the dealers last year and had no resolution, but I do remeber one person having success saying the dealer reseated some cables and it's gone. I would appreciate as much input as possible. Thanx in advance everyone.

[j2]

I've got an '03 325i sedan w/ HK, and I don't have any problems with my system. My car did come from the factory with a blown sub, but the dealer replaced the speaker and it sounds good now. Never noticed anything like you described.

[ff]

Took ours to the dealer 4 times, and the problem was never resolved. All I ended up with it "all BMW's sound like that".

[j2]

I wonder if there's much difference in the ZHP HK system and the standard 325i HK system?

Have you guys checked the speed sensitivity settings on the Head Unit? The stereo system reacts to the speed of the car and will increase the volume/bass to compensate for road noise. Maybe that system is having a hard time reading the speed sensor or something, causing the audio to fade. The procedure for adjusting the settings is in the seperate manual for the head unit that came with the car. I'd try disabling it or turning it down to the lowest level and see if that helps?

All I know is that I wouldn't accept "All BMWs sound like that".

[wrwicky]

I thought I read in the manual that the button with pictogram of speaker on the center console could be deselected in areas of marginal signal to prevent those types of issues. If your signal should be clear, maybe it's an antenna issue.

[DS18661]

NT

[mkh]

Absolutely no problem with mine for 2 months and 2000+ miles. Does this occur during CD mode or radio mode? If it only does that in radio mode, it may be due to marginal signal reception. If it does that in CD also, then you might have a more complicated problem with the system.

[GeoMystic]

If I remember correctly it has happened during cd play as well. Havn't been playing much cd's. It is not an antenna issue, if you press the HK button while this happens it sounds even lower and worse. It is a problem with the audio setup in the car, kind of like the amplifiers going in and out or a crossover issue. I really wish BMW would wake up and take responsibility for this issue. It was annoying in my other 330 and even more annoying in this one.

FF thanx for the response and your experience. I have a feeling I'll get the same response. Lovely car by the way:thumbup:

Justinu, the sensitivity is not causing the problem. I wish it were that easy.

I guess whenever I have time I may bring it in to the dealer for a quick look just so that they can log it in as an issue that has been looked at. This is a dissapointment considering the HK system is quite poor to begin with. :tsk:

[OneR2TeeS]

Ive noticed that too... I think it is just poor reception. I've noticed it doesnt happen with CDs but only with the radio. It is quite annoying. If anyone comes up with a resolution, please post!

[GeoMystic]

Originally posted by OneR2TeeS
Ive noticed that too... I think it is just poor reception. I've noticed it doesnt happen with CDs but only with the radio. It is quite annoying. If anyone comes up with a resolution, please post!

I doubt it's the reception. I had a 2001 325 with HK and never had this issue. I really wish there was a way to fix this.

[vatkens]

I’m with BMW of North America, LLC. I’m sorry to read about the problem you are experiencing with your Harmon Kardon system. If you need our help, please give us a call at (800) 831-1117 or email us through the Owners’ Circle at www.bmwusa.com.

[Bud330]

It's a BMW problem if it happens with CDs, but not if it's FM only. The same thing has happened in every FM car radio I've ever owned (20 or so). When the signal strength fades (for whatever reason), the radio switches automatically from stereo to mono, and the sound change is noticeable. I don't recall the details of why, but I believe it prevents the static that would be heard if it remained in stereo. It shouldn't happen with a strong signal, no interference, and a good antenna. It probably happens more often in cars with window antennas (like ours).

Good luck getting it fixed, if it's something more serious.

[missing23]

Originally posted by Bud330
It's a BMW problem if it happens with CDs, but not if it's FM only. The same thing has happened in every FM car radio I've ever owned (20 or so). When the signal strength fades (for whatever reason), the radio switches automatically from stereo to mono, and the sound change is noticeable. I don't recall the details of why, but I believe it prevents the static that would be heard if it remained in stereo. It shouldn't happen with a strong signal, no interference, and a good antenna. It probably happens more often in cars with window antennas (like ours).

Good luck getting it fixed, if it's something more serious.

I think you are right on...I had this 'problem' with my 00 323...it is the receiver switching modes...the window antenna has pretty poor performance in the 3 series unfortunately.

[96TL]

I’ve noticed my volume gets louder and lower sometimes. I thought the HK stereo was speed sensitive? So when you reach a certain speed it raises the volume and when you slow down, it lowers it. Am I wrong?

[GaryB]

No, you're right. This feature is user-adjustable, though. The default "sensitivity" is "3 out of 5", IIRC. :)

[96TL]

So maybe thats what people are thinking is a problem when its really supposed to do that.

[GaryB]

For some, possibly. But I think GeoTopaz330i, at least, is aware of this feature and insists his problem (which I don't share) is something different. :dunno:

[Steelgreybimmer]

I just took delivery on my 03 330xi with H/K and Nav and I have the exact same problem as Geo. It appears to happen only with the radio. My impression is that the radio is shifting back and forth between stereo and mono. I think it is an FM reception issue. I have noticed that the reception is so poor that when I use the scan feature of the radio, sometimes it will skip halfway up the dial before it finds a signal strong enough to stop on. While I might expect this if I lived in a rural area, but I live within 5 miles of New York City (with a clear line of sight to the broadcast antenna on top of the Empire State Building).

BMW better be able to fix this. It seems to be a problem in only some cars, with others claiming excellent FM reception. Has anyone who has experienced this issue found a fix?

[GimpyMcFarlan]

My impression is that the radio is shifting back and forth between stereo and mono. I think it is an FM reception issue.

I agree with you. I've never had it happen while listening to my XM Radio (direct connection, not FM modulated) or a CD. It always happened with FM radio.