What is best way to increase sensitivity on car radios. I am thinking
of getting the Blaupunkt model which has a rating of 6db which I
believe is the lowest of all aftermarket models. However is antenna
placement currently on wheel wheel cowl a factor and also the cabling.
Would a ampliefied antenna work best? Currently a 21 inch coated wire
wrapped single rod is in place. My reception is terrible while on all
other previous models it was great in same area driven. I had units
replaced as well as new antenna and cable. Can something else be
causing this problem to reduce sensitivity. I have noticed that like
an electric shock released from the body on nylon carpets that
sometimes operating the electric windows have cleard up the problem
and improved temp the reception. Can there be a wiring harness
problem? I have added a fm booster which unnoticeably at best has not
cured the sensitivity issue. Any help. suggestions or what to look
for would help in this quest to increase listening power where there
are stations. Nick

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 00:14:53 GMT, Nick wrote:

What is best way to increase sensitivity on car radios. I am thinking
of getting the Blaupunkt model which has a rating of 6db which I
believe is the lowest of all aftermarket models. However is antenna
placement currently on wheel wheel cowl a factor and also the cabling.
Would a ampliefied antenna work best? Currently a 21 inch coated wire
wrapped single rod is in place.

Wire wrapped??? A rod of some material with a coil of wire on it?
That sounds like it is designed for a longer wavelength than FM radio
(88-108 MHZ). Are you sure it is an entertainment radio antenna and
not some other communications type? Car FM/AM radios are usually a
single vertical element 18-30 inches in length.

The cable used is very specific to this application - very low
internal capacitance coax. Usually a very thin single conductor of
copper or steel with a copper plating, inside a polyethylene tube
surrounded by a braided shield, and plastic covered.

There is quite often a tuning adjustment on the radio to adjust the
receiver to the length of the cable and antenna - screw driver
adjustment somewhere on the radio (often only accessible from the
back). Tuning is usually more for A.M. band reception (550-1600 KHZ)


My reception is terrible while on all
other previous models it was great in same area driven.

I had units
replaced as well as new antenna and cable.

That pretty much takes care of everything that can go wrong to cause
poor sensitivity. My guess is something was not changed as you
believe, or done incorrectly. Or your perception is faulty?

Can something else be
causing this problem to reduce sensitivity. I have noticed that like
an electric shock released from the body on nylon carpets that
sometimes operating the electric windows have cleard up the problem
and improved temp the reception. Can there be a wiring harness
problem? I have added a fm booster which unnoticeably at best has not
cured the sensitivity issue. Any help. suggestions or what to look
for would help in this quest to increase listening power where there
are stations. Nick

FM booster won't do much for a bad antenna or broken cable.

The only thing in all of what you have written that gives a ray of
hope - working the windows, improves the sensitivity temporarily. The
antenna is in the front of the vehicle (?) so the antenna cable
doesn't run anywhere near the windows. That does suggest that there
may be a wiring problem. Can you slide the radio out of the dash and
try getting voltage to it without using the usual low voltage cable?
Ground must be there also and is as important or more important
(grounding is often provided by a metal mounting screw in back of the
radio and there's a ground on the antenna cable where the antenna
itself passes through the metal of the fender)

While it is out, try a makeshift antenna with a few feet of wire
directly to the antenna connector on the radio and see what the
sensitivity is like. If it improves- you know the antenna or cable is
bad. Remove the FM booster while checking since it is also subject to
the same problems that plague radios.

You are describing a problem- poor sensitivity where you once had
good sensitivity. Sensitivity improves when you work the windows,
antenna cabling and radio have been changed in an attempt to solve the
problem. The only thing left are the radio power and ground
connections.

Boosters don't usually correct problems.

Good luck . . .


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Thanks for help and answer. I did remove radio and the only thing on
back is the 2 modular plugs which I presume one is the power cables
and the other the ground and speaker wires. They are all bound in a
loom and terminate at a modular plug into the radio. I pulled them out
and none loose. Also the antenna jack was firmly seated and also not
loose. No ground wire on back of unit.There is a black wire in the
wire plug that may somewhere in the harness lead to a ground somewhere
probably a common one for all components of low voltage in car. Also
no adjustment screw since it is digital radio and factory stock
supplied to Toyota. The antenna to specify is a 18-21 inch single rod
screwed onto mast mount or wheel flare in passenger front. It is black
coated with what seems to be a wire coiled from bottom to top under
the black and usually found on all factory cars. It is a radio
antenna no other communications. I know atmosphere, weather,
mountians, etc. plaque reception but this is beyond that and compared
as I said in alot of field testing by me compared to otehr vehicles
and also past performers. I am at a standstill to as why. Radio is
fairly easy to remove with 4 screws on bexel face plate with a number
6 hex wrench and 4 -10mm screws under and slides right out. Booster
installed did do nothing., Not worse but not better either. In cities
may get along fine but in the rural and small town areas where i live
work and play is another story. Any suggestions for anotehr antenna
that would fit the screww on stub mount to improve it. Nick

