mrtc

Hell yeah! Get that TSB on!



Seriously, there are lots of variables that can cause static. Could be a HU problem. Could be an antenna problem. Could be an internal wiring problem, which would be seriously hard to troubleshoot and might NEVER get solved (someone with SAB might get worse reception than someone without SAB, for instance). Tint can cause problems with reception. Your area may just have crappy signals (too far/too many stations/major antenna farms in the way), and it takes a superior stereo NOT to get static.

svt saw firsthand the reason dealers hate to just go around swapping hardware - you take the parts and labor cost for a new HU and then it doesn't solve the problem, who's out that money? Dealer.

What you guys need is to talk to an expert in radio reception (maybe a trusted local car stereo dealer or two who have done thousands of installs - NOT a 25-year-old install monkey) and troubleshoot the problem. Your dealer probably doesn't have the time or (especially) the knowledge.

Your dealer already helped you with the first troubleshooting step: since it isn't reproduceable at the dealership itself, you can rule out the idea that your wiring or the HU is adding the noise, so it must be a reception problem. Now try swapping an antenna - your dealer probably has one on hand you can borrow for a few minutes. Start with easy stuff.

LeeD

Anybody get this fixed yet?

I'm still having problems with my radio reception and just haven't had the time to deal with the dealership....

TeaSea

I just found this thread. Before I found this thread I posted an FM reception complaint under general>dear scion https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41323
Has anyone here contacted or been contacted by Scion Customer relations? Has anyone discovered a fix? Everyone should let Scion know about their problem so Scion can get on Pioneer to come up with the fix. That is what it may take.

iowagary

well you'd think Scion would have some sort of record of it if we're all getting it - anyone know what the right way to report this is?

TheScionicMan

You gotta take it in and have the service dept write it up and look at it. That's what they use for stats to justify TSBs and such. Anecdotal evidence won't help, IMO...

sciontc_mich

definitely call scion and report this.. they know of my cd player problems with my head unit.. i went through three (including the original).. i noticed this one had the best sound.. works great.. pioneer has a quality control problem.. not really surprised, i never thought pioneer was that high of quality anyway.. rather have alpine.. well eventually that will go in.. but for stock it shouldn't have static..

iowagary

So your reception problems were really head unit related, not antenna related? I guess that's good to know.

LeeD

iowagary, I think your missreading sciontc_mich's message. His problems were NOT reception related, but CD related that were fixed by the head unit.

iowagary

That makes more sense, but too bad...

TeaSea

HOW TO LET SCION KNOW ABOUT YOUR RADIO PROBLEM

We have to be very persistent and very patient. We need to contact SCION directly and let them know about the lousy FM reception the radio is getting.

This is how to contact SCION directly.

#1 Telephone: call SCION toll free at 1-866-70-SCION

#2 eMail: go to the following url: https://secure.scion.com/scion/ssl/c...contactForm.do

Fill out the eMail form. Use the pull down menu to direct your complaint to Customer Relations. Answer all of the questions. If your FM reception is crummy let SCION know. If other radios get clear reception in the same location and on the same stations that your SCION gets crummy, noisy reception---let SCION know.

There will be some hassle and frustration involved. You can handle it. SCION will tell you that the only way to get your radio fixed is to take it to the dealer. The dealer won’t know much about what to do except to pull the head unit out and check the connections and put the head unit back in. If the reception is still bad (and it probably will be) don’t give up. Let both SCION and your dealer know. The next step would be for the dealer to put in a new head unit. Odds are that won’t fix the problem.

SCION is right to require this procedure because they don’t “know” that there is a problem until it has been documented in enough cases so that the engineers and the bean counters know that it is not just a few fussy guys with time on their hands _____ing.

SCION has informed me that “There are no current service bulletins for this issue.” If enough of us document the problem there WILL be a service bulletin and our radios will get fixed. The fix may be a new board in the head unit, a re-routing of the antenna wire, a different antenna, wiring the unused antenna embedded in the windshield to the head unit in addition to the existing antenna or replacement of the head unit with a different design. Or it may be none of those things and something completely different that none of us have thought of.

Let’s help SCION figure out how to help us.

iowagary

I'm going to fill in the email contact form now - one question though - you mention an unused antenna embedded in the windshield... what are you talking about? Are you implying there is an antenna wired into the rear windshield, a la the xB? I really don't think there is...

TeaSea

No, iowagary, that's not what I meant. If you look at the tC (front) windshield you will see some dark "dots" spread out at the top center of the windshield. Like just "behind" (from the inside) the rear view mirror. Those "dots" are, I think, a radio antenna. According to the wiring diagram/schematic for the tC the only antenna connected to the radio is the one on the rear fender. The windshield may be used in vehicles other than the tC, or, who knows :?:

I wouldn't want to speculate that they just forgot to "hook it up" but perhaps it could be used to boost performance.

Oh! And thanks for your support of The Cause.

iowagary

I'm pretty sure those black dots clustered around the rear view mirror are just that - dots. If you fold down the sun shades, you'll notice the dots somewhat fill in the area between them. If the sun hits right in this area, it would be totally in your eyes and there is nothing you can do about it, so they put those dots on there to block it out somewhat. my dad's Prius has it as well, in a larger area, as the fold down sun visors are smaller. I could be totally wrong, but I'm pretty sure this isn't an antenna.

I wish it was...

LeeD

It's not the antenna. It's to prevent the sun getting in your eyes.

When you have both visors down, sometimes the sun sneaks between them where the rear view mirror is. Thos dots reduce the suns intensity some.

You'll also find those same dots around the outer diameter of just about every window on our cars, and other cars.

sciontc_mich

hey gary.. yeah my problems were with the headunit.. bad cd player but also noticed as the replacements were put in the radio part actually did get better reception as well..

sciontc_mich

yeah i think they are talking about the sirius satellite antennna that might be going in that area.. since there is a new "on the glass, inside" antenna for sirius.. but for now yes those dots are just to remove sunlight if it shines into that area.. i think it's a great idea.. most cars have that now.

TeaSea

Thanks for the input guys. What you say makes sense.....but: if the dots are there to screen our eyes from sunlight not blocked by the visors why do they go all around the windshield? And why is the dotted area wider on the righthand side of the windshield than on the lefthand side?

Gonna ask a Scion/Toyota Tech in the Know.

LeeD

Welp, at one time somebody suggested trying to change the radio setting from a tC calibration to xA. Checking my setting, I found for my xA, my radio was set for a tC. I changed i to and xA, think it was better calibrated for the antenna... Nope. Just makes the sound louder and fuller.

To see what your radio is set to, hold the silver button on the left. SSP? for about 5 sec. You should see tC, xB, or xA on the screen. Then release it and press the volume button to toggle between the two. It should then timeout and reset back to the radio screen.

Anybody find the time to get their car in and get it looked at yet? I've still been too busy...

iowagary

Almost all of the tC folks agree that having it set to xA sounds better, but I think it's more of an equalizer preset than anything else - I don't think it has anything to do with radio reception. I wish it did.