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Who paid for the XM receiver

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by Rhino, Jan 20, 2010.

  1. Rhino

    Rhino New Member

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    I don't like XM. I don't plan to renew.

    My question is, there is an XM receiver in my 2010 Prius. Does anyone know how much it cost?

    Who paid for it? Did XM pay for it so they can recoup the cost with subscriptions. Or did all the car owners pay an extra $100 for an XM receiver that we may or may not subscribe to?

    How much did that hardware cost? I know what it is worth - nothing.

    Just wondering.

    Thanks for your answer.
     
    #1 Rhino, Jan 20, 2010
  2. Indyking

    Indyking Happy Hyundai owner...

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    You, I, and many others paid for it as part of those extra 1K for Prius III vs. II...

    I did get III as oposed to II because of the Bluetooth and upgraded JBL, not because of the bloody sat radio, which I ignore. Turned out to be a bad deal as the JBL is not that great... but, oh well, buying the car was a mistake to begin with...

    I believe my dealer was charging about 300 bucks to install the sat radio hardware in the model II back on summer...
     
    #2 Indyking, Jan 20, 2010
  3. GoSkins

    GoSkins Member

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    What will you do with the answers, what value are they to you. Or, as Dr. Phil would say, "what's the payoff for you?" You have pretty much made up your mind. If the answers you want to hear come forth you will feel good? If not, you will feel more angry? Just curious, I am doing a study on consumer anger. Thanks
     
    #3 GoSkins, Jan 20, 2010
  4. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    comment deleted
     
    #4 wvgasguy, Jan 20, 2010
  5. Blind Guy

    Blind Guy New Member

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    You may want to keep in mind, that though you feel there's NO XM value for you, when it comes time to resell your Prius, that XM receiver might make the difference in selling your car.

    There may be two Prius's setting side by side, one with XM and one without. Those customers who would prefer XM would probably bypass the Prius not so equipped.

    David (aka Blind Guy)
     
    #5 Blind Guy, Jan 20, 2010
  6. LeeB

    LeeB Junior Member

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    I think David makes a good point. I waited to buy until Safety Connect was available even though it's something I don't plan on using and don't intend to renew. However, I think having it will be a selling point in a few years when I sell the car. By then, more cars will have Safety Connect/On-Star or the likes thereof and the absence of the feature in a used car may be a show-stopper for some buyers. The same is probably true for sat. radio (which I also planned to drop but found that I enjoy and renewed today).
     
    #6 LeeB, Jan 20, 2010
  7. Rhino

    Rhino New Member

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    You have made some seriously wrong assumptions about me.

    Are you saying the answer is worthless? Is the truth worthless? The payoff for me is knowledge. It educates me as a consumer so I can make a better choice next time. An educated consumer hurts nobody - except some slimy businessman. Would you prefer that I and other owners are ignorant as to who is paying for the XM?

    I want to know if Toyota gets kickback from tire manufacturers. Heck, it would be fun to inspect all of Toyota's books. Knowledge is not a bad thing but I understand that Toyota would need privacy in their books. There is nothing wrong with seeking and knowing the truth.

    it is like knowing whether you are ripped off by nitrogen in your tires, rustproofing, paint coating, waxing, synthetic oil, etc.

    I ask honestly because I really don't know. Cable TV, razor manufactures, cell phone companies give away or subsidize their product in some cases and make money on the subscription. I thought XM may be that model. It is not so far fetched. Are you saying the answer should be obvious?

    Or are you saying we don't need answers because we can't do anything about it. So we should not know how the automatic transmission work because it is not like we are going to swap out the transmission. What would knowing how it work do for us, except to make us more knowledgeable.

    If you think I am an agent for another car company or a troll, I assure you I am not. And why would I be? You get the same XM in other cars so the fact that we end up paying for the XM radio does not reflect badly on Toyota as compared to other car companies.

