GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Ok I have an '03 Vibe...Never had a problem with her. Now all of the sudden my radio isn't working. It will work for a short time then it goes to static. Then the station comes back. Then out again....I Have to Have tunes when driving. It's the only way to drive a Vibe...Fast & Rocking. The back of the radio has been checked all connections are secure. The defroster lines aren't blown. The antenna is on good working order. All connections behind the glove box are connected. I am so stumped. Really can't afford the dealer and no one else in town fixes stock radios. Oh I also have the one with Nav & CD changer. Please if there is anyone out there who can help me please I have thought of everything I think. Thank you

well if its your radio this one on ebay might be the same as yours, looks like it has the navigation system and 6 disc changerhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...fefcd

Quote, originally posted by dgekiere »well if its your radio this one on ebay might be the same as yours, looks like it has the navigation system and 6 disc changerhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...fefcdI read that ebay listing as the indash 6CD radio, not the GPS NAV unit with external CD changer deal.It's hard to know what might be the problem. Does it affect just radio reception or is it all audio (such as playing CDs) Does it happen for AM as well as FM? Does it happen when you are parked, or is it remlated to bumps in the road? Does it seem to go out and come back in some sort of regular repeating pattern or is it fairly random?

It is only radio reception. My Nav & my CD chnager work. It happens on am & fm stations. It happens parked,driving, turning,etc. It happens all the time no matter the circumstances. And the way it comes & goes is random. No pattern just no station. Any ideas?

My husband has discovered that my radio quits once it warms up. So I think the fan has gone out. Any ideas out there please?!?!?!?!

Quote, originally posted by ladyintheredvibe »It is only radio reception. My Nav & my CD chnager work. It happens on am & fm stations. It happens parked,driving, turning,etc. It happens all the time no matter the circumstances. And the way it comes & goes is random. No pattern just no station. Any ideas?Quote, originally posted by ladyintheredvibe »My husband has discovered that my radio quits once it warms up. So I think the fan has gone out. Any ideas out there please?!?!?!?!To me (I've done head unit repair work) it sounds 95% sure, like a bad solder connection INSIDE of the tuner section itself..The "only does it when it's warm" practically assures me of this.. I've taken HUNDREDS of HU's apart and fixed them, never a stock unit though, AFA I know, there aren't any repair manuals available for them and I wouldn't proceed without one.. Time for a replacement (if you can't just live without the radio, I know I can) stock unit, or it's time to go aftermarket.. We just got my GF a Pioneer AVH-P3300bt from Al&Eds Autosound (online vendor, 100% factory authorized, price match) for 345.00shipped and it's got it all.. No need for a CD changer anymore, I mean most things are on digital format anyway, and it's got a front SD card slot and USB port.. it does DVD, it CAN do NAV with the NAVI upgrade, it's touch screen, has BlueTooth so it connects with your phone automatically for hands free driving.. It also pulls your contact list, so you can make calls right from the HU.. Slick.. Good luck on whatever you decide..

These cars use an amplified antenna, the antenna amp is built into the base of the antenna (up under the headliner) There is a small chance that the antenna amp is bad instead of the radio. If it were me, I'd find a way to temporarily hook up some other kind of antenna to see if the problem still happens. Sitting there parked, not running, stick the end of a length of wire (long enough to get a station) into the antenna jack on the back of the radio, tune to a station and leave it on long enough to be able to tell if the problem re-occurs.Its a remote chance, but if its the antena it would be a lot cheaper to fix than a new head unit, and if its the antenna and you do get a new head unit, you'd still have the antenna problem.

FINALLY...I have found someone with the EXACT same problem as me. People look at me with a blank stare when I try to describe the issue. At first, mine would work and then not work (and when I say not work, I mean static) off and on but now it is static all the time. My mechanic thought he fixed it but as soon as I drove, it went back to static. I, too, need music...I cringe every time I turn on my car b/c I'm sick of hearing the same cd's over and over again. Because I have the navigation unit as well (but a very outdated disk) I've been thinking about just getting a new stereo/navigation unit all together so I just started researching them. Well good luck and PLEASE let me know if you figure out the problem and I will do the same.

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »To me (I've done head unit repair work) it sounds 95% sure, like a bad solder connection INSIDE of the tuner section itself..The "only does it when it's warm" practically assures me of this.. I've taken HUNDREDS of HU's apart and fixed them, never a stock unit though, AFA I know, there aren't any repair manuals available for them and I wouldn't proceed without one.. Time for a replacement (if you can't just live without the radio, I know I can) stock unit, or it's time to go aftermarket.. We just got my GF a Pioneer AVH-P3300bt from Al&Eds Autosound (online vendor, 100% factory authorized, price match) for 345.00shipped and it's got it all.. No need for a CD changer anymore, I mean most things are on digital format anyway, and it's got a front SD card slot and USB port.. it does DVD, it CAN do NAV with the NAVI upgrade, it's touch screen, has BlueTooth so it connects with your phone automatically for hands free driving.. It also pulls your contact list, so you can make calls right from the HU.. Slick.. Good luck on whatever you decide.. I am having the same problem but am interested in purchasing a new stereo/navigation unit all together because I want to be able to hook up my ipod. Did you install your GF's new pioneer yourself? And when you say Navi upgrade, do you know how much that was? One last question when you say "no need for CD changer anymore" does that mean I can't hook up an aftermarket to my 6 cd changer? Sorry for all the questions, obviously I'm not very tech savy when it comes to car stereos!!