Swing radio reception

[hetty1]

                 I have a 2013 Fabia estate with the standard Swing radio.  When it works it works very well but it is very dependent on weather conditions, more than other radios in cars I have owned.  When I turn on and select a station I sometimes get just crackle. I had this only today and I  checked the frequencies on the presets by a daily newspaper  and they were spot on. I get very good reception from Heart, less so on Radio 2 and just crackle on all the others. There clearly isnt a radio problem as such as the set switches on and I can select all the presets but the actual reception can be non existent. It is like that today and the weather here on Wirral is damp and clammy.

 

             When the weather conditions improve I do not doubt that reception will be  good again but it can be a real pain on a journey to switch on and get just crackle. I cant rely on Heart as I am picking up Heart North west and I will run out of reception on a run. I have seen correspondence on Briskoda  about the Swing Radio but I cannot trace the relevant thread. I know that I could just carry some favourite CDs in the car and play them instead of relying on the radio.  Or I could investigate an aftermarket unit and get that fitted but I may not be keeping this car for very long and am reluctant to do this. Yes, I know I could have it taken out and refitted in the new car but its an added expense and one more thing to do when changing car.  I could even get the alternative Skoda audio  unit fitted, the Bolero but again I am not sure if that would help.

 

               The radio aerial was taken off a few months ago when the car was having a bump repaired in the body shop and I forgot to put it back. However I DID realise and did put it back and I realised how little actual  aerial there is. It is very short and isnt that high off the ground. I am wondering whether to buy an aerial that goes up higher off the ground to see if that helps the reception problem.

 

              What do Briskoda readers think of my various alternatives?

            

              Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

          

 

[Mr j]

Hi I had the same issue with crackling and the problem with mine was water ingress in the aerial base on the roof after replacing which is an easy job all’s good and no more crackling. 

[hetty1]

Thanks Mr J, Wakefield. I have unscrewed the actual aerial and there was no water evident there at its base but I wiped it anyway with a cloth and I also   wiped the top of the base, couldnt see any water there either.Then I put a thin film of  petroleum jelly around the seal between the actual aerial and the base once I had screwed the aerial back fully ,It hasnt solved the problem unfortunately.  That leaves the aerial base itself. I cant see how to take that off. Is there an idiot guide for doing that and putting it back?  Once its off  I  imagine I have to  buy a replacement base  from Skoda? Do you know the cost for a new one?  Thanks very much for responding.

[Mr j]

I did replace the base with a new one from Skoda I think I paid around £19, if you have a TPS (Trade parts specialist) nearby probably cost less than the dealership. Best way to do it is to go from the boot and access the roof lining from their you will find a large bolt unscrew and replace the aerial base. PS don’t worry about creasing the roof lining it straightens out after a while. 

[hetty1]

  Mr J, Wakefield,

 

               Thanks very much for the info, I dont think  my skills(?) are up to that but I will have a word with my independent. I may not be keeping the car for very  long so I may just use the CD player and make sure the TP is on. Thanks again for your help,

[hetty1]

Mr J, Wakefield.,

     

                         This is just to keep you in the loop.   I am getting a new base fitted by my local auto electrician. The labour charge is not bad in my opinion, £20 for taking off and fitting the new one. The part itself was dearer though than I thought. It was  £55 including VAT from TPS.  I checked with my local Skoda dealer and it was £57 from them so as you said in your post TPS turned out to be a little cheaper. I have seen them on ebay at all sorts of prices ranging from £I5 to £65 but I wanted a brand new one with a guarantee. You thought you had paid around £19; was that including VAT and how long ago was that can you remember?  The good thing though is I am getting it sorted  and thanks again for your help.

[Mr j]

It was around 3-4 years ago I got it replaced I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have paid £55. 

[hetty1]

Mr J, Wakefield.

   I checked with the local Skoda main dealer on Wirral and their price was nearly fifty eight pounds. So TPS were a bit cheaper as you suggested they would be. As to the price increases for the base at Skoda dealers over 3 or 4 years I guess its another example of prices getting jacked up way more than wages? Or, maybe Skoda parts prices vary by region and Wirral is dearer than where you are? I obviously dont know the reason but thats what I had to pay here. Thanks again.

[mrgf]

Hi Hetty. Did the new base sort the issue? 

I ask as mine CAN fluctuate but usually when going through certain parts of town. I have tried the standard mast and a short stubby one and a non genuine mid sized one, that was the same type as fitted to Fabia's a little after the long one. 

I have herd the base unit can be iffy and also, a connector on the back of the actual stereo so wondered if you managed to clear up your signal or just spent money for nothing!

