Russ103

Is there any particular reason that AM reception is so bad in this car? I had the windows tinted the day after getting it so I couldn't say if tint on the rear window affects reception.

Am I the only one who listens to talk radio and finds this to be annoying? Where is the antenna in the E?

Anything I can do?

konigstiger

Tint install can sometimes cause problems. Have the dealer check it under warranty could be window antenna circuit.

instantfob

Metallic tint films can affect radio reception. If the dealer confirms the window antenna circuit is good then you might consider changing the tint to ceramic films.

Russ103

Thank you both, I haven't thought about metallic vs. ceramic tint. First time running into this problem.

Only thing that's weird is the FM reception is perfectly fine, not sure what that could mean.

pamiboy

Why do you use AM radio anyways? For traffic information there are free apps .... BTW I haven't found AM radio reception great in any cars, not when I'm traveling at least. Listening to it sounds so 90'sh and old school. Just curious.

Raymond Lee

I haven't found any car with good AM reception either.

instantfob

Some AM radio stations have gone HD.
I stream via iheartradio app when that station hasn't upgraded yet.

BeachBunny

Cars used to have some of the best AM reception. My current 2004 Infiniti M45 easily picks up AM stations 100+ miles away without a problem. I can hear Tampa's WFLA throughout most of Florida. 1110 WBT (Charlotte, NC) is very easy to pick up in my car, even in the daytime.

I'll post a comparison to the E350 when mine arrives. I do suspect all of the computers in the 'Benz will substantially increase the noise floor.

Jeffy

"Radio? Who needs a radio..."

pamiboy

I understand what you are saying, but my question is why....??? Do AM stations offer greater selection of music / talk shows..... I mean is anything better than FM..? (even advertisements...). I don't see the point for rallying behind a soon to be obsolete technology, or may be I'm wrong.

noka

I don't recall my '09 C300 AM reception being bad. My current '13 X3 has decent AM reception with the HD being noticeably clearer (although sometimes annoying when it alternates between standard and high definition). I listen to AM radio during commuting to get latest local weather and traffic (every 10-min) which most FM stations don't provide in sufficient detail or as often. Hopefully the E350 I'm getting will be at least as good.

michael61

> I stream via iheartradio app when that station hasn't upgraded yet.

Yeah, me too. My only problem is when iHeartRadio changes the ads (they are more annoying) and even sometimes the content (late night shows).

Still, I can listen to my local talk station anywhere, which is nice.

BeachBunny

Content, primarily. Reception range is another benefit. There are no FM talkers in most of the areas I'm in. If there are, they're 100% syndicated shows. One of the stations I listen to still does local news & weather on the top & bottom of each hour and has about 8 hrs/day of local-originated content. I also can pick up the station throughout most of the state, albiet a bit noisy at the edges. FM music stations around the state are generally abysmal at best, both in content AND sound quality, HD or not.

Otherwise, I dial into BBC World Service (712) 432.5335 or Deutche Welle English (712) 432.2950 on my mobile phone and go from there. My company has unlimited voice minutes, but unfortunately Verizon dumped our unlimited internet plans.

On the lower-use data months, I'll often fire up the Netherlands' Radio 6 or JazzRadio.fr on the mobile. Ironically, at our office we've got a 160Mbps/160Mbps connection and they generally don't care what we do with it as long as it's legal. Almost all of the office listens to European stations during the day.

pamiboy

So FM music quality is worse than AM...??? That is news to me. I have personally experienced only the opposite in almost all the states I've driven through (mostly the northeast). I agree about the range though. I didn't know that in Florida you have that much content in AM radio.
None of them approach the quality of satellite radio , but their content appears very limited.
Anyway if AM works for you guys then let's hope MB improves their AM quality.

BeachBunny

It's not as much that there's a ton of content on AM radio, rather the lack of content available on FM. As we used to say back when I worked in broadcasting, "It's not that we're #1 because we're the best -- we just suck less than the other stations."

pamiboy

LoL..... Cheers

bmcdanel

A lot of people listen to AM. It's a matter of personal taste. Have you tried HD on AM? It's crystal clear, no static. Only satellite is better, just because it has unlimited range and no commercials. I find something to listen to on AM, FM, and satellite; and I don't need an app or a cellphone to enjoy it, although the guy looking down and sitting through the green light must.

noka

There's only one AM station I found in the (North of) Boston area. It sounds clearer than regular broadcast but sometimes alternates between the two, since HD seems more sensitive to reception difficulty (and that's mildly annoying). The AM reception is generally decent, although I haven't really checked the range/sensitivity. I don't have any tinting.

bmcdanel

My car had a problem with AM reception. The dealer had to contact the Mercedes engineers in Germany to troubleshoot it. There were actually two problems. The long coax cable between the antenna amplifier and the radio unit had a broken wire. This cable was replaced after a month's wait for it to arrive from Germany. It didn't resolve the weak reception. The cable between the antenna and the antenna amplifier was also replaced. This didn't do it either. The antenna itself was finally checked and found faulty. The rear windshield had to be replaced to correct this. Thank goodness it was under warranty. Now the reception is great. I like to listen to a station 200 miles from my town, and it comes in like a local one now. Too bad it took two months to fix the problems. Most of this time was due to Mercedes apparent very clumsy parts distribution system.

zafarmd

Wow man it was great to know the number for BBC world service .
Thanks, Thanks , Thanks

BeachBunny

bmcdanel: Thank you for posting a follow-up.

Now that I have my 2015 E, I can safely say radio reception on this car is excellent! AM and FM. I had a ~175 mile reception on FM this past week, picking up WPOW (Miami) all the way up in Venice, FL. AM's quite good. I'm still able to get HD AM stations in digital 100 miles out mid-day.

dfordham

Your reception in Florida should be good, there isn't much to get in the way. Isn't the highest point in Florida about 6ft ASL?

Regards,
Don

noka

...

Russ103

Thank you for that reply


I'll ask the dealer to check on it during it's next service. I would hate to have to have the rear window tint removed and redone with non metallic film. Doesn't make sense that it wouldn't affect FM reception but AM only though...

listerone

On delivery the AM reception in my Bluetec was abysmal.Took it to the dealer...they found that a part that shouldn't have been painted *had* been painted (can't recall which one).They removed the paint and the AM reception improved substantially.Don't know if my problem affected FM reception because I never listened to it.I listened to AM for news and talk and for music I play the songs stored on my hard drive.