DAB Radio

[DavidNew]

20 minutes ago, SiHew said:

Thanks @cliffcoggin, I thought the previous thread had reached maximum posts.

Me too - all comments had stopped which I thought was odd.

[Robc1]

Hi all,

 

Q3 2017, same issues as above!

It can’t see what the solution is? Unless Audi do a callback and install new audio systems into all the effected vehicles (very unlikely), then it seems we just will have no radio stations in a few years once all the stations move to DAB!
 

 

[cliffcoggin]

4 hours ago, SiHew said:

Thanks @cliffcoggin, I thought the previous thread had reached maximum posts.

As far as I know there is no sensible limit to the number of posts per topic.

Realistically, until somebody discovers and posts a solution to the problem all one can do is add "me too" posts to increase the weight of evidence against Audi, and therefore is worthwhile even if there is no response.

It seems to me, as somebody who is unaffected by the problem, that Audi, as the vendor of the affected equipment, has responsibilty for its faults no matter which subcontractor made the radio for them. That is my interpretation of the Sale Of Goods Act 1979, and its successor the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

[Miss BB]

My Audi Q3 DAB radio has also stopped working I can only get FM station has anyone been able to get any answers from Audi?

[cliffcoggin]

30 minutes ago, Miss BB said:

My Audi Q3 DAB radio has also stopped working I can only get FM station has anyone been able to get any answers from Audi?

Barbara please do not create a new topic when there is an existing one that matches your own subject.

[Paul_UK74]

1 hour ago, cliffcoggin said:

As far as I know there is no sensible limit to the number of posts per topic.

Realistically, until somebody discovers and posts a solution to the problem all one can do is add "me too" posts to increase the weight of evidence against Audi, and therefore is worthwhile even if there is no response.

It seems to me, as somebody who is unaffected by the problem, that Audi, as the vendor of the affected equipment, has responsibilty for its faults no matter which subcontractor made the radio for them. That is my interpretation of the Sale Of Goods Act 1979, and its successor the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

The solution is, all RMC HW H61 needs to be :-

1. Firmware updated to enable DAB+ decoding 

2. H61 swapped for a DAB+ working version.

The vehicles affected were sold as DAB+ ready. 

It is 100% HW61 of the RMC MMI that is the issue. 

[Ruddy2906]

Hi all,

 

Really please I have found this thread, my radio has been driving me mad thinking I had done something wrong.

i have a 2017 Q3 with the same issues. I was about to go to Audi but reading this, seems a waste of time. Thanks in advance to those of you who are pushing this. I’m also Newcastle area, please let me know if there is anything I can do

[Louiset]

On 4/10/2025 at 7:12 PM, Louiset said:

Add me to list, please, with 2016 Q3.  Lost dab channels at same time, end march,  except also lost Virgin main station, which they say is still Dab, not dab+, only their anthems/ legend station is just dab+.  Also lost talksport2, and a whole list is stations I don't listen to.  BBC all ok but then they are all fine on FM.  According to my manual it is a dab+ radio installed.

 

[Matthew Q3 Black Edition]

Same issue here - 2018 Q3 black Edition.

I'm not sure the problem is solely DAB+, there must be more to it. Radio X switched to DAB+ a good couple of years ago, after the switch my old DAB radio at work would no longer find/play the station but there was no problem in the car until end of March, same as others are reporting.

Keeping a keen eye on posts here, thanks to everyone that's tried to reached out to Audi. I have a friend that works in the Hitchin(Hertfordshire) dealership, I'll update if I hear anything.

[Richard E]

I've made an enquiry of a well known supplier of VW/Audi audio system upgrades. Their reply was -

Quote

Unfortunately, we don't have a solution for this Q3 RMC radio not receiving DAB+ stations, as it is due to the chipset's inability to decode the transmission of some radio channels.

So it very much looks as if we are all stuck with no DAB+ unless Audi come up with a hardware upgrade.

