Lexus ES 350 XM and Sirius

pat

Talk about XM and Sirius in the ES 350 here.

svw

Please help me understand this xm unit installation figure. My understanding is that the base package (called Premium)"includes" the XM capability. Is that wrong or do you still need to "add" something to make it work (beside the monthly service fee - I am already an SM customer with a mobile unit I can listen to in the house, during a walk, or in the car. Wonder if I can listen in the Lexus without carrying the unit...and still have the mobile unit work in the house, park, etc?).

donegal

Although it is XM capable, an XM unit (adapter?) still must be added to the Lexus Premium radio. I was quoted a price of $599 for XM when I placed my order for the ES350. Then of course you have your monthly subscription fee payable to the satellite provider. With XM, each additional radio beyond the first radio that accesses the XM signal would require an additional monthly fee of $6.95.

slider71

$599 is high. According to Chrome, the XM option is $486 MSRP, with a dealer cost of $389. Mine was done at port, but the costs would have been the same. As stated before, I too have another vehicle that has it, so I'm on the $6.95 additional unit plan with the ES350.

They installed it as a small antenna that is on the right edge of my trunk line....very low profile. All ES radios can be adapted for XM. The signal would likely be a bit stronger if it was roof mounted, as in my other car, but it works great none the less.

tkubatz

Can you post a picture of the antenna?

zekeman1

I plan to buy a 350 soon and will get the XM option; will instruct installers to put antenna insidethe car on the dash adjacent to the defroster. I have one in my Avalon same place - excellent signal & works fine. My antenna is a Terk micro, slightly larger than a quarter...you can barely see it. For whatever reason, Toyota/Lexus installation on the trunk is trashy looking, not to mention the ugly black blob sitting there. Out of sight, inside the car is the way to go. Sure wish they would take a hint from Acura/Honda on integrated, color coordinated antenns!!!!
zekeman1

kmmcgra

I had mine installed last Saturday. My local Lexus dealer installed it inside the back window right next to the back brake light. The antenna Lexus installs is rather small and hardly noticeably at all. I also had my windows tinted and it doesn't impact the reception at all.

zekeman1

Anyone have XM installed in their ES350 at a dealer? If so, what was the cost?
I picked up my car yesterday without the XM option installed since I got the car out of their inventory. I've had XM in my last 4 cars, the latest being an 05 Avalon LTD, but it was ordered that way.
Dealer is quoting me approx $850 total; he said it takes about 4 hours, blah, blah, pull lots of dash, blah, blah, wiring. Seems on the high side but we really haven't gotten down to business talking.
Anyone have one installed yet?
zekeman1

kmmcgra

Had mine added to the purchase as an option ($486) and installed 2 weeks after delivery due to them having to order the wiring/or cables. No install fee just the original $486. Dealer called 2 hours after I dropped it off and said it was done.

tnfan

Had XM installed on Tuesday AM. Dealer wanted over $800. I told the salesman that was crazy. He said he would give it to me at his employee discount price of $595 installed including taxes. Took him up on the offer. When I picked the car up there was no bill from the dealer. I paid the salesman direct. Not sure if this is standard operating procedure. This is my first Lexus and the first time to work with their service. Previously had a BMW. Got to say that so far, the BMW service process was a lot simpler and efficient than the local Lexus dealer.

svw

Whoa...wait a second! I was charged $800 three days ago, the ugly blob of an antenna sits on the back left side of trunk (dealer said the is the ONLY place it can go), and unlike my $200 handheld unit, it doesn't even display who the singing artist, or show host for talk shows. No warning of these things given in advance. Any advice?

svw

You were absolutely correct...thanks for clarifying.

donegal

I am supposed to pick up my new ES350 on Tuesday. I paid $599 for the XM and I would expect to be able to see the name of the artist and the name of the music being displayed. To me, being able to see this information is one of the important aspects of satellite radio.

Do you have navigation on your vehicle? My salesman told me that I would be able to see this information on the nav screen.

