XM Radio

In looking at an RTL last evening, the dealer doesn't know what the cost is to have the XM radio ready. Evidently most of the hardware is already in the RTL's, but something else needs done. Anyone know the cost? I already use XM in my Element (with a local audio store installing it with velcro just below the shifter) and love it!

Just curious--now that XM has that portable device with built in antenna and FM tranceiver(?) with kits for car and home for $350 exclusive of the service, why pay $550 for the XM Radio option that can only be used in that vehicle?

The RT-L has everything ready to go. You get a 3 month trial and after you have to subscribe to it. If you already have XM and additional subscription is like $7/month otherwise it's $10.

The dealer should activate the trial when you buy it. My XM was working no problem right off the lot.

Unfortunately, there is still a fair amount of installation for the "XM Ready" models:
http://www.HandA-Accessories.com/ridgeline/xmradio.pdf

all that "XM Ready" means is that the factory radio can control the add-on tuner.


-Trevor

Ah...and there you have it: you still need the tuner. Sounds like my Sony head unit that I have. It's Sirius "ready" but I had to buy the tuner and have my installer hook it all up for it to start jammin.

XM prices are going up. The new price I think is $12.95/month. I signed on for a 3 year subscription when I got my Ody so I am good until April 2008. I got a flyer in the mail that was offering me a $12.95/month deal if I signed on for another multiyear deal (an extension I guess) within a couple of weeks.

Is there a time limit for activating the XM radio.? Can I wait 6 months? I want to wait for our summer vacation to fullly enjoy all 150 channels. Here in SF Bay area, we have so many FM stations that XM is kind of a overkill.

I like my FM stations with local news and local culture. I have not tried the XM radio but I kind of think this is a solution looking for a problem. Does anyone know the KILLER application for XM?

Is there a time limit for activating the XM radio.Why don't you ask your dealer.

Our radio was activated by the dealer on delivery, which I thought was odd but didn't question it since I have no interest in continuing the service. We've listened to it a time or two, and it seems to be high-quality, but we would never use it enuf to make the $12.95 a month :eek: worthwhile.

RTL's with Navi or a Sunroof have XM pre-installed. An RTL without these options will not have XM. Your options (from most to least expensive) are: 1. To have one installed by the dealer. 2. Buy the kit yourself from H and A or College Hills and install it yourself. 3. Buy a plug and play such as a SkyFi, Roady, or Audiovox and install it yourself. I chose to buy a plug and play.

XM radio in the Ridgeline should only need to be turned on with XM. I asked twice at the dealership if I needed another piece of equipment installed for the XM to work. He assured me that it was ready to go as is from the dealer.

I love XM mostly because of the variety of music. I never even tried to listen to half the music selections until XM. Now I swing from 60's to Country to Classical and a lot of stuff in between. Long trips to short commute drives are great for me with XM. Amazingly I have bought more CDs because of listening to XM. The more I hear and know the artist, the more I want to research their music and buy it.

Commercial free is also a huge plus.
Jeff
Dallas, TX

Is there a time limit for activating the XM radio.? Can I wait 6 months? I want to wait for our summer vacation to fullly enjoy all 150 channels. Here in SF Bay area, we have so many FM stations that XM is kind of a overkill.

I like my FM stations with local news and local culture. I have not tried the XM radio but I kind of think this is a solution looking for a problem. Does anyone know the KILLER application for XM?

The dealer activated the XM service when I drove the Ridgeline off the lot. Everything works well. My other car has Sirius and so far I like Sirius better. I don't want this post to be a Xm vs. Sirius rant...I'm just expressing an opinion. I'll probably keep XM on the Ridgeline...I've bought into the value of Satellite radio. I believe once you hear Satellite radio you can't go back to tradtional OTA radio.

XM radio in the Ridgeline should only need to be turned on with XM. I asked twice at the dealership if I needed another piece of equipment installed for the XM to work. He assured me that it was ready to go as is from the dealer.

