is the oem xm antenna weatherproof?

[nathan]

i am having the same problem that many here have had with the xm reception on my 07 that i just got xm in. they have done everything but move the antenna outside, including replacing the entire unit. the dealer tells me that the antenna cannot be mounted outside because it is not weather-resistant even though it is a car antenna & magnetic. is this true? will it hurt the current antenna to be outside? i know of no other xm car antenna that cannot take the weather. if this is true, however, can you buy an aftermarket outside antenna to go with it? if so, anyone know of one that works with the oem receiver that i can buy & take to them to install? mine works decently until i start heading east (exactly half of my commute), at which point the satellite must be getting blocked by the huge dome that is the roof of my car, & anything over a shrub on the side of the road makes me lose reception. if it is ok to use the antenna that came with it outside, i am ready to tell them (again!) to go ahead & do it & i won't hold them accountable if it gets ruined, but they really don't seem to want to do it. any input on this is greatly appreciated. thanks,

[steviet]

Originally Posted by nathan

i am having the same problem that many here have had with the xm reception on my 07 that i just got xm in. they have done everything but move the antenna outside, including replacing the entire unit. the dealer tells me that the antenna cannot be mounted outside because it is not weather-resistant even though it is a car antenna & magnetic. is this true? will it hurt the current antenna to be outside? i know of no other xm car antenna that cannot take the weather. if this is true, however, can you buy an aftermarket outside antenna to go with it? if so, anyone know of one that works with the oem receiver that i can buy & take to them to install? mine works decently until i start heading east (exactly half of my commute), at which point the satellite must be getting blocked by the huge dome that is the roof of my car, & anything over a shrub on the side of the road makes me lose reception. if it is ok to use the antenna that came with it outside, i am ready to tell them (again!) to go ahead & do it & i won't hold them accountable if it gets ruined, but they really don't seem to want to do it. any input on this is greatly appreciated. thanks,

nathan,

I might be wrong about this, I installed my sirius radio/antenna on my own. But, the antenna should be outside the vehicle to get the best reception. My understanding was that the xm/sirius antenna was built into the antenna on the outside of the car. Is that not true?

Of course, you could also purchase an outdoor antenna and have them install it on the outside of the car replacing the original one.

Good Luck,

[nascrlvr]

Nathan,

I empathize with your problem with your reception on your 2009 Prius. I am the one that started the other post about reception issues.

My dealer, after consulting with Gulf States Toyota about a fix to this, took an exterior antenna out of a fit kit for another vehicle (I think it was a RAV 4) and mounted the antenna right behind the FM antenna on the roof. The antenna that was previously mounted on the dash was not an exterior antenna. You need an additional antenna for XM reception; it is not built in to the antenna on the roof.

If you need any additional information, please let me know. Good luck!!