Can someone with nav and someone without nav that has satellite tell us if the name of the song and the artist is being displayed!

zekeman1

antenna sits on the back left side of trunk (dealer said the is the ONLY place it can go)

That's BS. Mine is on the inside of the car on the rear package deck and it works just fine. In fact, my dealer told me they put ALL of the antennas there, for aftermarket install.
zekeman1

svw

I am assuming you WILL be able to see the artist/host/product name information on a nav-equipped car from the factory. I have no nav and put the satellite after purchase. I am going back to the dealer this week since it now turns out that I would have been more satisfied 'mounting' my existing hand held unit on the dash (would be able to see ALL the relevant text and use the unit ANYWHERE). Wish they would have pointed out these things ahead of time. They said I am only their second installation but I would have hoped that the Lexus dealers have ways to share learnings on new products just as we on the forum are trying to.

slider71

My car was at port, so it was added on there, and appears on the window sticker of my car. My dealer told me that if it didn't get done at port, they could handle at the dealer...and the cost would be the same.

As for the display, I have a non-navi car, and you can see station name, artist, or song title. What is disappointing, however, is the amount of real estate on the display that you have to see that. Since the preset information takes up so much of the space on the left of the LCD, you see at best 8 or so characters. My wife's Honda is much better, and gives you the length of the display to see the XM info.

kmmcgra

I have the nav and yes you can see the artist/song. Hit the text button on SAT screen. I had an Accord and the screen showed artist/song on pre-set channel window. The Lexus does not so you need to change to the text screen. Also it only displays like 25 characters so some artist/songs gets truncated even though there is plenty of room for additional characters on the screen. Same truncation on my MP3 disc. Bad design...not a big deal.
Love the car though....

svw

Thanks Zekeman1...first, a correction: the antennae is on the right side. Now, get this, I called the dealer today to say that I know of others who are getting theirs installed "inside the car". He then suggested that we must have different types of sattelite radios....whew! They absolutely insist they have no other place to put mine and say they are doing the same on the more expensive models too. Went so far as to say that no one else complained, and that this is how it "has to be". Better news - it was helpful to learn that the text button will display the artist singing or talk host name. Thank God we can all share like this.

zekeman1

Interesting...do you have any other L dealers in town you could compare "notes" with regarding installation locations in the car? I'm told the ONLY Lexus XM unit (the receiver) is located on the right side of the car, in the trunk, mounted on the wall of the right rear quarter panel and covered by the interior covering of the trunk. It's made by Pioneer and installed in all Toyota/L's. The antenna is usually fed up onto the right side of the trunk edge & stuck there.

On my Avalon it was so big and ugly I had it removed (easy too, just let it sit in the sun and pull it off - it's held on by 3M tape and/or magnet and no, it won't damage the paint), bought a micro mini Terk XM antenna (about the size of a quarter) disconnected the antenna with the kit, threw it away and plugged the mini antenna into the receiver and ran the antenna inside the car (concealed) and mounted it on the dash next to the defroster vent....worked fine.
On the L, it's mounted inside the car on the rear package deck next to the 3rd eye (middle brake light)...it's so small it's almost invisible.

Sounds like your dealer is a BS artist. I'd find another dealer if I could.
zekeman1

psychdoc

***Sounds like your dealer is a BS artist. I'd find another dealer if I could.***

Totally agreed!

The dealer can do pretty much anything you ask him too. His job is merely to advise you, not dictate to you. He's there to serve the customer! An apparently novel concept that some salespeople are not too well aware of (hate ending sentences with a preposition but, oh well).

This guy should ask to speak to the sales manager ( I assume he's now committed to that particular dealership) and simply review what has transpired to date and demand that the antenna be put wherever the hell he wants it! If he wants it mounted on the middle of the damn hood, then that's where it should be put.

Period!

Case closed.

donegal

Prior to picking up my new Ruby Red ES350 last night, I contacted the service department and asked about the size and placement of the XM antenna. I suggested the inside back package shelf but the installer was concerned that, at times, the window defroster might interfere with the signal. He said the new outside antenna they use is hardly noticeable.