Jeff
Dallas, TX

Jeff, as I stated earlier if you bought a RTL with navi or a sunroof you are all set. But if you buy a RT, RTS, or standard RTL you are not going to have XM without installing a tuner and a antenna. Your dealer is mis-informed.

I also have the RTL with XM, it is ready to go off the lot. I have to admit that I have not listened to fm radio in the ridgeline. Just the fact that you have whatever type of music you feel like listening to at any moment, at the touch a finger is awesome. I do have to admit that I like the programing on Sirius better. I am looking into adding Sirius to my truck after my (so called) free XM trial ends. Does anybody know If I can use the antenae that is already installed on the ridgeline, or is the XM antenae exclusive to XM?

I also have the RTL with XM, it is ready to go off the lot. I have to admit that I have not listened to fm radio in the ridgeline. Just the fact that you have whatever type of music you feel like listening to at any moment, at the touch a finger is awesome. I do have to admit that I like the programing on Sirius better. I am looking into adding Sirius to my truck after my (so called) free XM trial ends. Does anybody know If I can use the antenae that is already installed on the ridgeline, or is the XM antenae exclusive to XM?

I would be very interested in the answer to that question. If you look at my posting under Stereo Mods. You can see some of the problems you might face when you add aftermarket audio devices to the factory headunit. The antenna connector for the factory headunit is not the typical "motorola-type" connector...it appears to be proprietary to the Honda radios (it's basically a 2-pin connector). The thing is someone else makes the headunit NOT Honda so if someone can answer that question it might give us more sources to investigate.

Well the antenae would plug into which ever Sirius unit I decide to go with so I don't think I'd have to play with the head unit antenae. I'm planning on running the audio through an AUX input, if there's not one on the back of the radio I'm sure somebody sells an AUX input adapter. I used one from a company called SoundGate for my setup on my H2, worked pretty well. So when all is said and done I'll be adding Sirius radio and the video setup I had in my H2 which was tv's dvd and playstation. If I could just get some warm weather and some ambition, I'll get started. :)

I am not familiar with XM radio operation. I notice that pictures of the head unit will show the channel number and music genre. Does the display also show the artist and song title?

I am not familiar with XM radio operation. I notice that pictures of the head unit will show the channel number and music genre. Does the display also show the artist and song title?

Yup! I do notice with the factory built-in XM, if the song title is too long, it will not show the whole title. There does not appear to be a scrolling function. Does anyone know if there is a scrolling function for the display?

Well the antenae would plug into which ever Sirius unit I decide to go with so I don't think I'd have to play with the head unit antenae. I'm planning on running the audio through an AUX input, if there's not one on the back of the radio I'm sure somebody sells an AUX input adapter. I used one from a company called SoundGate for my setup on my H2, worked pretty well. So when all is said and done I'll be adding Sirius radio and the video setup I had in my H2 which was tv's dvd and playstation. If I could just get some warm weather and some ambition, I'll get started. :)

Make sure to take lots of picture and tell us how your installation works. If you look at my post under Car Stereo Mods, myself and BamaRidge have had some dialogue about the auxiliary input adapter. Apparently, there is no adapter available specific to the Ridgeline Model. BamaRidge thinks that an adapter he has used for his Acura TSX might work. Presently, I waiting for an adapter designed for the Element and S2000...it should come in this week. I'll inspect all the connections and see if this solution will work. If not, I might try the suggestion BamaRidge has posted. FYI, BamaRidge posted some links that might be helpful as well...check it out.

I have the RTL without sunroof, so the XM is not installed. The stereo is "XM ready" which I belive simply means that there is a Aux input and a button on the front to control it.

I am definately a convert to XM and we have it in our Ody. My wife purchased a Delphi "Roady2" XM radio. This is a great little XM which does not need to be connected to your stereo, as it transmits on an FM frequency which can then be heard through the stereo.

