Hello all! I've been a visitor to the site for a while now (posting virgin though), and just last week I jotted down my signature for a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. I'm very excited, but now the hard part begins... the wait!

One thing I've been thinking about in regards to the my new car is what I'll do about my Sirius radio. First of all, let me say that I don't want to do whatever it is that needs be done. I'm a pretty smart guy, but I know what I'm good at and what I'm not... and I'd much rather have a professional do the job right than mess around with it myself and do a crappy job of it.

So, I'm trying to see what my options are. Here's what they are as I see them (with the pros/cons). These may or may not be right... please correct me if I'm wrong or throw out some other options!

• Place a Sirius unit in the car, run it in to the Aux input that's next to the lighter.
  • Pro:
    • Probably the cheapest and easiest.
    • No replacing of existing receiver in car.
    • They say they can make it look nice regardless of the car.
  • Con:
    • I don't want to see wires if I can at all avoid it.
    • Having 2 screens to look at, ie, extra 'clutter'. I'd like it to be as neat and clean as possible.
    • Where does the Sirius unit go? Under the dash in the middle is hard to see, and up on the windshield is just messy I'd think.
• I've searched on here and saw threads about a type of conversion kit to change the XM to Sirius if you have the Nav unit, and then Sirius would work thru the existing unit in the car.
  • Pro:
    • Very nice and neat, all in one place.
    • No replacing of existing receiver in car.
  • Con:
    • I've called a couple car audio places (Jo-Di's in CT), and they have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention this.
• Put a new receiver in the car so the Sirius works right thru the radio.
  • Pro:
    • Very nice and neat, all in one place.
  • Con:
    • Would there be anything that needs to run to the battery? I want to avoid that at all costs.
    • Are there any additional components needed other than the receiver itself?
    • Seems like the most "invasive" install of the bunch.
    • Probably the most expensive.

I've heard from multiple sources that none of these options void the warranty... but I should ask that question here as well to be sure!

Also, I'm currently on the list waiting for a car without a Navigation unit, but I was told that can be easily changed if I changed my mind... just to call the dealership.

I'd rather pay a little extra and have it look nice and be easy to use than have something I don't really like. I mean... its a new car (my first actually... long overdue) and I think I should have what I want. (wow, that just sounded like something my wife would say! lol)


Thanks for any and all thoughts & advice!!!

 

I have arranged to have the XM & Sirius companies merge so that by the time you take delivery of your 08 HCH, the majority of the programming will have been combined and will be available on both XM & Sirius receivers. I had to get both the DOJ and the FCC to sign off on this, but everything is falling into place to be ready by the time you take delivery of your new car.

Oh, and yes get the the Navigation radio. You will be glad you did.

 

lol, all this time they've been working to get this approved and all they needed was you to get involved! who knew!

I really am thinking about the nav. hmmmmmm...

 

Yeah, just wait for the merger.

But if you can't, you probably found my thread during your searching. The conversion is insanely simple. You don't have to dismantle anything up front. Just take some covers out of the trunk.

Also, here's an updated conversion guide (each photo has a caption):
http://flickr.com/photos/duc1701/set...7604146216833/

 

When the merger is complete, the programming on the 2 types of receivers will be pretty much the same, so I would not see the need to swap boxes.

 

Orient Express,
Are you getting your channel lineup info from a source or assuming what will happen? I would love more info on the merger. I actually have both XM and Sirius currently and I love the Hair Nation and Buzzsaw stations on Sirius while pretty much everything else on XM. I've trained myself to live with Squizz and Lucy on my HCH Navi XM. Although seasonal, the Christmas music on XM can't be beat in my opinion. I'd also rather listen to O&A than Howard. (hoo hoo robin)

It would rock to get my favorite Sirius stations on my in dash XM.

 

The info that I am referencing came from the DOJ and FCC review documents. I would bet that the lineup is still in flux but will be part of the merger completion launch.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts, advice, & help! Great community here!

I've decided on getting the Navi, and just running my current Sirius unit thru the aux port by the lighter. Easiest to get in, and easy to get out after the merger when I can just use the existing XM stuff.

And as a bonus... I called the dealership, and they said I most likely will get the car sooner now that I want the Navi. Yay!

 

I'll probably actually put the XM tuner back in once the merger is complete, since the Sirius adapter isn't very reliable. 1 out of 10 times, the head unit will not detect that a satellite radio tuner is attached. I have to turn the car off and back on again.

Now that it has been approved by the FCC, I wonder how quickly the 2 companies will move to complete the technical work required to merge the channel lineup. If I can somehow get Howard Stern, NPR, and XM's Cinemagic channel, I'll be in heaven.

 

Sirius XM is here! How long until the content is combined?