Car Stereos: 06 Nissan Altima am/fm reception issues, dielectric grease, nissan altima

Question
i recently installed an after market stereo(Kenwood) in my '06 Nissan Altima. one of the biggest reasons i installed it was because the stereo that was in the car when i purchased my Altima seemed to have really poor am/fm reception. when i installed the new head unit the radio reception issues were gone. it's been about a month after the installation of the new head unit and now I'm beginning to have reception issues again. the blue antenna wire is connected to my wire harness (i read that suggestion in another post from this website). I'm looking for some troubleshooting guidance or a place to start looking for solutions. any ideas or help would be much appreciated. thanks

Answer
Hi Julius,

The confusing/concerning thing here is that the antenna reception appears to have gotten worse all on its own.

This would lead me to believe it's a loose connection, corroded wire, or the like that you're dealing with.

The first thing I'd look into would be the connection that plugs into the deck itself -- if your factory unit had crappy reception, it probably suffered from the same thing your new one does now, and your unplugging/plugging in a new one rectified it.  You might find some rust/corrosion on the wire, and a little dielectric grease and a light sanding gives you your reception back.

Alternatively, you may find you have to replace your car's antenna or antenna wire.

Justin