# FM radio reception quality (antenna issues?)



## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Impressions - FM radio*

I have found FM reception to be very poor, all other cars I have had (I still have the C5 and that is very good) can receive the stations in question (Radio 4 et al) with out as much of a hint of distortions, but in the Phaeton it struggles even to receive the station clearly, do I have a problem or is this the norm?
AM is fine, no it is very good in fact, much better than the C5, so I think it is just FM that is trouble some.
The 'Scan' function gives me mostly static to choose from, which I thought was a bit strange...
Regards
Johan


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## stevieB (Jul 15, 2006)

I have also found the radio to be very poor at picking up what should normally be strong FM stations. I have started using the cd player more than the radio.


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## speckhead (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: (stevieB)*

my experience has been the opposite. FM is good, but AM is brutally bad.
I went to satelite radio.


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## vhs (Jun 20, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

I agree, FM is limited in rural areas although strong in suburban / city. Luckily I have a narrow taste and the major channels are generally reachable.
Can't be bothered with th eCD player since the 6 disc selection always seems to either be the same or just wrong for the mood. Yes, I know I could just swap some discs but that requires planning!
However, most of the time I listen to the iPod on shuffle and that works pretty well. 
Viv


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## M1LUM (Apr 2, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio*

From a guy who spends most of his time in London and to the west, I have to say I haven't had any trouble with FM reception. Re-scanning when changing location (by more than 50 miles) always pulls up a new full screen of stations.
Get it checked out, your symptoms do not sound normal


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## dododavis (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (M1LUM)*

Agree with bad fm reception. Agree that I use mostly cd player as a result. anything we can do? I had heard of an FM booster, but I don't know if it still exists or if it actually works. I have XM in a different car, and it sounds great, but there are only a few stations I like, I'll call them top 40/pop/lite rock/classic rock, and after a few days, you just hear the same songs again and again.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*


_Quote, originally posted by *M1LUM* »_ Re-scanning when changing location (by more than 50 miles) always pulls up a new full screen of stations.

Terry:
I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but the Phaeton is *always *re-scanning to find out what FM stations are within reach.
In other words, if you 'autostore' a set of stations at your home location, then you drive 100 miles away and look at the list of stations, you will probably find that none of your 'presets' are visible on the screen anymore. This is because they are no longer within reception range, so, the vehicle does not display them. If you were to drive back home, they would all appear again, showing as presets, as each one came into reception range. So, at any given time, the radio station list on the J523 screen will only show you what is actually available to listen to.
If you choose to do an 'autostore' when you are away from home, that will cause the strongest 6 stations to be stored into the presets. This can certainly be useful for identifying the strongest 6 - in other words, by doing an autostore and then pressing the preset hard-buttons 1 through 6, you can avoid the nuisance of scanning through stations that offer only marginal reception. But, it is *not *necessary to do an auto-store to refresh the displayed list of what is available, because the car is continually refreshing the list as you drive.
Personally, I have always had excellent FM reception on my Phaeton radio. I think the only variables (from car to car) would be how snugly the radio connectors are plugged into the antenna controller at the back end of the car, and the J523 at the front end of the car. I suppose one last variable might be how well the little 'fingers' on the antenna controllers make contact with the metal strips on the glass that actually comprise the antenna. This may be a concern, but that is pure speculation on my part.
It's quite easy to remove and re-seat the two antenna connectors at the J523 - see these two posts for more info:
J523 Front Information Display and Control Head – Removal Instructions
J523 Front Information Display and Control Head – how to replace  (contains useful tips for routing the cables)
As for the antenna controller - it's a bit more difficult to get access to it, because it hides behind the headliner, at the very top of the rear window glass on the left side of the vehicle. To get a perspective on where this thing is, open the left rear door of the car (LHD or RHD, doesn't matter), put one hand on the top of the rear window glass on the outside of the car, and one hand on the top of the rear window glass on the inside of the car. You will note that there is about 4 inches of rear window glass that is not visible from inside the car... that is where all the antennas are!
It is a major nuisance (translation - massive interior trim dis-assembly) to get access to the antenna controller for the purpose of making sure that it is making good contact with the metal film on the glass, and to make sure that the two antenna connections (many more if the car has TV) are properly seated. I will eventually have to replace my antenna controller when I hook up my TV tuner, and when I do this, I'll take lots of pictures and post a 'how to'. In the meantime, I have posted a few illustrations and pictures below to give you all a general idea of where all these hidden components are.
However - having said all that, I wonder if the FM stations in the UK transmit at a lower wattage than those in North America? Most of the folks reporting problems are from the UK, and most of us who have no problems are in NAR.
Michael
*Antenna Components on Rear Window of Phaeton*























