February 19, 2010 9:51 pm
When I ordered my new Mini last September, I paid £300 extra for a DAB digital car radio. It was an extravagance, but after missing out on the Ashes cricket commentary last summer I decided it was worth the investment. It has proved a frustrating waste of money.
On the way to work, the Mini’s DAB receiver loses the digital signal most mornings at the M40/M25 junction. And it rarely picks it up again by the time I get to the office in Richmond 23 miles and 45 minutes later.
I took the car to Sytner Mini in High Wycombe last week for them to solve the problem. I was very unimpressed to be told there’s nothing wrong with the DAB set. Instead, they claimed, the problem was with the DAB signal.
I said this was ridiculous. I was driving in the heart of south east England, not the Scottish highlands. It defied belief that day after day the BBC was failing to broadcast Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live in DAB. As it to prove the point, the day I visited Sytner, I lost the signal at Brentford and never regained it during my journey home to Buckinghamshire.
I suspect the Mini’s DAB receiver simply isn’t powerful enough to work properly. I can’t see how this flawed receiver can possibly be regarded as fit for purpose under the Sale of Goods Act.
It’s hard to imagine how the Government can possibly switch off analogue radio in Britain while digital car radios are so unreliable.
Posted by Rob Skinner
Categories: Business, Media, Web/Tech
Tags: Mini DAB car radio, Sytner High Wycombe
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