# Radio volume **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [February 5, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266 "2008-02-05T14:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lizsulak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b3f665/32.png) [@lizsulak](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lizsulak)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/1 "2008-02-05T14:19:28Z")
When driving my mother’s 2002 Oldsmobile Alero I have noticed the volume of the stereo fluctuates with speed. When we accelerate the volume goes up, when we brake it gets softer. Any clues as to why this happens? ---
**Author:** ![wagonfan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wagonfan/32/134_2.png) [@wagonfan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wagonfan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/2 "2008-02-05T14:37:38Z")
Its a probably a feature of the radio, a lot of factory stereo’s offer this as an option as an attempt to save you the ‘hassle’ of turning up the stereo on the highway. There should be a way to turn it off if you want, check the manual. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/3 "2008-02-05T14:38:04Z")
Some car radios have a feature that increases the volume to overcome background noise. If you read the owner’s manual, there is probably a button on the radio to disable this feature. My 2006 Chevrolet Uplander has this feature on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/4 "2008-02-05T14:56:24Z")
It’s a feature of the stereo. This is the description from the owner manual of a 2000 Blazer SCV: Your system has a feature called Speed-Compensated Volume (SCV). With SCV, your audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Turn the control ring behind the upper knob clockwise to adjust the SCV. Then, as you drive, SCV automatically increases the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any particular speed. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. If you don?t want to use SCV, turn the control all the way down. Each notch on the control ring allows for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Ed B. ---
**Author:** ![Ranck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Ranck](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Ranck)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/5 "2008-02-05T17:27:36Z")
As others have said, it’s a feature. GM seems to be a big proponent of this gimmick. I’ve had it in rental cars and found that, for my ears, it turned the volume up too much as speed increased, or down to much as speed decreased. This basically had the opposite effect to what was intended, I was always have to readjust the volume because it never got it right. ---
**Author:** ![lprocter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/lprocter/32/40_2.png) [@lprocter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lprocter)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/radio-volume/10266/6 "2008-02-05T18:29:13Z")
There should be a button near the radio that says ‘Auto Vol’ Press it until the radio displays shows ‘OFF.’ I think every GM passenger vehicle, and maybe their trucks, have had this since about 2000 or so.