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Toyota Avalon XM and Sirius Radio

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Comments

  • goateegoatee Member Posts: 51
    Got the car back today. Seems to be fixed - it was a wiring harness. All speakers seem to work now with the Satellite on. Dealer gave me a courtesy Camry and even detailed my Avalon.
  • cms1528cms1528 Member Posts: 45
    Actually it has nothing to with additional perfecting of the system. The signal just becomes blocked to the antenna and the signal from the antenna to the box can not be completed. Thus, the coding is not translated and the music stops playing until the antenna can receive a signal and send it to the black box.

    Even traditional satellite signals used by the military experience these types of temporary black outs. Its the same with satellite TV, if the antenna is pointed toward the southern hemisphere and there is a tree standing significantly in its path, the signal will be blocked.
  • cms1528cms1528 Member Posts: 45
    One more point if you want you can buy a satellite radio antenna with a magnetic base from your local home audio store, they use the same size plug. Unplug the one from your kit and plug in the new one, in the box in the trunk, and mount it somewhere else. Maybe on the truck lid or inside somewhere.

    You might find that sweet spot that maintanes a good signal with the satelitte itself.
  • jediclampettjediclampett Member Posts: 4
    RE: "sort this one out". Hold onto your heated seat cushion because here it comes, long, hard and fast: Your "JBL" branded OEM head unit is best utilized as a boat anchor. The first of the 2nd generation Avalons used Fujitsu radios, then came Pioneer, Then Delphi (?!#*/%!). I have my original JBL/Delphi which came in my '03 Avalon XLS and a JBL/Pioneer unit which I picked up on eBay. They are identical save for some slight (very slight) chassis differences and the two faux-burl fascias are dead-on clones. The connectors are identical and either will fit in my Avalon and operate identically. I have several iterations of John Lansing's designs including 4 very old (and pristeen) 515B 15" woofers, a quad of JBL Earthquake Bass Bins with 18" woofers, and a pair of large format theatre horn drivers mated to a pair of HAND-made-for-Altec-Lansing-by-Vitavox horns. Not to brag, just to illustrate the forces that blinded me to the fact my stock Avalon JBL system was a neutered eunuch when it came to adequate, accurate and pleasing sound reproduction. Like you, I just kept telling myself that JBL made it, it had to be good. All this while I knew full well JBL hadn't made the components at all. I reasoned it (the quality) had to be somewhere in tweeking the adjustments properly. Then my in-dash CD changer tanked just like yours did. I looked around on the Web and found mine was not a unique experience; the JBL-badged 6-CD-changers just flip out and it's curtains for them. Luckily I'd purchased an extended warranty, something I rarely even consider when purchasing a Toyota vehicle. So after my dealer contacted the gatekeeper at the 3rd party warranty company I found the radio was going to be sent out to have the CD changer repaired. In the interim I was left with no tunes and a big hole in my dash. I dug an old Clarion Pro-Audio CD-reciever out of my boneyard, bought a Metra adapter harness and Metra dash kit designed to accept a single-DIN aftermarket H/U. I spliced, soldered and heatshrinked the Metra harness to my Clarion harness and presto; I was plugging into the factory harness with no warranty voiding butchery whatsoever. The dash kit was quite another matter but I'll refrain from bashing it and stick to the point: The sound was so amazingly improved with the 10-year-old Clarion head-unit that I immediately returned to the boneyard for a single SAS Bazooka Tube subwoofer and two Alpine tweeters. I figured I was on a roll so I'd ride it a while. I had always known the JBL "subwoofer" in the Avalon was a joke but never got around to doing anything about it. That result was really satisfying also, to the point where I'm considering bridging a small Soundstream amplifier (boneyard once again) so I can run team my pair of boneyard Bazooka tubes. I'm still using the OEM/JBL amplifier to feed that sub and let us not forget the puny "IV-drip" factory wiring is still in use. Mind you these are all 10 and 15 year old used components - imagine what the results might be if I'd gone out and invested in newer technology! A while back I picked up a spare set of Avalon/JBL tweeters on eBay because I knew I'd eventually be "in the dash". I'm currently working on mounting the Alpine tweeters to the original JBL mounting brackets so they'll hide behind the JBL-badged grilles. It'd be an easy job but I make everything hard on myself because I come up with esoteric mounting concepts that anyone sensible would rightly dismiss. I'd describe my mounting schema here but it might lead readers to dismiss my other descriptions, so again, I refrain. If you're out of warranty get the JBL/Junk outa' your dash as soon as you have chosen a viable replacement. Not satisfied with the Metra dash kit I'm also working on my own double-DIN fascia which will be sent out to one of those faux-wood-dash companies to be coated in bogus-burl that matches the OEM finish. Then I'll slam a double-DIN display unit along the design-lines of Kenwood's Excelon with a 7", 16:9 screen. Then "where to mount my NAV system" will be a rhetorical question as I'll use that monitor to display NAV as well. Sure glad I didn't let my wife gift me with that Magellan system a few years ago! I love the way it worked but I think I'd rather have the mythological Hydra riding shotgun than have that goose-necked Magellan rearing it's ugly head from points unknown below my glovebox (lurch, barf, spew). Ultimately the entire JBL system will no longer live in my Avalon; wiring, amplifier/s, and all speaker drivers will eventually be replaced. I've got some nice Dynaudio pieces (boneyard) and I really hope I can squeeze something larger than the 3.5" OEM drivers into my back doors. 3.5 inches? Who's that for? The Lilliputians? I want my passengers to have good near-field sound too. If I can swing it I'd like to shoehorn in a pair of Dynaudio 5.5" mid-woofs and find a stealthy place to mount two more tweeters into the back doors as well. I've got a pair of Dyn' 6.5" mid-woofers that I know will fit in the front doors. I'd rather run OLD Dynaudio than NEW anything else. Eventually a custom built sub enclosure with a single 8" driver (JL Audio?) will replace the Bazooka Tubes. That 8" driver is not in "the boneyard" so that phase comes last. I listen to a little Hip-Hop but I want a quick-reacting accurate subwoofer, not a ground pounding compaction device.

