I just purchased a 2008 Mini Cooper S and am trying to find out if it is satellite radio equipped without tearing the dash apart. Any ideas?
The little shark fin shaped antenna at the back of the roof is a dead giveaway. That is a satellite antenna. Oh yeah, you can also open the owners manual and see the face plates of all the different radio options available that year. Then match the one in the dash to the one in the owners manual and you will know what you have.
You have to talk to the dealer or check the owners manual on how to get the code off the radio. There would be a code that you give to sirius so they can tell what radio you are talking about. You still have to pay for the monthly fee for the service and to tell the truth, the service has been deteriorating unless you just want music-which you can get off your ipod.
Right. Everyone I know with it falls into two camps. Camp one, they travel a lot and really like the talk shows and literally, any music on demand or two, they don’t travel which means they don’t travel enough to get into the talk shows and listen a lot to music…and as @bing says, would rather do the iPod thing for no monthly fee…
That’s why you get free trials…
Well, my radio selection button has AM-FM, Sat. (satelite), CD-and something else, I can’t think of what it is called. The radio also has a “Sirius” emblem on it. That other one is AUX., for rhone, mp3 ETC.
Stupid me. Why didn’t I think of that? On one car there is a button marked “(((XM)))”. On the other car, you toggle from AM to FM to XM. So it should be evident if it has satelite or not.
Your owner’s manual will tell you how the radio operates. If it has Sirius/XM, there will be a button or knob that makes it the active channel. Press the button, turn the knob, and see if it is present.
I recently re-subscribed to XM after not having it for a year or so. When I got my car (used), the previous owner had apparently paid for another year before trading the car in–so I got a year for free. I didn’t miss it too much, but when I had a free trial with the option to renew for 6 months for $30, it seemed worth it. However, I definitely wouldn’t pay more than that for this service. And I think it’s lousy that this only applies to one device.
If I can renew for $30 before it runs out, I’ll probably re-up again, if not, no biggie. There are some cool programs on there and some stations that play some forgotten stuff that I like to hear. But even compared to regular FM broadcasts, the audio quality is lacking, and XM stations are not as commercial free as they should be. (still better than FM)
Quote from oblivion: “And I think it’s lousy that this only applies to one device.” Unquote
Agreed. We have two cars with XM receivers and I will not pay for subscriptions for both. We had gravitated to the 50s channel, the 60s channel and Willie’s Place and soon found that they played the same stuff over and over again. What else could they do? We let it go. We get a review during their freebie times a couple of times per year. One was during Thanksgiving and the other was a few weeks ago. That’s all I need.
I would be happy to pay 50 bucks less for a satellite radio delete option for our next new car.
Oh, and by the way Mr./Ms. oblivion, you must call them to stop the service after your low price deal runs out or they will renew you at the normal rate and hit your charge card accordingly without otherwise informing you. Didn’t you see this in the fine print that they have posted somewhere on their web site? I didn’t. I don’t do business with people with ethics that permit that.
@Wha Who: Believe me, I know. I will be carefully watching to discontinue service, which hopefully is easier than opting out of the old “Columbia Record Club” if you remember that mess… 
I had to call to cancel my trial subscription to XM. They tried all they could to get me to renew, until I agreed with them when they asked if I sold the car. $25~50/year would be a good deal, but no way am I paying almost $200 for a radio service that I would rarely use
I agree that they play the same old stuff over and over. I may cancel soon. I just don’t like to have features on a car that don’t wouk!
What bothers me is 4 hours in a row of Bob Edwards from 5AM to 9AM and 4 hours in a row in the afternoon of Car Talk on XMPR. They used to have a great show on at drive time in the morning - The Takeaway. Now it’s on at 1PM. I want US news in the morning and I have to listen to local public radio to get it. Sirius/XM certainly isn’t doing me any favors in this department. At least they still have a lot of music content, even if their news and talk shows stink over and over and over again.
I’ve got it because the wife likes the music and Oprah and I want the weather/radar while we’re on the road. I used to enjoy Bruce Williams and the old radio shows and books on CD, but now they’re all gone. Its getting pretty bad now for the somewhere around $20 a month I pay.
Can I say “I told you so?” Several years ago, in this forum*, I warned everyone about the Sirius-XM merger and the poor customer service they could expect. It looks like everyone else is finally seeing the light.
I got a letter from sirius yesterday in the mail offering me 6 months for $25. I pitched it in with the burnable trash