When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
In the past month, my satellite radio reception has become spotty. At times it shows "No Service" on my screen. Sometimes I am able to cycle to FM/AM/Weather (they all work fine) and then back to SiriusXM and it comes back on but that doesn't always work either. Everything else in my Command works fine.
My 2009 ML 350 4matic was purchased used in 2017 and XM was original equiplent. I have examined the SDAR unit under the left rear seat. The part number for this is A 171 870 15 89 and when I look that up on OE sites, substitue part going for $1200. Not happening. I do notice the blue wire coming out of the unit very much looks like an antenna wire (the blue connector) and I am assuming it goes to the antenna under the headliner near the back of the vehicle. I purchased a stand-alone XM antenna and plugged that into this port but no luck. Now am wondering about next step. Guessing I need to buy a used SDAR unit on ebay and try replacing that to see if any help.
I am not real certain how all of this works. I know there is a "ring" of fiber optics that circle the car. I'm thinking that the head unit sends info to the SDAR under the seat and then it sends info to the antennas under the headliner before they send signal back to the HU but what do I know.
Anyone have any advice on how to troubleshoot this? I ran my Autel Scanner but no codes come up for the Command.
UPDATE: Rec'd used SDAR satellite radio component from eBay seller ($250 used vs $1200 new!) to replace mine. The part numbers of the two units are identical. Plugged in new unit and SiriusXM satellite now works perfectly. HOWEVER, I now no longer have AM/FM/Weather/AUX!! Funny enough, I now get one HD radio station that I never got and HD stations before. Swapped original SDAR unit back in (this is the component under the left rear seat) and all of these items then work perfectly but no longer get th HD and my SiriusXM once again goes in and out.
QUESTION: Is it possible that my system needs to be reset with a proper scanner (STAR?) to reinitialize these functions? I have an AUTEL MaxiDiag MD806 Pro scanner and don't think there is anything I can do with this. Doesn't make sense to me that the SiriusXM would work w/o a reset with the new unit but the other items wouldn't work but what do I know! If no reset, I will assume that the used SDAR unit I bought is defective and return it.
Taking new tact. Sending my SDAR unit to Hi-Tech Electronics in Van Nuys to inspect/fix. Hoping against hope that this fix (somewhere between $200 to $400 per their website) does the trick for me. Will report back once complete and fingers crossed.
Taking new tact. Sending my SDAR unit to Hi-Tech Electronics in Van Nuys to inspect/fix. Hoping against hope that this fix (somewhere between $200 to $400 per their website) does the trick for me. Will report back once complete and fingers crossed.
I tried a used SDAR but it did not work so I then I found out about Hi-Tech in Van Nuys from a YouTube video. Hi-Tech knew exactly what I was going thru and talked me thru it on the phone before I sent it in. Within a week, I had my refurbished unit back . Plugged it in and worked perfectly. T thought I had posted elsewhere on these results but can't find it now. Sorry!!
I tried a used SDAR but it did not work so I then I found out about Hi-Tech in Van Nuys from a YouTube video. Hi-Tech knew exactly what I was going thru and talked me thru it on the phone before I sent it in. Within a week, I had my refurbished unit back . Plugged it in and worked perfectly. T thought I had posted elsewhere on these results but can't find it now. Sorry!!
Very helpful @Dewey Dog ! Just activated Sirius XM on my “new to me” GL 63 AMG and getting the “No Service” statement…despite Sirius coming in for the preview channel before I activated it.
If your SDAR is under back driver's side seat (left hand drive), I would unplug everything, check the connections and then plug it all back in and see if that does it. If not, you can check some other items but if nothing, go for sending unit to VanNuys. BTW, my AM/FM/AUX all worked fine but not my XM. So, when I took out the SDAR, I then ordered a $15 fiber optic bypass loop (
) from Amazon. This allowed me to continue listening to CD/AUX/AM/FM while the SDAR was being repaired. FYI, I had ordered a diff bypass loop prior to this that did not work. This one did work.
8871955[/url]]If your SDAR is under back driver's side seat (left hand drive), I would unplug everything, check the connections and then plug it all back in and see if that does it. If not, you can check some other items but if nothing, go for sending unit to VanNuys. BTW, my AM/FM/AUX all worked fine but not my XM. So, when I took out the SDAR, I then ordered a $15 fiber optic bypass loop (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) from Amazon. This allowed me to continue listening to CD/AUX/AM/FM while the SDAR was being repaired. FYI, I had ordered a diff bypass loop prior to this that did not work. This one did work.
Thanks! I’ll check it out and if it’s still a no go I’ll send it off to Van Nuys. 👍
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
