When my car was in the dealer earlier this week to fix the recalls, I asked about the poor AM reception and he said there is a brass strip that fixes the problem, but I'd have to pay $120 for the to fix it. (I decided to pass). After searching the archives, I found a write up for the S80, but after looking for the antenna unit in my car (2001 S60 T5), it seems it's in a different location than the S80 (rear quarter panel area). Does anyone have write up for the repair, or has anyone ever done this? I can't find the antenna, and wanted to know where it was. Thanks!

 

It should be in the same place. You remove the panel all the way?

 

Yes I did. There was nothing on the passenger's side, and on the driver's side there was a big black box that seemed to be the fuse box. It looked nothing like the antenna in the S80 write-up picture. Do you by any chance have a picture of it? Thanks!

 

No picture but what kind of wires were going to the box?
If there was a single round wire then most likely that is it on the drivers side.

 

I'll recheck it tomorrow and try to post a pic. I have noticed that when I turn the rear window defogger on then off, it clears the static instantly.

 

Ok I will be waiting to hear from you.
Also you might want to check the bolt on the bottom of the Antenna Booster(Black box) You might have to open the hole a little and clean the connections then tighten the bolt again.
There was also a bulletin about that.

 

Ok, so while snooping around in the trunk, I found a little green rectangular box (half inch thickness) that seemed to have a cable like the one in the S80 antenna write up. I unbolted it, and unplugged the cable, and found that it had an outlet that was not plugged in at all. On the box itself it says:

Volvo
94 59 222
FM RHS
AAR 935
Germany

Whether plugged or unplugged, it made no difference in the quality of the radio reception. So do I have the right box/antenna? Or is this something else? Also, I wonder why the outlet was unplugged. Again, ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

That sounds like the Antenna booster.
Maybe the booster is bad.

 

Would the booster effect both AM and FM? My FM reception is ok, but my AM is horrible.

 

It really affects the AM.

Volvo has really had a hard time getting with the program with the AM reception.

 

My FM reception has been terrible on my 2001 S60, since I got it used. Did your problem ever get fixed?