[Paul_UK74]

So RMC engineers that engineered the HW61 version of the MMI have installed a chipset that does not have the same capabilities as the older HW54 version. Since that is what my brother has installed in his A6 2013. 

Someone has to be held accountable because our vehicles were sold as DAB+ capable. 

Audi and whoever made the RMC MMI have to sort this out. Surely?

[DavidNew]

A quick Googe search reveals there were 622,873 Audi motorcars sold in the UK 2015-2018

A large proportion of these are no longer able to receive national DAB radio stations which is a significant audience lost to the broadcasters and a great business opportunity for someone to develop a fix.

[Smithers01]

30 minutes ago, Paul_UK74 said:

So RMC engineers that engineered the HW61 version of the MMI have installed a chipset that does not have the same capabilities as the older HW54 version. Since that is what my brother has installed in his A6 2013. 

Someone has to be held accountable because our vehicles were sold as DAB+ capable. 

Audi and whoever made the RMC MMI have to sort this out. Surely?

If this is the case it’s completely nonsensical that even 2018 Audis cannot decode DAB+. This is a major engineering flaw and has been falsely advertised. If it says it can play DAB+ then it should be able to decode. 
 

Make it make sense. 
 

As already mentioned a firmware patch is imminently required or a replacement unit which can decode the new format.

[cliffcoggin]

15 hours ago, Paul_UK74 said:

 It is 100% HW61 of the RMC MMI that is the issue. 

You may well be right for all I know, but the issue at stake is who has responsibility for correcting it. Audi will undoubtedly deny responsibilty, so what are you going to do?

[ploppy]

1 hour ago, Paul_UK74 said:

So RMC engineers that engineered the HW61 version of the MMI have installed a chipset that does not have the same capabilities as the older HW54 version. Since that is what my brother has installed in his A6 2013. 

Someone has to be held accountable because our vehicles were sold as DAB+ capable. 

Audi and whoever made the RMC MMI have to sort this out. Surely?

As I see it, the issue will come down to whether the DAB+ decoding is done in firmware or whether it's done in a dedicated chip.  If it's firmware then you'd think it would be relatively easy to update.  If it's a dedicated chip, it would need to be replaced i.e. radio removed and disassembled, chip desoldered and removed, new chip installed, etc.  We'd better hope it's firmware only.

[DavidNew]

5 hours ago, Richard E said:

I've made an enquiry of a well known supplier of VW/Audi audio system upgrades. Their reply was -

So it very much looks as if we are all stuck with no DAB+ unless Audi come up with a hardware upgrade.

[DavidNew]

This is interesting. Global state they moved to DAB+ in 2019 so why did we stop hearing it on 31.3.2025 ?

[Rick0073]

So glad I found this thread. Like so many other I was loosing the plot with frustration over the loss of DAB. I am sure mine a dropped a couple of times before the end of March though.

[Matthew Q3 Black Edition]

I urge everyone to scroll up to the top of the station list and hit ‘Update Station List’… I’ve just tried this and ALL THE D1 & SDL STATIONS ARE WORKING AGAIN!!!

[mich]

yesssss mines now working xx

[JC1983]

Ditto, not sure if this is good or bad.... Good if we get an explanation, bad if we dont... Fully expecting it to drop again at some stage in the future. 

[regan]

Yep, someone on reddit replied to me to say theirs was working, popped out to the car and for now it seems to be back. I think we do need an explanation and advice on what to expect going forward...

[DavidNew]

They are back !!!

‘Update station list’ and they are all there.

I’d like to think the pressure we put on Audi and the broadcasters had something to do with it 🤷‍♀️ 

Who knows ?!?

[Smithers01]

Can we verify that these stations are being broadcasted still as DAB+?

I'd like to think we won't have this issue going forward.

Either way fantastic news

[luapressam]

13 minutes ago, mich said:

yesssss mines now working xx

Maybe they reverted back...