[Sporto55]

In the last 12 years, I've owned the following VWs:

1996 VW Golf (gasoline)
2000 VW Jetta (TDI)
2000 VW Passat (gasoline)

I've also owned or driven the following:

Nissan Frontier
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Subaru Forester
Toyota Corolla

One thing I've noticed is the FM radio reception on all the VWs is HORRIBLE. I live in rural CT, between Boston and Hartford, and I literally can only get 1 or 2 stations in my VWs. By contrast, I can get 15-20 stations, perfectly clearly, when I drive a Japanese or American car.

Can anyone tell me if the FM reception has improved on Volkswagens? Is there some reason that VW radios suck? Is it because everyone lives so close together in Germany that they don't worry about radio reception in rural areas?

Thanks!

Clay

P.S. Any opinions on the current Dynaudio sound system in the 2010 Golfs? Can you hear the difference? Is it worth the money?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I listed to the Dynaudio in the 2010 VW Golf vs. the Jetta standard premium sound system. I'm not an audiophile but it sounded very good to me vs. Jetta premium radios which also sound good to me. Maybe the demo car had the settings customized, I don't know. Other reviews have said that it's very good for a stock system and I believe them. It was designed specifically for the Golf by Dynaudio. If you look at the Golf buyer's checklist and FAQ there is a link to dynaudio where they say a little bit about their work on the Golf sound system. It's definitely way better than the sound systems in the mk3 and mk4 VWs I had.

VW, like many other manufacturers, uses a diversity antenna. It constantly monitors 2 antennas and chooses the best one. No clue why my experience is different but I notice that the stretch of I-84 between the mass border and manchester area is lower than average but I can still get at least 15 stations in the VWs. Maybe your antenna base was corroded.

 

[Stefan2006]

Are you putting window tint on? Some have metal flakes which can block radio reception. I think it's mostly AM though.

 

[Sporto55]

No window tint. Friends with VWs have noticed the same thing. Maybe I just have an unlucky circle of friends. It's enough to make me think about not getting another VW, so I wanted to see if the "problem" had been fixed in the last 10 years.

 

[Robotek]

Really? I have never noticed any difference. The antennas are probably all made by the same 2 manufacturers and there aren't that many companies who make OEM radios. Sirius would probably be right up your alley, they come with a 6 month subscription.

 

[hduncan]

The radio is garbage audio quality anyway.

Get your favorite tunes on an ipod and enjoy much better audio quality, and no commercials!

 

[feormadrigal]

FM sounds fine on standard sound system.

 

[Schneideau]

Sporto55
I feel your pain as agreed the VWs FM radio reception sucks.. Tighter "FM selectivity" performance would help and although such a mod is possible good luck finding an ace Tech. I'd check both radio & the antenna's grounding. Cast your gaze at here. www.fmtunerinfo.com

The Navi / FM radio in our MY06 Jetta is good to V. good, but not great.