Is XM Radio available in any new Honda?

I heard you can get XM in the new top line models like Accord EX V6 and
others. What if I want to buy another Civic EX or an Accord LX? Will the
dealer put XM in those cars also? I could get it aftermarket, but I figure
if anything gets screwed up, its their fault...

The other thing I was thinking about is getting a remote car starter (for
warming up in winter) has anyone had one and what are your thoughts about it
if so?

Thanks,

Tom

 

As far as XM goes I don't know. Like you said you could get it aftermarket
for like a $100 and the installation is simple enough for the shop that the
chances of anything happening down the line as a result of installation is
nil.

As far as remote start I really like mine. It is a combo remote start and
alarm. Cost was about $500 to install, but since I wanted a special custom
installation I paid like $170 for the unit and installed it myself.

The one I have can be programmed to auto start at a certain temperature, run
for x amount of minutes and then shut off. It will do this every few hours
or so. It shuts off after twenty minutes if accidentally started. I now
have a garage so the remote start is not as important as it used to be when
my car sat outside all the time. Nice to get into a heated car or cooled
car in the summer. I accidentally started it in my garage once and kept
wondering what the sound of a car idling was. I looked outside and saw
nothing. After several minutes I realized my car was running in my closed
garage. Not cool. It is great especially if it is icy out and you don't
want to sit in your car until the windows defrost, or you don't want to
leave your key in the ignition while it runs for fear of a jump in and take
off thief.

I have freaked a few people out when they walked past my car and it started
with nobody in it. I didn't do it on purpose but it was funny as hell
anyway.

If you have a manual transmission absolutely forget about a remote start.
Too much liability if something goes wrong and something will go wrong.

CaptainKrunch.

 

just remember remote start basically does away with immobilizer anti
theft since you have to hide a key in the car. makes it much easier to
steal.
Chip

 

You can use a transponder Interface Module that doesn't need a key left in
the vehicle. They simply "learn" your keys code and send it the immobilizer
when it gets a signal from the remote start unit.

 

If you're planning on getting a lower level trim, get an aftermarket XM
receiver. That way you can pop it out of your car and plug it into your
stereo system or another car. You'll save money on equipment and subscription
costs that way.

 

Equipment, maybe. Subscription costs? They're the same no matter what.

You're talking about the $10 activation fee. If you activate radios all
the time, that may be an issue. But to go aftermarket and involve
yourself in (relatively speaking) a lot of hassle to move the radio out
of car A and into car B just for the sake of saving the $10 activation
fee on the new radio, is ridiculous.

Hey, I just had a great idea: the aftermarket stereos with removeable
faceplates ought to put the XM activation chip into the faceplate. That
way you have the best of both worlds. Get a new car and a new identical
radio in it, leave the old radio in the old car, but keep your faceplate
with the XM serial number in it and put the new faceplate on the old
radio in the old car.

 

No I'm not.[/QUOTE]

Then pray tell: why do you think that aftermarket stuff has lower XM
subscription costs than factory-integrated XM stuff?

It doesn't. There's only one subscription fee schedule--period. It's
put out by XM, and has nothing WHATSOEVER to do with the equipment
you're listening on.

You still have to pay a subscription fee for each receiver.

You're talking about the Delphi SkyFi, or Roady, or similar. It's an
add-on piece; the integration with other radios is a bit sketchy, unless
the other radio has an AUX IN port. The other alternatives are FM
modulator and cassette adapter.

I've had SkyFi for 18 months now; it's OK, but I'd prefer a factory
integrated piece. I'll accept the trade-off of the subscription being
locked into my car.

They did lower the subscription price for extra radios on the same
account; I don't know if they still have that in force.

But if someone would come out with a simple faceplate mechanism that
simply authorized the unit, and you could swap that faceplate around,
and it would always look stock, that would be great. The SkyFi thing is
bulkier than you think, and moving the entire radio around is more
awkward than you think.

 

Yes, I'm curious of the pros and cons. I have been looking at an Acura
TSX and an Accord EX V6. The TSX doesn't have XM but the Accord does. I
like the TSX a lot more overall and was wondering if adding XM would
work well. I've read that when using FM mod. that the quality can be
poor. I plan on adding AUX inputs on either car (there is a cable
available, can't remember part #) so that I can hook up an iPod as well.
Should I go with the AUX inputs for the XM as well? Any other tips?

Thanks,

Scott

 

I think that you should. I imagine that "Elmo P. Shagnasty" would disagree.
The unit that my friend has gives you far more presets than the one built
into the Accord, which is very nice. Of course, with the built-in unit, you
get steering wheel controls and a larger display.

I don't understand why Honda would put XM in the Accord and not the TSX,
considering that they are so similar. I suspect, given that XM was a
new feature in the Accord for 2004, that the TSX will have it soon.

 

That will change, I'm sure.

Shoot, the smart card could be Bluetooth; whenever I walk into a room,
if the receiver isn't already authorized by someone else, it knows I'm
there and authorizes the radio based on me.

Actually, the problem is this: the authorization isn't instantaneous,
nor is the deauthorization.

In fact, the authorization takes place in the hour after you call the
customer service center to sign up or refresh the radio. The radio must
be on during that entire hour. If you have to turn your radio off
during that hour, chances are 50-50 that you'll have to call the
customer service center again to have them refresh your radio--and
you'll have to turn it on for an hour again.

Deauthorization can take up to a week. The radio eventually realizes
its serial number didn't come down in the weekly update data stream, and
deauthorizes itself. But in the meantime, the radio is still alive and
kicking.

I took my SkyFi out of service back in August, and plugged it in again
last week. It lasted until Monday morning with full service until it
went back to the Preview channel. I went to activate it; something was
wrong with my account such that it wouldn't do the online activation,
and the customer service center was CLOSED FOR PRESIDENT'S DAY. Wow.
What a day to close. I thought only government workers took that day
off.

So until the technology gets to be like a cable TV converter, with
instant authorization, it'll have to be like it is now--with
subscriptions tied to the receiver.

 

This is the first year that they've integrated it into the factory
stereo (last year was the first year they offered it at all, and it was
a third-party off the shelf unit with a line-in cable not unlike the
HON-AUX, offered as a Honda part).

Honda is an investor in XM, and they *will* include it in all their
products eventually. But they're just beginning to crawl now; they'll
walk a little with their mainstream high-volume cars, and then they'll
offer it everywhere as the cars get refreshed by engineering.

Remember: the TSX you buy today was in engineering several years ago.
Many hard point decisions were made long before XM became a reality.

 

I've seen the XM accessory unit from Honda. Does anyone know how much it
is installed(estimate)? If I read you right, it is not FM mod. and has a
direct input? Isn't that unit an Alpine unit basically? They are
offering the same accessory for the TSX's. I've seen the Terk ones at
Circuit City for about $160. Does that include everything I need?

Thanks,

Scott

 

Yes and yes, from the instructions I've seen. You can find the full
installation instructions at some online Honda accessory vendors.

 

I wonder where the radio is fitted and if in the U.K., if the Euro cars
even have the option of XM yet. Remember they have that weird cellular FM
broadcasting in the U.K which has been in rental cars I've used... plus
more recently they have digital radio broadcasting though I don't know if
it's used in cars currently.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

XM is US only.