jir591

I bought a 2007 CLS63 and the friggin' built-in Sirius radio looses signal if I drive under a tree, under a overpass and sometimes just turn a corner. I had an XM in my previous car and never had this problem. Can the dealership do anything?

crb49

I have the same issue in my '07 E class, but not the same problem in my 05 T & C. Wish I had the answer but what gives?

amgme

same happens to mine. park in my garage and the signal dies.

gvaughn

You know I have the same problem a lot in the San Gabriel Valley. At work (Pasadena) I lose reception whenever I enter the parking garage (above ground - but covered). I also will lose signal sometimes when driving by tall trees and at freeway underpasses.

HOWEVER, I recently drove to Las Vegas and found that I got GREAT reception in the covered parking at Caesar's Palace. This completely surprised me, but led me to a conclusion about my Sirius problem. I do NOT think it is a hardware/antenna problem - as the good reception I was getting in Las Vegas could NOT have been to Satellite recpetion as the car was completely obstructed from seeing the sky (by several levels of covered parking). I think it has to do with the coverage in certain areas. Sirius is not only supposed to have satellite coverage (which requires a view of the sky) but also ground (terrestrial) repeaters that broadcast the signal like your "normal" radio does. Apparently in Las Vegas they have good ground repeater coverage, but in the areas where I live (San Gabriel Valley) the ground/repeater coverage is minimal if existent at all. I guess it's like cell phone reception and placing towers. I wish they would add some more ground repeaters in my area, but I guess for now I'll have to live with the coverage they have. As long as my car has a view of the sky, I don't have many problems.

I would guess as far as XM goes, they either have a stronger satellite signal, and/or they have better ground coverage (at least in areas where a difference has been noted between XM and Sirius coverage).

On a side note, if they posted ground/repeater coverage maps for Sirius (like they do with cellular coverage) we could get a better idea of where we'll get good signal. I would guess they're not too interested in doing this because they don't want to show where they have big "gaps". I've also read some things to indicate that they might have legal issues with regards to the repeaters, which might be why the coverage in certain areas aren't as good, as that might make them vulnerable to FCC regulation...but that's another topic.

crb49

Valid information. But it doesn't explain why I get much better reception with my T & C.

gvaughn

Well..it could be that the antenna for the T&C is better. Unfortunately I don't think there is any menu to show what the signal strength is. My other Sirius Starmate I have, I can check the signal levels and see how strong of a satellite and terrestrial signal the unit is receiving. I don't know of anyway to do that with thr MB Sirius unit. Can you see that info on your T&C Sirius unit?

crb49

The antenna would be the obvious, but I don't think I have access in the
T & C either. It just bugs me that MB can't get it as good as Chrysler. Same goes for the navigation. You'd think they'd come up with the best of both worlds at this point. Guess that would be too easy.

gvaughn

No argument with me re: MB Nav. It isn't nearly as good as in many other autos on the market. Bluetooth isn't very good either.

crb49

Haven't had any problems with the bluetooth in the Mercedes but do have some issues with the van. As I'm writing this, it just makes me a bit frustrated. Can't anyone get these things right for their luxury models? I thought that's what we pay for.