Car radio fault

Malarky21

Hi the factory fitted car radio in my car has an intermittent fault where the radio sound just goes off and on. The power to the radio is always there, the fault doesn't happen if listening to a cd. The sound can go off for a hour then come back on or it can be just 5 minutes. Anyone have any ideas what's causing this? Do i need a whole new unit or could it be just a loose wire at the back of the unit?

Flight3287462

Who knows, get an auto electrician to have a look and/or price up a replacement like for like on ebay.

Unlikely to be loose wire if CD still working.

Belenus

It could be an aerial or a tuner fault.

Does it happen when you are driving? That would probably rule out a no signal issue which happens with DAB radio as you pass through a no signal area. Those drop outs due to no signal happen to me regularly but usually only last a few seconds.

Malarky21

It's not got a DAB radio, its AM/FM with CD player, happens when driving, thats the only time i've noticed it happen

Belenus

How old is the car? The lack of a DAB radio suggests to me that it is fairly old, in which case a repair is probably uneconomical unless you can DIY it.

A  used replacement unit can probably be bought fairly cheaply on eBay etc.

AdrianC

Unless the head unit is heavily integrated in the dash, bin it... buy a facia adaptor if required, and just get a decent aftermarket head unit. They're very, very cheap these days - especially if you aren't bothered about CD player, and would rather play music via USB or bluetooth - "mechless".

What car?

Malarky21

It's a kia picanto 10 years old

AdrianC

2011 was the change-over between the original and second generation Picanto. Which is yours?

Facia adaptors are available for both - the newer one is a much bigger slab, because the facia is more "integrated" in the dash.

Malarky21

It's the original 2004-2011