Satellite woes

[bcolts]

I think I have read at least most of the threads dealing with poor Sirius Xm reception and the consensus seems to be that:
Sirius and XM still use different satellite systems even after they merged--
People owning brands other than Toyota that use Sirius don't have the loss of signal issues that we seem to--
Dealerships generally say after checking things out, that the equipment is "performing within spec"--
Some people have questioned if a new antenna would solve the issue but I couldn't find where anyone did change it out and that worked--

So my question is, has anyone had a new OEM shark fin antenna installed that solved the problem? I am rapidly getting hooked on this whole satellite thing, but the signal drops are driving me crazy. I went to an auto electronics place and the guy told me that Toyota wiring, etc wouldn't work with aftermarket gear. I'm sure it could be done but I don't want to spend the cash and have the same issue.
Anybody had any luck wth a fix? FWIW I've got 2010 LE with JBL/nav system.

 

[Jono.ful]

a new antenna won't make a difference. you are correct in that Sirius and XM still maintain different satellites - XM's are geosynchronous with ground repeater stations and have less coverage as a result (I was given this info right from an XM technical support person). the only solution is to get a different head unit and switch to Sirius. A quick search will show that several guys around here are running aftermarket head units - myself included - so I'd find a different electronics shop

 

[BigredTEX]

I have had the antenna replaced and it DID work. It took three trips to the dealer, where I got the standard answer that everything was working as it should before I finally escalated to Toyota HQ. They recommended I go to a different dealer, but I decided to give the same dealer one more try. They replaced the antenna and that did the trick.
[MENTION=81003]Jono.ful[/MENTION] is correct about the XM repeaters in most major metropolitan areas - the company I once worked for installed many of them. That was one of the reasons my dealer was having trouble duplicating the problem. They are located in Dallas, well within the coverage area of the repeater, and the unit worked fine there, even inside their shop. I allowed the service manager to drive my truck home for the night (he lived about 30 miles north of Dallas) and it started dropping signal as soon as he got north of the LBJ loop.

 

[bcolts]

I have had the antenna replaced and it DID work. It took three trips to the dealer, where I got the standard answer that everything was working as it should before I finally escalated to Toyota HQ. They recommended I go to a different dealer, but I decided to give the same dealer one more try. They replaced the antenna and that did the trick.
[MENTION=81003]Jono.ful[/MENTION] is correct about the XM repeaters in most major metropolitan areas - the company I once worked for installed many of them. That was one of the reasons my dealer was having trouble duplicating the problem. They are located in Dallas, well within the coverage area of the repeater, and the unit worked fine there, even inside their shop. I allowed the service manager to drive my truck home for the night (he lived about 30 miles north of Dallas) and it started dropping signal as soon as he got north of the LBJ loop.

I don't live near a metro area with repeaters. So the change of antennas noticeably improved your "non repeatered" reception? Replaced with an OEM shark fin?

 

[Paul06Sport]

I live in a rural area between Boston and Worcester, and my 16 TRDP has much better reception then my last 3 Toyotas ('10 Venza, '13 Venza, and '13 Avalon). Driving around the backroads, it was pretty much useless, though it was better in the winter (less trees). It still doesn't match my old aftermarket Sirius unit, but I'm much happier now.

 

[BigredTEX]

I don't live near a metro area with repeaters. So the change of antennas noticeably improved your "non repeatered" reception? Replaced with an OEM shark fin?

Yes it did, dramatically. I live in the northern suburbs of Dallas and it was all but useless. I would drop reception 4 or 5 times in my 2.5 mile commute to the office and in rural areas it wasn't worth the effort to listen to XM at all. Once they replaced the antenna with what appears to be an OEM antenna it now works very well. I now work in Tulsa so I'm going back and forth on a regular basis and XM is all I listen to. There are still random drops occasionally, even when there are no apparent obstructions, but only occasionally. I am even getting reception inside parking garages. It is not as reliable as my wife's VW was or her new Subaru is, but night and day compared to what it was.

It took the dealer three days to decide to replace the antenna and I don't know if it was a shot in the dark or certain diagnostics that led them to that conclusion.

 

[bcolts]

Thanks BigRed. I think I'm going to have a conversation with my dealership regarding a new sharkfin.
It sounds like your replacement was done under warranty, but out of curiosity, do you recall any $ amount being thrown around on "what it would have cost you if this wasn't under warranty"?

 

[BigredTEX]

Thanks BigRed. I think I'm going to have a conversation with my dealership regarding a new sharkfin.
It sounds like your replacement was done under warranty, but out of curiosity, do you recall any $ amount being thrown around on "what it would have cost you if this wasn't under warranty"?

Since Toyota HQ was involved there was no charge. I asked for and received a copy of a very basic work order that only stated the trouble and that they had replaced the antenna, no numbers. It was done outside of warranty, but the "bill" was submitted to HQ. When I first contacted HQ I made it clear that I had taken it in three times for the problem under warranty. That's when they gave me a case number and suggested I go to a different dealer.

If you have documented the trouble through the dealership wile under warranty and they have not fixed it, I would contact Toyota HQ.

 

[bcolts]

I just bought this runner on 8/2, so no warranty to work with. I'm hoping switching out the antenna won't be too heavy. If it isn't, I'm willing to throw a few bucks at it to see if it makes a difference.
Loving my "new to me" 5th generation LE by the way...

 

[AZTrail]

My XM radio was losing signal frequently. On my first trip to the dealer they said their testing did not find any problem. The service adviser told me to use my cell phone to take a video of the problem. I went to an open area turned on the radio and recorded a short video of the radio playing and then losing signal, ... I then emailed the video to the service adviser and scheduled a visit. This time the OEM shark fin antenna was replaced. The new one has yet to lose the signal. The cost was about $425 on the bill but it was all covered by my extended warranty.

 

[bcolts]

Thanks for the data point AZtrail. I will be checking into sharkfin pricing with the hope it won't be quite that steep. Yikes!

 

[BigredTEX]

My XM radio was losing signal frequently. On my first trip to the dealer they said their testing did not find any problem. The service adviser told me to use my cell phone to take a video of the problem. I went to an open area turned on the radio and recorded a short video of the radio playing and then losing signal, ... I then emailed the video to the service adviser and scheduled a visit. This time the OEM shark fin antenna was replaced. The new one has yet to lose the signal. The cost was about $425 on the bill but it was all covered by my extended warranty.

This is exactly what I did to prove my point. I took several videos while driving to demonstrate the loss of signal, careful to capture the surrounding terrain to show there were no possible obstructions or heavy overcast. The Dealer had already "tested" every component and said everything was working as it should. As I have already said, I don't know what testing or diagnostics they performed lead them to the antenna or if it was a total shot in the dark, but that is the only component they replaced and it did the trick.