They placed the antenna (black) on the back right side of the trunk lid. Size is about 1/2 inch high, 3/4 inches wide and 1 inch long. With the Ruby Red it is barely noticeable and the reception is fine.

ncdaydreamer

Anyone with XM or SIRIUS installed in an ES350 with Navigation: Is the satellite radio controlled with the LCD display and the steering wheel controls? Is the AUX adapter in the center console disabled when XM or SIRIUS is installed?

Is the XM or SIRIUS installed in the trunk or where is it installed and is the car prewired for satellite radio?

Please answer part or all that you know. Thanks

tnfan

Is the satellite radio controlled with the LCD display and the steering wheel controls?

First let me say I have XM installed.

Steering wheel controls preset station seek within the satellite presets. You can have 3 sets of 6 presets. They are referred to as SAT1, SAT2, and SAT3. With the LCD touch display you can seek/scan within a music type and also seek for specific type of music category. Unlike some of the other touch screen functions that are not accessible when the car is in drive, the satellite functions are always available via the touch screen.

Is the AUX adapter in the center console disabled when XM or SIRIUS is installed?

No.

Is the XM or SIRIUS installed in the trunk or where is it installed and is the car prewired for satellite radio?

It is prewired. The unit is installed out of sight in the trunk area behind the covering of the trunk area. I had the antenna installed on the rear deck and have had absolutely no problems with reception.

Overall, IMHO this is a very easy to use system.

Detailed operational instructions can be found in the navigation users manual for those that have already purchased the ES350.

ncdaydreamer

Thanks for the information! That's exactly what I needed to know! One question I forgot to ask: If you plug in a device, such as an iPod, into the AUX adapter, is it displayed on the LCD screen as an AUX device? If so, I suppose you can only control the audio input, such as volume, bass, treble?

tnfan

That is correct. Song, album, etc. selection is done from the IPOD. You will need to set the volume appropriately on the IPOD first and then can adjust from the car's volume control.

shop4mywife

I had the antenna installed on the rear deck and have had absolutely no problems with reception

Can you please post picture of where the antenna is installed?

tnfan

Hope this works. Try the below links. If it doesn't work then go to MyCarSpace and view the pictures.

Pic1

Pic2

zekeman1

That's where they installed my XM antenna but your pix has me wondering whether XM kits come with different antennas; mine is about half the size as yours...wonder if they package different size antennas in the kits? Out of curiosity, I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow and ask.

shop4mywife

Thank you for the pictures, tnfan. Do you have a Moon Shell Mica?

The dealer that I spoke to told me that it "HAS" to be installed externally. I don't think he knows what he was talking about. :mad:

tnfan

You are welcome.

Color is Tungsten Pearl. Lighting was not very good when I took the pictures as the care was in the garage.

Not sure about the antenna having to be outside. My dealer had no issue whatsoever putting it in the rear deck. I have read on other boards of the antenna also being placed on the front dash. Like I said I have had no signal problems other than under bridges, some enclosed parking garages, and downtown among the tall buildings. This is normal from what I understand regardless of where the antenna is placed.

ncdaydreamer

Just had the XM radio installed in the ES350. The antenna used was about one-inch square and a half-inch thick. It was mounted on the lip of the trunk, in the middle. On the inside, the wire routes through a mount attach to the inside of the trunk lid, to keep the wire taught and to keep from damaging your system if someone decided to jerk your antenna off the trunk. The wire is not visible from that point to the XM Direct unit. The installation was highly professional.

The problem I have is sound level. The volume has to be adjusted differently for the XM versus the FM. I'm going to talk to the dealer about fixing the problem. I know there is a device available to correct sound levels on add-on devices such as the XM, MP3 and CD changers, etc.

Is anyone else experiencing the differences in sound levels and having to adjust volumes for different inputs?

hesston

We had XMS installed on our 2007 Lexus ES350, AM, FM, sound quality is great when we switch to XM the volume immediately goes down and the quality of tone is flat. Antenna is installed outside trunk, has anyone else experienced this and if you have a solution, please let us know.

ncdaydreamer

XM radio in an ES350: The Lexus kit is manufactured by Pioneer and consists of an XM receiver, antenna and interface cable harness to connect to the factory-installed wiring. The vehicle is pre-wired to accept the receiver. The Lexus instructions call for mounting the antenna on the right side of the trunk lid. This is simply a matter of convenience for the dealer: the XM receiver is mounted in the right, rear, wheel well. The antenna will work perfectly well in other locations. If it is mounted on the trunk lid, make sure there is a rainstop device mounted just inside the trunk lid to keep rainwater from traveling along the antenna wire. The rainstop will force water to fall into the channel that normally carries away water entering the edges around the trunk lid.

