Has anyone had this problem solved?

[Steelgreybimmer]

I just took delivery on my 03 330xi with H/K and Nav and I have the exact same problem as some others that post on this board. My FM radio reception is schizophrenic. The radio repeatedly shifts back and forth between stereo and mono. It sounds great when it is in stereo (great sound, imaging, bass, dynamic range), but then it shifts into mono and sounds tinny and dynamic range disappears. 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).

Has anyone else that has experienced this gotten it fixed? It seems to be a problem in only some cars, with others claiming excellent FM reception.

This is not a small issue to me. I listen to the radio more than any other form of audio source. If my dealer cannot fix this, I will not hesitate to start a lemon law action. This is simply unacceptable for a car that costs more than 42 large.

If BMWNA is reading this, I suggest you contact me.

[The HACK]

Check and see if your radio is set to U.S. reception.

[Steelgreybimmer]

Check and see if your radio is set to U.S. reception.


How do I do that?

[GeoMystic]

I am having the same exact problem on my 330. I also had this problem on my previous 330 and could not get it solved. I have yet to bring my car to the dealer but most people on this board have tried that already and they could not resolve it. One fanatic had the dealer look at it and they reseateed everything and it seemed to resolve it but others had the dealer do the same and no success. In one of my previous threads on this issue, do a search on fading audio, BMWNA replied and I will send them an e-mail on the issue. It is definitely a VERY annoying issue and the LEMON LAW sounds like an interesting idea.

Hack, if the radio were not in US mode, I would'nt be able to get the US frequenices right? I'm pretty sure I'm in US mode as far as the reception is concerned, but it would be nice to check. Let us know how, I have NAV if that makes a difference.

[The HACK]

Hack, if the radio were not in US mode, I would'nt be able to get the US frequenices right? I'm pretty sure I'm in US mode as far as the reception is concerned, but it would be nice to check. Let us know how, I have NAV if that makes a difference.

The only difference between US mode and Europe mode is how the system tunes to a particular station. I think the US mode it'll tune into a station like, 98.1, while the European mode it tunes into 98.05 or something to that effect, so in essence you'll catch SOME U.S. stations clearly (if it's got strong signals) and some not so clearly (when they're off by just a little), and depending on signal strength it'll fade in and out of mono. At least that's what it sounds like to me what's happening with your cars.

As to how to switch mode...I only know how to do that in pre-'01 cars. With newer cars I think you just have to enter the menu system and find the menu to switch modes. :dunno:

Maybe it's documented on the RADIO manual that comes with your owner's manual?

[Artslinger]

Not sure if this will be of help to the '03 owners. My '01 325 was having major problems with the radio reception and CD skipping. The dealer finally replaced my Business CD/Radio head unit 2 weeks ago after waiting 2 months for BMW to ship new units to the US. My FM radio reception problems and CD skipping is now a non problem. I'm not sure if my new unit is redesign of my original unit, but the new model radio is a huge improvement over my original head unit.