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 14:45:26 GMT, Nick wrote:

Thanks for help and answer. I did remove radio and the only thing on
back is the 2 modular plugs which I presume one is the power cables
and the other the ground and speaker wires. They are all bound in a
loom and terminate at a modular plug into the radio. I pulled them out
and none loose. Also the antenna jack was firmly seated and also not
loose. No ground wire on back of unit.There is a black wire in the
wire plug that may somewhere in the harness lead to a ground somewhere
probably a common one for all components of low voltage in car. Also
no adjustment screw since it is digital radio and factory stock
supplied to Toyota. The antenna to specify is a 18-21 inch single rod
screwed onto mast mount or wheel flare in passenger front. It is black
coated with what seems to be a wire coiled from bottom to top under
the black and usually found on all factory cars. It is a radio
antenna no other communications. I know atmosphere, weather,
mountians, etc. plaque reception but this is beyond that and compared
as I said in alot of field testing by me compared to otehr vehicles
and also past performers. I am at a standstill to as why. Radio is
fairly easy to remove with 4 screws on bexel face plate with a number
6 hex wrench and 4 -10mm screws under and slides right out. Booster
installed did do nothing., Not worse but not better either. In cities
may get along fine but in the rural and small town areas where i live
work and play is another story. Any suggestions for anotehr antenna
that would fit the screww on stub mount to improve it. Nick

In your original post, you seemed to say that working the electric
windows improved the radio for a time . . . If it did, that's a darn
good symptom.

Being digital doesn't change the laws of physics, there still may be
an adjustment in the back or under the front bezel - but like I said
that is mainly for AM reception, and if the car/radio is stock that
would have been set at the factory. The adjustment is only necessary
where the manufacturer intends the radio to be used with different
cable/antenna combinations.

Was it always bad? or did it go bad? That tells you something . . .
Is there some objective way you can say the sensitivity is low? Like
the stereo indicator came on at some location and no longer does?

Are you talking about one station primarily? If so, has there been
some structure added where you live that may account for poor
sensitivity? AM doesn't care, it goes around bends and structure; FM
is more "line of sight." FM works better with elevated transmit and
receive antennas and nothing between them.

There isn't a push button marked "DX" on it? That's jargon for
"distance" and increases the gain of the receiver.

In your original post you said you changed radios antennas and cables
- I get the feeling from the second post that you did not?

Antennas do make a difference. A higher antenna will work better, one
tuned to the wavelength of the frequency you want to receive will work
better. But a car is very limited. You can't really raise the
antenna enough to make much of a difference. The wavelength has to
suit many frequencies and is a "random wire" (not cut to a specific
frequency - but tuned to the frequency).

Somewhere between your first and second post I get the idea that your
perception is based more on subjective feelings than objective facts.
There may be a problem, I'm not saying there isn't; but if you want to
know what is going on you have to be objective. You can't compare
your car radio to a home receiver with a better antenna or cable and
expect the same performance.

If you haven't changed cables or antennas, do so. Even a 8 foot
length of wire hung out the window will be better than a defective
antenna or cable.

Check with other people, see if other cars have better performance.

I know of no magic antenna or amplifier that can make a signal where
none exists. There is no antenna or amp that will correct a defective
receiver, there is no receiver that will correct a defective antenna
or cable. You can optimize things like the antenna length or add a
booster to buy a small increase in sensitivity.

