Just picked up my new (to me) 03 coupe last night. I have been an XM subscriber for a couple years. I have gone from the 2nd generation Sony to my current Roady 2. Big difference in functionality between those two units. Channel changing is much faster with the Roady, plus many more presets and a bigger display. My question is how is the functionality on the OEM XM unit? By reading the manual, looks like you only get 12 presets - which isnt enough - so how hard is it to change stations - is it simply pressing the channel up button on the wheel til you get where you want? How quickly does it lock onto a channel? The Sony I had took a good 3 to 4 seconds after you changed channels, while the Roady is maybe 1 second.
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Also - how much of a PITA is it to install the unit? I have done LOTS of audio stuff in the past - so not scared of it at all, just curious how long its gonna take.
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TIA...

 

If your car has the prewire cable installed it is simple to install, just put the unit in the trunk by the spare and put the antenna on. If not you will need to run the prewire cable from the head unit, which is more difficult.

Sat install info here

 

Yes, only 12 presets. The steering wheel control will shuffle between the first six (SAT1) until you press the mode button to get the second set of six (SAT2). Then to get back to SAT1, you have to press the SAT button on the console. At this point, the steering wheel Mode button will go through the other audio inputs (CD, AM, FM1, FM2)

I'll guess that the OEM unit is somewhere in between, maybe 1-1/2 seconds.

It's not hard, but plan on a couple of hours to get the trunk lining off and back on. There is also a little drilling required. But the most potentially long task is installing the antenna - unless you just choose to place it on the rear parcel shelf (which most folks have found satisfactory).

 

Thanks for both of your replies. Only question left is how do you navigate to channels that are not on your 12 presets. I am guessing you have to manually push the scan/seek button on the head unit.

 

You can, of course, switch channels up and down one at a time using the tune up/down buttons. But there is another function..

The seek up/down buttons on the head unit will shift between the major categories within XM and land you on the lead channel within that category. Then you can use the tune up/down to "fine tune" a particular channel:

• Decades
• Country
• Pop Hits
• Christian
• Rock
• Urban
• Jazz
• Lifestyle
• Dance
• Latin
• World
• Classical
• Kids
• News
• Comedy
• Talk & Entertainment
• Sports
• Traffic
• Special Events

 

Question,

The old Skyfi wouldn't allow you to browse channels without automatically selecting whatever the last channel you scrolled to. I have a Roady and I can scroll around and if I stop in a few seconds it just returns to the channel I am listening to.

How does this work on the OEM unit?

Thanks,

Claire

 

bump-

Can someone with XM answer my question? I am still thinking about an oem unit.

Thanks,

Claire

 

The OEM XM unit is crap. Make sure you get a refurbished/new one. I forget what the firware version should be, but the OEM XM unit has a very obnoxious "LOADING" issue and cuts out a lot (for me at least). It also truncates all the song information which is lame as hell for a car that costs so much.

As for the feature you are asking about, it doesn't do anything like that. The only nice thing about the OEM unit is that it's a part of the sound system and you can change presets on the steering wheel. Other than that, it's severely lacking in features and the display is a joke. I don't know what all else is out there, but the cost of this unit is not worth it, IMO.

 

Boy that stinks.

Is there anyway to direct connect a Roady to the headunit from behind? or throught the built in wiring for the OEM unit? I don't care about the steering wheel functionallity. I want to get rid of the cassette adapter and not lose quality with the wired FM modulator.

?

 

The scan/seek button on the steering wheel also works. Instead of pushing and releasing the button, you need to hold it up or down. This will tune to the next station instead of seeking the next preset station. The down side is you need to repeat this
to tune to the next station!

 

So, I've decided to add the OEM XM satellite to my coupe. Since it is an '04 and it is prewired, this should be a piece of cake. Why does the dealer want $725 for a 40 minute job?

I've found the reciever at Grubbs for $284, but they want 70 bucks for the micro antenna. Too much. Does anyone know if the Terk XMicro and its XM-SP splitter will work with the OEM sat unit? If so, it looks like Crutchfield has got a significantly better price than Grubbs for the antenna and that would be the best wayto go. Also, does the sat unit from Grubbs come with mounting hardware for the coupes? I've only seen install instructions for sedans. I know that it is to be mounted down by the bose amp, but any further instructions would be helpful. Thanks.

 

The Terk XMicro works fine. I'm not familiar with the "XM-SP" splitter, but it sounds right. The Sat kit comes with all kinds of hardware, tape, foam, screws...most of which you won't use.

This file is the Infiniti installation instructions. Just disregard the parts about harness installations (yours is prewired) and roof antenna mounting.

 

Keltoiskin - I, too, thought the Grubbs antenna was overpriced, but I found out it includes the REQUIRED antenna splitter adapter... so $60 to $70 is about right.

 

True, but the Crutchfield antenna is $29.99 and the splitter (which converts the Terk single jack to a dual jack which the OEM box needs) is $19.99. Shipping was $6 so I saved about 10 bucks total. Oh well. I just finished ordering and my total for everything including shipping was $352. Only 8 dollars more than the receiver alone if purchased at my local dealership after all shipping and taxes are accounted for. Basically, I got the antenna for free.

Final analysis is that the dealer wanted $799 to install XM in my coupe. If I'd ordered it from the factory when I got the car, it would have been a $499 option. Now, I'm getting it for $350. I win.

 

WRX,

I believe if you hold the seek button down it goes the next preset not the next station, is that correct??

thanks

Mark