>
*The actual Antenna Module that fits against the glass*








_Here you can see where the tangs (shown below) on the antenna controller touch the contacts leading to the antenna wires embedded in the rear window glass_








_These are the 'tangs' that touch the contact squares shown above._


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
However - having said all that, I wonder if the FM stations in the UK transmit at a lower wattage than those in North America? Most of the folks reporting problems are from the UK, and most of us who have no problems are in NAR. 


That is probably true to some degree, the FM spectrum is pretty crowded in the UK, but I only use my BMW and the C5 as a comparison, and I would like the Phaeton to be as good, at least.
And by the sounds of it, I think our car probably has some room for improvement..
I will take this up with the Dealership, the car is almost new so I don't fancy taking it apart just yet...
Regards
Johan


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

Another key issue might be that FM stations in North America are spaced .2 MHz apart (91.1, 91.3, 91.5, etc.), but in Europe, they are only spaced .1 MHz apart. The extra spacing probably allows the North American broadcasters to pump out a more powerful signal (and a slightly 'looser' signal) without having to worry about interfering with their neighbor on the dial.
Michael


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## ai guy (Dec 29, 2005)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (PanEuropean)*

I have a radio snag. The symptoms are, Radio is on AM, turn off ignition and park up. Return to car , switch on ignition and the car, of course, remembers what station you were listening to and plays that, but the sound is very muffled. Press the AM/FM button and listen to an FM channel for a moment. Press the AM/FM button to return to the AM channel and all is well...
I've had this for a while and put up with it as I rarely listen to AM. The fitter just shook his head in disbelief; he can only take one fault at a time and at present is working on a TPMS fault I can't seem to shake off. I might post about that as I saw that our Phateon owner from Surrey mentioned TPMS in another post
Guy


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (ai guy)*

Hello Guy:
Welcome to the forum - I can't recall seeing you post here before.
There's a simple fix to both of your problems, and that is software updates for the controllers.
Get the J523 Front Information Display and Control Head flash-updated to at least 0223 (and the J401 Navigation Controller updated to at least 0168), and get the Tire Pressure Monitoring Controller updated to at least 025. I'm not sure if there is a flash update or not for the TPMS controller, you may have to obtain a new controller. While you are at it, ensure that the Instrument Cluster is at software x21 or higher.
There have been a few campaigns published by VW over the years to address the problems you mentioned (that happen in very early production cars - like MY 2003 cars) - have your VW tech check the service history of your car against the VW database to make sure that all the appropriate campaigns have been carried out. It doesn't sound to me like they have been. In particular, pay attention to the following campaign numbers: 97J9, 66C4, S279, S281, 10C1, 44E1, 48F5. 97J4, 97J5.
Not all of those will apply to your car, and not all the actions mentioned in any one document will apply to your car, but someone needs to go through the paperwork and make sure that the appropriate actions have been carried out. This should solve your problems.
Michael


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## ai guy (Dec 29, 2005)

Thanks Michael I'll do what you advise. The TPMS has been reporting a fault. The fitter says the car reports a sensor failure so he has ordered one. In the workshop though they have had a W12 with the same problem anh he was sceptical about whether it was really a sensor fault. He has been fed up with putting fuel in the W12 to try and solve the problem so was getting someone from VW to come and and help. I don't know what they found, I'll have to chase them up. If he comes up with anything interesting I'll post it. 
While I'm on I'll mention that I had front brake disc warning light come on intermittently, just in case it might be related to the campaigns you mention. The garage cheecked the wirng, cleaned the terminlas, then later replaced the pads in desperation. Still the warning light came on so we switched it off (It'll take me ages to wear them down at 7K miles a year and there's nothing wrong with the brakes...)
What the hell...I also was able to open the boot by pressing the VW badge when the car was locked. Can you see the fitter in the yard with his head in his hands? I can. He went for the 'Let's fit new parts and hope for the best '( a new boot lock mechanisim). It's OK now.
One more then, for now, the myrtle has split above the glove box. I might not be able to get that done under warranty, never mind.


