trcox57

Got a 2011 A5 and the reception on the Sirius component of the radio is terrible.
Every single bridge I drive under, no matter how small..the radio cuts out. Even in some cases, driving around with no obstructions it will cut out for 2 to as long as 5 seconds. Very annoying.
I live in the DC area so I wouldn't think satellite location would be an issue.
I have an E350 with Sirius and the radio really never cuts out.
I took the car into Audi to have them look at it and got the "well that's the way it is with radio's"
Even when confronted with the comparisons to the Benz and many other cars I've had with XM or Sirius...
Sounds like BS to me...

Any opinions?
Thanks
TC

KarlFEvans

It is BS. I live in DC and have two Sirius radios-- one in the S5 that works just fine, and a second stand alone unit. Going under a substantial overpass will cause the signal to cut out sometimes. But the overpass is usually a double bridge.

Over the years the stand alone unit would lose reception, and I would replace the antenna and wiring. With a new antenna I get excellent reception.

I suspect a loose antenna connection or a faulty antenna. I think the antenna on your car is the shark fin.

phil.az

Did you find a solution? My 2010 is also spotty, it seems especially sensitive to electric power lines and/or metal poles. On my 30 minute commute I lose reception in the same 4 spots every day. The thing works perfectly on the open highway and everywhere else so I don't feel blaming the antenna is valid. I've also driven the same route with 5 different satellite equipped cars and the A5 is the only one to lose reception along the way.

Markus Stampfli

2010 S5 - Same here, and I second the power lines. I'm going to look at the antenna fin as a culprit next.

Force-1

No issues with my S5, Q7, or 2011 A5.

I had a 2005 Corvette with the same problem. Chevy finally diagnosed it as a bad antenna. New antenna corrected the problem.

phil.az

My car was in a different dealer today for an in-between oil change that I paid out of pocket. The SA and I spoke about the antenna issue and he pretty much said it's common to all their cars. He even named a close-by intersection that's a known dead zone and sure enough, I lost reception right there on the way in.

Anyway, the SA doesn't believe a replacement antenna will fix the problem. I believe him. He did give me the number for Customer Relations and suggested that if enough people complain maybe Audi will do something about it.

I'll contact Customer Relations as suggested but otherwise have resolved to just live with it.

uberwgn

Yes, consider yourself lucky you don't live in my area. The reception in my car drops out often in the winter. Once the trees are leaved out, like right now, it gets really bad. Seems to be an Audi-wide issue.

AUDIIOS

I had a 2004 S4 with factory Sirius, and a 2012 and 2013 Q5 with factory Sirius. The 2004 and 2012 behaved the same way, if anything the '12 was slightly more temperamental. I wouldn't so much have trouble with overpasses (only sporadically), but cell towers always caused it to cut out. It won't help you but on the '13 the radio works much better. Only the occasional overpass issue I had before.

My service advisor acknowledged the "change" but wasn't able to explain it.