I have a few niggly problems with the radio in my Fabia I purchased a few months back, if anyone can help.

1. The volume on/off ****, which from the manual picture is is meant to stand proud, is fully depressed all the time. I can still turn volume up/down but can't acutally turn off. Can this be rectified, or is it just one of those things

2. FM reception is great but there is absolutely no MW reception at all at any time (just static). I like listening to 5live so would like to get this back, but I remember a Nissan Sunny I had a few years back had exactly the same prob - is it just something common with some cars?

3. The stereo sound great, or so I thought, until I started playing MP3s via a tape adaptor. I now realise there's no mid-range coming through the speakers meaning vocals are nearly completely lost on some tracks (this doen't shop up so much on the radio because radio levels are 'flattened' for broadcast). Its not the adaptor cos normal tapes are sometimes same and I don't think its related to dodgy MP3 recordings, though some suffer worse than others. Very occassionally it shoots back in for a few seconds (at which point it sounds amazing). I presume its a connection somewhere, but do you think it is at the speakers (easy) or stereo (hard end?

4. Is there a cheap CD player/Radio on the market I could replace it with?

Thanks

i had the same problem with mine, and i fixes it by removing the radio with a cut up credit card, open the wheelie bid lid, place inside and replace with a quality set of your choice. job done:)

1. The volume on/off ****, which from the manual picture is is meant to stand proud, is fully depressed all the time. I can still turn volume up/down but can't acutally turn off. Can this be rectified, or is it just one of those things

Probably just stuck in - give it a good sharp tap/bang and you may find that the mechnism comes unstuck?

2. FM reception is great but there is absolutely no MW reception at all at any time (just static). I like listening to 5live so would like to get this back, but I remember a Nissan Sunny I had a few years back had exactly the same prob - is it just something common with some cars?

My guess is that the amplifier built in to the base of the aerial has had it due to water ingress (at least that was the problem on my Y-reg estate. A new aerial was about £30 from the dealers and it took me abpour half an hour to fit (remove trim around rear hatch opening, pull down headlining, undo nut on base of aerial inside car with a spanner, unplug aerial and reverse to re-fit the new one. the only thing to be careful of is that the aerial plugs have changed over time as I found out the hard way so I'd suggest you take the old one off, tape over the hole with duck tape and then take the aerial to a dealer to make sure you get the correct fitting.

3. The stereo sound great, or so I thought, until I started playing MP3s via a tape adaptor. I now realise there's no mid-range coming through the speakers meaning vocals are nearly completely lost on some tracks (this doen't shop up so much on the radio because radio levels are 'flattened' for broadcast). Its not the adaptor cos normal tapes are sometimes same and I don't think its related to dodgy MP3 recordings, though some suffer worse than others. Very occassionally it shoots back in for a few seconds (at which point it sounds amazing). I presume its a connection somewhere, but do you think it is at the speakers (easy) or stereo (hard end?

My guess here is that the tapes/adapter are not sitting against and aligning with the tape heads correctly (I have used a tape adapter before now and they are notoriously crap). Try wiggling the tape/adapter about inside the headunit once it is playing and you may find that you get a vast improvement. Otherwise get an FM radio transmitter

4. Is there a cheap CD player/Radio on the market I could replace it with?

Very probably - You can usually pick them up from about £60 over the internet and you'll need a headunit Din spacer from a dealer for about £3. Connections should be no problem as they are Iso but you'll need an in-line aerial amplifier to take over from the one in the base of the aerial as it is powered from the headunit and aftermarket units won;t have this feed.

"My guess here is that the tapes/adapter are not sitting against and aligning with the tape heads correctly (I have used a tape adapter before now and they are notoriously crap). Try wiggling the tape/adapter about inside the headunit once it is playing and you may find that you get a vast improvement. Otherwise get an FM radio transmitter"

- The problem happes when radio is on as well though. Any thoughtss/ Thanks for other suggestions though.