Just got my new TL last Saturday. It's the best! But.... the AM radio seems VERY weak. I live about 70 miles from Chicago, home of some of the biggest AM stations in the country. They normally carry into several surrounding states and I can easily get them in my other car (a Ford). I cannot pick them up from here in my new TL; in fact I can barely pick up local AM stations. What gives? Is this normal?

BTW – With less than 800 miles, it is getting 31 MPG at 73 MPH (avg.) with the 5-speed AT. I’m amazed.

 

My AM reception is fine. I took a trip yesterday where I was ~150 miles outside of the SF Bay Area and I was still getting my usual stations with no problem.

 

do you have metallic tint on the rear window? this can cause interference with the reception.

 

Forget the tint, you average 73mph?? Damn, I know where I'm moving to!

 

i also have a problem w/my am reception i live in new york on long island and mine doesnt come in at all

 

Could you answer the question? Is your car tinted?

If so, did you have metallic tint put on the rear window? It will interfer with Navi and with AM radio reception. See page 3 of Navi manual.

XP

 

Who listens to AM, that's the equivlent of an 8 track.

 

Sports and Politics are on AM.

 

I do. It's not the medium; it's the message. I don't listen to "the radio", I listen to what the radio is playing. Lot's of good talk and NPR on AM and the range is much greater when you are in the boondocks.

Might be a surprise to some, but there's more than music on the radio bands.

 

I thought that was what XM was for, a WIDE varierty of Music and Talk.

 

No NPR on XM. :sqnteek:

 

No - my windows are not tinted. Everything on the car is "factory stock".

Also the 73 MPH avg is on a 4-lane tollway running NW of Chicago (I-90).

 

Alrightee then...

I heard another similar complaint on this forum and it turned out to be a bad connection to the radio antenna on the rear window.

The dealer replaced the connecting cable which cured the problem, so says the reportee. I can't remember who it was but maybe they will chime in if they're still around.

XP

 

WHen I bought my TL in Oct of last year. I had no AM and poor FM reception. I took the car in and they found a damaged cable from the ant to the header. Replaced and sounds great!!!

 

Thanks.

I couldn't remember your screen name but I remembered your story.

XP

 

Thanks everybody. I'm taking the car to the dealer to have them check the cable.

 

Just a quick update on a few items:

The AM radio problem is now fixed. As mentioned by a few others, it was a bad cable (the ground, I think). The radio now works, as you would expect the best radio package available on the market to work.

I've also noticed that a lot of you are having dealer trouble. I, for one, am not. My dealer is Muller's Woodfield Acura in Hoffman Estates, IL. They were very helpful and courteous during the sales process, including selling the car for less than some of you are paying.

They have a large stock on hand. I walked in and told them what I wanted (RRP, Camel, Navi, 5AT). It was ready for a test drive in less than 5 minutes - and it had less than 2 miles on the odometer.

When my license plates came in, I stopped to pick them up. They offered to put on for me and then washed and vacuumed my car. The salesman told me to “just stop by anytime you need a wash. Its always free.”

I am very happy with my Acura decision and especially with this dealer. I wonder if Muller’s business model is unusual. Does anyone else have a dealer like this one?

 

Had same problem. It is caused by amp wire not being connected at factory. Dealer corrected, but pain in butt to waste half a day to and from dealer. This should not happen in an Acura. Seems to be common problem--18xxx

 

I'm reviving another stale thread.

My 2005 TL is having problems with the FM signal. I noticed this immediately and I do NOT have any tinting on my windows.

At this point I am going to take it to the dealership, but I wanted to check and see if anyone else had a similar problem.

 

I've always wondered how much the embedded window antenna actually cuts down on reception. Although it does look clean......tradeoff I guess

 

I am not so sure the reception is adversely affected. I have had embedded antennas on my last two cars (Saab & TL) and found that the reception was actually better than an external antenna. I can receive excellent reception (both AM & FM) from Seattle which is 80 miles distant.