This is conveinant, but the reception is not as good as a direct connect. I am hoping that the installer can figure out how to do a direct connect to the existing stereo to improve the sound quaility.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

I have the RTL without sunroof, so the XM is not installed. The stereo is "XM ready" which I belive simply means that there is a Aux input and a button on the front to control it.

I am definately a convert to XM and we have it in our Ody. My wife purchased a Delphi "Roady2" XM radio. This is a great little XM which does not need to be connected to your stereo, as it transmits on an FM frequency which can then be heard through the stereo.

This is conveinant, but the reception is not as good as a direct connect. I am hoping that the installer can figure out how to do a direct connect to the existing stereo to improve the sound quaility.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

Here is a question for you Hurleyjw, since your headunit is XM ready why don't you just buy the XM unit available for your truck? Check this (http://www.handaaccessories.com/ridgeline.html) out. I think this is what you are looking for. I have another question for you, does your radio have a dedicated button that only has XM printed on it? Or does it have XM/AUX printed on the button?

Make sure to take lots of picture and tell us how your installation works. If you look at my post under Car Stereo Mods, myself and BamaRidge have had some dialogue about the auxiliary input adapter. Apparently, there is no adapter available specific to the Ridgeline Model. BamaRidge thinks that an adapter he has used for his Acura TSX might work. Presently, I waiting for an adapter designed for the Element and S2000...it should come in this week. I'll inspect all the connections and see if this solution will work. If not, I might try the suggestion BamaRidge has posted. FYI, BamaRidge posted some links that might be helpful as well...check it out.

Bongus,

Since you've already dug into it, is the dash a bitch to take off? And is there room behind the HU?

I just purchased an RTL with factory XM. This is my 3rd Honda with factory XM. It is standard procedure for the radio to be activated. In fact, they should be activated while sitting on the lot since Honda and XM have a vested interest in adding to XM's subscriber base. They give the new owners a total of 3 months of free service, with the hope that the new user will be hooked on the format (savvy marketing, if you ask me). Counting my wife's '04 Accord and our new Ridgeline, we have a total of 5 XM radios in our household. I rarely listen to regular AM/FM radio anymore. For those of you to have not yet discovered the beauty of satellite radio, what are you waiting for??? Kudos to Honda for partnering with XM on several of their top end models! Without a doubt, XM availability was a prime consideration when shopping for my new vehicle.

Bongus,

Since you've already dug into it, is the dash a bitch to take off? And is there room behind the HU?

I followed the installation instructions for the MP3 Player and it is easy to get to the radio. Once the template is removed, it requires about 4 screws to be removed and then you're set to go. There appears to be a lot of room behind the HU so, adding any aftermarket auxiliary adapters should not be a problem.

Not impressed with XM...I thought it would be commercial free but instead it has commercials for XM after every song it seems. :confused:

After the three months I will NOT renew and will probably not use it during the three month free period. I can see the benefit if you are in a rural area with limited stations but in Los Angeles I see no benefit.

I prefer to plug in my iPod and have no commercials.

Not impressed with XM...I thought it would be commercial free but instead it has commercials for XM after every song it seems. :confused:

After the three months I will NOT renew and will probably not use it during the three month free period. I can see the benefit if you are in a rural area with limited stations but in Los Angeles I see no benefit.

I prefer to plug in my iPod and have no commercials.

How are you connecting your iPod?

How are you connecting your iPod?

For the time being through the aux jack on the dash. That is until I set up an aux jack in a better location where I can also find power for the iPod. Maybe in the glove box or by the center arm rest. I can run a RemoteRemote on the iPod and bury it away out of sight.

Are you sure you are listening to XM and not FM? XM has no commercials. It stopped playing commercials on its music stations almost a year ago.
Might want to turn it on and listen again
Jeff
Dallas, Tx





Not impressed with XM...I thought it would be commercial free but instead it has commercials for XM after every song it seems. :confused:

After the three months I will NOT renew and will probably not use it during the three month free period. I can see the benefit if you are in a rural area with limited stations but in Los Angeles I see no benefit.

I prefer to plug in my iPod and have no commercials.