Radios sometimes have an extra wire coming out that isn't used - some
radios use it as a signal that the radio is turned on so that some
other device in the car will be able to respond (like motorized
antennas that go up when you switch on the radio)


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On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 11:16:43 -0400, default
wrote:

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 14:45:26 GMT, Nick wrote:

Thanks for help and answer. I did remove radio and the only thing on
back is the 2 modular plugs which I presume one is the power cables
and the other the ground and speaker wires. They are all bound in a
loom and terminate at a modular plug into the radio. I pulled them out
and none loose. Also the antenna jack was firmly seated and also not
loose. No ground wire on back of unit.There is a black wire in the
wire plug that may somewhere in the harness lead to a ground somewhere
probably a common one for all components of low voltage in car. Also
no adjustment screw since it is digital radio and factory stock
supplied to Toyota. The antenna to specify is a 18-21 inch single rod
screwed onto mast mount or wheel flare in passenger front. It is black
coated with what seems to be a wire coiled from bottom to top under
the black and usually found on all factory cars. It is a radio
antenna no other communications. I know atmosphere, weather,
mountians, etc. plaque reception but this is beyond that and compared
as I said in alot of field testing by me compared to otehr vehicles
and also past performers. I am at a standstill to as why. Radio is
fairly easy to remove with 4 screws on bexel face plate with a number
6 hex wrench and 4 -10mm screws under and slides right out. Booster
installed did do nothing., Not worse but not better either. In cities
may get along fine but in the rural and small town areas where i live
work and play is another story. Any suggestions for anotehr antenna
that would fit the screww on stub mount to improve it. Nick

In your original post, you seemed to say that working the electric
windows improved the radio for a time . . . If it did, that's a darn
good symptom.

Being digital doesn't change the laws of physics, there still may be
an adjustment in the back or under the front bezel - but like I said
that is mainly for AM reception, and if the car/radio is stock that
would have been set at the factory. The adjustment is only necessary
where the manufacturer intends the radio to be used with different
cable/antenna combinations.

Was it always bad? or did it go bad? That tells you something . . .
Is there some objective way you can say the sensitivity is low? Like
the stereo indicator came on at some location and no longer does?

Are you talking about one station primarily? If so, has there been
some structure added where you live that may account for poor
sensitivity? AM doesn't care, it goes around bends and structure; FM
is more "line of sight." FM works better with elevated transmit and
receive antennas and nothing between them.

There isn't a push button marked "DX" on it? That's jargon for
"distance" and increases the gain of the receiver.

In your original post you said you changed radios antennas and cables
- I get the feeling from the second post that you did not?

Antennas do make a difference. A higher antenna will work better, one
tuned to the wavelength of the frequency you want to receive will work
better. But a car is very limited. You can't really raise the
antenna enough to make much of a difference. The wavelength has to
suit many frequencies and is a "random wire" (not cut to a specific
frequency - but tuned to the frequency).

Somewhere between your first and second post I get the idea that your
perception is based more on subjective feelings than objective facts.
There may be a problem, I'm not saying there isn't; but if you want to
know what is going on you have to be objective. You can't compare
your car radio to a home receiver with a better antenna or cable and
expect the same performance.

If you haven't changed cables or antennas, do so. Even a 8 foot
length of wire hung out the window will be better than a defective
antenna or cable.

Check with other people, see if other cars have better performance.

I know of no magic antenna or amplifier that can make a signal where
none exists. There is no antenna or amp that will correct a defective
receiver, there is no receiver that will correct a defective antenna
or cable. You can optimize things like the antenna length or add a
booster to buy a small increase in sensitivity.

Radios sometimes have an extra wire coming out that isn't used - some
radios use it as a signal that the radio is turned on so that some
other device in the car will be able to respond (like motorized
antennas that go up when you switch on the radio)


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I am confusing and getting misunderstood. The radio unit, cable and
antenna were replaced with exact factory installs at the dealer and
even the third time in they claim they moved the ground wire but I see
no place on modular cable on back of radio. Naturally they know where
are the wire feeds and contact points are. Yes, I did compare to other
same makes and models of cars and past years which I owned and also
my other cars and children's cars. All better. Not comparing to a home
receiver. I do realize that you can't pull stations out of air
iterally, they must be there to begin with. Those stations are still
there transmitting same power and same locations. I do not have a dx
function. All is auto built within to switch auto and that may be a
fault since it may be switiching over on a weak signal. Some stations
I hear but fuzzy. And to be objective it did not just happen. Happened
since I bought the vehicle brand new dealer showroom. Why I have them
fixing it. It did improve slightly after the second time of all
replaced but it is not back to orginal no pickup on some. Naturally
the stations they pick and try are different since I live 35 miles
from dealer and with mountain ranges abundant here in Eastern Pa. they
tune whatever comes into their valley. Maybe that is why radio Shack
got out of the auto line with antennas and boosters. Too fickle and
too many complaints. And there is tuning screw. Period. Unless you
broke the case apart on the tuning capacitors maybe. No outside and I
could care less about am anyway but that is terrible also. The effect
on operating the power windows is not constant and happened 3 times
with no regular pattern. A fluke once but not 3 times. I shook, pulled
and ran it numerous times to no avail on duplication of correctness.
Basically the st display came on and station that was there cleared.
Next day back again. I do get electric discharge shocks frequently
summer and winter with this vehicle more than others if that is a
trait as well. Hope all this clears up the misconceptions. Nick