    To make this a balanced reply, I find the following items useless also: AM radio, floor mats (I buy my own), headlight washer on my former lexus, wheel locks. On the other hand, other car companies do the same thing so I don't think my post makes Toyota looks bad.

    I just want to know how much fluff is being added to the car.

    I've defended Toyota on this chat group and I've said bad things about the Prius. I don't get offended if others people don't like the car.

    I don't like XM. But I am no different from others who say they don't like the tires or the rims. So these people have consumer anger too? What's in it for somebody who complain about tires?

    So my question to you is, what's the payoff for you in asking this question from me? Now that I've given a full reply, perhaps you can open up too.
     
    #7 Rhino, Jan 20, 2010
  8. Salsawonder

    Salsawonder New Member

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    Everything has an angle these days, Toyota with XM, product placement in movies, yada, yada. Thing is you decide which model has the most of what you want and take that one, or decide what is better to add aftermarket.
    I found that I loved Nav after I bought my 1st Prius in 2005 (I did not buy the car for the Nav but the rest of that package), now I want Nav in my car.
    Remember the commercial line....Try it, you'll like it!!
     
    #8 Salsawonder, Jan 20, 2010
  9. GoSkins

    GoSkins Member

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    Don't get more upset Rhino. Thanks for your candid reply. I was just curious about your post. You've been on here a lot and respected. It just sounded more like anger than concern for others. Maybe I read it wrong. What's your suggestion(s) for fighting the situation?
     
    #9 GoSkins, Jan 20, 2010
  10. Rhino

    Rhino New Member

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    I am sorry if I came across as being angry.

    I didn't want you to think I was angry trying to round up a bunch of people to file a class action lawsuit or to get even with Toyota. Or that I am self righteous asking others to fuel my anger. Or that I have some sort of angle. The truth is I just wanted to know.

    I was not thinking of others when I asked the question. I was helping myself. Trying to figure out the business model for XM. Whether it is like subsidized phones. Now I know. I figure my question was like someone saying I don't like the wheel or the tires, what are my options.

    And the third part, there is no solution. I can't rip it out and sell it. It is not a lot of money. But it is still nice to know the truth. It is like trying to buy the car without floor mats. I think you can do it if you work really hard. But I rather spend my time working than arguing about floor mats.

    As others said, there may be some value if I try to sell the car.
     
    #10 Rhino, Jan 20, 2010
  11. Jabber

    Jabber Chicagoland Prius Guy

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    My take is that XM either gives the units to every manufacturer to install at very little to no cost or might even kickback a few dollars. Simple reasoning would deduce that XM is sending out the airwaves anyway. Why not try and get a few people to bite. How much can the receiver actually cost them to build? 30 bucks when mass produced? It would take one person to sign up for one year to cover the cost of 3 other people not taking it. So if 25% of the people extend the free time, they are making money. How are they making money if they are just breaking even? Advertising. They can now say that 25% of all new car owners are listening to your message. Additional money from advertisers per 30 second spot.

    To answer your question: Probably very little money. In fact, the JBL upgrade on most other cars without sat radio is(was) $1,000. The cost difference between the II and III.... $1,000. Your concept of cell phones was pretty much correct.
     
    #11 Jabber, Jan 20, 2010
  12. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I believe you'll find tires are selected by competetive bid. Toyota issues the specs & awards the contract to the low bidder. Once Toyota believed that sat radio was either something buyers want or will enhance the Prius' image I'm sure they tried to put the screws on XM to get the hardware price as low as they could. A tiny bit saved on each unit results in a significant sum when measured over a million units. They also have to keep up with the competition. Yes, if everyone else does it Toyota has to do it too.
     
    #12 JimN, Jan 21, 2010
  13. GoSkins

    GoSkins Member

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    That's my take on it exactly. It cost xm little to have them added to new cars. Hell, they offered me a portable unit for 9 bucks to sign up another year. If even a small percentage of new car buyers sign up for just the first year, XM makes money and a percentage of those customers will sign up again.
     
    #13 GoSkins, Jan 21, 2010
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