Radio problem - facelift 2001 A8

[Magic_Wond]

Have an odd problem with the stock Audi radio on my dad's 2001 A8 (facelift model). The radio has worked fine for about 9 months (since he got the car) but just recently the radio seems unable to pick up any of the FM radio stations which have been programmed into it. CD's work fine, and the stations are still stored in the memory, but there is nothing but static on channel - at best you can only just hear the station, even with the volume cranked up. When searching for stations the unit is no longer able to home in on strong signals and instead often displays the message "LEARN" in the LCD display.

The battery hasn't been disconnected recently, and the radio does not ask for a code when switched on. When my dad bought the car it came with a 'bee-sting' after-market aluminium aerial (the original electric unit having long-since packed in and been replaced), and the radio appeared to work fine for months. He has tried swapping the aerial with a new replacement from Halfords with no benefit.

Any thoughts/ideas? Could it be something simple or is it something for an audio specialist to check out?

[Cockney Boy]

I am not sure if your year had antenna amplifiers, but this could be a possibility, or the cable from your antenna to the head unit has a short or even open circuit.

Have an odd problem with the stock Audi radio on my dad's 2001 A8 (facelift model). The radio has worked fine for about 9 months (since he got the car) but just recently the radio seems unable to pick up any of the FM radio stations which have been programmed into it. CD's work fine, and the stations are still stored in the memory, but there is nothing but static on channel - at best you can only just hear the station, even with the volume cranked up. When searching for stations the unit is no longer able to home in on strong signals and instead often displays the message "LEARN" in the LCD display.

The battery hasn't been disconnected recently, and the radio does not ask for a code when switched on. When my dad bought the car it came with a 'bee-sting' after-market aluminium aerial (the original electric unit having long-since packed in and been replaced), and the radio appeared to work fine for months. He has tried swapping the aerial with a new replacement from Halfords with no benefit.

Any thoughts/ideas? Could it be something simple or is it something for an audio specialist to check out?

[PsYcHe]

There would have been an aerial amplifier in the boot somewhere, so it's possible that it's fried if it was still in place. Pop the carpet off that side to take a look (5 minute job). Cable may also just have worked loose, or the unit has died, but not heard of any goign with that fault.

[Magic_Wond]

Thanks for the advice guys, will have a look at the aerial amplifier asap.

[IT_S8]

There is a diversity switcher on the D2's that is used to feed the FM signal to the radio - For some reason it is a common fault that this connector breaks on the circuit board making a bad connection.

The switcher is located at the underneath the C/D pillar glass on the passenger side. You will need to remove the rear seats to gain access to it.

It is a small black box with 10 coax connectors and a power feed.

If you want more details on its location / appearance check out this post on another forum:

A8 Parts Forum - View Single Post - RNS-E Retrofit into a D2....