Here is a question for you Hurleyjw, since your headunit is XM ready why don't you just buy the XM unit available for your truck? Check this (http://www.handaaccessories.com/ridgeline.html) out. I think this is what you are looking for. I have another question for you, does your radio have a dedicated button that only has XM printed on it? Or does it have XM/AUX printed on the button?

Look at that price point!! and that's uninstalled. I don't have the knowledge or the testies to try to install myself. I am not even sure that price includes the antenna, converter and other items. Still, I was going to get it, but my devoted wife reminded me that she had purchased my XM radio for me as a Valentines gift, and was I just going to let it go to waste now??

What's a man to do who has just gotten approval to buy a new $30K toy. :p

Yes, the Button does have XM/AUX printed, so I assume there is a recepticle for attaching either XM or other auxiliary.

Not impressed with XM...I thought it would be commercial free but instead it has commercials for XM after every song it seems. :confused:

After the three months I will NOT renew and will probably not use it during the three month free period. I can see the benefit if you are in a rural area with limited stations but in Los Angeles I see no benefit.

I prefer to plug in my iPod and have no commercials.

You may be hearing commercials because you have the trial version. There is definately no commercials once you have subscribed.

The other possibility is if you are listening to some of the news stations. Stations such as "CNN Headline News" appear to be direct broadcasts from the Television show, and do have the same advertisements as the T.V. Broadcast.

I love the XM and want to strangle the morning FM DJ's that won't stop talking and play music.

Look at that price point!! and that's uninstalled. I don't have the knowledge or the testies to try to install myself. I am not even sure that price includes the antenna, converter and other items. Still, I was going to get it, but my devoted wife reminded me that she had purchased my XM radio for me as a Valentines gift, and was I just going to let it go to waste now??

What's a man to do who has just gotten approval to buy a new $30K toy. :p

Yes, the Button does have XM/AUX printed, so I assume there is a recepticle for attaching either XM or other auxiliary.

Does the Delphi "Roady2" XM radio have RCA outputs? Or does it only work with FM modulation? If it only has FM modulation, the best solution I have found for this situation is to buy a hard-wire FM modulator that actually connects to the radio antenna. The problem with the Ridgeline radio is that the antenna is not your standard Motorola connector it has a proprietary 2 pin connector. I've found the part that converts the 2 pin connector and splits it into a Motorola type connector...Honda calls it a "sub-feeder cord". It is a part found in the DVD accessory available for the Ridgeline. Presently, you cannot purchase the part by itself. You must purchase the kit and the kit sells for around $200. I spoke to a Honda dealer service rep and he informed me that Honda will sell the individual parts if there is enough demand for them. If someone out there has a better solution please post it.

You may be hearing commercials because you have the trial version. There is definately no commercials once you have subscribed.

The other possibility is if you are listening to some of the news stations. Stations such as "CNN Headline News" appear to be direct broadcasts from the Television show, and do have the same advertisements as the T.V. Broadcast.

Excellent points. I have Sirius and they do have commercials on the talk stations but mainly because I think many of them are simply "feeds" that they rebroadcast. The music, however, has zero commercials - only occasional chatter from the current DJ inviting you to request songs, etc.

Were any of the basketball games on an XM channel yesterday? I clicked around for a minute and couldn't find anything.

Were any of the basketball games on an XM channel yesterday? I clicked around for a minute and couldn't find anything.
Sirius has the exclusive rights on NCAA basketball. Sirius has aggressively contracted with major sports such as NFL, NCAA basketball and NASCAR (some people don't think this is a sport). XM has rights to baseball.

OK, but there are some college basketball channels on XM, aligned with the conferences.

OK, but there are some college basketball channels on XM, aligned with the conferences.

I should correct what I said earlier. Sirius has the rights to the NCAA tournament...I believe that is that you were asking. XM does have ESPN, and I believe that is just the radio feed of the TV broadcast...just like CNN, etc... So, you might hear games on those channels.

