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View Full Version : AM Interference from Rear Defroster



salocin111
06-20-2007, 06:17 PM
As the title says, I get interference with the AM radio whenever I turn on the rear defroster. The SA at the stealership says it could be a loose wire but since the car is out of waranty it could cost $100s to diagnose. It's not that big a deal since it only happens in the winter and FM reception is not affected but it is annoying. I hardly every listen to AM anymore except 680 News in the morning for traffic reports on the Don Valley Parking lot......

I have a '99 323i since new. I never notice the problem before when the car was new so I am assuming this started sometime last year. I used to park it in the winter so the problem could have been earlier..

Since the antenae is in the back, I have checked for breaks in the defroster lines but i couldn't find any. Not exactly the best place to put the antenna. I guess thats why they started to use those "fin" antennas on newer models.

Has anyone else come across this problem or have any other solutions to try?

gnome
10-23-2007, 11:38 PM
I have the worst AM reception on my '03 325iT, compared to any vehicle I ever drove. Even the strongest station CFRB 1010 is full of static whether the car is running or not. My antennae is in the left rear window on the Touring.
Some FM stations have a background buzzing sound that tracks the audio level - like Q107, others are clear.

The radio is Business CD with Harmon Kardon speakers.

Any thoughts?