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

Another strange artefact is that reception is much better with ignition off, it drops off dramatically once ignition is on. Why would that be I wonder?
rgds
Johan


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## GripperDon (May 9, 2005)

Sounds like the AGC (Automatic gain control) is being effected by the fields from the wiring in the car when current is flowing. This could be by a break in the shielding of the antenna.
I think that you could be experiencing a true defect. 
A trip to the dealer with your findings and possible comparison to another Phaeton they may have or at least a Tourage will all serve to define the problem.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Realist42* »_Another strange artifact is that reception is much better with ignition off, it drops off dramatically once ignition is on. Why would that be I wonder?

Hmmmm... I don't know, but that sounds significant. I'll ask the tech guys in Dresden.
Thanks for mentioning that, I think it might be an important observation for troubleshooting purposes.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (PanEuropean)*

*Archival Note:* Related post with more detailed discussion of antenna amplifiers - Retrofitting a Television Tuner.
Michael


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
Hmmmm... I don't know, but that sounds significant. I'll ask the tech guys in Dresden.
Thanks for mentioning that, I think it might be an important observation for troubleshooting purposes.
Michael

Thanks, any help is appreciated!

rgds
Johan


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## jlindy (Mar 21, 2006)

My FM seems to work ok most of the time. Sometimes it will not list a station that comes in very strong, but that is rare.
My problem is the AM is TERRIBLE. I very rarely listent to AM, but just yesterday I was trying to get the Cardinals playoff game. I have a total of two stations that come in at all on AM and one is so bad you can't hear anything. There has got to be something wrong with this? Any ideas?


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: (jlindy)*

Hi Jeff:
The usual 'first question' when troubleshooting any kind of radio reception issues: Do you have aftermarket tint applied to the rear glass?
Michael


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

OK, so the car is booked in to have it all looked at, but I think this is a bigger problem than just the FM side, sat in the car waiting the other night, watching a film on the TV, and as soon as I 'turned on' bits of the car, the there would be a brief drop-out. (things like turning on the the residual heat' function), most odd... Hopefully the will be able to cure it.
Regards,
Johan


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## car_guy (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Realist42* »_OK, so the car is booked in to have it all looked at, but I think this is a bigger problem than just the FM side, sat in the car waiting the other night, watching a film on the TV, and as soon as I 'turned on' bits of the car, the there would be a brief drop-out. (things like turning on the the residual heat' function), most odd... Hopefully the will be able to cure it.

The residual heat system turns on a coolant circulation pump as well as the HVAC fans. I'm sure this creates quite a draw from the battery especially when they start up (going from rest to operating speed). This probably causes a voltage drop and accounts for the brief drop-out.


_Modified by car_guy at 5:53 AM 10-19-2006_


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (car_guy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *car_guy* »_The residual heat system turns on a coolant circulation pump as well as the HVAC fans. I'm sure this creates quite a draw from the battery especially when they start up (going from rest to operating speed). This probably causes a voltage drop and accounts for the brief drop-out.

_Modified by car_guy at 5:53 AM 10-19-2006_

True, and I did consider that, but as it is only a signal drop and not a drop in picture birghtness. Basically you get a breif loss of data sync on the digital reception, so picture becomes pixelated and there is a momentary loss of picture...
regards,
Johan


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## jlindy (Mar 21, 2006)

*Re: (PanEuropean)*

Does that make a huge difference? I didn't put it on myself, but it looks as if I have some tint on my car because it is my understanding that factory tint is between the two panes and mine is on the inside right? If I do, is there anything that can be done to make it better without taking off the tint?


