XM gonna beat that dead horse

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kayemarschke2 @ Apr 8 2007, 09:31 PM) [snapback]420085[/snapback]</div>

All you need to do is buy a XM or Sirius tuner for a Toyota. Every head-unit has the necessary plug-ins for it.

 

The consensus is what Vagabond said -- the factory XM tuner will work with any radio.

The trouble might be getting someone to install it.

The salesman at our dealer told us it only works with the JBL system. I called the parts department and they said the same thing. I asked Toyota via their corporate website Q&A if it would work with the package #2 stereo, noting that their "build and price" configurator listed it as an option with package #2 (not a JBL stereo) and did not complain when I added it. Their sort of non-answer was that they were sorry their website does not note that the JBL system is required for satellite radio.

I called a local, well-regarded aftermarket car audio shop. They said they had the factory XM tuner ($299 installed) but that they had tried installing it in a Prius and it didn't work. They said they hooked it up OK, but when they pressed 'AUX' button the satellite radio stuff did not show up on the MFD. I told them I read on the internets that if you hit the 'AM' button twice it was supposed to show up. They said, uh, gee, wish we had known that.

Anyway, I'm going to go by there sometime soon and have them try it with our Prius. I'm guessing it will work. Will let you know.

For now I'm using a SkyFi 2 out of the vehicle I traded, running it thru the aux input. It works pretty good. If I get bored I'll post some info on that easy setup.

 

I have the basic radio also, and I had skifi, but I wanted it to mesh with the mfd. I bought a Terk unit from xmfanstore for $99, then spent four weeks of frustration to make it work. It's not a hard install, especially once you've torn the dash apart once or twice. (I ended up doing that job seven times.)
I sent one unit back to xmfanstore and they replaced it. When I couldn't get the second one to work either, they would not take it back saying Toyota and Terk both said it would not work.
I talked my dealer into switching head units and it works perfectly. The aux plug in my original head unit was bad, I guess.
Toyota's "add-on" unit may not work -- they say it won't with the basic radio, but the Turk unit will work. Search for a "Terk" thread and you will find much information. If it weren't for those threads, I would have given up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrbogie @ Apr 9 2007, 04:29 PM) [snapback]420469[/snapback]</div>

Well, I have a Toyota-branded unit and it was first installed into a 2005 basic model Prius renter without complaint.