One more thing if you go to www.rav4world.com and type in the search
function under forums radio reception you will see the others with
same problem on Rav 4 model year 2002. There are 2 categories one for
older 96-99 and then the 2001 and up.Make sure you look in that
category since the older ones did not have that problem. In Europe and
Austrailia they have roof mounted antennas for whatever reason on same
vehicle and model. Also the older ones had collapse type metal antenna
vs. the single height black coated ones found on most cars today.
Most people bypass problemns with coverup answers like put a cd in or
play a tape. That does not fix the problem. Why I am asking help here.
Nick

(Snip)
I am confusing and getting misunderstood. The radio unit, cable and
antenna were replaced with exact factory installs at the dealer and
even the third time in they claim they moved the ground wire but I see
no place on modular cable on back of radio. Naturally they know where
are the wire feeds and contact points are. Yes, I did compare to other
same makes and models of cars and past years which I owned and also
my other cars and children's cars. All better. Not comparing to a home
receiver. I do realize that you can't pull stations out of air
iterally, they must be there to begin with. Those stations are still
there transmitting same power and same locations. I do not have a dx
function. All is auto built within to switch auto and that may be a
fault since it may be switiching over on a weak signal. Some stations
I hear but fuzzy. And to be objective it did not just happen. Happened
since I bought the vehicle brand new dealer showroom. Why I have them
fixing it. It did improve slightly after the second time of all
replaced but it is not back to orginal no pickup on some. Naturally
the stations they pick and try are different since I live 35 miles
from dealer and with mountain ranges abundant here in Eastern Pa. they
tune whatever comes into their valley. Maybe that is why radio Shack
got out of the auto line with antennas and boosters. Too fickle and
too many complaints. And there is tuning screw. Period. Unless you
broke the case apart on the tuning capacitors maybe. No outside and I
could care less about am anyway but that is terrible also. The effect
on operating the power windows is not constant and happened 3 times
with no regular pattern. A fluke once but not 3 times. I shook, pulled
and ran it numerous times to no avail on duplication of correctness.
Basically the st display came on and station that was there cleared.
Next day back again. I do get electric discharge shocks frequently
summer and winter with this vehicle more than others if that is a
trait as well. Hope all this clears up the misconceptions. Nick

Sorry Nick if it sounded like I was impugning your judgement. Between
the first two posts there was no clear picture. I was under the
impression this was an isolated incidence, not common to hoards of
similar make/model cars.

Mea Culpa

There is a common cause that ties up all the symptoms (except the
window) in one neat package. I'll be the first to admit that this is
stretching things a little, but here goes anyway:

You mention the static shock you experience. This is not common in
the humid climate that I live it, but I did get to experience it in a
new Toyota. The problem seems to be there is so much plastic and the
paint coatings are so improved that, there is no discharge points for
getting rid of the static buildup.

There is a problem intrinsic to CMOS / FET circuitry that may cover
the symptoms you see. CMOS is used universally because it is
efficient, and reliable. The problem is, that it is very static
sensitive. To apply it correctly the designer has to take that into
consideration. You may have a radio that was designed poorly or a
component that is defective in a batch of radios.

At the antenna circuit FET's are used. They are very sensitive to
signals, and sensitive to static. To apply them well, they require
some protection from static discharge. Usually it comes in the form
of diodes in the "front end" of the radio. Without protection the
FET's don't last long. With protection they must be handled correctly
during installation.

Destroy the FET and you have a radio with very poor sensitivity. Very
poor - only the strongest stations come in. Where a good radio may
get 20-30 stations, one with a blown front end may only get 2-3 with
stereo and be missing 2/3 of the others.

If that is the case in what you see, that problem has to be fixed by
the manufacturer or a competent electronics technician. It isn't
something with an easy solution (even for a good technician -
sometimes)

The Field Effect Transistor, or Complimentary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor, rely on very thin coatings of glass or aluminum oxide
internal to the components. These insulators, in order to function,
must be so thin that it takes very little voltage or power to destroy
them. (Punch a hole through - a hole that is only visible under an
electron microscope). The hole renders the component bad - forever,
or weakens it making it susceptible to failure, it has to be replaced.

