Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenM1TX
I too have a Scion (xB) and while you were able to get the XM added to the head unit, it was about a $300+ option. I'll take my little $60 add on with the aux jack thanks. Used a cupholder mount from Amazon and was easy to wire it so the only thing that shows is the power supply, which once I get so motivated I'll redo so that too isn't needed.
My Honda Ridgeline also offeres XM, and once again it is $295. And that is on a $29,000 vehicle.
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To each their own. I prefer the clean look of the factory installation. No extra wires, no extra receivers in sight, just tune in the satellite channels through the radio. Sure, you pay a lot more at the dealer, because they have proprietary radios. You can't walk into Best Buy and get the stuff you need to hook up a factory installed radio. I know, I asked. They told me if I bought the receiver from the dealer, they would install it for $50, but they don't sell receivers compatible with car manufacturer's radios.
With smart dealers selling ONE product line, they could probably use the extra profit of having satellite head units already installed with the dealer installing the actual satellite boxes for $300 a pop plus the standard MB $100 an hour rate for installation. It would be a cash cow for them. Mazda puts Sirius capable radios in their cars, then charges over $300 for the box and $65 an hour for installation. You can buy the box and install it yourself or have Best Buy do it for $50, but it won't necessarily fall under your new car warranty if something goes wrong, whereas the dealer installed radio components are covered by your new car warranty.
I already have an XM add-on unit that I paid $30 for directly from XM when they were having a sale. I used it in the ZX2 for a while, but I got tired of it. I had a fairly clean installation, but the power cord still took my only power point/cigarette lighter, so if I needed to charge my cell phone, I couldn't use the XM. Plus, it still looked add-on.
My solution was to buy a new JVC head unit at Best Buy for $150, which was both XM and Sirius capable. The new head unit had HD radio as a bonus. It cost $100 for the XM receiver boxes I needed (which Best Buy doesn't sell for this radio, so I had to get them from Circuit City) and $50 for installation of the boxes (radio installation was free). So it still cost a total of $300 to get an XM capable head unit, XM box, and installation.
Anyway, it seems like a waste of money to pay for the factory radio, then swap it out for a better unit that gets XM or Sirius. I suppose one could buy the pure without the radio, but I want the extra stuff that comes on the passion. Again, if Scion could take two Japanese model Toyotas and bring them to the U.S. with XM, there's no reason MB can't bring a European model to the U.S. with XM or Sirius.
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