Mounting the antenna inside the car at the back window is perfectly acceptable. If you are installing a SIRIUS radio, the reception inside the window would not be quite as reliable as XM because SIRIUS does not have ground repeaters and always needs a clear shot of the southwest sky.

Unfortunately, the wizards that designed the ES350 headin unit and radio/amplifier set all the inputs at the same attentuation "level". This means the CD, FM, AUX, AM and XM inputs are not attenuated to account for different signal strengths. The radio and amplifier are one unit and neither it nor the Pioneer XM unit have any attentuation controls to set different sound levels. The result is that when changing from FM to XM, etc., you'll have to change the volume to achieve the same sound level.

This is a lousy and inexpensive setup for a luxury vehicle. If you look at the radio/amplifier and the XM receiver, they are TOYOTA parts made by Pioneer. There is a company, called VAIS (vaistech.com) that manufactures audio interface devices to seamlessly connect aftermarket electronic devices with factory headin units. They specialize in Toyota/Lexus and will be releasing a new product, called the SLXI SoundLinQ that will interface between a TERK XM receiver and the factory wiring harness for the ES350 and allow you to set the audio levels for each input as well as have remote control capability of your IPod. The factory XM receiver will not work with the SoundLinQ SLXI but the Terk unit only costs about $50 and the SoundLinQ will be around $300 MSRP. The dealer cost of a Lexus XM radio alone is around $590.

The result will be that you can customize each input on the LCD screen, setting audio levels, etc., and matching volume levels between inputs, avoiding having to change volume levels when switching between inputs. In addition, you can control your IPod onscreen. Most Lexus technicians that install the Lexus XM radios are familiar with other SoundLinQ products and will be able to install the new system for you, when available.

I wish every ES350 owner would send emails to Lexus and complain about the cheap XM audio setup (yes, even the Mark Levinson)installed in Lexus vehicles and the poor sound quality along with having to constanly change volume levels when switching between inputs, especially with the XM radio installed. Lexus will never do anything about the system until there are enough complaints to warrant a "fix". The Pioneer XM radio is a cheap unit and will only work with a Toyota/Lexus. If you ever decide to switch to another brand of vehicle, you can't take your XM radio with you. Right now, the Lexus attitutde is, concerning the XM radio (paraphrased): "that's the way we designed it, so, live with it or don't buy it".

psychdoc

***If you are installing a SIRIUS radio, the reception inside the window would not be quite as reliable as XM because SIRIUS does not have ground repeaters and always needs a clear shot of the southwest sky.***

Not true. Sirius DOES maintain ground repeaters and you can ascertain the relative contributions of the satellite and the ground repeaters on any Sirius receiver by pressing the "signal" button. It will show you a bar graph of the satellite strength and a separate bar graph for the repeater strength.

Sirius rules!!!

After all, where else can you hear Howard Stern?

scman

XM radio is being installed in my new ES-350 today at Lexus of Glendale (Calif). I requested an inside antenna mount and was told, "no problem" as this is the way they have been installing them.

On a related note, I traded in a Honda Accord with XM. I just recently extended the service for a year on that radio. How does XM handle this? Will they apply my remaining "credits" to the new XM Radio. Will they waive the activation fee (they should)?

Too bad there are variable volume problems with this unit, but I can't live without XM regardless.....I just hope I don't get blasted out of my seat when hitting the Mode button on the steering wheel.....

meadoel

I got an email from Lexus yesterday that said starting in October Lexus will be providing Factory Installed XM. It seemed that the LS would be first... I wonder if that will fix any of these issues.... assuming it will be available in the ES 350.

zekeman1

They credit remaining time on the recently extended unit on to the ES350 unit...in my case, they also added the 3 months gratis "trial" subscription Lexus gave me, to my account also.

scman

I just had the XM radio activated. The antenna was installed on the back deck, inside the vehicle and is identical to the picture posted here by someone else.