[hetty1]

To mrgf,

                        I havent had it done yet, it goes in to the auto electrician tomorrow. I asked him how sure he was that a new base would sort it and he answered "99%" so I am going ahead. i have thought about not bothering and just using the CD player and am still a bit unsure to be honest. I dont think he touches the connector  on the back of the stereo that you mention and just hope it isnt that. The chap seems a very honest chap and that has influenced me. Clearly, if the new part hasnt sorted it I certainly wouldnt expect to pay anything at all  as I went to a professional who gave me a diagnosis and I expect that diagnosis to be accurate. After all, he earns his living by diagnosing and fixing and I would reasonably expect him to know more than I do.

        

                      The    new base has got a 12 month guarantee but, of course, if its the connector, that doesnt help. Its complicated by my usual independent  not fixing car stereos, they send them to the place I am using tomorrow. I use my independent for pretty much everything so my choices are limited.  There  are not that many autoelectricians around on the Wirral anyway so I dont want to have a fallout with the chap  in case I need him in the future for something more important like electric windows or remote central locking . I  will post on Briskoda in a few days once I have had a chance to monitor it to update you on how it has gone.  Its all  been a royal pain to be honest and a bit of a leap in the dark but its a case of "dammed if I do and dammed if I dont".

[greenstripe]

Only just seen this thread:

 

The aerial base contains some circuitry in the form of a signal amplifier - water ingress is a known issue on VW vehicles and the only solution is replacement of the base once water starts getting in - it tends to get in above the rubber gasket where it joins the roof of the car, not where aerial mast screws in.

 

A couple of points to check:

 

1) do you have any electrical devices plugged in to the car such as phone chargers, dash cams etc - as sometimes these can cause interference.   

 

2) Your car actually has 2 separate FM antennae - the secondary is built in to the windscreen and is the thin black line that runs vertically down the centre of the glass. have you ever had the windscreen replaced?

 

3) There is a diagnostic menu that will show signal strength of the 2 antennae - this can be accessed by holding the right hand knob of the radio while it's switched on. This may help you diagnose the fault more accurately.  

[hetty1]

To Greenstrike Jake,

 

       No, I do not have any electrical devices plugged into the  car. I do have the windscreen with the thin black line running vertically down the centre of the screen. I had a new windscreen fitted in March 2017 and it was a genuine Skoda screen with the antennae. I made sure that it was. On your third point: so that is the same button you use to tune the radio? That is the button on the far right on my radio.  The car goes in tomorrow to get the new base fitted so I havent got long to do that. So it wont actually improve reception, it just shows the signal strength?

 

      I didnt know that water ingress is a known issue on VAG vehicles.   Is it worth my spraying the base on the outside with WD40 or, maybe, petroleum jelly to try to prevent water ingress once the base has been replaced?    

[greenstripe]

Yes the knob to tune the radio - yes it will display the information only.

 

To be honest I wouldn't know if petroleum jelly or WD40 would do more harm than good as it might react with the rubber/plastics and damage them - perhaps just a bit of car wax might be a safer bet

[SeaGoat]

I am not greatly impressed by the reception reliability of my Fabia vRS Swing radio either.

I did at one stage try fitting a significantly longer aerial and it was no better - possibly worse?

I gave up on that because I was concerned that it might "strain" the base - reading a post above about water ingress, that was probably a good move!

For what it is worse, at one time I had a (cheap) dual USB adapter in the cigarette socket and that DEFINITELY affected the radio output.

For the most part I use a memory card to listen to music, I only really listen to BBC Radio 4 occasionally.

 

Good luck :)

[mrgf]

...On the reception issue, my car has a dance stereo, not swing and no windscreen antenna. Other then that, the roof base is, I think, the same unit. I notice a slight drop in  reception when turning on the lights and the obvious drop or even complete fall out, when going through tunnels, etc.

 

I think the standard mast fares better when travelling long journeys, say London to Cornwall but will eventually need re-tuning but then, I usually tune in to a local station anyway. The Yaris does this, too so I guess its kinda normal.

 

My main issue is when I drive in or around certain parts of London, like Hackney. Perhaps they have less transmitters, higher blocks of flats or more interference from pirate stations, etc. (Thought that would have been Cornwall, though)!

[hetty1]

To mrgf,

 As promised , an update. I took the car in for 12 noon and got it back half an hour ago. The price paid was exactly as per the quote. He had tuned in the 9 stations I had asked him to and I clicked on all 9 while driving home  and they all played perfectly. Time will tell of course but so far its looking promising.

 

 

[greenstripe]

Good to hear.