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: (jlindy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *jlindy* »_Does that _(tint)_ make a huge difference? I didn't put it on myself, but it looks as if I have some tint on my car because it is my understanding that factory tint is between the two panes and mine is on the inside right? If I do, is there anything that can be done to make it better without taking off the tint?

It depends on what the tint is made of. If it is a metallic film, it will really, really screw up the antennas. If it is not metallic, it is possible that it will have no effect whatsoever.
Michael


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## jlindy (Mar 21, 2006)

*Re: (PanEuropean)*

I looked at it closer and it looks like it is not covering a few of the lines. I can take a picture to show you what I am talking about, but will do it later today when I get back. How do you know if it is metallic from looking at it and having no knowledge of its installation? FM works just fine by the way.


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Realist42* »_I have found FM reception to be very poor, all other cars I have had (I still have the C5 and that is very good) can receive the stations in question (Radio 4 et al) with out as much of a hint of distortions, but in the Phaeton it struggles even to receive the station clearly, do I have a problem or is this the norm?
AM is fine, no it is very good in fact, much better than the C5, so I think it is just FM that is trouble some.
The 'Scan' function gives me mostly static to choose from, which I thought was a bit strange...
Regards
Johan

Right, this has now been resolved, resiting the 'tracking' unit fixed the problem, it is worth noting that the location in the euipment bay underneath the parcel shelf was their default location... 
If anyone else has one fitted to that location, or one close by, I suggest moving to get the FM reception that the car should really have.
I for one is very please that this could be fixed in the end.
Best regards
Johan


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## Guenni (Sep 23, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

Hi Johan,
can you please explain that in more detail.
What do you mean with "tracking unit"?









Thanks!
Guenni


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## dododavis (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Guenni)*

Indeed JoHan, can you please re-state that, in more detail. It sounds like a potential (easy) fix for my bad fm reception.
Thanks, Mike


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (dododavis)*

Ok, 
I suspect that my problem is a bit more UK specific as I had a Tracking unit fitted to the car, the unit allows the company to find the car and inform the Police of its location. This works if the car is stolen with keys or car jacked as well. My unit has a GSM modem in it for talking to the company, and this was also in the same equipment bay. Now that it has been moved to a new location, FM reception is now pretty much as good as a Phaeton without.
Not sure how much help this is...
Best regards
Johan


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (Realist42)*

Ah, that explains a lot, and makes everything much more clear.
Tracking units such as the one you described are normally only found in the UK and South Africa, they are virtually unheard of in North America or Continental Europe - hence the confusion expressed by others.
Michael


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## Realist42 (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Impressions - FM radio (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_Ah, that explains a lot, and makes everything much more clear.
Tracking units such as the one you described are normally only found in the UK and South Africa, they are virtually unheard of in North America or Continental Europe - hence the confusion expressed by others.
Michael

To be honest, it took quite some time and dedication by the tracking company to figure out was going on, VW pretty much said that unless the box is removed, we will not diagnose the vehicle...
There was a lot of swapping of parts and taking the unit out to get a reference reading (I never had the car without it) etc, you know the drill.
It worked out in the end, I am happy that I can just call a number and they will let me know if the car has moved. (As I am currently working in Sweden - I like that feature). Or if it is an unauthorised move, they will call me and ask if I know that the car is moving. 
But I guess that is a UK need more than other countries
rgds
Johan


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## bucketman (Nov 5, 2008)

*Suggestions for improving FM radio reception?*

I've owned my Phaeton for almost a year now, enough time to sort through its strengths and weaknesses. One weakness that I am not sure how to address is its substandard FM radio reception. I wouldn't care so much, since most FM progamming is awful, but I've grown to enjoy a somewhat distant college station that I can pick up well in my Saab, fairly well in my M-B and rarely in the Phaeton.
Searching the forum, I can't find any suggestions for improving the reception. Has anyone tried to do this? I presume the problem has to do with poor signal reception, perhaps warranting amplification of some sort. 
Adam


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Suggestions for improving FM radio reception? (bucketman)*

Hi Adam:
Window tint on the rear window usually has a bad effect on FM reception, because the antenna is embedded in the rear window glass. Also, window tinters frequently damage the antenna connections when they apply the tint.
Michael


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## bucketman (Nov 5, 2008)

thanks very much Michael. This car in fact had tint on the windows, which I removed. Perhaps that's the problem.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Archival Note:*

See also this discussion - FM Radio Reception Problems - discussion of cracked antenna amplifier.