Bongus,

Which of these is in place now, or are they all future like the NASCAR which does not start till 2007, untill then XM has it.


Sirius has the exclusive rights on NCAA basketball. Sirius has aggressively contracted with major sports such as NFL, NCAA basketball and NASCAR (some people don't think this is a sport). XM has rights to baseball.

Which of these is in place now, or are they all future like the NASCAR which does not start till 2007, untill then XM has it.

You're right, NASCAR will be coming to Sirius...MLB is still with XM as far as I know. As for the NFL, Sirius has it. If you follow the whole satellite radio thing...Sirius has shelled some serious (I like that pun) dough on programming. Some people believe Sirius has over extended themselves financially. I believe both providers still have not made any profit but they are freely spending money investors are giving them. I bought into Sirius' lifetime subscription plan and to break even, Sirius needs to be around for 2.5 years.

Looking at the installation instructions from H&A I decided I couldn't do the job myself. I ordered the unit from H&A and my dealer agreed to install the tuner and they will honor the Honda warranty. Saved me about $150 and still get the warranty. The dealer is really trying to help out. I don't understand how H&A can sell units cheaper then local dealers. Tuner should be at my house tomorrow.

I have the XM but have yet to really find it likable. None of the stations seem to have a reasonable mix for my tastes and there is just as much talk as the regular stations. I still find my local selection of stations has a better selection. There are two stations that are supposed to be "kids" stations, but I gather they mean teens because my kids don't care for them. I'd like to keep XM just to have a broader selection, but based on the current music choices don't think I will.

I am getting a bit tired of people posting that XM has just as many commercials as regular FM. I plan to buy my Ridge late May - August. I have XM. I hear no commercials on music stations.
Is there anyone who has gotten there Ridge with XM and noticed that it is in TRIAL version? I think this would be very foolish of XM to do, but I would not be surprised by anything.
I was hoping to let the XM 3 month trial period go until the end, than switch it over to my family plan.

Well, my XM doesn't have as many commercials for products, just commercials for the XM station itself, which I find a bit more annoying as it gets monotonous.

The number of "commercials" or XM "infomercials" depends on what channel you are listening to and whether the programming is produced for XM use or for broadcast use. For example, the XM music stations have a few XM bumpers but in general are pretty much all music. Stations that were designed for broadcast, i.e. ESPN Radio, MRN Radio, have to leave time open for commercials during the broadcast feed. XM fills the breaks with their own programming. I'm keeping XM after the trial because it provides programming I can't get reliably anywhere else.

I have had XM for about two years now. The music channels produced by XM such as Deep Tracks, X-Country, Frank's Place, etc, DO NOT have commercials. The news,comedy, and talking channels, America Left, America Right,CNN, Fox, ComedyXM, Sonic Theater,etc, DO have commercials which are just as annoying and repetitive as AM/FM.
So it boils down to this...if you listen predominately to music, no commercials. If you want to listen to talk,comedy,sports,news, you will have to put up with commercials.

I do not see how some may not see the self promotion that XM does as not being a commercial. They insert comercials about XM. What is the differance if the commercial is for XM or Condoms? It's still a commercial. I wish they would stop the self promotion...good reason to go to an iPod.

I called them and they gave me the next 3 months free and then it will go on my plan. I locked in for 5 years before April 2. That makes it about $8.33 a month.



I am getting a bit tired of people posting that XM has just as many commercials as regular FM. I plan to buy my Ridge late May - August. I have XM. I hear no commercials on music stations.
Is there anyone who has gotten there Ridge with XM and noticed that it is in TRIAL version? I think this would be very foolish of XM to do, but I would not be surprised by anything.
I was hoping to let the XM 3 month trial period go until the end, than switch it over to my family plan.

Hmmm, we could be talking about different feeds. My XM is self installed and has nothing to do with Honda. I have never listened to the "3 month free trial" included with factory installed XM. If XM is constantly promoting themselves on the free trial version, they might be shooting themselves in the foot.I would imagine the self promotion would be quite annoying.

