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Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
On the inquisitive side, could you give us a ballpark installation cost and also, was your vehicle already pre-wired? I have been looking at several new cars and I notice that (for example) the Sirius radio already installed is $175.00 plus the first year free,however; some of the cars I am interested in do not have the above offering, so that is why I am asking you for a price.
Thanks,
Nortsr1
My current vehicle was not prewired, XM-ready, or any of that good stuff. In fact, the G35 stock stereo is set up in such a way as to make it impossible to replace. So.... I had to go for the FM-modulated add-on. I did the Pioneer portable, which at the time was latest & greatest, for around $300.
Pioneer (and some other companies) make XM-ready headunits that can replace the stock one - there's a huge variety in pricing, though, and it really requires a visit to the car audio shop to determine cost based on what works in your vehicle. Places like Circuit City & Best Buy carry a few as well, and also do install.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Sirius is NOT in bankruptcy. That is a big load of crap.
Both are good services.
Sirius has CNN Headline News, Traffic, National Public Radio, Country, Rap, 80's, New Rock, CBC, BBC, etc.
These services are great when taking a long trip.
There are a number of ways to upgrade. The best way is to get the manufacturer's radio delivered with the vehicle. There are aftermarket sales outlets that can sell you the direct replacement radio; try www.radiosandmore.com for many makes including Ford, GM, Chrysler, some others, or for Toyota and Lexus try www.vaistech.com
Knowledgeman
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
I am rooting for Sirius, as that is the one I got recently - just a plug-n-play that I move between cars. It works far better than I expected, and is also very addicting: I have completely stopped listening to local radio, which I didn't think would happen. $12.95 a month for this service is an absolute bargain, when you compare to things like cable TV.
And Sirius has a 24/7 BBC World News feed - I can't get enough! Not to mention TWO NPR feeds and all the music.
I think the satellites must move around a bit during the day, and always seem to be slightly east of me here on the west coast, because trees hanging over the east side of the street usually cause me more problems with reception than trees on the west side. But I am a newbie here - still learning....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Amen! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I don't know but I'm starting to get sick of Sirius especially with their playing of their music in a recycling fashion.
Does Sirius do this as well?? I don't mind station IDs or reminders of upcoming features but selling stuff is getting to me, considering that I'm paying a monthly fee. :P
It is odd when I am on one of those stations though and a commercial comes on.
Note, I rarely listen to talk stations, so no idea if more of them have ads..
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Shifty: I still carry a few "road tapes" for long trips, as I am accustomed to them, but it was about 98% Sirius for me this last weekend! :-)
Oh, and I haven't heard a single commercial on Sirius yet, so I must not be listening to the stations that carry them? :confuse:
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I haven't noticed music repeats but then I'm not listening 5 hours a day either, so I don't know. I like off-beat stuff and maybe it's less repetitive than mainstream music for the younger crowd...but sure, if you listen to Margheritaville (31) you're gonna get pretty sick of Jimmy Buffet. Coffeehouse (30) is pretty interesting, and I like Discord and Shuffle channels. The UK station can be amusing (is it 12?) but they do play some weird stuff. I really hate the 80s music and can stand just a small dose of that 1970s "I'm so stoned I'll do a 24 minute guitar solo" music.....
'A8' is set to Sirius 141, BBC World News, still the most commonly used preset! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
1. XM is constantly "Updating Channel Listings" (>50% of time) so you have no idea what is playing.
2. Car sometimes forgets that it has XM, cant find XM, requiring restart of car to "remember" it.
3. Field where title and artist are displayed is only ~3 inches wide, while screen is twice that width, but all the extra space is just wasted. So instead of getting Artist, Song Title, and Album Title information, all I get is part of the artist, and part of the song title.
Does anyone know of any fixes for any of these problems?
Does anyone even know WHO I can complain to?
Any genuine (or REALLY funny sarcastic) advice would be appreciated.
Also haven't experienced the "remember" issue.
I don't have experience with other systems so I'm not sure if more info can be displayed. Makes for some funny titles at times though.
Have you checked the XM website for contact info?