If a manufacturer has a radio that is incorrectly designed, or has had
lots of defective protection devices, the radios may only work for a
short period of time before the front end is destroyed. Just handling
the radio (or any electronic device that uses these components -
almost all) can render it useless before it is even installed.

To install a sensitive device like a computer hard drive, computer
board or a radio, you must first discharge yourself to the ground and
make sure that you and the device are at the same potential voltage
(touch the case and keep holding it, touch the center connector of the
antenna to the chassis of the radio, before plugging it into the
radio. Plug in the power cables last. Don't let someone touch the
antenna or you while the installation is in progress. And/or ground
all the objects, antenna, radio, car, yourself, with a hard wire
ground while doing the installation) Ground straps and conductive
grounding systems are designed for this application - but wire will
work as well if there is no 120 VAC around - then grounding yourself
becomes a personal safety issue and must be done through a high value
resistor to ground.

The whole problem could also be a faulty batch of antennas or antenna
cables - that's why I'd still recommend using a piece of ordinary wire
in the antenna jack (watch out for static).

I know this doesn't solve your problem. How to solve your problem?

Well by now the car manufacturer has probably heard they have a
problem. Most non-US corporations are quicker and better at fixes
then domestic companies. If your particular dealer is still at an
impasse, ask him if there have been any service bulletins issued
regarding the problem. If they are any good they will search and may
find. If the problem is not so universal, you should ask to speak to
a regional service rep. The regional reps are paid by the car
manufacturer and serve as a go between. The regional reps keep the
car manufacturer apprized of what is happening to the cars in the
field. If that still doesn't solve your problem, your recourse is to
keep getting radios replaced until they get it right, write to the
manufacturer (in case the car dealer and regional rep are both dogs).
If that doesn't get it, you can bite the bullet and change radios to
some aftermarket one, or take the car company to small claims court.

You can take a large corporation to small claims court - but the
procedure varies. Here I have to call the capital and find out who
represents them in the state, then go down to the courthouse and file
papers and pay to have them served to appear in court. Large
corporations don't usually spend big bucks defending small claims . .
.. so your chance of a favorable outcome is good. Keep all the
documentation you can find - including people that have the same
problem from the Internet news groups.

What do yo think you will do next?


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On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 14:36:59 -0400, default
wrote:

(Snip)
I am confusing and getting misunderstood. The radio unit, cable and
antenna were replaced with exact factory installs at the dealer and
even the third time in they claim they moved the ground wire but I see
no place on modular cable on back of radio. Naturally they know where
are the wire feeds and contact points are. Yes, I did compare to other
same makes and models of cars and past years which I owned and also
my other cars and children's cars. All better. Not comparing to a home
receiver. I do realize that you can't pull stations out of air
iterally, they must be there to begin with. Those stations are still
there transmitting same power and same locations. I do not have a dx
function. All is auto built within to switch auto and that may be a
fault since it may be switiching over on a weak signal. Some stations
I hear but fuzzy. And to be objective it did not just happen. Happened
since I bought the vehicle brand new dealer showroom. Why I have them
fixing it. It did improve slightly after the second time of all
replaced but it is not back to orginal no pickup on some. Naturally
the stations they pick and try are different since I live 35 miles
from dealer and with mountain ranges abundant here in Eastern Pa. they
tune whatever comes into their valley. Maybe that is why radio Shack
got out of the auto line with antennas and boosters. Too fickle and
too many complaints. And there is tuning screw. Period. Unless you
broke the case apart on the tuning capacitors maybe. No outside and I
could care less about am anyway but that is terrible also. The effect
on operating the power windows is not constant and happened 3 times
with no regular pattern. A fluke once but not 3 times. I shook, pulled
and ran it numerous times to no avail on duplication of correctness.
Basically the st display came on and station that was there cleared.
Next day back again. I do get electric discharge shocks frequently
summer and winter with this vehicle more than others if that is a
trait as well. Hope all this clears up the misconceptions. Nick

Sorry Nick if it sounded like I was impugning your judgement. Between
the first two posts there was no clear picture. I was under the
impression this was an isolated incidence, not common to hoards of
similar make/model cars.

Mea Culpa

There is a common cause that ties up all the symptoms (except the
window) in one neat package. I'll be the first to admit that this is
stretching things a little, but here goes anyway:

You mention the static shock you experience. This is not common in
the humid climate that I live it, but I did get to experience it in a
new Toyota. The problem seems to be there is so much plastic and the
paint coatings are so improved that, there is no discharge points for
getting rid of the static buildup.

