PORSCHEFREAK

After 6 hours of careful roof drilling and headliner cutting I successly have Mercedes factory Satellite radio. A big thanks to Keith Valentine of KVC which specializes in Mercedes electronics! I HIGHLY recommend him, he even gave me technical support over the phone during surgery! His contact info is below if your thinking on adding factory electronics.

KVC - Keith Valentine Cellular
Running Springs CA
714-746-5930 cell
909-867-6211 office

AMGPilot

WHY would you do that? all you needed was a microdot antenna and it works just fine

2EASy

How much was it? I don't have SAT but want it! I think 700 for the module is too rich for me from cartronic

PORSCHEFREAK

I like the factory installed look, the micro antenna moves around and scratches the paint.

Call him as I think it will fit your budget.

Ron

AMGPilot

yet you mount the microdot inside the car under the subwoofer grille, you don't see it and it works just as good as the hideous trunk mount antenna

AMGPilot

you get a factory SDAR box off of ebay like this one here or you contact euro customs for it. it should be $250 or less. then you get the microdot at crutchfield its only $25

install takes about an hour and ANYONE can do it in their driveway/garage

moosejaw

Read my thread on sirius install

Desipate

Hey AMGPilot I could use your help answering two questions:

1. Will the SDAR box that you linked to on ebay work on the 2004 e55? The installation instructions that milespostnate included in his XM/Sirius DIY thread call for part number B6 783 0012, but the part that you linked to in this thread was part number A2168202189. Are these parts interchangeable?

2. I'm planning to follow your recommendation to install the microdot. Does it have the right connector to work with the A2168202189 part you mentioned?

Thanks in advance for your help!

2EASy

Thanks AMG Pilot - I have the same questions as above.

AMGPilot

Yes to both questions

benjamin4000

Thanks to Moosejaw and AMGPilot I recently installed factory SAT module with the Microdot antenna method.

Works great.

maxwerks

Did MB have two or more different Sirius tuner modules , or are they all the same ? for a 2006 CLS55 with the Harmon Kardon audio package , is it the same as the module listed here ,, the SDAR ? Thank you all

Desipate

Thanks for the quick reply. I ordered both parts and will update everyone on the result.

Any recommendations for a place to get my car STAR version coded in the Los Angeles/Miracle Mile area? If I understand correctly, I'm going to need STAR version coding to complete this satellite radio installation and activate the bluetooth puck with tail that I just installed,

2EASy

I couldn't get that part linked above to work? I sent AMG Pilot an email but no response. I think we need to be using the correct part. How did you fare?

maxwerks

I " THINK " not all sirius unit will work with all years of cars .. I am very interested as I also need to add a sirius unit to my 2006 CLS55 I just see so many that almost look the same but with different part numbers .. if anyone has access to SDS and give us the OEM part numbers for different years that would be great help

AMGPilot

Sorry guys been swamped with work. if the SDAR box is from a 2009+ it will not work in a '03-'08 car

2EASy

Damn....returning mine. Does anyone have one for sale? PM me

Desipate

Hey 2easy, I followed the same instructions you did and am having the same problem. I can hear a country station, but my screen is stuck on "acquiring signal" even after calling Sirius to activate the unit. I installed the A2168202189 receiver in my 2004 e55, but haven't had my car version coded yet.

When I called Sirius, they said the A2168202189 unit came out of a 2008 Mercedes, but couldn't tell me what model. Is there something I can do to get the A2168202189 receiver to work or do I need to return it?

2EASy

Can anyone confirm that the correct SDAR part number is A1698270162

I tried installing A2168202189 and could get past the acquiring signal even after the STAR coding.

Thanks

benjamin4000

2Easy I have one for sale, havent bothered listing it yet. PM me

2EASy

I just bought another one with the A1698270162 number. Once it arrives, i'll advise on progress.

Desipate

Thanks 2Easy.

I found something that didn't work and wanted to let everyone know so they don't waste their time:

I did some research and found that some people were having the same problem and resolved it by changing the service package with Sirius. Something about how these older units can't receive the activation signal without getting the biggest service package that Sirius offers. I tried changing to the "premier" package and Sirius told me that my receiver (A2168202189) was incompatible with that package. They said they couldn't change the subscription even just to send the activation signal. Unless anyone knows otherwise, I don't think this is a viable solution at this time.

Anyways, I look forward to hearing what happens with the new unit you ordered. We'll figure this out sooner or later!

2EASy

I installed A1698270162 and it worked. This is the part number you need

Desipate

Just wanted to confirm that 2Easy's solution works. The A1698270162 worked in my 2004 E55 no problem.

If anyone is in the market for an SDAR unit, I'm selling the A2168202189 I bought a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what car it will work on, but if you're interested, just shoot me a message.

Thanks for your help everyone.

2EASy

Are you past your return period?