ro0123

Anyone know what the deal is with Satellite Radio? It wasn't an option on my 2004 E500 but my comand system supports it. Do I need additional equipment from the dealer? It seems that way because by ESN is not displayed as the manual shows. The dealer says Mercedes & Sirius are still working out the details of their agreement. Sirius says otherwise. No one seems to know the story including the dealer.

richard2725

I e-mailed MBUSA last week and asked that very question and still have no reply.

RedBaron

Buy an XM Commander and put that in your car instead. You'll be happier all around than with Sirius.

richard2725

Can you use intergated MB antenna with it. On our S class went XM and did not like pached look of antenna. Also on my SL on place would be the trunk deck.

alewifebp

Just like Christmas and a touch screen nav, it's coming.

Seriously, I thought that the first quarter of this year we were supposed to see it. And as far as I know, it should be a simple purchase and insert of a sat radio module (~$500), which I believe, but I could be wrong, will use the same antenna as the Navigation.

Buellwinkle

At an MB event 6 months ago they demoed it on a W211 and it looked good, it displayed the song name/artist on the display. They said $800 installed. Got a brochure that said it was available on every MB except the SLK. I keep asking the dealer and no go. The only negative at the time is that they had a cheezy magnetic antenna on the trunk. I used to like Sirius but they went downhill in the past 6 months and are dropping some stations I like (ie. the pulse) so I switched to XM which begins commercial free music on 2/1 and local weather and traffic on 3/1. I'm just using they Roady with the FM modulator and it's not great but better than FM commercials. The problem is that nobody makes an AUX adapter. Does the W211 radio have AUX IN? The C/CLK Command has Aux in jack in the glove box. Some people have taken the cassette radio apart, put in a blank cassette while it's on, cut the leads to the drive motors and soldered an line-in jack to the where the tape heads connect to. They just switch to cassette when they want to listen to sat radio.

richard2725

I have XM on my boat and the way MB and Sirius are going may just do an XM add-on for SL and E class. I believe both have AUX jacks in glove box. Has anyone done an XM install using those jacks?

rgbyhkr

Everything I've heard says Q1 of this year. I have to respectfully disagree with RedBaron about XM though. I've tried both and prefer Sirius. XM has finally decided to jump onboard with Sirius and offer commercial free music channels. Long overdue IMO.

One clear separator and a dealbreaker for me is that Sirius has been aggressively going after radio contracts with professional sports leagues. Sirius has just anounced an exclusive contract with the NFL starting next season. Beginning in the 2004 season, you'll be able to listen to radio broadcasts of all NFL games. That's great for Sundays when I have to run errands around town.

gbrandon

Are you guys referring to the 04's E class? When I bought my 03' E500 they told me it was all ready to go with Sirius and all I had to do was go down the street to the stereo store that was a sirius dealer and they would activate it for me. It is supposed to be a factory item I believe.

rgbyhkr

The integrated Sirius option for MB vehicles is not yet available. When it is, it will be a choice you can make on a new vehicle or even have the module added at the dealership later on. Of course, the vehicle has to support the option. Most 2004 MB models will be able to accept the MB Sirius module. I'm not sure if 2003 W211's will though. I guess we'll have to see when the Sirius modules are released.

Of course, people already have installed after market XM and Sirius systems. I'm not sure why they told you that about your '03 E or if there was a miscommunication but as stated above, the MB installed Sirius option is not yet available.

richard2725

We were told we could get upgrade for our 2004 E500 and 2004 SL500 in January when cars were ordered in Fall. That is now another MB hstory lesson. Calls to MB by dealer say in future. Discussion with zone rep says maybe 2005 and in the survey I just completed for MB (call from Powers Group) I said honesty would be a big help. Come on of futures is getting to be tiring. It is one way to sell cars, however I just spent 170K plus with MB only to have false promises. May it is time to switch marques.

norb

Lack of satellite radio wouldn't have kept me from buying.

rgbyhkr

Everything I've heard says Q1. Of course there will always be salespeople that are more "flexible" with the facts and extrapolate Q1 to mean January. You could always go to BMW, where the Nav system and coveted HUD on the new 5 series are both future availability options.

weinschela

I had a Hertz rental a few weeks ago (San Francisco area). Was my first exposure to satellite and I must say I was underwhelemed. I didn't think the reception was any better than a good FM radio --- except that when you were under an obstruction (underpass on the highway) the satellite signal would be lost temporarily. The antenna was ugly (on the trunk lid; it was a Mustang convertible). OK, there are many many stations from which to choose. Since I live in New York and commute every day, what I'm interested in is traffic reports, news, weather, and for entertainment sometimes some sports (ESPNradio) or finding some music. There are probably 50 to 100 stations in reception range in NY, so from my standpoint I wouldn't pay anything extra for satellite. So I don't understand what the big fuss is about.

gbrandon

Well, im calling the dealer right now. The GM himself was the one that told me about the car having sirius. Im already perturbed at these people because the salesman told me the car had heated seats, and after I got home and was playing with the car, I realized it did not. I should have went over the car more with him, but I spent most of the day between 3 dealers, and things got confusing on which car had what options. Add to the fact that my salesman had only been there 5 months, and he previously worked at the Jeep/chrysler dealer. No wonder he didnt know what the car had and didnt have. As far as the GM telling me about Sirius, I have no idea why he would say that.


-Geoff

richard2725

Living in Florida and coming from NY Sat is a big issue as one likes to hear real news stations. I have XM on my boat and had aftermarket XM in S500. This time want integration..Oh Well....

rgbyhkr

I'm not sure I follow you here. Certainly any delay sucks especially when you were told it would be available by now. However, you seem to be implying that the solution won't be offered at all, which isn't the case. There is actually a board member who posted shots of the unit in beta testing. Here's a link to that thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=54295

GO NSDQ

I too would like a dealer or factory installed radio. But I couldn't wait. I have my XM Roady controller placed in the center console and the antenna inside the back window. Even passengers don't notice. I play it through the tape deck and the cord is completely hidden. And with the HK system it's better than CD sound quality. I'm told the new commander with its ability to light up in 15 different colors will fit in the CD changer slot. I bet that could almost look OEM.

jtm311

Someone asked does the 04' E-320 have an AUX jack, Yes it does in the glove box on the top. I've also wrote MB for an update.

konigstiger

The rumor mill says it's an internal issue at Sirius.

http://www2.autospies.com/article/in...2&categoryId=1
(If link fails: articles - misc - #10)