There is a problem intrinsic to CMOS / FET circuitry that may cover
the symptoms you see. CMOS is used universally because it is
efficient, and reliable. The problem is, that it is very static
sensitive. To apply it correctly the designer has to take that into
consideration. You may have a radio that was designed poorly or a
component that is defective in a batch of radios.

At the antenna circuit FET's are used. They are very sensitive to
signals, and sensitive to static. To apply them well, they require
some protection from static discharge. Usually it comes in the form
of diodes in the "front end" of the radio. Without protection the
FET's don't last long. With protection they must be handled correctly
during installation.

Destroy the FET and you have a radio with very poor sensitivity. Very
poor - only the strongest stations come in. Where a good radio may
get 20-30 stations, one with a blown front end may only get 2-3 with
stereo and be missing 2/3 of the others.

If that is the case in what you see, that problem has to be fixed by
the manufacturer or a competent electronics technician. It isn't
something with an easy solution (even for a good technician -
sometimes)

The Field Effect Transistor, or Complimentary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor, rely on very thin coatings of glass or aluminum oxide
internal to the components. These insulators, in order to function,
must be so thin that it takes very little voltage or power to destroy
them. (Punch a hole through - a hole that is only visible under an
electron microscope). The hole renders the component bad - forever,
or weakens it making it susceptible to failure, it has to be replaced.

If a manufacturer has a radio that is incorrectly designed, or has had
lots of defective protection devices, the radios may only work for a
short period of time before the front end is destroyed. Just handling
the radio (or any electronic device that uses these components -
almost all) can render it useless before it is even installed.

To install a sensitive device like a computer hard drive, computer
board or a radio, you must first discharge yourself to the ground and
make sure that you and the device are at the same potential voltage
(touch the case and keep holding it, touch the center connector of the
antenna to the chassis of the radio, before plugging it into the
radio. Plug in the power cables last. Don't let someone touch the
antenna or you while the installation is in progress. And/or ground
all the objects, antenna, radio, car, yourself, with a hard wire
ground while doing the installation) Ground straps and conductive
grounding systems are designed for this application - but wire will
work as well if there is no 120 VAC around - then grounding yourself
becomes a personal safety issue and must be done through a high value
resistor to ground.

The whole problem could also be a faulty batch of antennas or antenna
cables - that's why I'd still recommend using a piece of ordinary wire
in the antenna jack (watch out for static).

I know this doesn't solve your problem. How to solve your problem?

Well by now the car manufacturer has probably heard they have a
problem. Most non-US corporations are quicker and better at fixes
then domestic companies. If your particular dealer is still at an
impasse, ask him if there have been any service bulletins issued
regarding the problem. If they are any good they will search and may
find. If the problem is not so universal, you should ask to speak to
a regional service rep. The regional reps are paid by the car
manufacturer and serve as a go between. The regional reps keep the
car manufacturer apprized of what is happening to the cars in the
field. If that still doesn't solve your problem, your recourse is to
keep getting radios replaced until they get it right, write to the
manufacturer (in case the car dealer and regional rep are both dogs).
If that doesn't get it, you can bite the bullet and change radios to
some aftermarket one, or take the car company to small claims court.

You can take a large corporation to small claims court - but the
procedure varies. Here I have to call the capital and find out who
represents them in the state, then go down to the courthouse and file
papers and pay to have them served to appear in court. Large
corporations don't usually spend big bucks defending small claims . .
. so your chance of a favorable outcome is good. Keep all the
documentation you can find - including people that have the same
problem from the Internet news groups.

What do yo think you will do next?


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So much thanks. That was a superb great explanation and help. I will
follow some more tests and follow through on rest if need be. Your
explanation is very well written and researched compared to mine but
hopefully on the road to fixation of the problem. I implore your
patience and if anything else crops to mind please add to it as I will
check. Again, thanks and great things to you. Nick

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 19:51:53 GMT, Nick wrote:

(snip)
So much thanks. That was a superb great explanation and help. I will
follow some more tests and follow through on rest if need be. Your
explanation is very well written and researched compared to mine but
hopefully on the road to fixation of the problem. I implore your
patience and if anything else crops to mind please add to it as I will
check. Again, thanks and great things to you. Nick


Good luck Nick.

Nothing additional springs to mind. Keep your eyes open when you
tackle it, you may see something that points to a specific cause.


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