Do you all have terrible AM radio reception?? The shop foreman at my dealer's service dept. says "the most common complaint we get" is about poor AM radio reception. He attributes this to the absence of an exterior antenna and the fact that Volvo can't believe people in the US actually still listen to AM radio.

My old 850 (which also lacked an exterior antenna) had perfect AM reception, but my new V70 T5 gives out a high-pitched feedback-type screech. I can't believe they are trying to imply this is normal.

Hi Susan!

In the for what its worth category: We've had our '99 V70 for over two years now with no complaints about it's AM reception in the Los Angeles area. Two weeks ago I happened to be in your neighborhood (on the 580 and 680) and received AM just fine (740kHz I think). In fact, I could receive 740 all the way down to Fresno, though by then it was getting pretty weak.

jt

Hi Susan -

As I mentioned before, I even have metalic tint on my rear windows...and my AM reception is perfect. I just hate hearing about these kinds of problems and that kind of dealer response.

There's just no excuse.

- Darell

I have yet to hear that complaint in a V70 BUT it's VERY common in S80s. In S80s, it's usually a bad antenna amplifier despite the SBs saying "check this, check that".

An external antenna is not needed for AM reception, and if Volvo really believed that the US didn't listen to AM, then there would be no AM selection with memory storage on the radio. The complaint sounds like it hasn't been corrected??? If not try finding another dealer (if poss). Is the high pitched screech there all the time regardless of speed, or vechicle location on the road (under power lines)? Does it happen with the car not moving, engine on, engine off? Does it happen on all AM stations selected or just the one you happen to like (murphy could be involved :))

Hi Rich -

Thank you for your comments.

My radio feedback whine/screech happens regardless of speed or whether the engine is on or off. I don't get it at 8am when I go out to drive the kids to school, but do get it almost all the rest of the time. It usually gets worse on streets with lots of overhead electrical lines, but it's often *really* bad in areas where there are no overhead lines (i.e., where wires are underground). It happens on all but the one strongest station in the SF bay area. Sometimes it's so loud it drowns out the local news station! Does any of this make sense? If you have any other thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks,

Susan

There are several tech publications recently sent to dealers by Volvo addressing this problem. Tell your dealer to chack tech net notes on his vadis cart under group #39. There should be diagnostic aids to help him fix your problem. If he can't, find another dealer. These cars are complex and the technician has to WANT to diagnose and repair the car. A lot of techs just want to do the maintainence service work because it's profitable, and tell you everything else is "normal", however, there are a few out there that CAN fix these annoying problems that pop up.

Susan,

It's not an acceptable answer. Your car as 2 antennas. If either is not properly installed, you will experience dropout on the AM reciever, and occasionally noisy oscillations, such as you have described.

The two antennas are visible in the rear quarter panel windows. They must both be attached to the radio head for the receiver to work properly.

Regards,

Mike Harris in Sandy Eggo

Hi, My AM works great but I have terrible FM reception. I've just added tint to the windows and now it's worse. Is there an aftermarket, external FM antenna or should I be looking at something else.

Thanks, Byron