XM simply transferred my account over to the new radio. Nothing was mentioned regarding an additional 3 months or free trial - oh well - but they did try to sell me an additional portable XM receiver - no thanks!!

The satellite radio performance is about what I expected. There is most definitely a volume difference between XM and FM, but I can live with that. I found the ML sound system with XM can be a little more "full" by setting the speaker balance adjustment a little more to the rear than using the default speaker balance. XM sounds not that much better than FM, but I think that is a result of the after-market approach to XM that Lexus is now doing.

As far as the overall sound system goes, you really can't appreciate the ML sound system until you play a DVD audio or video disk. Like home systems, the audio system in this vehicle is better when using better source material. For instance, I placed a DVD of Spielberg's A.I. in the CD changer and WOW. Great depth of sound and detail (I haven't yet played a CD in the system). You might want to try this.

Commercial video DVD's will play on the navigation screen only when the parking brake is on. If you release the parking brake, the video disappears but the audio continues to play. It's a safety feature that, I suppose, could be easily defeated, but then why chance hitting a telephone pole in your new Lexus while watching "The Lord of the Rings?".....

zekeman1

Nothing was mentioned regarding an additional 3 months or free trial

The 3 months free trial was given to me by Lexus, not XM. Sorry, the way I wrote it did sound misleading.

maximafan

I have been a bit curious about the sound
quality of the current cars that have
satellite radio integrated with the factory
stereo system. I'm currently using an XM
Roady portable receiver which is played
through the cassette player on my 2002
Maxima. It sounds as good as the CD Player
and, in fact, the volume comes in louder than
the CD player and much louder than the radio.

I think I'd like to hear the actual sound of
the satellite radio on these new cars when
I seriously start looking for my new car.

thaishark

Hello Everyone!
I just put a deposit down on a UL Es350 I'm looking to get the Smoky Granite. I have a week or so before the car gets to Port so i am debating whether to get XM or not. I have seen a number of isssues here with regards to the volume and/or sound quality Does anyone have XM with the ML system?
Has the dealer or Lexus been able to offer any solutions regarding the voume issue? and finally for those that do have the XM are the problems making you rethin your decision to get it?

Thanks All

ncdaydreamer

Right you are psychdoc, SIRIUS rules and here is a list of SIRIUS repeaters: http://scb147.home.comcast.net/sirius_repeaters.html

But it is a moot point for dealer-installed XM radios in ES350 cars. There is no current SIRIUS, dealer-installed, radio. The only unit being installled is a Pioneer XM receiver that plugs directly into the factory wiring harness via a cable that is part of the kit.

zekeman1

I wonder if the volume problem is one created by dealers who install? I have XM in my Avalon & 350, both installed after the fact (although integrated into the radio) and both work fine, with no loss of volume when switching from AM-FM-CD. Each XM station comes in just fine. :confuse: :confuse:

carlady2

I had Sirius in my old car (we installed it) and loved it. Lexus said it would be available on my new ES350 but I have now found out that there is no date determined and it is on hold. Anyone have any information on this?

dave4449

meadoel: Somehow your message just seemed too good to be true, and it prompted me to make an independent inquiry of my own to the official Lexus e-mail site. Here's my question: "Does Lexus plan on installing XM satellite radios at the factory in the foreseeable future? It seems that the installation would be cleaner and more integrated, especially in terms of displaying programming content. Thanks." Here's the official answer: "Thank you for contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction. We are dedicated to providing superior service. We apologize information regarding the future intentions to install satellite radio at the factory is not available at this time. [italics mine] We make every effort to manufacture a quality product by researching, testing, and constantly monitoring performance. Consumer opinion and perception also play an active role in our ongoing efforts to lead the automobile industry in quality, innovation, styling, and liability. It is through communications such as yours that we become aware of the reactions and expectations of our customers." :confuse: Could you please provide us the exact reply you received from Lexus to compare notes? Thanks.

