MigIS250 Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 Have anyone installed the XM Radio Kit by themselves? Was it easy? I'm looking at Sewell and the instructions put the antenna on the trunk towards one of the sides. I think it will look kind of funny in that position. Anyone have any pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 I wouldn't unless you're comfortable dismanteling the dash, interior, and seal components of your brand new car. If you don't want the dealer to do it, take it to an independent car stereo place that does high end installs. They'll probably charge you $70 or so, and they know how to press on all the interior components to release them/pop them back without breakage etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKen Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Mig, I have an XM Roady XT that I went ahead and mounted to my ashtray with one wire running to the tape deck. I too am not one for drilling any holes into my car or pulling panels so I ran the antenna up underneath the dash, over to the drivers side door and across the INSIDE seam of the windshield. The little antenna pod sits right up against the glass on my dash. Reception is fine unless I'm in the bank drive thru which isn't that often because I'm broke most of the time with the new prices of gas nowdays. I'll try and get some pictures posted for you soon. LOC Management: Is it okay to post pictures and provide a link the address where the pictures would reside? Just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapinos Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I reviewed the installation instructions for the IS250 Xm installation. All of the work takes place in the trunk. The most difficult part of the installation seems to be unlocking the snaps that fasten the trunk panels in place. Before I order the Sirrius kit I'm going to make sure the prewire from the amp to the head unit is in place and that the wiring in the car matches that shown in the instructions. The parts guy at my dealer was telling me they needed to run a wire through the car to the head unit. That's contrary to the XM instructions. He did tell me about the antenna being off to the side. When they do an install they ask the customer where they want the antenna, center or side. I suspect that Lexus wants the antenna off to the side because it's easier to hide the wire on the underside of the trunk lid and maybe the reception is better on the side than in the center of the trunk. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Quite frankly, I'm still disappointed in Lexus for not addressed this antenna issue. We're talking about a Luxury Auto Company. Why cant they offer a color-coded antenna on the roof like every other manufacturer??? The small black after-market antenna on the trunk looks like a cheap afterthought. It may be acceptable on my 99 Grand Cherokee, but it has no place on a Lexus. Just my opinion of course. :whistles: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapinos Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I agree with you. Why Lexus couldn't standardize on an antenna for cell, satellite radio and AM/FM radio like Audi did is beyond me. There seem to be quite a few consumer oriented ammentities in the new IS that were dopped or not implemented because of schedule. For example, easy satellite radio hookup, pop-up trunk, easily accessible fuel and trunk release buttons, fold-down rear seats, etc. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 LOC Management: Is it okay to post pictures and provide a link the address where the pictures would reside? Just wondering. Sure no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimdad97 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I agree with you. Why Lexus couldn't standardize on an antenna for cell, satellite radio and AM/FM radio like Audi did is beyond me. There seem to be quite a few consumer oriented ammentities in the new IS that were dopped or not implemented because of schedule. For example, easy satellite radio hookup, pop-up trunk, easily accessible fuel and trunk release buttons, fold-down rear seats, etc.Peter completely agree - I bought mine and since I have it a couple months now - I can't believe all the corners that were cut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightshade Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I agree with you. Why Lexus couldn't standardize on an antenna for cell, satellite radio and AM/FM radio like Audi did is beyond me. There seem to be quite a few consumer oriented ammentities in the new IS that were dopped or not implemented because of schedule. For example, easy satellite radio hookup, pop-up trunk, easily accessible fuel and trunk release buttons, fold-down rear seats, etc.Peter completely agree - I bought mine and since I have it a couple months now - I can't believe all the corners that were cut Err...the Antenna issue for XM was fixed for the 2007 model year.... fuel and trunk release buttons are right there to the left of your wheel and down a touch, illuminated even...you want to see pain-in-the-butt releases in comparison try an older supra. The pop-up trunk is a debatable issue, I prefer it doesn't pop up as when I release it from inside the car I don't need to show the world what is in my trunk while I'm still in the drivers seat. Other folks would prefer it does pop up. Folding seats is an engineering issue, you'd have to add more cross-member support (and thus weight) to the vehicle to maintain the same rigidity if you put folding seats in... and I suppose they're thinking it's a lux car, not a tercel, so fold down seats is less desirable than a stiffer chassis and better handling... other folks disagree of course but it's not an oversight so much as a specific design choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JENunnez Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 The only thing I see as an oversight or whatever you want to call it is that there's no handle, or place to pull the trunk lid up. There's really no comfortable way of doing it. You pull a little on the lisence plate lights then grab the edge of the of the trunk lid and pull to open. No big deal, but they could have done something a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0m3n Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 How did this go from an XM DIY question to a rant about every minor thing you dont like about your car??? Anybody with pics of how to remove the radio or best location for the unit or antenna... Sewell told me their installers put the antenna under the headliner by the rear window, completely out of sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurrijeff Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've got an 07 and mine came "XM Ready". I thought that I could just subscribe but the receiver and some other components were not installed. The antenna was there. I got the instructions from a post here, purchased the missing parts and installed them myself. The dealer quoted me 2 hours to do the installations.... I did it the first time in 45 minutes start to finish including clean up. If I did it 2 more times I'm sure I could do it in 25-30 minutes. Its real easy, you just need to understand how all the different upholstery clips work. They are clearly the most challenging part.. that is: not damaging anything during the process. My advice to anyone with the "XM Ready" configuration, buy the parts and do it yourself. Its really easy. Actually, everything you'll need is in this post. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297124 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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