Bad radio reception. how do i fix faulty aerial on 3 series 1998 bmw

Some tints have metal in them so it might cause you grief but how is the radio when you wind down the windows ?
A power aerial might fix the problem put in the front fender and then run to the radio via a coaxial cable.
However in my car it was the radio that was the cause of the same bad reception and it worked on one channel only.
I have since replaced the radio but this may not be the cause of your problem and you would want to really know if the radio was the cause before incurring an expense of a new car radio.

have to go to BMW

If ur radio is bad maybe your antener has come lose at rear of head unit... some systems also earth through the antener so this could cause it to shut off. Hope this helps.. Craig

One of the problems with AM reception iam afraid but here i suspect that the aerial mounting isnt earthing properly thus causing the AM reception to be susceptable to interference

Thats a very unprofessional attitude from a BMW dealer.The least they could have done was to try on your X3 a radio from another X3 and that way eliminate or not,if it your radio is faulty.I work at a Bmw dealer and thats the thing we would do.An issue like yours would not come up on the computer!If they checked all the aerial wiring from the radio to aerial and its ok,then its a faulty radio FM tuner.
Is your car still under warranty.Either way report the dealer to Bmw NA.

Well i remember the M25 being built so i wouldnt know about radio reception ,but i do remember radio london and caroline.Now i would imagine that this sort of auto reset of tuning reception is controled by a micro chip and this chip is now not working as it should so if you want it to work then its most likely cheaper to install a new radio.Or just use long wave for radio 4.

Poor aerial connection, check rear of unit and aerial itself.

This is a common problem with all bmws - BMW refuses to acknowledge it but I have owned 3 and they all have this problem - The dealer blames it on the tinting (which in my car was all original from the factory) but they refuse to fix under warranty - Something about when the back window gets wet which also has the antannae in it will make almost no reception on the radio.

I have spoken to others with the exact same problem and my latest bmw 2003 is still experiencing this problem

the usual cause of this is a defective antenna or antenna ground, if it is a power antenna verify a good ground, if ok replace the antenna, also check the coax connector to the back of the radio.

Was the aftermarket kit made in China? If so, that's probably your main problem!