Hi, I took the radio out of my car last weekend to install MDI, got the new loom plugged into the back of the radio and plugged the original plug into the loom then squished it all back in the hole, it was crackling when playing music through the AUX port so I left it for a week and tried to fix it today. I took the radio out and cut a piece of the plastic out from behind the radio to allow more room for the cables and plugs so the wires aren't bent like they were before. I tested the radio when it was in situ and all seamed well, the sound was crisp and clear so I thought I'd cracked it, however as soon as I turned the ignition on it went back to being crackly again, then when I turned the ignition off and turned the radio back on it was fine.

Does anyone know what is wrong with it? And will this be the same with the MDI connection when I get it coded in?

Have you got anything plugged into the ciggy socket, or patched anything for 12v power?

 

Lots of cheap 12v transformers cause interference (they get powered on and off with the ignition which may explain why the radio is clearer when ignition is off).

 

Changed my aerial before I figured that out :-/

I do have my iPod charger plugged into the cigarette socket although it is powered on all the time even with the ignition off. I'll try unplugging it in the morning though and see if it makes any difference. Never gave that a thought to be honest.

You may have lost an earth or grounding wire, so check security of connections.

Right, so I tried it with the charger unplugged and it didn't help with the crackling (if it did it was barely noticeable) So I'm guessing there must be a dodgy connection there somewhere then.