I had my Riocar installed into my new 97 Maxima SE using an FM modulator so that I could keep the stock deck running as well. With the current setup I go to FM 89.1 and the it kills the station that normally comes in and plays the Riocar.

The question I have is that I still hear static in the background especially when the bass hits. This static is quite annoying and I was wondering if there was any way to get rid of it. I am willing to not have the radio if that is what it takes. Thanks for any help.

Maybe it's not static on the bass hit. Maybe it's clipping. Are you running the equalizer on the empeg "flat"? Also reduce the volume of the empeg. See if that fixes it?

I thought that too but I have the equalizer flat for now and loud turned off and the bass for set to 0. When there is no music at all it is also bad cause then I just hear static.

Okay, so it's not clipping, it really is static.

Does the FM modulator take a headphone input or RCA (line level) input? Also, perhaps it's related to grounding issues with the modulator's power supply wiring. Finally, can the modulator be tuned to a different frequency?

What is the brand and model of FM modulator?

I run an Audiovox FM modulator in my car also, and I have to turn my Empeg to -13db in order to eliminate clipping. If it's not the volume level I'm not sure what it could be, but always checking the ground is a good idea. If you had it installed, why don't you take it back to the installer with your problem?

I have found that turning the volume down on the rio really made a difference. I also had to set the bass on the stock stereo all the way down. The staticy sound is still there but almost unnoticable except during silences.

I do have another question however. When driving even on a fairly smooth road the rio will rattle. Before I try to diagnos the rattle myself I was wondering if there were any suggested ways to stop it?

The staticy sound is still there but almost unnoticable except during silences.

Is it possible that the thing you are describing as "static" isn't really static but is more like a ground loop?

When driving even on a fairly smooth road the rio will rattle. Before I try to diagnos the rattle myself I was wondering if there were any suggested ways to stop it?

Do you know which part is rattling? Is it the handle?