Adding satellite radio to CX-5 Touring

[cjd260]

Anyone done this? I saw a single thread from a year or so ago but not much recently, and I can't get my local dealers to give me a straight quote on cost, other than one that said $525 plus labor. XM is pretty much a requirement for us (Pandora streaming through my cell phone doesn't seem like much of a backup), but we don't want leather or 19-inch wheels (much less to pay for them), so stepping up to the GT isn't much of an option.

Side note: WTF is Mazda thinking in not including XM in the Touring tech package? Really?

 

[paris1]

You may be referring to some posts I made back when I got my bone stock Touring in Oct. '12. My original intent was to add satellite radio, but after learning how involved the post-factory install was and how Micky Mouse the result (satellite antennae mounted on the roof 12" away from the shark fin!) I decided that Pandora was a better (and much cheaper) option. Granted, it's not as convenient, but it's good enough for me and functionally the result is pretty much the same. Incidentally, the local dealer wanted to charge me about 3 hours labor ($300) and an independent shop about $100 less. There's quite a bit of disassembly (of the dash, etc.) involved and I didn't want some knucklehead technician getting that intimate with my new baby. An alternative, if you're not in a hurry, is to order a Touring from the factory with satellite preinstalled for the $525 or so list price.

 

[sylva143]

I had this problem with the 2013 Sport I had before trading up to a 14 GT. So, I called Sirius/XM, and the sent a free receiver to me (part of an ongoing promotion). I was able to install it about 20 minutes. The receiver fit perfectly in the small cubby hole below the A/C, The receiver arm stuck nicely on the back panel, and I was able to easily remove it when necessary. I could barely notice the black power and antenna cords that were fed discretely to the left, under the seat, and then to the power source (12 volt terminal in the console) and through the back seat and cargo area (there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide the antenna wire). I can guarantee that nobody noticed or saw any extra wires.

As for the mount on the roof, I just attached the magnetic antenna about an inch past the hatch opening. It worked great and was barely noticeable.

So, I did the entire job, in about 20 minutes, for absolutely free.

 

[paris1]

I had this problem with the 2013 Sport I had before trading up to a 14 GT. So, I called Sirius/XM, and the sent a free receiver to me (part of an ongoing promotion). I was able to install it about 20 minutes. The receiver fit perfectly in the small cubby hole below the A/C, The receiver arm stuck nicely on the back panel, and I was able to easily remove it when necessary. I could barely notice the black power and antenna cords that were fed discretely to the left, under the seat, and then to the power source (12 volt terminal in the console) and through the back seat and cargo area (there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide the antenna wire). I can guarantee that nobody noticed or saw any extra wires. As for the mount on the roof, I just attached the magnetic antenna about an inch past the hatch opening. It worked great and was barely noticeable. So, I did the entire job, in about 20 minutes, for absolutely free.

Interesting alternative. Never heard about any of this. What did you use for a tuner?

 

[cjd260]

Paris, I was indeed referring to your post. My wife does a _lot_ of long highway driving for work, often in places without much cell reception, and is already attached to XM stations from driving my car, so Pandora doesn't really work for what we need it for. So far I found one service department that quoted $702.50 (plus tax) installed.

Follow-on question to sylva: How do you control the XM? Is it through the existing stereo, or is it plugged into the AUX jack and then controlled by a separate interface?

 

[paris1]

Paris, I was indeed referring to your post. My wife does a _lot_ of long highway driving for work, often in places without much cell reception, and is already attached to XM stations from driving my car, so Pandora doesn't really work for what we need it for.

That is indeed a problem. However, allow me to add a couple of points. First off, I too thought I could not live without Serius after having it in my truck for 3 years prior to getting the CX-5. Now that I'm used to Pandora, I find the two pretty similar, except for the inconvenience of not being able to control it through the head unit. I'm assuming yours is a 2014, so that's not an issue. Second, not all 3G or 4G networks are the same. I've been operating my LG phone on Virgin Mobile's 3G network and the reception is decent (until I get to a dead zone), but the download speed is pretty mediocre. My wife recently got her first iPhone (5) and I plan on doing the same as soon as Verizon drops the price a bit. I downloaded the Pandora app to her phone and was amazed at the difference both in terms of download (instantaneous!) and coverage (hardly ever a drop-out). So I guess what I'm saying is don't rule the Pandora option out completely just yet, especially in light of the $$ savings.

 

[sylva143]

Paris, I was indeed referring to your post. My wife does a _lot_ of long highway driving for work, often in places without much cell reception, and is already attached to XM stations from driving my car, so Pandora doesn't really work for what we need it for. So far I found one service department that quoted $702.50 (plus tax) installed.

Follow-on question to sylva: How do you control the XM? Is it through the existing stereo, or is it plugged into the AUX jack and then controlled by a separate interface?

I received a small receiver for free from Sirius XM as part of a promotion, but I also believe that the receiver is available for about $40. Yes, you control the XM/Sirius from the small receiver (a separate interface) that fits nicely under the A/C control area. At first, I thought this would be unsightly, but it actually looks fine, and it doesn't mar the dashboard. Yes, I did hook up the cable to the AUX jack located within the center console. Hope this is helpful.

 

[cjd260]

Thanks guys. We decided to avoid the hassle and just bought the Grand Touring, which on the one hand I feel bad about as it's rewarding their obnoxious pricing strategy, but on the other hand ended up costing me only a few hundred bucks more than the Touring with Bose/Moonroof and an XM retrofit, which basically means I paid $300 for a bunch of other goodies. I'm still p!ssed about the corporate decision-making, though.

 

[Tundraroamer]

We have the Sirius as part of the package. Believe it or not, we do not get a signal to use it with because we live in a high latitude location. But the shark fin helps me to find the car in a parking lot! A few years ago Sirius announced it was putting in some antennas to broadcast a signal instead. Never happened.