Recommend me a car stereo

[abigsmurf]

I like listening to Talk sport but the signal is appauling (as are most stations. Plus loads of stuff in my car interferes with it (even the brakes). Any decent radios with high quality receivers or amplifiers? Assume digital won't make things better.

Not looking at spending a huge amount, don't care about a speaker system or fancy display.

[CMcK]

Try an amplifier for the aerial first. What kind of car and stereo do you have at present?

[vanpeebles]

Sounds like an aerial problem as said. Some cars have weird aerials these days, like the heater lines on the rear window.

[charlesr]

A long time ago, a friend had a fiesta with a radio unit. I.e. just a radio, no tape/CD.

He could drive through the dartford tunnel with reception the whole way through, whereas every other radio I have heard before or since blanks out very quickly. Amaze. Get one of those!

[abigsmurf]

Try an amplifier for the aerial first. What kind of car and stereo do you have at present?

Standard Skoda one. Bit horrible anyway, should really replace it.

[superkully]

Have you got a Fabia? I know the Ibiza/Polo/Fabia have a problem where water gets in to the roof mounted aerial and rots out the wiring below.

I had the same problem as you in 2008 and the place I went in to said they get a few every month with the same problem - not sure whether the problem is also common to other VAG models. Just replaced the aerial and reception is great.

[abigsmurf]

Yeah it's an 03 Fabia. May give that a go. Arials are pretty cheap, even ones with amplifiers.

How involved is the work in replacing the arial?

[superkully]

There we have it - my '03 Ibiza was the same.

I took it in to a car audio place in Reading.

Check out briskoda.net - they're a helpful bunch and will point you in the right direction.