But - keep in mind that if you have aftermarket tint applied to your rear window, 99% of the time, that is the cause of the AM or FM radio reception problems. See this discussion about tint: TintDude - Phaeton Windows. It's at an external site, however, I wrote the post for them.

Michael.


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

Adding to this old post to keep it in a relevant place...

I've had radio reception problems for a long time but it seems to have got worse recently.
I pulled back my headliner and found that the antenna amplifier unit plastic cover is cracked, but all other used units on ebay looked cracked too, so not sure if this is the cause. I pulled the antenna connectors off one by one - the only one that I could see that made a difference was the brown one that appears to be Antenna 2 when looking at the "secret" setup menu i.e. when I unclipped it the ANT2 went to OFF. Anyone know what the white and black connectors relate to ? (I did look at the GPS antenna reading when unlipping them but it did not get affected).

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The ANT 1 seems to be permanently off
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Please could someone with a GP3 check to see if their ANT1 and ANT2 are both ON ? (BY holding the Setup menu key for ~10 secs to get the FM option.)
Thanks,
Robbie.


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## West Country (Jan 4, 2012)

Robbie -

Yes, I won't upload a photo because it's a faff, but on my GP3 the FM tuner screen looks similar to yours (apart from station frequency) BUT both ANT1 and ANT2 are 'on'.

Earlier this year my FM radio became impossible to listen to because of constant interference, akin to a very weak or poor signal, especially while on the move.

My own basic OBD reader showed:

00856 – 107
Radio Antenna
Sporadic 002 – Open circuit

Under extended warranty VW replaced the antenna amplifier. They had first mooted a poor connection to the infotainment, but on the basis of forum discussions I had suggested that maybe the amplifier was the cause. 

The fault code has gone and there has been some improvement since, but FM is still not as stable and interference-free as I seem to remember it. My suspicion is that in a move to drive us all towards DAB 'they' are weakening the FM transmissions, but perhaps that's just a conspiracy theory on my part.

Thanks for the reminder about pressing and holding the Setup button, which as well as giving FM and AM information also gives infotainment part no/hardware/software/maps version numbers.

Edmund


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

Thanks very much for checking for me Edmund.
I'm going to experiment by temporarily plugging a standard amplified roof aerial into the rear connectors and see what happens. If there is marked improvement, I'll permanently attach it to where the shark fin aerial goes on cars with the phone prep.

Strangely, while investigating more today, I found that the ANT1 is back on  I've now figured out that :

White connector is ANT 1
Brown connector is ANT 2
Black connector is GPS

I unclipped the amplifier and cleaned up the metal contact points a bit more on the rear window with fine wet & dry paper - they did appear to be quite oxidised (photo).












West Country said:


> Thanks for the reminder about pressing and holding the Setup button, which as well as giving FM and AM information also gives infotainment part no/hardware/software/maps version numbers.


As another reminder, after you have got into the secret menu, if you keep holding the Setup button a bit longer (~ 5 secs extra) then you get a second secret menu with lots of other stuff to look at 

Robbie.


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## TootallTV (Sep 29, 2018)

robbie-rocket-pants said:


> Thanks very much for checking for me Edmund.
> I'm going to experiment by temporarily plugging a standard amplified roof aerial into the rear connectors and see what happens. If there is marked improvement, I'll permanently attach it to where the shark fin aerial goes on cars with the phone prep.
> 
> Strangely, while investigating more today, I found that the ANT1 is back on  I've now figured out that :
> ...


Having just purchased a 2007 3.0 TDI, I was surprised and disappointed by the cruddy FM reception. Being of a certain age, I like to listen to Radio 2 - usually a paragon of receivability - but in my Phaeton it's a scratchy, crackly, barely-there mess. The other stations are very similar.

