[GeoMystic]

I was just wondering guys if you had any updates on the fading audio that we are experiencing on our 330's. I have not had time to go to the dealer and was wondering if anyone else here did. For those who are new to this problem or don't understand my subject line, in my '03 330i I noticed that almost every 30 seconds or so the surround sound like audio fades out and kind of kills the bass and some speakers. Then it just comes back. It does this constantly and has been from day 1. A few guys on this board have had the same issue and I was hoping to get an idea of the solution, if there is one. Thanx in advance for your help.

 

[AF]

Is it possible it is a problem with the HK feature ? Have you tried turning off this feature and if so, does it still do it ?

I don't have this problem with mine but I will tell you that the sound of mine is too bassy. I'm not sure why but it just doesn't have that sound clairty my last car had.

 

[3seriesbimmer]

the HK system and all of BMWs sound systems are a big dissapointment in clarity, reception, and tone(Ive had my FM Modulator replaced twice):thumbdwn:

 

[3C]

I guess that have something to do with the speed sensetive future on the radio .... try increasing or decreasing it, to see if there is some fix or something ( cuz it can be stuck in the " middle " ) !



PS: anyone remember how to increase/dec. the speed volume - (sorry feel lazy checking the Bentley), but think you have to hold the middle button between the clock one and the plus (+) for around 10 sec. with the ignition key on pos. 2 accessory - then you will get to the menu and so on .....


3C
330CiEVOSport

 

[GeoMystic]

It's not the speed sensative setting because the volume doesn't lower, it kind of loses it's bass and stereo sound. It goes into mono almost and very little bass. Very similar to hitting the HK button, but not close enough to blame it on that either. It sounds like the Amplifier is loseing it's strength and then gets it back.

 

[rbright]

Geo,

My car has been at the dealer all day, and they are saying what I hear (exactly what you hear) is absolutely normal, they cannot reproduce the effect. They said they took it for a drive through the parking lot and on the highway, with no luck. They checked the voltage, the wires, everything and nothing.

Maybe they fixed it by checking everything first, I will know when I pick it up tonight. Otherwise, I will have to go on a Saturday and take someone from the dealership for a ride to show them what I am talking about. Everyone who rides in my car comments on it, and it is so annoying it was driving me crazy at times.

Can someone please tell me how to turn off or lower the speed senstivity to see if that helps? I have the HK with Nav.

Thanks.

 

[rwebbe]

Volume vs Nav

My volume is up and down at times and clarity is not up to standard of HK. Nav unit will not hold address numbers after car is shut down. The Nav volume does not work at all. This in hands of Corporate Office at this time. Wonderful car other than that.

 

[ff]

It's not the speed sensative setting because the volume doesn't lower, it kind of loses it's bass and stereo sound. It goes into mono almost and very little bass. Very similar to hitting the HK button, but not close enough to blame it on that either. It sounds like the Amplifier is loseing it's strength and then gets it back.

I wonder if this is the same problem I'm seeing with my HK system, except that my system has no bass and sounds muffled all the time. I'm thinking that it's due to one of the subs being wired with the polarity reversed, but it may be something else. My system has sounded this way since the day we took delivery. Had it back to the dealer 3 times now to try and fix it, but they don't think anything is wrong. Replaced the head unit last time, and it made no difference.

 

[GeoMystic]

Damn it really sux that we can't get this problem solved. It is extremely anoying and ridiculous that we have to experience this on our new cars! I think it is the Amp, but it sounds like a problem that occurs in a way that eliminates a wiring problem. When my car is cold, here in NY it's 15 degrees today, it happens even more. Maybe if we send some e-mails to BMWNA we can have them look into the possibilty of trying to find a cause to this. Keep searching for an answer guys and gals, I know I will.

 

[AF]

I wonder if this is the same problem I'm seeing with my HK system, except that my system has no bass and sounds muffled all the time. I'm thinking that it's due to one of the subs being wired with the polarity reversed, but it may be something else. My system has sounded this way since the day we took delivery. Had it back to the dealer 3 times now to try and fix it, but they don't think anything is wrong. Replaced the head unit last time, and it made no difference.

My HK has too much bass, sounds muffled and not that much clarity . . . I figured it might have something to do with BMW finally solving the HK rattle problem on the 2003's because when I got the HK 'fix' in my 01 all they did was put in some foam by the hk unit in the trunk (under the rear shelf) and it made my 01 have less treble and a more booming muffled bass as well but it still sounded clear then my 03 sounds . . .

 

[rbright]

Geo and others.

After picking my car up from the dealer yesterday (when they said that they could not duplicate the problem, but they checked every wire and connection, and voltages, etc) the sound worked perfectly on the way home. I even took a bumpier road, tried different speeds, hit the HK button on and off several times, and took the dog for an extra long ride. Still no problems, sounded absolutely perfect and beautiful for the first time.

According to the dealer, the very first thing they did was go through and check every connection, unplug and replug, and check the voltages. Then they took the car for a ride around the parking lot, on the highway, and still back and forth. When driving, they had no problems. And when I picked it up...no problems. So maybe in the process of checking every connector, they actually fixed the problem without knowing what it was.