dave4449

All of the postings discussing the best (or preferred) placement of the antenna for the XM satellite radio prompted me to seek an official decision. After searching the FAQs on the Lexus website, here's what I found out:
Subject: Satellite Radio Antenna Placement.
FAQ: "Could you speak about the differing antennas available, and why Lexus chooses to use the trunk mount instead of the roof antenna?"
Lexus reply: "Reception quality varies in the different areas of the country. From a continental US national perspective, the trunk mounted antenna provides the best XM satellite radio signal reception for sedans as does the front window mounted Sirius antenna. For SUVs, the antennas for both XM and Sirius are mounted on the roof. Installation of antennas in areas other than those recommended by the manufacturer could lead to a degradation of satellite signal and poor reception. The Genuine Lexus satellite radio kits include wire harnesses specific to each model that allow for the recommended installation placement of the antenna."
FAQ: "Can the antenna be placed somewhere else, other than the trunk?"
Lexus reply: "From a national reception quality perspective, we cannot recommend that the antenna be placed anywhere other than the installation instructions specify. Installing it elsewhere could lead to a degradation of the satellite signal and poor reception. For sedans, the XM antenna should be installed on the trunk lid, while the Sirius antenna should be installed behind the rear view mirror on the front windshield. For SUVs, the antennas for both XM and Sirius should be installed on the roof."

meadoel

The information I posted wasn't in response to an inquiry. It was an unsolicited email FROM Lexus. I subscribe to a Lexus mailing list where they send me spam once every few weeks. Any dealer who tells you this isn't happening is either un-informed or lying.

You can find an archive of their mailings here: http://www.lexus.com/pursuit_archive/?s_ocid=Pursuit:0606:Main:Archive

The email was from "lexus@lexuscommunications.delivery.net"
The Subject line was "Lexus Pursuit: Partnering with XM(R) Satellite Radio"

Here's the relevant text:

We're proud to introduce an exciting new addition to our vehicles—available XM® Satellite Radio [1]. At Lexus, we focus on carefully crafting every facet of the driver and passenger experience. And now that same level of precision extends to in-vehicle entertainment.

This October, we're raising the bar on car audio again by offering factory-installed XM Satellite Radio [1], allowing drivers to access and enjoy more than 170 channels of music, talk, sports and specialty programming—all with unmatched digital clarity, and easily controlled through their vehicle's existing audio system. The 2007 LS [2] is the first Lexus that will offer this option, but soon all our vehicles will offer the choice.

There was also this interesting tidbit:
Another benefit of XM service is the available XM NavTraffic® [3], the nation's first satellite traffic data information service. XM NavTraffic enhances the Lexus voice-activated HDD Navigation System [4] with continually updated traffic information in many of America's largest cities. With more information at your disposal, you can avoid traffic congestion, accidents, road construction, and find the best route to your destination, in real time. All of which means you can get there faster. Though we'll certainly understand if you'd rather take the scenic route in your Lexus.

Our partnership with XM Satellite Radio [1] is just another example of Lexus' passionate pursuit of the perfect sound

dp5

I have the exact car that you have ordered and I added the XM radio. Yes, the sound is substantially lower and requires you to increase the volume when switching to XM. No, it is not a problem. Having all of the programming options available through satellite radio is still well worth the additional money.

I sometimes think our generation is a bunch of whiners. It is not difficult to turn the volume up and down when switching from different audio inputs. If you decide to get XM, I think you will be very pleased with it overall.

svw

Thank you so much....it's good to see the official word on this. Though I wish the antennae could be mounted 'inside' the car, I've gotten past the placement on my trunk and I am enjoying the talk shows and music.

thaishark

Thanks for the reply, I am leaning towards getting it anyway and your right, turning the volume up should not be that big a deal, although it would be nice if Lexus fixed this. But that seems unlikely in the short term anyway.

scman

Having XM in the ES-350 for over a week now, I can definitely recommend this option. While it is true you will have to adjust the volume, the sound quality is better than FM overall. The bass response and tonal clarity of the ML sound system really shows XM off to it's best. You won't regret it.....