The Best XM solution for your Prius

As one of Jon's customers I have to agree the integrated system is the best. Other systems work just as well but there is something nice about not having any external wiring in the cabin of the car. Also the use of the steering controls is sweet.

I also have an iPOD and must say that the lack of an integrated solution for it means it has been used much less than my XM as I really don't want to have wires showing. I use a cassette adapter for it and it works well enough but When someone figures out the integrated I will be very happy to leave my iPOD hidden away.

Again the integrated XM solution that I got from Jon works great!


Peace,

Fr. Bill

 

I have Jon's system in my car and it is great! I don't even think of it as an add-on--it is just part of the whole thing. The voice activation works with it to--I just say "Sat 1 or 2 or 3" and it goes to that band. I drove up and had Jon install it. When he was finished the car looked the same except for the antenna which I don't even notice now.

 

I think that's a great system for those who want XM in their Prius, but it looks like the exact same solution for which Coastal Dave charges much less $$$. And Coastal Etech is an all-around Prius guru that knows the whole car very well, and who everyone has trusted for years.

http://www.coastaletech.com/xm_radio_in_prius.htm
says $410

Ok - I did some homework. This is apparently a standard XM product that fits all Toyota products that are preconfigured for it. The software and wiring are already in most new high-$$ cars - including the Prius. From what I've seen, you pull the panel, mount the radio, plug it into the receptacle that is *already there*, run the lead to the magnetically-affixed outboard antenna, and that's it. No rocket science, no skill beyond installing a video card in your computer. If you put this in your car and it *doesn't* work as though it were factory-installed, you should be ashamed of yourself! Neither of these vendors designed or built any part of the kit - they're reselling it. So why the huge price difference?

And no, I don't have an XM radio (I'm deaf) and don't work for or against either of these vendors. I want to trust PriusChat, and want to believe that any product promoted here is automatically a "good deal", but this one definitely is not. A special super $10 PriusChat discount brings it down to $489?

Bull!

 

Priusxm is without flaw

I had Jon install the priusxm radio in my new prius. Everything about it is perfect. You would never know that this was not factory installed equipment. People like Jon are the veritable pioneers for Prius owners. He deserves our support.

Jim Mahoney

 

I chose Jon's over Coastal Dave's because I could easily drive up to NJ and have Jon install it. I frequently drive up the Turnpike to visit my parents. I was not comfortable taking my car apart and neither was my husband. I offered to pay my son-in-law to do it but he didn't want to hurt my new car--I know he would have done it if it was his car. I didn't get Jon's DVD for the install but everyone says it is great and makes the job easy.

 

Jon is surely a good guy doing a good job - I hope more companies enter the Prius aftermarket.

My objection is to the PriusChat endorsement that this is a "good deal" - a $10 group discount on what I perceived as an inflated price. When PC endorsed the windowshade I ordered instantly - confident it was a "good deal". And if I were in the market for XM, I would want to have the same confidence in PC's endorsement.

As to installation, if someone doesn't want to do the work, and lives near Jon or Coastal, that's the thing to do. And for the geographically inconvenient, I found that Coastal posted the Toyota/Pioneer part number on Yahoo - PT546-06040 - so perhaps any Toyota dealer can do the job (...but at what price?).

 

I went with Jon's kit for a number of reasons - the DVD is an added bonus that really helps, especially if you have a laptop and are doing it yourself. And, it's not as simple as just plugging in a few cables - you have to tear apart the whole front dash, keep the wiring all the way down to the back of the car to where the antenna mounts, mount the sat. reciever box, mount the antenna, etc. It may be "simple for anyone" - however, breaking down your hard earned Prius is more of overcoming an emotional block of not wanting to mess up the car.

The number one reason I went with Jon's kit - they were available. At that time, Coastal Dave was on backorder and it was months wait time. I haven't heard from anyone who's gone with Coastal Dave's kit, and no offense to him, but he's been saying since the beginning of January that the Video/Audio kits are coming "soon", so my suggestion is that if you want the real thing and want it now, the extra $70 is worth it.

-m.

 

Same situation here. Jon had them in stock when Dave was back-ordered. The system is flawless and the video was a life saver. If anyone does decide to go with Dave's version for the cost savings, then I still highly recommend buying Jon's DVD separately (I'd hate to see Jon lose out completely).

 

I too have Jon's XM integrated solution installed in my Prius. I actually ordered it several weeks prior to taking delivery of my car which gave me more than several opportunities to become familiar with my car even before I took delivery! Thanks to Jon's included DVD, I did the installation myself and it turned out perfect! Thanks Jon!

 

A local Toyota dealer says that part number PT546-06040 is a complete kit with instructions, at $480.68 retail, and installation is "about $100". That dealer has never put the XM radio into a Prius, and the job is not in the book, so they'll charge by the hour at a litigator's rate.

UPDATE:
Dealer called back to say they looked at the instructions and "installation will be $70, so it's $551 complete."

I'm positive that Jon's DVD in real time makes an easy job trivial, but fair is fair. Coastal Kelley says their kit comes with a CD and photographs, and the things I've seen from them have been accompanied by great tutorials.

Enough on this.

 

Would something like this work for Sirius as well?