I have tried manually tuning and re-setting but it seems to be an aerial problem, as half the time there's no RDS display - usually a sign of really weak reception. The CDs play fine - the audio seems to be very good, as I'd expect.

The car doesn't seem to have any screen tinting, thankfully, so that's probably not the issue.

In other news, I also tried holding the Reset button. It reset the system. A long hold simply resulted in the screen going black, the VW logo appearing, the screen going black, the VW logo appearing, the screen going black... etc

So, haven't managed to even find out what audio system I have.

I don't seem to have telephone connectability - and I'd love to rectify that.

Looking for ideas...


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

Hi TootallTV,
Thanks for the info.
I think your 2007 model will have the J523 unit rather than the RNS810, so the Secret menu thing doesn't apply. 
I will update once I've plugged an external aerial into mine to check it.
Robbie.


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

robbie-rocket-pants said:


> Hi TootallTV,
> Thanks for the info.
> I think your 2007 model will have the J523 unit rather than the RNS810, so the Secret menu thing doesn't apply.
> I will update once I've plugged an external aerial into mine to check it.
> Robbie.


Robbie

I was just coming here to ask you if there was also a secret menu for the ZAB. I tried holding down the settings button on my J523 and nothing happened.

I just also noticed you said "setup" not "settings". My bad.

-Eric


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

Hi Eric.
Sorry, if there is a way to a hidden menu in the J523, I don't know of it.
Robbie.


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

I did a bit more investigating today -

I plugged an external aerial into my ANT1 cable. I used a cheap amplified aerial like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4258-Power-Amplified-Car-Window-Interior-Mount-Stereo-Radio-Antenna-Universal/253799434758?hash=item3b17a00a06:g:WyEAAOSwPu9bZ5kr
and a couple of suitable DIN to FAKRA (VW style plug) converters.

The reception definitely improved, although it did not cause ANT1 to show as being switched ON. Also strangely, the reception did not improve at all when I put power to the aerial even though its LED was lit.

So I left this aerial, unpowered, connected to ANT1 and placed it in the roof above the headlining.

While I was fiddling, I did fully remove the car amplifier unit and noticed that what I had assumed to be a plastic black cover over the electronics is actually some form of rubber which has the electronics embedded in it - so if the rubber is cracked (as seems to occur with all Phaetons, probably due expansion/contraction) it is likely that some electronics have also been damaged.


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

robbie-rocket-pants said:


> I did a bit more investigating today -
> 
> I plugged an external aerial into my ANT1 cable. I used a cheap amplified aerial like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4258-Power-Amplified-Car-Window-Interior-Mount-Stereo-Radio-Antenna-Universal/253799434758?hash=item3b17a00a06:g:WyEAAOSwPu9bZ5kr
> and a couple of suitable DIN to FAKRA (VW style plug) converters.
> ...


That's probably potting material. It is used in electronics. I believe it's supposed to protect the components. It's a pain to remove to get at the components but is possible. I saw it most often used in Mil-Spec connector bodies to keep them water resistant. I believe it's still used for power connectors. 

I'll see if I can find an Internet reference.

-Eric


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN said:


> I'll see if I can find an Internet reference.
> 
> -Eric


Here's one that shows what it looks like on another item. It's not much help but shows a typical potted block of components:

http://kevtris.org/Projects/votraxpss/unpot.html

Here's another not-too-helpful reference:

https://engineering.stackexchange.c...e-potting-material-from-an-electronic-package


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## robbie-rocket-pants (Mar 25, 2012)

Interesting. Thanks Eric.
I don't think I'll be doing any de-potting


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## ravenflies (Oct 31, 2013)

The infamous crack starting to develope:








This is not actually potting. It is a semi soft rubber cover held in place with ”hot rivetting”.








It is not casted over or attached to the components.








So I doubt that the crack would affect the function.

Lennart


Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk Pro


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

On the pre-2007 ZAB central display, the 'secret screen' is accessed by going to the display page that lets you move the wipers to maintenance mode, then pressing the top left and top right buttons at the same time for a few seconds.