If nothing else works, I'd visit another VW dealer with more competent technicians.
the reason i havent taken it to my VW dealership is that their solution will be to take away my car for a week (or more, based on previous experience). I've been waiting for something else to go wrong (only a matter of time) . . . and in the meantime, I thought I'd post the problem to see if anyone else had dealt with it. Step one, gather info; step two, act.
I will check out the XM site(s) to see if there's any solution to the display problem. I guess it's not so much a problem as a stupid decision on the part of the software engineer: "We have a 6 inch nav screen to work with, so let's just use the middle third for our XM display". As someone who writes (scientific, low-level) software all the time, and as the son of a software professional, this attitude amazes me.
thanks again.
I don't think that checking XM's website will be fruitful. You are dealing with a VW hardware problem. If you expect to check websites, the Edmunds VW Jetta: Problems & Solutions forum might be a good starting point.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.ee994fa/0!make=Volkswagen&model=Jetta&ed_- - - makeindex=.ee994fa
I'm glad that it was you, and not me, that wrote "I've been waiting for something else to go wrong (only a matter of time)".
as for "waiting for something else to go wrong", we are talking about a car that died on the way home from the dealership: jwboyce, "Volkswagen Jetta: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #164, 24 Jun 2006 2:09 pm
Of course every time I drive it (since then), I'm glad I didnt buy anything else!
thanks again for the helpful input.
I'm sure that the more-or-less screen info is a function of the manufacturer of the radio. In this case, VW or their audio supplier.
My 2004 Accord's built-in XM display shows fewer, and larger, characters than the XM SkyFi² portable unit that I've installed in my wife's Subaru Legacy. We also use the SkyFi² in a home cradle when its not in her car.
We're both addicted to XM's great programming and selections.
Keep pestering your VW dealer to fix your hardware problem and you'll be fine.
If XM is your only problem with that car, consider yourself touched.
In an unrelated note, Sirius has a killer deal right now where you get a free radio if you already have one in the family. You just need to agree to pay the extra monthly fee ($6.99) for 6 months or so.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Steeply banked on- and off-ramps are when I notice this the most.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The question is, how long is Sirius' lifetime?
Now, the only hitch is that they charge the activation fee for each time you change receivers, so you would have to love the one you activated now, or the savings would take longer to achieve. Worse yet, you are only allowed like four new activations on your "lifetime plan". Now what's that all about?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
At least Sirius will let you change receivers for a fee. I have lifetime, and don't mind, as long as it doesn't break. I don't need the latest technology when it comes out, as long as the old one works..
2025 Toyota Crown Signia Hybrid, 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie 6.4 Hemi, 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata PRHT
That's not what lobsenza wrote in post #1179. He wrote "Sirius Lifetime Plan is for the lifetime of your equipment and cannot be changed to any other receiver".
Which of you is correct about Sirius?
I'll stick with my excellent XM service.
Too bad. It is obviously NOT for a car unless you're keeping it for a while.
2025 Toyota Crown Signia Hybrid, 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie 6.4 Hemi, 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata PRHT
Since I prepaid for three years of discounted service on each of my two radios, there has been no need to contact them ever since the initial account setups, several months apart.
I'd highly recommend XM's service and programming to anyone considering satellite radio
I love their programming, have no problems with a loss of signal etc. But their accounting is incomprehensible and no one seems to give you the same story when you talk to them on the phone. I haven't canceled my subscription, but if anything else unexpected like that happens again, I sure will!
Well, I have both Sirius and XM and although both leave something to be desired, Sirius by far is the worst of the two when it comes to customer service. The hold times are far worse, they lie to you and I've been hung up or cut off twice, plus multiple calls are required to get an issue resolved (with Sirius).
Oh well, at least XM didn't lie to me (they just didn't include all the facts), I've never been hung up on (though once my cell phone timed out while I was on hold, not XM's fault), though it's taken multiple calls to get my issue resolved. I THINK I have most of the problems worked out, but won't know until tomorrow when I get to the office and go through the reactivate procedure for the office Roady (sigh).