ezC6

Hi all,

My car is currently at the dealership and they are telling me that there are no firmware updates to fix my reception problem (as I read previously somewhere on this forum), and they replaced my antenna module a few months back and it made no difference. Additionally, they gave me a line of about my tint (which I had been through before with them.. it's SOOOO frustrating!!!!).

Can anyone give me any advice on what to tell them? Is there a specific GM bulletin I can refer them to? I am at the end of my rope on this issue. I don't want to live with a crappy FM radio. (I know of the workaround to switch to AM and back.)

I contacted GM and filed a complaint. They say there is no record of this radio problem being reported. I find that surprising. In any case, I don't think the complaint will help my cause at all.

Any quick responses would be greatly appreciated!

(I have this post on C6 General but I figured Tech might get a quicker response.. apologies for duplicating)

LS WON

jsmbluecar

How bad is it? Mine is noticably worse than on the C5 but I listen to XM mostly now anyways....

JoesC5

I don't have any static on FM in my C5 or my Buick. Can't say that about my 64 though, but hell, it's 42 years old.

ttomczak

I don't have the NAV, but my FM is fine, no problems. I have heard this in other threads that the FM was poor with the NAV systems....

Yogivette

Yeah i saw a thread with the same problem...havent noticed it on mine yet but i listen to mostly cds. Someone will find that post for you. i think the way they fixed it was new software from the dealer but could be wrong...sorry kind of a pointless post but there is a thread somewhere.

LS WON

Violet

i don't have any static in my C6 either, but then i didn't have any in my C5. although, i did have column lock... fuel sending problems... leaky battery... ehhh, nevermind.

ezC6

Well on mine the static is really bad, and it's definitely a problem with the radio (no one can mistake it for normal static). Violet hooked me up with the original thread that I was looking for and I contacted the forum member, and he was EXTREMELY HELPFUL, as is usually the case here!

After much headache with my dealer (they initially gave up and blamed the tint), they are ordering some more parts (wiring and antenna related) and I will take it in again next week, but still not confident in getting it resolved...

Violet

glad i could help.. and i hope it works out for ya ezC6.

ezC6

Thanks Violet! I'll keep ya'll posted.

jsteen

the ground is the the other half of the ant.have them clean and check ALL grounds..next is bad wire in the install have remove the sytem..look at all the wires then reinstall

ezC6

You are exactly right. Another forum member's problem was fixed by repairing a ground bus line. I will definitely tell them that. Thanks!

Mocoso

I dont have the details on your tint and I dont mean to imply dealer is right but Ill play devils advocate: The owners manual states that you should not tint the windows as it can interfere with the audio/nav reception - I can tell you from personal experience on my BMW330i that metalic tint WILL screw up your reception - are you sure the tint used was non conductive?

ezC6

Yes, I am sure of that and was aware of it when I got my tint. Additionally, the radio reception problem occurred at the dealer lot when I was picking up my car for the first time. I even told my sales manager about the reception problem as I picked up the car and said I would bring it in for service after I broke in the engine.

shopdog

Window tinting has no effect on AM or FM radio reception in the C6. That's because the AM and FM antennas are in the rear bumper, not on the windows, or inside the cabin.

Tinting of the *windshield* can affect OnStar and the GPS receiver in the Nav. The antennas for both are mounted on the inside of the windshield.

shopdog

There *is* a GM tech bulletin out on this problem. The AM and FM antennas for the C6 are mounted in the rear fascia (bumper). There is a module (an RF preamp) located in the fascia which has two cables connected to it. The *green* marked cable must be in the upper connector, also marked with green paint. Apparently some cars have these two cables swapped from the factory, and that will result in very poor radio reception. Make sure the dealer inspects the module and makes sure that the cables are in the right positions.

If the cables are in the right positions, it is still possible that the preamp module has failed. Any halfway competent radio tech could test this and determine if the module is faulty in about 5 minutes. But dealership mechanics typically aren't radio techs. So what they can do is test the module by substitution. In other words, swap in a new one and see if that fixes the problem. Not elegant, but since the part is covered by warranty, no skin off their noses.

ezC6

Thanks shopdog, that's great info. I saw that post before and had asked them to check the cables (but I didn't give specifics about what you just said) and they said that they did check all the cables. However, I will give them more details and ask them to check again. Is there a bulletin number or something that I can refer them too? They said they were unaware of any related bulletins about this issue.

shopdog

I read the bulletin on the web, but I don't recall the bulletin number.

Anyway, I just edited my reply to say that even if the wires are in the correct positions, the preamp module itself may be faulty. There really isn't much else which could be wrong to give the symptoms you report, other than a broken cable between the preamp and the head unit, or a fried head unit. The latter is improbable given the described symptoms. Usually, if the head unit is fried, it won't work at all.

rbl

FM antenna is in the rear facia isn't it? So .....

Also the GPS antenna is in front of the rear view mirror on the windshield I think. Not the radio antenna tho.

Main problem, however, is that the radio in the nav is a POS from Denso ... I know because I have two of them now!!

Switch to AM then back to FM and see if your static goes away.