long story short..i received my car back from the body shop whom fixed my rear hatch and bump from a previous accident..after leaving the shop I noticed that majority of my station on the stock radio has bad static reception and at times cannot receive them..

I've done my search on here and plan on searching the root cause to this tomorrow, but wanted more insight from other members here and from those who have had previous experiences..

Also, I was wondering if replacing the rear hatch from a jcw to a regular s or 52 has anything to do with receptions..

my car is a 06 cooper s jcw model with stock h/k package..i want to solve this issue before having to upgrade the sound system..any advice is welcome..thanks

 

Check for damage to the wiring at the antenna and around the area where the modifications were made.

 

See figure 12

http://www.bmw-planet.com/lib/mini/A...20OVERVIEW.pdf

 

I have the same kind of issue but only when i turn on the rear def. havent been able to solve the issue yet.

 

Joylove..thanks for your site post..i appreciate it a lot and now it makes sense because the rear hatch they received (used) did not have a rear window and they had to remove my old one to put it on..also noticed that I am missing the windshield fluid nasal dispenser for the rear window..thank you

Reed..we might have the same issue, but i haven't finished checking all possible cause because this heat here in Fresno is baking me in the garage..you can check fig. 12 from what joylove posted to help better understand how the rear of the car effects the radio..

 

will do, was hoping it was a ground issue but put in a ground wire between hatch and body didnt help at all.

 

The AM antenna issue on an unmodified car is usually one of a few things things.

+ Damage to the rear screen element
+ Faulty grounding to the antenna amp, AM trap (if fitted), heated rear window feed
+ Faulty AM trap (if fitted)
+ Delaminated connections to the rear screen

It's a common issue on BMW E46, and they use largely the same electrical arrangement, and it would be worthwhile checking the dozens of threads on BMW forums about the issue and the potential resolutions.

 

Ok..to bring this thread back from the dead..i've decided to search the issue myself and have noticed that in this picture when i pull the black and red adapter off the reception is fine..but when i pull the yellow out..i lose reception..i also notice that they kept the R50 plate there too..is there a difference in the R50 and R53 plate adapter for the wires..thanks



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Having trouble with reception to. I lose it every time I turn on Rear Defrost. or Open a Door. Comes back when I shut off or Close Door. It's an R50 Base model.