I will update again this morning after driving to work. I would also suggest that you take yours to the dealer and have them do the same thing. At least if we take them to the dealer, then there is a log of what is happening and our complaints are uniform. Writing a letter to BMWNA without even taking it to the dealer will be ineffective as they will just say to take it to the dealer and then write them.

 

[CarFreak]

I don't have any of that on my 2003 330i. I too feel the bass gets muffled, so I just put the bass one less from the middle. The HK sounds loud and clean to me.

The problem that Geo's would make me do this:banghead:

 

[jw]

Can someone please tell me how to turn off or lower the speed senstivity to see if that helps? I have the HK with Nav.

Thanks.

I've got an '01 w/ Nav/HK and don't have any of the problems described. I found this info on .org. Hopefully, it's still applicable for your MY.

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/3series/messages/archive/msgsy2001w27/77920.html

FYI, there are two (at least) "service" menus that can be viewed in the factory installed Navigation/Radio unit. One is for the radio specifically (similiar to the one on the Business CD radio) and the second more general for the entire unit.
The general menu is entered by going into the "Set" menu and then pressing and holding the "MENU" button. Lots of neat info there including the lat/long/altitude info from the navigation unit.

The Radio menu is entered by turning off the radio, turning on the radio, and immediately pressing and holding the "RDS" button. The "<" and ">" buttons switch between entries and the "1" and "2" buttons change values. I set my "GAL" (a.k.a, GALA or speed sensitive volume) to 2, since I usually drive with the AC on and the windows closed during these hot, humid days.

There are two settings I am curious about and wonder if one of you smart guys/gals know what they are for. One is "TP VOLUME" which can be set from -9 to +9 (I think) and the other is "AF" which can be set to OFF or MAN. Any thoughts?

 

[ff]

My HK has too much bass, sounds muffled and not that much clarity . . . I figured it might have something to do with BMW finally solving the HK rattle problem on the 2003's because when I got the HK 'fix' in my 01 all they did was put in some foam by the hk unit in the trunk (under the rear shelf) and it made my 01 have less treble and a more booming muffled bass as well but it still sounded clear then my 03 sounds . . .

That sounds just like what our's sounds like. And the more you turn it up, the less bass you get and the more muffled it sounds. This is a typical effect of having the polarity reversed on one of the speakers (the two speakers are basically cancelling each other out).

The 2002 330i that I had up until this month had no such problems. The stereo sounded excellent, by far the best stock setup I've ever heard.

I'm going to make another trip to the dealer here in the coming weeks, and I'll let you know what they find (if anything). This time they're going to keep the car until it's fixed. 4 trips to the dealer for the same problem is enough.

 

[RKT BMR]

That sounds just like what our's sounds like. And the more you turn it up, the less bass you get and the more muffled it sounds. This is a typical effect of having the polarity reversed on one of the speakers (the two speakers are basically cancelling each other out).

Good point (one of the common problems in home theaters is that people don't pay attention to polarity when wiring speakers, and have this problem).

A real easy way to check if this is the problem is to cover one of the speakers with a sweatshirt, sweater, etc. This will substantially reduce the cancelling effect, and you can pretty easily tell if there is bass coming out of the other speaker.

Repeat, switching speakers. If you find that bass is obviously more prominent when any of the speakers is muted, then you very likely have a wiring polarity problem.

Now, all that said, I'd be very surprised to hear that it was the case. It isn't impossible, but very unlikely the way wiring harnesses are made.

 

[ff]

Now, all that said, I'd be very surprised to hear that it was the case. It isn't impossible, but very unlikely the way wiring harnesses are made.

I agree. The only thing that I can come up with, is the company that made the wiring harnesses, mixed up a wire or two.

 

[RKT BMR]

I agree. The only thing that I can come up with, is the company that made the wiring harnesses, mixed up a wire or two.

Yup. Like I said, very unlikely, but still in the realm of possibility. There is quite a bit of manual labor involved in making them, so even though the wires are all color coded, it is concievable that a swap could be made when putting on a connector.

 

[GimpyMcFarlan]

Follow-Up

Hi GeoTopaz,
I went a good 2 weeks without the problem reoccuring, but it happened again a couple days ago. :banghead: It only happened for about 10-15 seconds but it was very noticible.

 

[oz]

The fact that this comes and goes (as w/ my '03 330Ci as well) should be an indication that this is not a polarity issue. I was trying to take note of whether it happens after going over bumps, but am still inconclusive. Likewise, this isn't the first time I've heard somebody going over all the wires and somehow "magically" fixing the problem. I plan to do that myself as soon as all this snow melts..

 

[rbright]

The fact that this comes and goes (as w/ my '03 330Ci as well) should be an indication that this is not a polarity issue. I was trying to take note of whether it happens after going over bumps, but am still inconclusive. Likewise, this isn't the first time I've heard somebody going over all the wires and somehow "magically" fixing the problem. I plan to do that myself as soon as all this snow melts..

I have not had a single problem since taking my car to the dealer. I would suggest that everyone with the problem take their car to the dealer and let them "check it out" and tell you there is nothing wrong with it. It 1) completely fixes your problem, 2) creates a record log of the issue 3) hopefully fixes the problem on the assembly line.

Your cars are brand new, you will get a loaner, for goodness sake, just take it in and drop it off. Don't waste your own time since they know exactly where everything is located, and it is free.