OK, thought I would update everyone:
What seemed like a trivial issue of poor radio reception turned into the discovery of a flooded boot "fishtank" & a mix of repairs, from new vents behind the rear bumper, new amp in the boot, new cables to the amp....and after somewhat of a kerfuffle (in the words of little britain) it now all seems to work BRILLIANTLY. Reception perfect, so a big thanks to all who helped getting this sorted. Hopefully the wife will appreciate.....but then again....perhaps not.