Jeff, as I stated earlier if you bought a RTL with navi or a sunroof you are all set. But if you buy a RT, RTS, or standard RTL you are not going to have XM without installing a tuner and a antenna. Your dealer is mis-informed.

The honda dealer sales guy told me the same thing. I found out I have to buy the tuner and an antena. I will complain to Honda. they need to tell their sales people not to mislead people.

Even though I just installed a Sirius receiver in my Ridge, I have to come to XM's defense. The XM self promotion that everyone speaks of are barely 30 seconds then it's right back to the programming. When it's all said and done if that's the only thing you don't like about Sat. radio, is it really all that bad? It's a whole lot better than the 15 - 18 minutes of advertising every hour on FM.

Just my opinion.

commercial is a commercial 30 seconds or a minute even if its just them jerkin their own chain or station identification. I still find it hard to pay for radio, I moslty listen to CD's and MP3's so i will likely bypass the XM unless there is some spectacular offer. And geez.. people are signing 5 year contracts? That's $500 bills. I could buy 2 20G MP3 players with that and make my own radio. " Brought to you by BELLTECK .. the fine maker of music " :D

commercial is a commercial 30 seconds or a minute even if its just them jerkin their own chain or station identification. I still find it hard to pay for radio, I moslty listen to CD's and MP3's so i will likely bypass the XM unless there is some spectacular offer. And geez.. people are signing 5 year contracts? That's $500 bills. I could buy 2 20G MP3 players with that and make my own radio. " Brought to you by BELLTECK .. the fine maker of music " :D

Well said! A commercial is a commercial.. PERIOD. You should not advertise a product (XM) or channel as "commercial free" and then run ANY kind of commercial.

As for station identification breaks... I doubt XM is subject to those, but if it is then I would have to accept it as it's the law.

I like XM better than MP3 just because I hear songs and programs on XM that I forgot even existed. I want to hear more than my playlist over and over again.

One more note. If you get the 3 months free with XM don't convert to a regular subscriber. They'll charge you $12.99 per month. If you tell them you want to cancel they will make you a better offer.

It used to be $60 per year was their final offer, but I think that ended this month. The new "best offer" is $77 per year.

You have to talk to the "retention department" and tell them you know they gave your friend a great deal and you're not going to pay $13 per month.

It works!

It takes a Looooong time to run through 17Gig of Mp3's and I do listen to Bob N Tom on my morning drive in. Besides that I will check the local stations for new music now and then. Just not enough time to listen to it all ;)

Thanks for the tip Csimo. I have a Skyfi2 now and will be picking up mr RTL this afternoon. I thought that I might be stuck paying the $13 per month but thanks to your tip I may be able to negotiate a better price for both.

I learn something new every day on this site. ROC rocks! Thank you, one and all! (that would be Ya'all, I think, for our brothers and sisters sufficiently south of the Mason-Dixon) :)

Thanks csimo, I will heed your advice. I plan on re-upping. Should I ask for the retention department when I call?

Thanks for the tip Csimo. I am in the first month of my three month trial, not knowing I was already 'subscribed' to it by the dealer (he told me when you subscribe, the first three months are free. And the free XM now was a courtesy to the dealership for the first month. (misinformation.....).

So I called the 800# and they told me to call back after the three month free trial. I didn't think to negotiate lower (we will be getting it for both our new Hondas).

Hopefully come July the deal will be as good.

Thanks again for the tip.

Does that mean after my 3 month trial I have to call to cancel if I dont want it?

Bellteck, unless you alread gave them a credit card number to bill you, that should be it after three months. I was told to call back just before my three months ended if I wanted to subscribe.

I'll take csimo's suggestion and try to talk them down. But enjoy the three months now!

I called XM today as my subscription is about to expire. They wouldn't budge on the $12.95/mo. They said I had to wait for the subscription to expire and for a letter in the mail to arrive. They refused to do anything about it today. Fine. They want to sell that kind of customer service, screw 'em. :mad:

Letter arrived a couple weeks ago with over 2 months free still left. It's nice, but not worth $13 a month. I won't be renewing. :rolleyes:

Shovelhd, they told you to wait for another letter? Wow, guess they don't want more customers....