    Short story long? Yes, the JBL in-dash changers do blow up and no, JBL did not make them. I'm sure the newer Avalon Synthesis systems have real JBL circuitry in them, but even that is likely to be Lexicon technology, via Harmon-Kardon, branded JBL. No complaint there; if Lexicon made a car head-unit it would almost certainly be "The Grail". Bottom Line? If you're out of warranty start shopping then begin lopping. If you heard my Avalon even in it's present hodge-podge state, you'd be tempted to chainsaw that JBL H/U right out of your faux-wood dashboard... TODAY! I had the JBL name fogging my mind and I forgot the most fundamental car-audio prime directive: STOCK SUCKS! Now my Avalon has acoustics! Now when I tweek adjustments things happen and I can actually tailor the soundstage, and so far it all came from the boneyard! Later
  • kjarobkjarob Member Posts: 5
    I'd have to agree with these comments fully. STOCK SUCKS for good sound. My 2007 Subaru came with an OEM branded Clarion head unit (6 CD in dash) and the "premium speaker" option. With only 25 miles on the car the decision was made to upgrade the audio system.

    I went with a JVC KD-SH1000 deck, a pair of Kicker SS6.5 components driven by a Kicker ZX 350.4 amplifier, and a 10" Rockford Fosgate Punch woofer driven by a Rockford P2002 amplifier.

    There simply is no comparison in sound quality moving from stock to aftermarket. It didn't change the fact I had problems with the Sirius tuner (solved with a replacement Sirius unit). I would offer some caution to people wanting to do this type of job themselves however, it can be a lot of work and if you don't know what you are doing you might end up with problems. I spent around 30 hours putting this stereo and remote start/alarm in the car (but i am fussy).

    The moral of the story? Just an agreement that if you don't have warranty left on these stock systems don't bother replacing them with the same thing. For the most part they are not that great anyway.
  • duncs5duncs5 Member Posts: 2
    I was able to get a copy from my local toyota dealer. no questions asked.
  • johnson156johnson156 Member Posts: 1
    Hey, I'd like to purchase your subaru 2007 stereo. If your interested please email me back @ johnson1566@hotmail.com
  • mdm4mdm4 Member Posts: 33
    Does anyone know if the 2008 Avalon (without JBL) is prewired for XM? Is there a wire harness already routed through the car or does the dealer have to wire the car? Also does the dash board radio cover have to be removed to connect the XM unit into it?
  • madmike7madmike7 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2008 Avalon with an XM ready JBL radio. I had the local stereo store install the hardware necessary to receive XM radio. Everything worked great until I upgraded to Best of Sirius. Now I get some but not all of the XM channels and some but not all of the Best of Sirius channels. Neither XM nor the stereo store can figure out why. XM has resent the signal at least 8 times. They have performed at least 4 deact/reacts. I noticed that some of the missing channels show up when I push the TYPE/FOLDER button? Can anyone help me please.
  • obyejackobyejack Member Posts: 1
    I have a dealer installed XM receiver/tuner in my 2008 Avavlon. The problem is, the volume on the XM radio is considerably lower than all the other sound applications. That is, when I switch from the regular AM or FM radio, CD player to XM I have to turn up the volume on the unit.
    Is there a "volume" or "Input level" adjustment on the XM radio unit itself? (I think the tuner/receiver is mounted under the passenger's seat).
    I couldn't find a volume, input or level adjustment using the dashboard controls.
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    I also have an '08 Avalon with XM. The volume of the XM is higher than the FM, but not a lot so it isn't a problem. I can use the XM volume at a 5, but my normal volume is between a 10 and 15. The FM has to be from 15 to 20. I looked under the seat to see if there was a volume control but couldn't find one. It's hard to see under there.
  • 06graylimited06graylimited Member Posts: 29
    My XM radio unit is in the right rear quarter panel behind a carpeted panel in the trunk. I too have the same volume issue but not as significant as on my last Avalon.
  • rvpeelrvpeel Member Posts: 1
    Hey, We bought a used Toyota Avalon (limited). How can we find the ESN number to enable our Satelite Subscription? Or where might the Satelite receiver be located to see if it's on it? RP
  • robsisrobsis Member Posts: 162
    I think its channel 0 or 00..check that out first, with the Sat on. It will show the ESN number. On some units, if the Sat is available but not activated, it will play a loop telling you what to do and how to activate. You could also call the CS line for XM (at least that's what I have) and they will walk you through it, too.
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