Coastaletech's Ultimate Lockpick and Factory Interactive's SiriusPrius

I apologize in advance if this is a really basic question, but I'm preparing to have an Ultimate Lockpick installed, and I'm thinking about getting a Sirius receiver add-on from Factory Interactive thrown in since the dash will already be open. (I'm having the work done professionally.) Before I order the SiriusPrius, I was wondering if both can be installed without interfering with the other one?

Thanks in advance,
Paul

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jodi & Davie @ Mar 9 2007, 11:40 PM) [snapback]403192[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for asking. Looks like I'm due for an update anyway.

About a month ago, I had the Lockpick and SiriusPrius installed along with the the EV switch, DirectWire SmartCord, and iPod dock (the A/V source for the Lockpick) all by a professional installer in one shot. (Heated seats were done when I first got the car.) I had a professional installer do the work (about $350) because I didn't know what I was doing, didn't have the time, and it was too cold outside.

So far the entire setup has been working great, but I have noticed a few quirks. If anyone's got any insight, I'm all ears.

1) If my iPod is docked (with iPod either on or off) and I switch to satellite radio, I notice that the audio is attenuated. (Increasing the volume about 10 clicks compensates.) If I remove the iPod, the satellite radio volume returns to normal. Not a big deal.

2) Using the phone unlock features or displaying video on the screen while the car is moving will result in shorter to no yellow bars on the Consumption graph. (The 50kWh regeneration icons, i.e. green cars, still appear.) Although unsettling to see at first, this is OK. To use the phone unlock and video functions, the car needs to think it's not moving and this is what is being reflected. The actual mpg displayed is unaffected, and it doesn't appear that the address unlock feature causes this behavior.

3) If I'm in DVD mode and only listening to audio, I notice that sometimes I have to hit the CD-AUX button an extra time (along with Track Up) in order to get the video to display. I think that usually happens when I change the display after turning on DVD mode and before pressing Track Up. For example, if I turn on DVD mode and flip the Energy/Consumption screen or go to the map display, I can hit Track Up, but the video won't display until I press CD-AUX. Audio plays fine through all of this. A little annoying but not a big deal.

4) On two occasions so far, the car didn't recognize the DVD functions at all. I almost flipped out the first time thinking that I'd have to take the car back to the installer to remove the part so I could send it back. The other unlock functions worked fine, and the iPod still attenuated the satellite radio. Curiously, shutting off the car and turning it back on fixed the issue both times. I'm wondering if there was a sequence I did that triggered this behavior. Anyone have a clue?

OEM Switch
As for the OEM EV switch, that works great. I'm assuming you have basic background knowledge about how the EV switch works, what it does, etc. so I'll just tell you about my experience. (See the bottom of this page if you need details about how the switch works.) I use EV mode mostly when I'm moving my car a short distance, driving through my development, or leaving the parking lot at work. Since the car would normally be running the engine to warm up, I like to keep it in EV mode and save the engine warming for the main roads when the engine has to run anyway. Keep in mind that if you run down the battery too much, the engine may end up running just to charge the battery (i.e. at a stop). I found this out while playing with the switch in stop-and-go traffic. Now I don't bother and just let the car handle those situations.

Also, there's no indicator to let you know if it turns on or not, but when you do turn it on, the display switches to the Energy screen. To give myself a visual cue, I swtich to the Consumption screen, press the EV button and make sure the display swtiches to the Energy screen. Yes, the switch is lit, but that's just tied to the instrument panel lighting so you can find it in the dark. It's not a on/off indicator.

Hope this helps,
Paul