I've still got about 6 weeks left, and got that 'welcome' letter a few weeks ago.

I like my XM alot, but don't know if I am willing to pay that much (as well for the 'family' plan, additional car....) even if my FM reception is crappy. After all, both Hondas have 6 disc changers....

Keep us posted on what the letter indicates after your subscription expires (i.e. offer you a cheaper rate.....)

Thanks

The only letter I've received tells me that the free trial is about to run out, and I can renew for $12.95/mo.

The CSR was a real prick. I was reasonable. He didn't want to hear it.

I read on another forum that the number to call to get the $77 per year rate csimo was talking about is 1-800-321-7117. I don't know if that is a special number for this offer or their regular number. I have no plans to renew once my free membership expires so I have not checked into this personally.

There is also a code that may or may not be valid that you can give a customer rep (who may or may not honor it) that allows for three free months of service and you can cancel at any time. That code is xmsciono3. Again, I have not tried this so I do not know if it is still valid or even if it will extend the initial three months you have free with the Ridge. But for those of you who want to continue service this is worth a try and may be a way to save a few bucks. I got this info from a site called "SlickDeals" where they said YMMV depending on the mood of the rep you are talking to. If that is the case, personally, I agree with shovelhd, "screw 'em"!

I read on another forum that the number to call to get the $77 per year rate csimo was talking about is 1-800-321-7117. I don't know if that is a special number for this offer or their regular number. I have no plans to renew once my free membership expires so I have not checked into this personally.

There is also a code that may or may not be valid that you can give a customer rep (who may or may not honor it) that allows for three free months of service and you can cancel at any time. That code is xmsciono3. Again, I have not tried this so I do not know if it is still valid or even if it will extend the initial three months you have free with the Ridge. But for those of you who want to continue service this is worth a try and may be a way to save a few bucks. I got this info from a site called "SlickDeals" where they said YMMV depending on the mood of the rep you are talking to. If that is the case, personally, I agree with shovelhd, "screw 'em"!

If the reps are anything like DirecTv, they know nothing. The way to get something is to talk to Customer Retention and to keep calling until you get "the deal" that you want.

He said he was customer retention. He was more like anal retention. I'll try again tomorrow.

I think I'll wait until they run a special, they have before and im sure they will again.

You could try month by month for 1 or 2 and then cancel and see if retention offers a better price. Direct TV only gives better rates this way too. :rolleyes:

Thanks everyone for the renewal information. I just got my letter from XM. I will try to negotiate a better deal than the $12.95 rate. I really like XM radio but I miss the enhanced user interface in the Ridgeline Vs my XM Skyfi2. I find the Ridgelines user interface, if you can even call it that, to be poor at best. That is one thing that I am disappointed about on the Ridgeline. There could and should be a virtual 10-key pad on the Nav screen and maybe a chanel category selection screen. Even if you had to assemble the channel choices yourself based on the then current XM guide, it would help. Maybe someday the XM chanel guide will be downloadable directly to the screen on Nav type radios. I carry the papaer XM guide with me but I have to put my glasses on to read it so I dont bother while I am driving. The voice command works fine but it is a challenge to remember all those channels. Having two groups of presets is nice but not nearly enough. If they allowed the channel-up and channel-down buttons on the stering wheel to be able to be configured for different search modes it would really help. I also really miss the favorite artist notification that the SkyFi2 has.

I agree HOG, besides favorites its not even easy to scan through XM in the Ridge. I could have a portable unit at my side scanning easier than the factory one. Can use the voice activation but only when all windows are up and AC not on high. They should have placed the voice activaion mic closer to the driver and have a XM scan button on the wheel. :rolleyes:

I need to renew or cancel my XM service within the next few weeks. I have a SkyFi2 that I use at home and in the office and, boy, do I miss some of those SkiFi2 features. Has anyone had any luck recently negotiating a better deal than the $12.95 per month?

