Anyway to Switch to XM from Sirius?

[Finch]

This is my first post and before I start I must say this forum rocks! Unbelievable amounts of information ... amazes me everyday. As you can see by my signature, I am patiently (well not so patiently) awaiting my 300c that I ordered on 3/15. Who knows when I'll ever see it (any guesses). One minor thing I was disappointed in was that the only option for satellite radio was Sirius. I've had XM for years (5 units in all), and I'm not that happy with the channels when I borrow my Brother's Sirius unit.

Question is ... is there a way to switch to XM and still have it integrated with the Navigation Unit? I know the 2006s offer an auxillary jack that I could use, however that defeats the whole purpose of having the satellite radio in the first place. When I test drove the infiniti, I was given the choice of XM or Sirius, so I know it can be done.

Any ideas or experiences?

[joeSRT8]

Originally Posted by Finch

<snip>When I test drove the infiniti, I was given the choice of XM or Sirius, so I know it can be done.

Any ideas or experiences?

Just because Inifiniti offers both doesn't mean Chrysler is therefore the same; you're talking apples vs. oranges. Many car companies set up exclusivity deals with a particular satellite company, and in Chrysler's case it's Sirius. In turn satellite companies with exclusivity will subsidize all or part of the equipment cost which means it's pure profit for Chrysler for the 'equipment'.

Needless to say, there's no way currently to have XM integrated with the NAV the same way Sirius is. XM can be installed, but not without a lot of wire hacking and heavy modding to the '05 stereo; unless you are lucky enough to get an '06 stereo (it seems Chrysler is using up their '05 stereo inventory before they move on to installing '06 stereos, so some '06 cars are showing up with the '05 stereo meaning, no AUX input - a bit rotten, and oft-discussed).

So, basically, installing an XM tuner puts you in the same boat as trying to get an iPod or an aftermarket stereo installed. How much headache all depends on whether you receive a factory stereo with an AUX input or not.

Also of note is a lot of people bring a problem like yours to a chain installer like a Circuit City, and they'll always say "no problem" to doing something like an XM install, but that's only if they haven't worked on a 300 before and don't realize the difficulty and/or impossibility of the situation.

Bottom line: XM installation is difficult, but not impossible.

Welcome to the forum in any case! As far as ETA on your car, it's typically running about 6 weeks from order to arrival at the dealership, unless you're talking SRT-8 or have ordered a "late availability" option like Kicker stereo, rear-seat video entertainment, etc.

[Mr.DJ]

An excellent response Joe...thanks?

[Finch]

Thanks for the quick response. What I meant by being "possible", was that I'm sure Infiniti had some common jack in the navigation unit, which accepted both XM and Sirius units. I was wondering in Chrysler did the same thing, but only offered Sirius because that's the Vendor they have an agreement with. If that were the case, I would be able to purchase XM later and use that navigation jack as well.

As far as the Aux jack goes, I am aware that new 2006's don't seem to have them yet. However, mine isn't in production yet because I talked to the dealer on Friday and he was still able to change the color on the order from black to silver (too many people complaining about the care/upkeep of the black paint/shine). I've read the usual lead time is 10-14 weeks, so anything prior to that would be a serious Bonus!!!

Counting the seconds until I get it .... tick, tick, tick

[jeepgrady]

You should at least stick with Sirius for the first year. Hell, the cost is on Chrysler. Who knows, probably by then they will both merge anyway.

[Jimmy]

it took 10 weeks to get my 06 300c black.
Jimmy