The radio module displays a second 'secret diagnostics screen' relating to cable continuity while the ZAB is open in VCDS.

Chris


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## TootallTV (Sep 29, 2018)

Paximus said:


> On the pre-2007 ZAB central display, the 'secret screen' is accessed by going to the display page that lets you move the wipers to maintenance mode, then pressing the top left and top right buttons at the same time for a few seconds.
> 
> The radio module displays a second 'secret diagnostics screen' relating to cable continuity while the ZAB is open in VCDS.
> 
> Chris


OOOOOOOOOH! Exciting... 

I will have to have a quick look and see what I can see...


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## TootallTV (Sep 29, 2018)

As the cold weather has finally started to arrive in the UK, I have noticed that my heated rear screen... isn't.

It doesn't seem to de-mist at all, other than as a result of the air in the car being warmed up by the heater.

Since the rear screen heating elements and radio aerial elements are presumably closely linked, that suggests something in that area is not working as it should.

The FM reception is worse than in a 1960s car! This can't be normal...

Also, occasionally - when starting the car - there is no sound at all from the stereo... then if you press a steering-wheel volume control, it comes on. Bizarre and random.

Would diagnostics software point to a fault at the rear screen, do we think? Or does it need taking apart to try and trace the problem?

That seems like it could be an expensive wild goose chase...


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

TootallTV said:


> As the cold weather has finally started to arrive in the UK, I have noticed that my heated rear screen... isn't.
> 
> It doesn't seem to de-mist at all, other than as a result of the air in the car being warmed up by the heater.
> 
> ...


I would scan it with VCDS before taking anything apart. 

Before scanning, I'd check the fuses and relays. The heated rear windows use two fuses and two relays. Did you check them all yet?

Most fuses and relays are shown in a pdf file in post 16 of the fuse thread. Search for "Heated Rear Window":

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3001224

You could also do a very close visual inspection to see if any of the heating wires look broken. 

Before tracing wires, I'd get the Bentley manual, install it on an XP PC and print out the relevant wiring diagrams. The Bentley probably has troubleshooting procedures although I haven't specifically checked for the heated rear window before. I just know that my other VW Bentley manuals have heated rear window troubleshooting tips including the resistance values for the rear heating wires. Because the Phaeton has two circuits for rear window heating, you have to check double the heating wires and have to make sure each lead of your multimeter is on the same circuit.


You could pay a dealer to diagnose it. I would think with the Fault Finding software it shouldn't cost more than a hour's worth of labour.

I chased my tail trying to figure out what was wrong with the trunk (boot) lid on 8486. I checked every fuse that went to the trunk controller or comfort controller, reset it several times and even replaced the trunk control module. Finally I had the dealer diagnose it and the mechanic found broken wires in the harness within 30 minutes. That lid had worked perfectly right before I replaced the left AGM battery and didn't work afterwards. Because it had just worked perfectly, I "knew" it wasn't wiring. 

You might ask fellow UK members if they recommend a main dealer or even a Bentley dealer.


On both of mine, the sound rarely comes on when I first start them. I don't know if it's the default setting or what. Sometimes the sound comes on automatically after I start driving but sometimes not. It might be on automatic speed dependent volume control but it doesn't bother me so I haven't looked into it. 

My rear doors don't unlock unless I unlock them by pressing the unlock button on the key fob twice or unlock from the inside of a front door but it's another setting I have never bothered to look into and change. I have only had rear passengers twice (once per Phaeton) so it's not a big deal to me. 

I'd check the owner's manual to see if speed-dependent volume control is selected. You can also set the default volume. 

Good luck.

-Eric


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## arthurgodsake (Nov 26, 2010)

I found getting a new AGM battery sorted that problem out for me, as well as many others.


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## TootallTV (Sep 29, 2018)

TootallTV said:


> OOOOOOOOOH! Exciting...
> 
> I will have to have a quick look and see what I can see...


Tried this... found the windscreen wiper change screen, pressed and held both top buttons.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

Zilch.

*Disappointed Face*


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