Yes, you have to be willing to play hardball. Call them up and tell them you want to cancel your service. They'll send you to the retention department. Tell them you want to cancel because it costs tooooo much and you know they offered a friend of yours a year for $77 and it offends you that they want $13 per month from you.

In about 10 minutes of insisting you want to cancel you'll end up with a year of service for $77. You can add up to 4 more units for $6.95 per month each to that account. Funny, but the add on units cost more than the main unit in this case.

I'm told that once you use up the $77 year they will NOT renew for that price.

Thanks, again, Csimo! I will call them in the morning. I did do the same thing with NexTel, although I was serious about cancelling. When I got to the retention department I got to speak with someone that not only understood the various plans and programs but she was able to make decisions. She made me an offer that I could not refuse. It was not a published plan but it fit my needs very well, and saved a lot of money. As a result they still have a paying customer and I am still with them today.

I will let you know how I make out. Thank you, again, again!

I tried everything, but was not able to negotiate a better deal. So I'm living without XM for now.

Thanks, again, Csimo! I will call them in the morning. I did do the same thing with NexTel, although I was serious about cancelling. When I got to the retention department I got to speak with someone that not only understood the various plans and programs but she was able to make decisions. She made me an offer that I could not refuse. It was not a published plan but it fit my needs very well, and saved a lot of money. As a result they still have a paying customer and I am still with them today.

I will let you know how I make out. Thank you, again, again!
Wow... sorry to get off Ridgeline here..but congrats on the nextel!!
I have a friend that owns an electrical company with 100 some nextel units in service... he had a small issue with them on trying to work a better rate plan based on there needs. Hours on the phone, he gets no satisfaction, then says he would cancel all 100 units. They said fine is there anything else they could help him with that day :confused: He paid a fortune in cancelation fees but said it was principle not the money

The key is getting to the right person. Sometime you just have to hang up and call again. It can also be worthwhile to wait a day or two and call back at a different time of day. Your friend ran into someone that did not care, a poor excuse at best. That was a loose - loose situation that that should never have happened. Your friend lost money but NexTel was the big looser, but whatever the problem was it was NexTel's fault for not taking care of the problem and your friend. Sorry for your friend but NexTel does not get any sympathy from me.


It is hard to find good people these days, especially from the entitlement generation of 'me, me, me, me first, it's all about me. You and all of the other employees and the entire company that we are employed by are all here to please me - right? I don't care about you and I especially don't care about customers, they're annoying, and besides, there’s always more where they came from. That is the type of employee that just can’t understand why others get promoted ahead of them and they cant hold on to a job. They are poision to any business. We have all encountered those type of people. We just have to find a way to work around them.

I have not had the time yet today to call XM. Hope to do so tonight. I wonder which type of employee I will encounter. I think I know, but I'm still hopeful!

Got my XM letter in the mail today. Its dated July 21, 2008.
they tell me its time to renew on 8/2/08

The only new offer is XM Quarterly Serv. @ $38.85 that is $12.95 per month.

If you sign up for 1 year you pay $142.45 $11.87/month 8% savings big deal.

I have Sirus on my wife's car and the dealer just renewed it for 1 year no charge. That was a welcomed surprise.

I am going to try to get the $77.00 per year rate, if they donot want to work with me, I will probably drop XM. I have a 6CD players with tons of music.

XM doesnot have as good a list as Sirus and they are much more expensive.
I was told last year by the company that they would merge into one company. I dont see any signs of that happening.

When you retire, you have to cut back on somethings!!!! With gas prices I think I would rather continue to drive and to hell with XM!!!

I would rather continue to drive and to hell with XM!!!

Dropped XM last month and haven't missed it so far. Tired of paying for canned music. FM ain't so bad and HD may be just the ticket.:p If the CD played MP3's would have said so long a helluva lot sooner.:rolleyes: