I rarely drive my Crossfire at night and when I do I may or may not listen to the stereo. Since the stock stereo is so crappy I usually just prefer to listen to the engine/intake/ supercharger. This morning when I left for work it was just dark enough to require my exterior lights. When I turned on the stereo to listen to the news the FM reception was terrible but I continued to listen. As it got brighter out, I shut down the ext. lights and suddenly my stereo reception was perfect.
When I got home I ran a few tests and realized that as soon as I put on my running lights (no headlights) the reception got fuzzy. The only lighting mod I presently have are the el cheapo LED licence plate lights (complete assembly). So I removed them and retested....sure enough, reception was perfect again,. Put them back in and horrible again. I bought the LED lights from the same online source as many others here. Has no one else had this issue?
I need to find another set that won't interfere with the stereo.

 

I too have these plug in LED license plate lights...SO
After just reading this I went out to my car and tested your theory.

I also get poor radio reception when turning on the parking lights but only on a couple of the FM stations here in Chicago but not all of them.

I have noticed this on cloudy days when I am driving to work early in the AM with the lights on.
I never associated this interference with the lights on but this now explains it.
although I don't understand why these lights cause interference with FM reception

 

Sometimes I have poor reception and I have these lights. I will have to experiment and get back to you.

 

I have some of these lights and I used them to replace the hatch light, there is no problem with my radio.
I checked with and without the headlights on.
These were the lights I used.

 

Gary (valk) I have the same Mercedes LED license plate lights and I have no reception issues with the lights on or not. Mind you I have the 6k morimoto hids along with full interior LEDs and parking light LEDs.

 

This is where I bought mine. You sure you had your radio turned on?

 

My guess is this is what's happening. Also, isnt' our antenna part of the hatch?



FAQ - LED Radio Interference Issues

Some LED lighting products have been reported to emit noise, interfering with FM radio and DAB signals. While the Light Emitting Diodes themselves do not generate any detectable noise, the switching power circuitry driving the LEDs operate at high frequencies, which, when not properly filtered can result in electromagnetic interference.

Based on the reported experiences of some LED users, interference issues and, occasionally EMC violation, can arise as a result of radiated emissions in the 30MHz to 300MHz range by some LED products. The LED lights most commonly involved are of fixture type MR16 (more correctly GU5.3), however radiated emissions have also been observed in other fixture types including GU10, E27 and B22 designs. In the case of MR16 lights, the radiated noise signals would most likely be the result of the electronic transformers driving them rather than the lights themselves.

Electronic transformers are switched mode power supplies that switch the forward current on and off at high frequencies to achieve an average perceived brightness. When these higher frequencies are not properly filtered, it can result in RFI emission. Signals most likely to suffer as a result of radiated noise include FM radio (broadcast band 87.5 to 108.0 MHz) and DAB radio (broadcast band 174 to 230 MHz).

 

I use a voltage stabilizer to keep power steady to all the electrical modules. It helps with my radio reception tremendously.

 

Okay.....but do you have these LED license plate light assemblies and your voltage stabilizer corrects the interference?

 

Thanks PNA
That explains it for those of us who experienced the problem

 

It could be that the LED used in the licence plate light assy. in question is of the dimmable type. A dimmable LED has a microchip which turns on and off power to the LED at a frequency proportional to voltage input. A typical application would be for a dome light.

 

Ok I checked. I have these same light and do not have the interfence when the lights are on. I do have an aftermarket radio though.

 

I do have led license plate assemblies that I ordered from EBAY. Voltage Stabilizer allows me to get stations that I used to not get as well as clearing up stations that I was getting.

 

What brand name and model # of VS are you using? I want one.

 

mobilefitt ????????